The Flash - Mother

If Huey Lewis' "The Power of Love" had been blaring throughout "Mother," the episode would be no more schmaltzy. In what was originally planned to be last season's finale, Barry (Grant Gustin) gets a new, new artificial Speed Force based on the power of love. No, really. And just in time too, as Eva McCulloch (Efrat Dor) has begun replacing the citizens of Central City with her mirror duplicates en masse. Thankfully, she's no match for... the power of love. The episode also offers yet another farewell to Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh), as the rebirthed original Wells returns to help Team Flash one last time. The episode leaves the door open for a possible return of the character while also leaving a couple of Easter Eggs in the character's look back at something occurring just prior to Barry's speed being restored and some odd lightning that shoots out of S.T.A.R. Labs (possibly laying the ground for new speedsters?).

The episode returns Iris (Candice Patton) back to Team Flash and puts her relationship with Barry front and center as their connection helps jumpstart the new Speed Force and return Barry's speed, this time for good. Sue Dearbon (Natalie Dreyfuss) also returns as the episode bends over backwards to work as many characters into the story as possible, even Ralph which becomes difficult as Hartley Sawyer wasn't available for the episode as he was fired months before it was filmed. The final sequence of a masked Ralph is one of the most awkward in the show's history. It's sad, as unless the character is recast, it means a farewell for Sue as well whose skill set actually would come in handy for the team. In the end, "Mirrors" works well enough to close out the turbulent storyline hijacked by COVID and reset the stage going forward.