Review: The Flash “A New World, Part Three” Proves The Flash Has No Direction

Read this review to find out if The Flash episode “A New World, Part Three: Changes” is worth watching.

About The Flash

• Season 9, Episode 12: A New World, Part Three: Changes
• Directed by Stefan Pleszczynski
• Written by Jonathan Butler & Sarah Tarkoff
• Synopsis: Team Flash works together to figure out how to protect Barry (Grant Gustin), all while being very careful who they trust. Cecile (Danielle Nicolet) is skeptical of the plan after an unsuccessful attempt. Khione’s (Danielle Panabaker) confidence in Chester (Brandon McKnight) enables him to convince Cecile to try one more time. Stefan Pleszczynski directed the episode written by Jonathan Butler and & Sarah Tarkoff (#912). Original airdate…
• Airdate: May 17, 2023
• Starring: Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Danielle Nicolet, Kayla Compton, Brandon McKnight, Jon Cor, Rick Cosnett, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Michelle Harrison, Stephanie Izsak, Robert Picardo, Robbie Segulam

If you want to avoid spoilers for this episode then skip to the overall section at the end.

Warning: Spoilers for The Flash Season 9 Episode 12 A New World, Part Three: Changes”

Recap The Flash  “A New World, Part Three: Changes”

In this week’s penultimate episode of The Flash, Malcolm Gilmore (Rick Cosnett) is reunited with Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) in 2049 and faces a crucial decision. Previously it was revealed that the Negative Speed Force possesses people trying to create a new timeline and is using alternate versions of important people in Barry’s life to destroy his timeline.

In “The New World, Part Three”, the scientist-formerly-known-as-Malcolm-Gilmore goes to the graveyard and realizes that he was the (mostly) dead Eddie Thawne, resurrected in 2049. Mainly because he pulls a bloody bullet out of his chest. However, a singularity appears in the sky and sucks up the CCPD captain Sergeant Korber (Stephanie Izsak). Guess she gets an early retirement.

Eddie heads for STAR Labs to talk to the Flash and arrives at the Flash Museum. He realized that Reverse-Flash survived even after Eddie sacrificed his life to “end” his offspring.

Meanwhile, in the future, Nora West-Allen / XS (Jessica Parker Kennedy) along with the future version of Allegra Garcia (Kayla Compton), Chester P. Runk (Brandon McKnight) and Cecile Horton / Virtue (Danielle Nicolet) wonder what to do with Eddie since Barry is busy in space. It’s a strange plot device but it does make Gustin almost invisible in this episode. I’m not sure why none of the actors look like they’re 26 years older. Maybe they can’t afford make-up?

Anyway, after sending a message to Barry 2049 via the time vault, Nora finds a glowing crystal on the ground. For some reason she immediately picks it up. Surprise! She becomes possessed by the cobalt crystal. Possesed Nora brings Eddie back to Mercury Labs and urges him to fulfill his “purpose”. Nora offers Eddie a chance to regain everything he’d lost, but he turns it down. For the moment…

Present Barry rematerializes in the year 2049, shaken through time by dark energy. When Barry tries to get Nora to hug her, she hits him with a cobalt crystal. He frees himself and takes Eddie to the house where Malcolm Gilmore lived. A police service plaque transforms from one about him into one about Joe West. Remember him from season five?

Anyway Barry explains that the Negative Speed Force created this “false reality” home to lure the resurrected Eddie. He started to malfunction and the Negative Speed Force teases him into pouncing on Barry for stealing his bride-to-be and his life.

Barry leaves to fight the still possessed Nora downtown, so Eddie decides to pay 2049 Iris West-Allen (Candice Patton) a visit. Iris quickly realizes that he was indeed her Eddie and they hug. Eddie explains that he has to make a decision and couldn’t make it without first seeing her. Eddie and Iris were together for a long time, but when Eddie sees West-Allen’s family photo change to one with him, Iris, and blonde Nora, he decides to stay. Cecile intervenes and drives the Negative Velocity Force out of Nora. Barry and Cecile return to S.T.A.R. Labs, where Chester explains that the electric red sky above is not lightning, but the timeline “fracturing.” Barry steals Iris 2049 for a moment. He’s tempted to ask if she was happy, but the dark energy drives him away again.

Overall The Flash (2023): S9E12 – A New World, Part Three: Changes

All the actors are doing their best but the story by Jonathan Butler & Sarah Tarkoff are not helping. Nora is great as always, even if she’s possessed by the Negative Speed Force in order to manipulate Eddie.

I get that the series is playing around with the theme of the inevitability of death and tying it into the “death” of the show but stretching into four episodes is just making it tiring. It feels like the story ran out last episode and they’re just killing time. There’s needless character drama taking up screen time for the sake of it, and a general lack of purpose from Team Flash. Stefan Pleszczynski knows how to direct powerful action scenes but falters when filming drama.

The Negative Speed Force aka Cobalt Blue is a non-compelling villain with the way it’s been portrayed so far. It’s this all-encompassing evil but Cecile beats her in two seconds. Why is the Negative Speed Force supposed to be scary if its influence can be pulled from someone immediately? Why does the evil Speed Force depend on someone picking up random crystals?

The Flash’s penultimate episode is indicative of the entire season, with poor choices after poor choices that lead to nowhere for the most part. We’ll see what happens in the series finale of The Flash.

Skip this episode of The Flash.

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