‘The Flash’ Season 9, Episode 12: Recap & Ending Explained

The third part of the four-part series of The Flash is underway, and it’s slowly but surely taking us to the pick of the show. In the previous part of the New World, we saw Team Flash members being compromised by the blue gem, Malcolm Gilmore realizing he is Eddie Thawne and Barry constantly being attacked by the Negative Speed Force.

In episode twelve, titled “A New World, Part Three,” we see Negative Speed Force continue attacking the Team Flash, Barry sent to the future, while Eddie Thawne makes his final choice. Beware of spoilers of the most recent Flash episode, and stay with us for our recap and short review of the episode.

Negative Speed Force is attacking Team Flash across time and space, and Barry is in the future

The episode starts where it left off – at the cemetery and Eddie Thawne’s grave. Malcolm Gilmore is no more, and Eddie Thawne is reborn. Realizing he is truly alive, Eddie decides to find Flash, but Captain Korber begs him to be checked out in the hospital first.

However, a mysterious blue vortex appears above them, which sucks in Korber, and most likely kills her. Eddie is understandably terrified. In 2023, Team Flash try to determine where Barry is and that Negative Speed Force is attacking them across space and time. Speed Force Nora arrives and says that Negative Speed Force has cloaked Barry with its dark energy and moved him across the timeline.

Nora continues to say that Barry is where the blue gem is and is currently stationed in Central City in 2049. Speed Force Nora concludes and warns the team that the whole timeline could be erased if Barry dies. She disappears and most likely dies since her being in the 2023 timeline weakened her considerably.

In the future, specifically in 2049, the future Team Flash celebrates another victory as the city’s protectors, with Nora being the team leader. While they celebrate, we learn about Team Flash’s futures – Chester and Allegra are married, Barry is in the Watchtower space, and Cecile is a fully pledged superhero, Virtue.

The strange energy resurfaces in the Flash museum above the lab, and Nora goes to check it out. In the meantime, Eddie Thawne arrives at the museum and asks about Flash’s whereabouts. The security guard jokingly sends him to Flash’s statue, and Eddie sees for the first time what happened after he died. Seeing Reverse-Flash still alive makes Eddie upset since his death was in vain. Suddenly, a mysterious blue portal opens again, and we see a blonde Nora, saying she is Eddie’s daughter. Eddie is shocked, and the strange woman tempts him to come with him to have the life he always wanted.

Eddie almost accepts, but Nora saves him at the last second. She also recognizes him, saying that her mother told her about Eddie. Team Flash realizes that Eddie is Eddie and that his body gives off a lot of Hawking radiation, which most likely causes blue vortexes to appear.

Team Flash tries to figure out how to bring Barry back, and the blue gem possesses Nora

Nora decides to talk with Eddie, who realizes she is Barry’s daughter. Moreover, Nora tells Eddie he knows her from 2013 when she had to return to the past to save her timeline. Nora also reveals that the vortex is actually a singularity, and there was one that almost destroyed the whole of Central City the day he died.

Eddie soon realizes that his sacrifice back in 2015 was in vain. However, Nora encourages the man saying he got the greatest gift ever – a second chance.

In 2023, Team Flash is still contemplating how to save Barry, and Mark reveals that when the blue crystal possessed him, he felt immense hate towards Barry, and even his love for the man couldn’t overpower the crystal’s emotion.

Cecile suggests that her empathy powers could help if Barry is close, but Chester thinks of an idea – with the help of a special device, Cecile succeeds in projecting her consciousness to her future self. In the meantime, Nora sends an urgent message to her father in space when suddenly, the power is off, and a blue crystal appears on the floor. Nora picks it up and gets possessed by the artifact.

Present-future Cecile goes on the mission to discover where Barry is. Still, when future Chester and Allegra tell her that she barely sees her family, Joe, and Jenna, she immediately gets upset and returns to her body. Cecile tells Team Flash she can’t help them and leaves the premises. Khione suggests that Chester needs to go and talk to the woman to comfort their friend.

At the Mercury Labs in 2049, Eddie and Nora investigate the man, not knowing that the crystal controls Barry’s daughter. Of course, the crystal talks through Nora, who asks Eddie strange questions. She provokes him by telling Eddie about Eobard Thawne, telling him that he is the only Thawne no one remembers, but the man refuses to tell her that statement gets under his skin.

Possessed Nora continues manipulating Eddie by telling him he could have everything Barry has. Eddie realizes that Nora wants to hurt her own father, which prompts her to goad Eddie more. She offers him the chance to have everything he wants, but Eddie resists and escapes. Suddenly, Barry appears, and not knowing his daughter is possessed, he hugs her and tells her what’s happening.

Barry and Eddie have a reunion, and Chester comforts Cecile

Nora attacks 2023 Barry with the blue crystal and almost kills him, but Eddie stops her, and both men escape the Mercury Labs. Barry takes them to Malcolm Gilmore’s house, where Barry properly thanks Eddie for his sacrifice. Eddie admits he is scared and doesn’t fully understand what is going on, and Barry suggests they join forces to stop the Negative Speed Force.

