‘The Flash’ Season 9 Episode 7: Recap & Ending Explained

The seventh episode of The Flash season nine focuses on Iris and other supporting characters, which is oddly refreshing. In the previous episode titled “The Good, the Bad, and the Lucky,” we see Cecile and Allegra trying to save Becky Sharpe from her bad luck while Mark and Chester try to figure out Khione’s true powers and origins.

New episode 6, titled “Wildest Dreams,” is similar to previous episodes since it doesn’t have Team Flash deal with the “big bad” of the season but tries to solve their own problems their struggle with. Nia Nal, also known as Dreamer, guest stars in the episode and takes Iris to the “Dreamland” while Khione and Mark try to bond. If you are interested in our recap and review of the newest episode of The Flash, stay with us until the end. Beware of spoilers.

Nia Nal has a strange vision that takes her to Iris and Central City

The episode starts with Dreamer walking through the warehouse, where she suddenly encounters signs of doom – crows, death, and black widow spiders. During her scary vision, Dreamer sees a group of people with a hooded figure, to whom she warns that they can’t stop her. However, Dreamer tries to use her powers and realizes she cannot.

Suddenly, Iris West-Allen appears behind Dreamer, who tells her it’s all about control. Iris collapses and dies on the spot, while Dreamer wakes from her nightmare in National City and hurries to Central City to meet Iris.

While Nia Nal tries to reach Central City, Iris is seen working in the office and writing her new article. Allegra shows Iris the headline of the article regarding the Red Death danger in Central City, and the journalist realizes it is the same article she is supposed to win the Pulitzer award in the future. Iris seems disappointed and surprised that the time has passed so quickly.

Meanwhile, in the S.T.A.R. Labs, Khione seemingly realizes her frost powers, and Mark is really happy about it. After a clumsy accident, Mark and Khione kiss; however, the scene pans to Mark sleeping and dreaming about him and Khione (Frost) “bonding.” Chester wakes Mark up and invites Khione to hang out – alone.

Nia reaches Iris at her work, and the journalist is surprised – Iris mentions her brunch with Ryan Wilder, the Danvers sisters, and Nia herself – great namedrop guys!

Anyway, Nia tells Iris about her dream and how a strange hooded woman erased her powers. She continues to say that Iris is the one to help her since she was the one who was in her dream. While they talk, Nia sees a hooded woman once again, and suddenly both women are knocked out.

Nia and Iris wake up in one of Iris’ dreams and now need to figure out how to return to the “real world.”

Insecurities take Iris and Nia on a journey across the Dreamland

The Dreamland works in funny ways, and Nia and Iris end up in CCPD, where Iris is the Captain. Nia explains that they are now stuck in Iris’ dream, who confirms that before becoming a journalist, she wanted to be just like her dad, Joe, a police officer.

Iris oddly loves it, but Nia steers her to find a way out. Blue doors appear out of nowhere, and Nia warns Iris that she died in her previous dreams, and despite the hooded figure only killing in dreams, both of them need to be extra careful. Nia and Iris go through the door and are transported to another dream – where Nia and Iris work in Jitters. Even Barry and Chester are there with them but are part of the dream.

Meanwhile, in the “real world,” Barry arrives at CCCM to surprise Iris with cheese fries of his wife’s cravings but stumbles upon Iris and Nia unconscious. He takes them to S.T.AR. Labs, where Cecile says that she can’t feel anything, and no one in National City would be able to help since they are somewhere “off-world.” Team Flash realizes that women will most likely die if they don’t wake up from a dream.

In Dreamworld, Iris feels great working at Jitters and even solves chaos with one of the customers. She continues that she loves the freedom of working as a barista, but Nia interrupts her to tell her she is getting hotter. Nia realizes she and Iris are in an “angry sleep” and tells the other woman they must hurry up and solve this.

Iris continues to reminisce about her work as a barista when both women are transported to the warehouse, where Nia was at the beginning of the episode.

Nia realizes that her and Iris’ dreams are merging, which means they share one nightmare. Once again, the hooded figure appears, but this time, Nia stands up and yells that she is a Dreamer, has control, and won’t let them hurt anyone.

