Posted in: CW, Preview, TV | Tagged: arrowverse, cw, preview, season 9, The Flash

The Flash: Arrowverse Series Ending Run with 13-Episode Season 9

Published Mon, 01 Aug 2022 13:14:11 -0500

It's about to be the end of the Arrowverse… and with it, the end of a television era. Earlier today, The CW confirmed that the Grant Gustin & Candice Patton-starring The Flash will end its run with an abbreviated 13-episode ninth season (with production set to kick off next month). "Nine seasons! Nine years of saving Central City while taking audiences on an emotional journey full of heart, humor, and spectacle. And now Barry Allen has reached the starting gate for his last race," said showrunner & EP Eric Wallace in a statement. "So many amazing people have given their talents, time, and love to bring this wonderful show to life each week. So, as we get ready to honor the show's incredible legacy with our exciting final chapter, I want to say thank you to our phenomenal cast, writers, producers, and crew over the years who helped make 'The Flash' such an unforgettable experience for audiences around the world."

But what if Season 8 ended up being the final season? Wallace revealed in previous interviews that the Season 8 finale was first written as a series-ender, with changes needed once the renewal notice came through. Now thanks to the folks over at TVLine, we're learning what viewers would've seen if this was the show's last week. While the final face-off between Barry aka The Flash (Gustin) and Eobard Thawne aka Reverse-Flash (Tom Cavanagh) was kept even after the Season 9 green light came through ("We were like, 'Oh crap, we just did the ultimate battle. How are we supposed to ever top that?' Then it was like, 'Let's just kill him for now and worry about that later.'"), here's a look at what was in play for the then-assumed series finale:

A "Sexier" & "Romantic" Conversation Between Barry & Iris: "We had to change the whole final scene. We had to rewrite it three different times. Because when it was a series finale, we had to have a much more deep conversation with Barry and Iris, dealing with the fact that they were going to have kids soon. It was a little bit sexier, and it was a lot more romantic of a scene. I really liked it."

Team Flash Would've Gotten Closure: "There would have been an additional scene with all of Team Flash all getting their goodbyes on. But when we found out we had another season to play with, that meant, 'Ooh, I can tease next year's Big Bad? All right, let's do that!' So that final scene [with the blue crystal] changed radically, and then the 'Goodbye to Team Flash' group party scene got deleted entirely."

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