While Eddie explains to Barry his life as Malcolm Gilmore, Barry investigates the West/Gilmore household, and when he picks up Eddie’s photo, it starts changing into Joe. Barry realizes that this house and Gilmore’s life are actually a false reality created by negative tachyons. Of course, this leads to Barry realizing that Negative Speed Force revived Eddie as its new avatar.

At STAR Labs in 2023, Cecile is still saddened by the fact that she neglected her family for a superhero life in the future, and Chester tries to comfort her. Cecile continues saying she is a failure since she wasn’t there when her mother died because of work. However, Chester tells her that she has a chance to make things right because her biggest strength is her heart and that he believes she will put her family first in the future.

In the future, Eddie questions Barry about being a Negative Speed Force avatar. Of course, Barry tells Eddie that NSF needs its avatar on Earth to carry on its plan, and only if Eddie agrees to it will it awaken a true power.

Eddie disagrees with Barry and feels NSF made good choices, especially regarding his possible life. Then Eddie starts hearing the voice of the blue crystal, telling him that Barry is lying and that he cannot determine the difference between his own voice and Crystal’s. Eddie concludes that taking NSF’s offer will cement the heroism he lost and get what he always wanted – a family.

Eddie clearly refers to Nora and Iris; when Barry sees Eddie’s desperation, he tells him that Nora and Iris aren’t his family. Barry tells Eddie to think about what Iris would want him to do before the Possessed Nora calls Flash to bring him Eddie. Barry leaves Eddie at the house, telling him he believes he will make the correct choice.

Eddie Thawne makes a choice, and Cobalt Blue is born

The Flash confronts possessed Nora, and kickstarts a fight across Central City, while Cecile decides to help with new determination. Barry tries to appeal to Nora during the fight, but NSF overwhelms her and attacks The Flash.

She hurls her father off the building and injures him while Eddie Thawne finds Iris West-Allen, who is visibly older. Her presence visibly strikes him, while Iris is happy to see her ex-fiance alive but keeps her distance. Eddie tells her he needs to make an important choice, but he must see her first to decide.

Iris offers Eddie help, but Eddie wants a lot more of Iris, as seen when he changes the West-Allen family photo to one of him, Iris, and blonde Nora (his hypothetical daughter).

On the other side of the city, possessed Nora almost kills Barry, but Cecile comes and saves the day by removing Crystal’s presence from Nora’s body. We also see Cecile in her superhero mantle – Virtue.

At West Allen’s residence, Eddie pushes Iris to love him and tries to win her over, but Iris is relentless in her love for Barry and her family – she rejects Eddie and offers him help.

This upsets Eddie, and he threatens Iris that he will kill Barry and everyone she loves. Barry and now normal Nora have a heartfelt moment together, but the strange storm looms over Central City, indicating Eddie made his choice.

Barry, Cecile, and Nora join future Team Flash to discuss the next steps. Cecile tells the team that Speed Force Nora came to warn them in 2023, and Barry and little Nora confirm her death by telling the team they no longer feel her speed force.

This confirms that Speed Force is only present in Barry’s family. Chester adds that the timeline is fracturing, with Cecile saying she will warn the crew in 2023.

Older Iris arrives at the STAR Labs, and she and Barry have a heartfelt talk, and suddenly, Barry is engulfed in blue smoke and taken away once again. In the Mercury Labs, Eddie sits alone but starts destroying things in his wake out of sadness and frustration.

He looks at the blue crystal that speaks to him and shows him the life he will finally get if he accepts the offer to be the avatar of Negative Speed Force. Besides his possible family, all Barry’s speedster villains are projected in the crystal as well, and Eddie reaches out to the opened vortex, making his choice – becoming Cobalt Blue.

The Flash season nine episode eleven ending explained and a short review

This episode showcased the power of the crystal and Negative Speed Force. Moreover, we learned that people who didn’t accept Crystal’s calling couldn’t use the full power of Negative Speed Force.

Eddie Thawne’s character will officially become a villain of The Flash series, driven by his sacrifice being in vain, despite what Barry and Iris thinking differently. Negative Speed Force learned that Eddie was jealous of Barry, whom Iris loved more, and despite being a decent man, he has deep grief inside of him. Unfortunately, Eddie’s deepest and darkest desires resurfaced.

He is the Cobalt Blue and the last main villain of The Flash. It’s sad how Eddie Thawne’s character is no longer a hero, but it makes sense how the show builds up his resurrection and appearance.

It also makes sense that Thawne is a villain to Flash, and it’s good how showrunners used Malcolm Thawne’s character to build up Eddie.

Part three of the series finale landed better than the previous one since it featured Eddie and West-Allen family the most. I’m glad a supporting character like Cecile “shined” this episode with her powers and deepest fears.

Others were just there, with Chester standing out a bit more. Nevertheless, the next episode is the final episode of The Flash series, and that’s mindblowing if you think about it. The Flash end also marks the end of the Arrowverse, and despite some failures, at least it brought us live-action DC content on television, which I appreciate.

We will return next week with our The Flash recap and final review of the series ever.