The Flash‘s Grant Gustin Breaks Down ‘Armageddon’ Warning, How Barry Will Come to Think ‘Maybe This Is Possible’
The following contains spoilers from The Flash‘s Season 8 premiere.
The Flash returned for Season 8 this Tuesday night, and the titular speedster is as fleet on his feet as ever. But can even a “leveled-up” Barry handle the news that he is destined to cause no less than Armageddon?
But let’s not harsh everyone’s mellow just yet. Much of the season opener aka Part 1 of the five-part “Armageddon” event was light-n-bright, demonstrating how extra- powerful Barry is after the events of the Season 7 finale. Iris, similarly, is now her very best self, lording over a growing Central City Citizen Media that employs actual non-friends writers and has a podcast and everything!
Barry and Iris continue to be on the baby-making track, though their latest liaison is cut short by the arrival of Ray Palmer, in town for a tech convention but unable to book a hotel room. Crashing at the West-Allen’s, Ray the next morning meets a fan-boying Chester, who has arranged to be the former tech titan’s handler for the Con. But when Chester arranges a pitch-fest with some bright young minds, Ray reveals that he isn’t looking to start up another start-up; he wants to just enjoy life and his wife.
The Villain of the Week is one of the series’ first — the Royal Flush Gang, who similarly have “leveled up” and are looking to rob a whole buncha cryptocurrency. The Flash, though, is able to easily stop them in their tracks, seeing as he can now think faster than Queen can read his mind.
At the tech convention, Iris interviews legacy honoree Ray, who takes a cue from Chester and says that his future is perhaps TBD; for the time being, though, he later pitches a foundation for bright young scientific minds, in Chester’s dad’s name. Just as Ray and Iris wrap their Q&A, an alien materializes on the stage. After slugging it out with Barry a bit and leading their fight to the sidewalk below, this Despero declares his mission to kill The Flash, and thus prevent the speedster from destroying the world in 2031. Barry dismisses the forecast as so much poppycock, while Ray as The Atom buys them some time by hacking Despero’s transporter belt gizmo to teleport him… somewhere.
Regrouping at STAR Labs, it is decided that Barry simply needs to show Despero what a righteous dude he is. Luring Despero to STAR Labs, The Flash invites the alien to probe his mind, where no duplicity or anything are detected. Still, Despero can’t run the risk of missing out on his chance to stop Armageddon. But when The Flash reveals his true identity to the alien, a moved Despero agrees to give him seven days to prove his case and not give any indication he might one day turn bad.
Or else.
Assessing Barry’s mindset coming out of Part 1, Flash star Grant Gustin told TVLine, “He of course thinks there’s no way that this is possible. There’s nothing that would make Barry turn on the world that he has vowed to protect. And because he and the whole have leveled up, he feels very confident — initially — that this is not going to be a problem”
The operative word being initially….
Looking ahead to Part 2 airing next Tuesday, Gustin previews, ‘There’s a turn, and that is why Barry goes to the Hall of Justice and seeks out Jefferson [Pierce]” aka Black Lightning, played by Arrowverse alum Cress Williams. “He needs help with something that I won’t spoil, because it’s a big twist that kind of sets the rest of the five-parter into motion.
“But by the end of the second episode,” Gustin teases, “there is a development that makes Barry think that maybe [The Flash causing Armageddon] is possible.”
Elsewhere in the Season 8 premiere: Caitlin, inspired by Frost’s romantic side, decides she herself is ready to start dating again… Kristin Kramer, who realized her own “mimic” ability at the end of Season 7, has disbanded the metahuman task force, and now supervises Barry at the CCPD… and Iris gave Allegra a (frankly undeserved?) promotion, which at first (and understandably?) irked three of her more-experienced (and snotty) colleagues.
What did you think of the “Armageddon” 5-parter kickoff?
Drink game take a drink every time someone says ‘level up’. Plot’s been done I saw the same thing in an Avengers cartoon where Kang the conqueror in order to save his world believed he had to kill Captain America.
Plot’s been done I saw the same thing in an Avengers cartoon where Kang the conqueror in order to save his world believed he had to kill Captain America.
what should the plot have been instead in your opinion?
Oh miffed fanboy copying another’s comment to prove a point is about as original as a DC crossover event milking a plot point from a Marvel cartoon.
of course you cant answer my question so you insult me
Great premiere! Looking forward to the rest of the season.
TVLine, please tell me Joe West is okay! I’m concerned.
Overall, an okay episode. It was nice to see Ray again and see him actually use the suit!
https://tvline.com/lists/fall-season-premieres-2021-tv-spoilers-preview/the-flash-season-8
Bless, thank you, Matt!
Ok, then If that’s what’s happening, then how come Cecile had that weird reaction to Chester’s “dead” comment?
Agreed, that caught me off guard and there was no explanation to it.
I came here just to have that answered. I was like uh oh, what happened? Did I miss something??? lol
I’m curious what Ray told everyone when he and Nora left the Legends. Did they go to 2020 and start a life or did they go to 2016 right when Ray left to be with the legends? Same for Jefferson Jackson too. I’ve always wondered that.
