Why the Flash needs to break out of its Formula

Last episode was not the season finale of The Flash, but it was the most significant episode of the season so far, as after literally just putting together clues inside his own head, Barry figured out the identity of the armored speedster known as Savitar, the one destined to kill Iris West and ruin his life forever.

To discuss this, we’re obviously going to have to get into spoiler territory, so turn back now if you haven’t seen last night’s episode.

You’ve been warned.

Barry realizes from Savitar’s infinite knowledge of his life and his little quips like “I am the future, Flash” (actually, “I am the Future Flash,” is a better reading), that the villain is none other than…himself. Future Barry. Or an Earth-X Barry. Or Flashpoint Barry.

This Barry isn’t “old” per say, probably just a few years older than Barry is now, though he has some sort of burn-like scar on his face, indicating a severe injury. Now the question morphs from “who is Savitar” to “why would future Barry want to kill Iris and presumably set off a chain of events to destroy his own life and the lives of everyone he loves?” That’s something I don’t have an immediate answer to, but I do know one thing: This is the type of plotline I hope gets put on the shelf for a while after this season.

While I have maintained since its debut that The Flash is one of the best superhero shows on television, if not the best, here in season three, my enthusiasm is starting to wane a bit. And mostly that’s because we are now in the third straight season where we more or less have the exact same over-arching plotline for the year.

1. Mysterious evil speedster arrives
2. Barry must get faster to stop him
3. Mysterious speedster is revealed to be someone Barry knows

In season one, Reverse Flash was Eobard Thawne wearing the face of Harrison Wells, pretending to be an ally to Barry and the team.

In season two, Zoom was Hunter Zolomon, pretending to Jay Garrick, pretending to be an ally when it suited him, in a reveal so convoluted I still don’t understand aspects of it a year later.

Now in season three, we have Savitar as Future/Flashpoint Barry, motivations as of yet unclear.

This sort of mystery can be a lot of fun, and I was on board for it for maybe, 1.75 seasons (I was not a fan of the Hunter Zolomon/Jay Garrick craziness at the end of last season). This year, my only real guess was that this was some version of Barry in the suit, ever since he uttered “I am the future(,) Flash” and that set off fans speculating that was the case.

I’m not upset that I wasn’t super surprised by this reveal, but I do think it’s time to let this formula go. By keeping the identity of X villain a secret over the course of the season, the obvious answer is that it’s going to be some member of the cast, past or present, so it’s just a game of musical chairs as you try to guess who it is. Again, while this formula can work well (and Arrow actually did a good job copying The Flash’s formula this season with its Prometheus storyline, and had a head-fake no one saw coming), for The Flash itself, it’s getting a bit tiresome.

I think Barry needs A) a non speedster villain in season four, though someone who can still go toe-to-toe with him and B) someone whose identity isn’t a mystery for more than a short while so we don’t have round four of this little guessing game, which is getting old. It’s like The Flash saw how well season one worked, and now they’re scared to do anything besides that overall formula. But each time they do it, it gets a little less effective. This season, I haven’t really been on board with Savitar, the blob of CGI armor, from the start. Only now that I know he’s Future Barry does he seem even a little bit interesting.

The Flash is still a good show and I’ve enjoyed parts of this season. I think that after Savitar is put to rest, that we need to lay off this exact format for a season or two, and see how The Flash works when it’s not all about just trying to get faster or the identity of a villain or the perils of time travel. There’s a lot more that can be explored here, but so far, The Flash seems afraid to go in new directions.

I am interesting in hearing the wild tale of how Barry Allen went full supervillain, but there has been a lot of wasted time getting to this point, and I just want the show to go someplace new after this.