Once again, another door opens, and both women are in CCCM but still in the Dreamworld. Iris and Nia stumble upon a scene of Iris’ journalist colleagues undermining her winning Pulitzer win and talking about how she is a fraud.

Nia asks Iris why this is happening, and the other woman opens up about her insecurities and fears that she didn’t earn the award because she already knew she would get it, thanks to Barry’s time traveling. The destiny she knows waits for her is suffocating, but Nia assures her that destiny is a culmination of our life choices and that Iris’ path is what she truly created.

Khione realizes that Mark wants her to be Frost

While Nia and Iris try to wake up, Mark and Khione bond in the pub. Khione quickly realizes that Mark is constantly trying to steer her to choices Frost would make because he dismisses her comment that bars aren’t her thing.

Mark is relentless in his reassurances and continues telling Khione he wants her to be her own woman, but his actions are the opposite. Khione knows that and confronts Mark in front of the pub crowd, but she shuts the “show” down when she tells Mark he never wanted to meet her. Khione leaves the shocked crowd and Mark in the bar.

Bodies of Iris and Nia in the S.T.A.R. Labs are heating up, and Team Flash are scared that they will die. However, Cecile senses someone in the room with them and explains that she believes that Iris and Nia will be okay because she feels a kind and powerful presence. Cecile doesn’t know that the presence she feels in the room is a hooded figure.

In the Dreamworld, Nia, and Iris discover a door covered in spiderwebs, and the Dreamer reveals that her mother died from a black widow spider bite and that maybe she won’t ever be able to regain her powers. She continues that she might need to continue on the path despite the dangers and let go of the control she desperately tried to have.

Nia decides that she needs to go through the final door alone, which leads her to the scenario from the beginning of the episode – in the Dreamer suit against a hooded figure.

Nia meets the original Dreamer, who helps her and Iris wake up

Nia tells the hooded figure that she has given up control and is waiting for her fate. However, she doesn’t expect a hooded figure revealing itself to be a woman, the original Dreamer, which is an ancient source of Naltorian dream energy. The original Dreamer gives Nia her powers back, and both embrace their true paths, making both Nia and Iris wake up.

The women are fine, and in the aftermath of the dream crisis, Nia reveals that the original Dreamer will help her take her powers to the next level and act as her mentor. Cecile can still feel the original Dreamer’s presence in the room and comments on how she can feel strong, loving energy.

Iris publishes her future award-winning article, and Khione is sad because Mark left

After everything is settled and Nia returns to National City, Barry, and Iris are back in their home. Iris finally gets her cheese fries from Big Belly restaurant in National City, another reference to Supergirl’s home city. 

Anyway, Iris and Barry talk about everything that happened, and the journalist reveals her reservation about publishing her Red Death award-winning article. Barry tells her that she doesn’t have to publish it, but Iris, inspired by Nia’s words, decides to publish her article, sealing her fate.

The end of the episode sees Team Flash having breakfast at Cecile’s, where Mark stops to talk to Khione. Mark admits that he misses Frost and struggles with the love of his life being gone, and apologizes to Khione, who wants to put his desires onto her. Khione forgives him and tells him they are still friends. 

Mark then says his goodbyes to Khione and tells her he will leave Central City to grieve his girlfriend the best he can. He asks Khione to promise she will continue exploring her powers. Mark leaves, and Khione is sad, which is visible by her subconsciously freezing their breakfast. The episode ends with Team Flash comforting Khione.

In conclusion, the “Wildest Dreams” episode was surprisingly easy to watch. We mentioned more supporting characters and guest stars that started appearing in the last season of Flash, which is possibly the best part of the series. The Red Death storyline was alright, but the ending felt lackluster. I still believe Danielle Panabaker’s character was supposed to die at the end of the last season because Khione’s character isn’t interesting. Still, this episode did her a bit of justice, and the actress had something to work with. It will be interesting to see how Flash showrunners will close out her storyline in six episodes.

 As a guest star of the episode, Nia Nal was refreshing, and we expect more cameos from other Arrowverse shows will appear in season 9. Nevertheless, the Dreamer aspect of the episode kept it interesting, which is something The Flash needs this season. The next episode is “Partners in Time,” which will air next week.