The Flash Season 7 Episode 3 Review: Mother
Sarah Little
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If that wasn't a jam-packed hour of television, I don't know what is.
Eva's power spread throughout Central City on The Flash Season 7 Episode 3, AKA the original finale of The Flash Season 6, as she tried to replace everyone with mirror clones. Or, as Eva liked to call them, her children.
With all that happened, "Mother" was easily recognizable as a season finale. Iris proved to be a vital part of the show, we finally met the original Harrison Wells, and the cheesy factor was off the charts. A classic The Flash episode is born.
The best thing for The Flash to do at this point is to lean into its cheesiness.
There's no denying that love and hope are the backbones of the show and why it works. As mentioned frequently throughout the hour, Barry is not the Paragon of Love for nothing.
Barry: Of all the Wells, you were the one I wanted to meet the most. I'm Bar-
Harrison: Barry Allen. I know. The other Wells might be gone, but they left an imprint, memories. And so let me just say, whatever's wrong. Let me help you because they would want me to.
Barry: You can't. This enemy that we're facing is all-powerful, plus my speed is gone.
Harrison: Aren't you the Paragon of Love? Look, anyone could save the world with their speed, with their might. But it takes a real hero. A once-in-a-lifetime hero to do it with his heart.
Barry: What is that supposed to mean?
Harrison: It means run, Barry. Run toward love.
His assigned role in the Crisis made sense to all of us at the time. Barry is a ray of sunshine amongst the broody heroes of the Arrowverse.
But it was still nice for the show to address his Paragon status individually.
Love is what makes him the hero that he is, and that's all thanks to Iris.
Barry and Iris have the strongest relationship of any couple on The CW superhero shows. They constantly make each other better and work so well together.
We have been waiting for their reunion for over a year now, and it did not disappoint.
They are finally together again, and we hope it stays that way forever. No more angst is required for the couple who are each other's lightning rods -- figuratively and literally.
I may be the Paragon of Love, but that's only because you're my heart. Please, come back to me.
Barry
And, hopefully, we won't have to worry about Iris' well-being for a while. She's been through enough, and there's no doubt that she can defend herself at this point.
Some people underestimate Iris' role on Team Flash. But given that she single-handedly gave Barry his speed back, I would say that, besides the Flash, she's the most important team member.
Many viewers might dismiss this episode as too corny, but I think it's just what we all needed.
Many television shows are airing right now that address serious, real-world topics. From pandemics to systemic racism, they are issues that need to be acknowledged by the media.
But TV is a form of escapism for a lot of us, and it can be quite tiring to watch shows that talk about the very things we go through in our own lives.
"Mother," on the other hand, was a shining light in the darkness. It was full of hope, love, and lighthearted moments that brought tears to our eyes and gave us chills.
I mean, it's not often we see a Big Bad lock arms with the heroes to save the day.
Eva's demise seemed inevitable from the moment she declared that humanity was rotten to the core. Who could ever pull her back from that ledge?
Apparently, Iris West-Allen can.
So many of the villains we see on television share the same motive as Eva, but we rarely see their reign end the way Eva's did.
Barry: And what happens to us?
Eva: You adapt to your new world. Same as I did. Don't worry, Barry. I'm not going to kill anyone. I'm not your enemy. What I am is a mother to a newer, better world.
It is always obvious to the viewers that the villain contradicts themselves when they say that humans are ruining the world, but they are killing people and destroying cities themselves.
Iris brought up this point to Eva and was able to get her to take a step back to realize what she was doing. Surprisingly, Eva listened, and, together, they brought an end to the Mirrorverse storyline.
It's hard for a long-standing superhero show to surprise us with a finale, but The Flash managed to do so.
The end of Eva didn't end in death. At least, we hope so. Her mirror army was pretty out of control when fighting the citizens of Central City.
Boss, you have to get better. The Citizen doesn't work without you. So, just, please, come back, okay? Cause we're not giving up on you. Especially Barry. What you two have is amazing. No matter how strong you both are on your own, you're even stronger together. Don't let Eva McCulloch end what you guys have.
Allegra
I doubt this will be the last we have seen of Eva since it's almost too good to be true that she would retreat to the Mirrorverse peacefully.
Plus, she made for an epic villain that The Flash had never encountered.
But if there is one person who is gone way too soon, it's Dr. Harrison Wells.
I'm not going to begin to try to understand the whole Wells thing and how Harrison came to be. I'll leave that to science.
In any case, seeing the original Wells interact with Barry and the rest of the team was like a dream come true for most fans. How could he be gone already?
I have a theory that went Nash and all the other Wells were removed from the timeline, the universe required a balancing act. One Wells to make up for all those lost. Isn't that cosmic?
Harrison
It makes sense that he would want to relive the years he spent with his wife with his new time travel powers. But that doesn't mean we aren't sad to see him go.
Even the first scene between Harrison and Barry was wonderfully acted and executed. We need more of them, please.
Hopefully, this is not goodbye forever. Team Flash doesn't feel right without a Wells on it. Plus, we will never get tired of Tom Cavanagh uttering the words, "Run, Barry. Run."
Of course, the episode had to set up the rest of The Flash Season 7, and it did so with a flashback to an earlier scene.
Someone with more knowledge of the comic books might better decipher what this final scene meant, but I believe that new speedsters are entering the fold.
Because the show definitely needs more of them.
I could be wrong, but because Barry's speed is associated with the color yellow, and other colors of lightning appeared overhead of STAR Labs, it appears likely.
What did you think, The Flash Fanatics?
Are you happy with the ending to the Mirrorverse storyline? Did this episode have just the right amount of cheesiness? Did you laugh at the way "Ralph" returned?
How epic was it watching Barry fight alongside Cisco and Frost again? And are you sad that Harrison is gone already?
Let me know in the comments, and do not forget that you can watch The Flash online right here via TV Fanatic!
The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
Sarah Little was a staff writer for TV Fanatic.She retired in September 2021.
