Posted in: CW, Preview, Trailer, TV | Tagged: preview, season 8, the cw, The Flash, trailer

The Flash Is Returning for Season 9 So Why Are We Still Worried?

Before we share an update on how things are looking with The CW's Grant Gustin & Candice Patton-starring The Flash, let's take a second and address the very bloody "Red Wedding" that took place on Thursday. With DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and Naomi now canceled, that leaves only The Flash, Superman & Lois, and DC's Stargirl left to carry the Arrowverse torch. Considering the distance that the latter two have kept from their Arrowverse connections, it's pretty much down to the show that's entering its ninth season to keep quickly-diminishing hopes alive. So why are we worried that there might be some not-so-good stuff on the way about The Flash?

Maybe it's the overall vibe surrounding The CW and the realization that it probably won't be the network we've come to know after next week's Upfronts. Sure, we know that Gustin is coming back but reportedly with a deal that would reduce his per-episode commitment. Then we learned that Jesse L. Martin was departing the series, though he apparently will be available for a guest appearance. Throw into the mix the questions marks still surrounding Patton and Danielle Panabaker's contract statuses, showrunner & EP Eric Wallace's past comments about how the current season's finale could also be a series finale, and a number of other breadcrumbs, and we can't help but wonder what we're going to end up getting. Our gut instinct? We see The Flash returning for a shortened, final season run that will also be used to "celebrate" (translation: say goodbye) to the Arrowverse. We'll know soon enough… but for now? Here's a look at the preview images, overview, and promo for S08E15 "Into the Still Force," followed by a look at the overview for S08E16 "The Curious Case of Bartholomew Allen" (directed by none other than DC's Legends of Tomorrow star Caity Lotz). And an interesting note: S08E17 "Keep It Dark" (directed by Panabaker and written by Kristen Kim & Emily Palizzi) now has the episode title listed as "TBA":

The Flash Season 8 Episode 15 "Into the Still Force": EP ERIC WALLACE DIRECTS – The Flash (Grant Gustin) gets an assist from XS (guest star Jessica Parker Kennedy). Meanwhile, CCPD enlists Chester (Brandon McKnight) for help when a mysterious device is found at a crime scene. The series also stars Jesse L. Martin, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Danielle Nicolet and Kayla Compton. Executive Producer and Showrunner Eric Wallace directed the episode written by Lauren Barnett & Christina M. Walker.

The Flash Season 8 Episode 16 "The Curious Case of Bartholomew Allen": CAITY LOTZ DIRECTS – The Flash (Grant Gustin) gets blasted with a shockwave forcing his body to age prematurely. The series also stars Jesse L. Martin, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Danielle Nicolet, Kayla Compton and Brandon McKnight. Caity Lotz directed the episode written by Thomas Pound & Jess Carson

Wallace offered some insight into Deathstorm's "devastating" motivations when viewers will learn the name of the current "graphic novel" arc, and more during a meeting with TV Insider– including how the ending to Season 8 has been in motion since Season 6 as "all one big story":

On How the Poster Ties Into Season Eight's 3 Graphic-Novel Arcs (& When We'll Learn the Title of Arc 2): "The back half of the season, I'm not gonna exaggerate here, some really intense stuff is about to go down. Really intense. And it involves all of the characters. I said at the beginning of the season, the first graphic-novel storyline was "Armageddon." We're in the middle of our next graphic novel now and I'll be announcing the title here in a few weeks because the title is ridiculously spoilery, obviously. For the first time ever, this season we have three graphic-novel arcs and Team Flash will never be the same after the second one. It ties and pushes them emotionally into the final graphic novel and all the people that you're seeing here [in the poster] all have to work equally, as you would imagine, to save the world from another Big Bad. [Laughs]"

If Arc #2 Feels Like a Horror Movie Then Wallace Has Done Their Job: "The working title for this graphic novel, which is not a spoiler, was 'The Blackfire Hauntings.' When I first pitched my crazy ideas, my staff looked at me like, 'What? Are you out of your mind? That sounds like a horror movie.' And I went, 'Yes, it is a horror movie. We're going to do 'The Flash's' version of a horror film over several episodes.' And once they got past that, then the excitement set in"

Wallace Has Known Where This Season Is Going Since Season 6 Since It's "All One Big Story": "I have literally known it for two years and have building and building towards this. As I have been building towards the end of Season 8 — the last three seasons are literally all one big story and it's leading towards one specific event…I have the Post-it somewhere on my desk. I wrote it down two years ago and went, 'That's the end of Season 8.'"

Wallace Suggests Some Screening Homework to Prepare for What's to Come: "What I would tell people to do before watching our Episodes 12, 13, and onward is to rewatch the beginning of Season 6. And I wouldn't watch it for 'Bloodwork,' I'd watch it for all the other reasons. The clues have been there the whole time."

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