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

The Flash Showrunner on Season 9 "Mission Statement," WestAllen & More

The Flash Showrunner Eric Wallace discusses the "mission statement" for the final season, more "rom-com" time for Barry & Iris, and more.

With only a little more than 48 hours to go (at the time of this writing) until the ninth & final season of The CW's Grant Gustin (Barry Allen/The Flash), Candice Patton (Iris West-Allen) & Danielle Panabaker (Caitlin Snow)-starring The Flash kicks off its final run, showrunner Eric Wallace has been a one-person PR machine for the long-running Arrowverse series. Speaking with TVLine, Wallace shared what makes the "Groundhog Day"-themed season opener "Wednesday Ever After" different from other time loop stories. From there, Wallace explains the importance of giving "WestAllen" the episodes they deserve to function as a couple and what they feel their "mission statement" should be for the final season.

On What Makes "Wednesday Ever After" So Different: "It was all about me needing a story where I could explore nothing but pure emotion for Barry and Iris [Gustin & Patton]. A lot of my favorite episodes are time loop episodes, but they always have one thing in common: somebody dies over and over. We did it ourselves in Season 5, where members of Team Flash die over and over, or on 'Star Trek: Next Generation,' where the Enterprise blows up. But I wanted to explore what happens when you're trapped in a happy place over and over again, where you're a married couple looking to take your relationship to the next level. That's the new wrinkle here. It's like, 'Hey, now. [Being stuck on this day] actually sounds kind of fun.'"

On Why It's "Time for Some Rom-Com" for Barry & Iris: "We've had them on their own separate journeys for [Seasons] 6, 7, and 8 because we had to build their characters. We had to level up Flash as a superhero, and we had to level up Iris emotionally as a journalist. That ball really got dropped in Seasons 2 through 5 or so. But now that we've done that let's level them up as a couple. And that means it's time for some rom-com."

So What's the Mission Statement for Season 9? "My mission statement is to reward the audience with things that I know they have been asking for and looking forward to; scratching off things on my own bucket list, as a fan — the same thing with the writers' bucket list; and ending on a really positive, high note. I wanted us to be strong, emotionally, as much as we could, and then finally, deliver just a few surprises, a few old faces returning here and there. Upping the romance between Barry and Iris, then adding all of those other good things, creates a series finale where people will truly go, 'Hey, that was a good one. That one's going to stay with me in a positive way and really honor the legacy of the show.'"

The Flash S09E01 "Wednesday Ever After" & S09E02 "Hear No Evil"

The Flash Season 9 Episode 1 "Wednesday Ever After": SEASON PREMIERE – Barry (Gustin) creates a map book to guide him and Iris (Patton) throughout their future in order to keep her safe, but the results are not what he expected, and instead, they relive the same day over and over again. Joe (Jesse L. Martin) has a heart-to-heart with Cecile (Danielle Nicolet). A new big bad is introduced to Team Flash, and friends and foes, old and new, begin to descend upon Central City. Vanessa Parise directed the episode with the story by Eric Wallace and teleplay by Thomas Pound & Sarah Tarkoff.

The Flash Season 9 Episode 2 "Hear No Evil": NEW KID IN TOWN – Barry (Gustin) feels guilty for what happened to Caitlin, and Mark (Jon Cor) comes up with a plan which makes everyone skeptical. Meanwhile, Red Death looms in Central City and commands that failure is not an option. Joe (Martin) asks Cecile (Nicolet) to make a choice which leads Cecile to think about the greater good. Allegra (Kayla Compton) and Chester (Brandon McKnight) take a step in a new direction. Lastly, old friends pay an unexpected visit to S.T.A.R. Labs. Eric Wallace directed the episode written by Jonathan Butler & Kristen Kim.

The Flash Season 9 Episode 3 "Rogues of War": ON THE MOVE – Barry (Gustin) and Iris (Patton) start to put together the pieces of what's happening in Central City and believe they know what the Rogues are after. Team Flash works together and recruits some unlikely allies to help, and the plan does not go as Team Flash expects. Meanwhile, Allegra (Compton) does her best to avoid having a conversation with Chester (McKnight). Brenton Spencer directed the episode, with a story by Sam Chalsen and written by Jeff Hersch & Jess Carson.

After defeating the Reverse Flash once and for all, the 13-episode Season 9 picks up one week later following their epic battle, and Barry Allen (Gustin) and Iris West-Allen (Patton) are reconnecting and growing closer than ever before. But when a deadly group of Rogues descends on Central City led by a powerful new threat, The Flash and his team – Caitlin Snow (Panabaker), Meta-Empath Cecile Horton (Danielle Nicolet), the light-powered meta Allegra Garcia (Kayla Compton), brilliant tech-nerd Chester P. Runk (Brandon McKnight), and reformed cryogenics thief Mark Blaine (Jon Cor) – must once again defy impossible odds to save the day. But as The Rogues are defeated, a deadly new adversary rises to challenge Barry Allen's heroic legacy. And in their greatest battle yet, Barry & Team Flash will be pushed to their limits to save Central City one last time.

Joining the cast for the show's final run are Javicia Leslie (Ryan Wilder/Batwoman), Nicole Maines (Nia Nal/Dreamer), Keiynan Lonsdale (Wally West/Kid Flash), David Ramsey (John Diggle/Spartan), Sendhil Ramamurthy (Ramsey Rosso/Bloodwork), Stephen Amell (Oliver Queen/Green Arrow), Rick Cosnett (CCPD Det. Eddie Thawne), Matt Letscher (Eobard Thawne(s)/Reverse-Flash), and Jessica Parker Kennedy (Nora West-Allen/XS).

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