I don’t think they put that much thought into it.
“there is a development that makes Barry think that maybe [The Flash causing Armageddon] is possible.”
Something happens to Iris and Barry screws up the world to save her, just like he screwed up the timeline trying to save his mom. Bet.
Did I miss something when Chester made a comment and then apologized to Cecile?
yeah what was that
Chester was lamenting that he was “dead” to Ray, Cecile looked aghast, Chester apologized, For the life or me I can’t think of why that would bother Cecile, as the implication is Cecile suffered a loss – and I have zero recollection of who might have died. Just cant remember a thing about the previous season’s finale, so I’m stumped.
Um, doesn’t it seem like Eobard from Earth X just stole Barry’s suit.
Screw levelling up Team Flash…. I’m Team Despero/Datak Tarr/Vincent Van Gogh all the way!
Overall, I enjoyed this. The slower start to the episode allowed for the lightness and the heart of classic Flash to show up again – something we’ve been missing the last couple of seasons. I hope it continues.
Chesters reaction to Ray wanting to have a better life than he had before being stressed about work was absurd. He got all mopey and hurt because… Ray didn’t want to start a business with bunch of nobodies and invest millions of his own money? What?? I’m not a fan of Chester, who is the most annoying character on the show (on those blessed episodes when Barry’s kids are not visiting), but I don’t know if it’s because the actor portrays the character as someone from a kid’s daytime programme or if he himself is just bad at acting.
Also, the constant “level up”-talk was odd. So odd.
This episode had one of the things that really annoys me. When Barry goes to stop the Card gang he stops to chat first. Why wouldn’t he zip in, cuff the bunch before they even know he’s there? Yeah he can now out think the psychic because he “leveled up”(anyone else get a bit tired of how many times they used that phrase?) but he almost always does this. Deal with the bad guys FIRST Barry, then chat. Stop giving them a chance to get the drop on you. Reverse Flash did this all the time, maybe take the lesson to heart?
As far as Despero, if the future can be changed by killing Barry then maybe there’s a way to change it that DOESN’T require squashing the Flash like a bug? Just a thought.
That would be boring as hell. Who would wanna see barry just run in and cuff them? Smfh
I totally get that but it is so distracting that it takes me right out of the show whenever it happens.
This needs to be the last season of The Flash.
The show was over long ago and now they are just treading water.
It’s embarrassing to watch now.
CW should put it out of its misery.
Its hard to believe that its the same show.
Who writes these awful shows? I’ve loved comic books my entire life, and this series started out decent ( for something on the CW). But ‘level up’ repeated a thousand times? The sadly repetitious trope of “I have good in me, I wouldn’t do that”! I hope this is the last season. At this point I don’t even watch the episodes, I listen to them while packing orders…which honestly makes it even more awful, because you realize the dialog is something you would never ever hear from adults. How are the actors not embarrassed for themselves reading these lines? I don’t see any of these actors other than Ruth getting work after this dumpster fire of a series.
I had high expectations of this because of the hype and while there were some good scenes and interactions, overall it felt really childlike with character interactions not realistic.
I liked Barry taking on the gang and Iris being more focused but the people working for Iris were caricatures and badly written.
If one more person said “level up” I was going to throw something at my screen
How many more times is Flash going to bring the Armageddon or destroy the universe? This is becoming just as tiresome, annoying and ridiculous as Supernatural.
Great premiere, except one thing, they said level up way too many times 😂Must say it will be an interesting season.
When isn’t Barry Allen responsible for ending the world in one shape or form. If it isn’t flashpoint, going back in time to save iris or some family member. Just because he can do these things, he really shouldn’t.
I agree. by this time I am not surprised that Barry turns evil.
I wish I could say this was a fresh return, but while the character moments are nice, I’m so tired of the big bads.
It always confuses me when they have these time travel stories like “The Flash destroyed the world in 2031” or “The Flash disappeared in this year…” Um, the Legends are time traveller’s. Wouldn’t they know about this stuff? Granted, they might not given what’s happening on their show right now, but why ever have crossovers with that show’s characters if nothing is going to line up?
Great point about the Legends…I mean Sarah went to the future to bring Mia back, They should be all over this stuff, but as you said, no waverider right now…That said, as soon as i heard The Flash destroyed the world in 2031, i was like wait just 5 min ago Iris and Barry were talking about the many visits from their kids, in 2049…so ummm, if the world was destroyed in 2031 how are their kids visiting them from 2049 lots? but hey, its the flash, and its a really fun and awesome show….big fan here regardless!
The Flash is out on Netflix season 8 see that video i’ll check movie
They need to give iris some Special powers to help flash
is no one going to comment on the fact that Iris went from not working on her article and having one more employee either than her in a small office to having multiple reporters , a podcast and an entire building in just 6 months. I mean how is that possible.
BC it’s TV but i really enjoyed it!
The Flash S8 is More than Expected! Already surpasses S7! So Far So GREAT! Can’t wait for Epi2!