The Flash was an absolute force for the decade that it was on the air. The CW's adaptation of the classic DC Comics character was easily one of the most popular shows on television throughout its first few seasons and it maintained a huge portion of that popularity during its final few seasons too. It was a part of the Arrowverse franchise and it was only fitting that it was the one that brought the overarching story to a close.
Like all shows, there were some ups and downs in between as fans struggled with a number of the storylines it took on over the course of its run, particularly in the back few seasons. That can be the result of a show remaining on the air for a very long time, but it was also the result of some very poor storylining as the creative team ignored a lot of the fans' genuine criticisms of the show.
It turns out that some of those questionable storylines also irked series star Grant Gustin.
Grant Gustin opens up about The Flash's questionable Forces storyline
Grant Gustin recently appeared at Liverpool Comic-Con with a few of his fellow Flash cast members and he discussed one of his least-favorite storylines that the show took on. As reported by DiscussingFilm, the star struggled with the infamous Forces arc:
"Calling the forces ‘my children’ . . . I tried to talk them out of that."
In the show's seventh season, the Scarlet Speedster and his team encountered the four Forces of Nature. While the Speed Force was a regular presence on The Flash, this storyline allowed them to introduce the Still, Sage, and Strength Forces. It had all the potential in the world and fans were excited to see how the show would adapt such a legendary aspect of the comics, but it ultimately fell flat - with many regarding it as the worst storyline that the show ever tackled.
The main reason that audiences struggled with it was the fact that all of the Forces - who were formerly antagonistic - began referring to themselves as Barry Allen and Iris West-Allen's children as they were "birthed out of their love". This was particularly problematic as the Speed Force looked like Nora Allen - Barry's mother - and had repeatedly referred to him as her "beautiful boy". But now she was being referred to as one of his "children". It was all very convoluted, which was complicated further by the fact that the Forces consistently switched sides - which is saying a lot as the story only lasted eight episodes.
Season 7 did marginally improve when it pivoted to the Godspeed story in its second half, but it too was considered a letdown - both due to the rushed storytelling and the completely uninteresting adaptation of the character. Its season finale, which saw The Flash, Reverse-Flash, and Godspeed all engage in a lightsaber fight using lightning bolts was widely divisive. Gustin wasn't a fan of this either, telling audiences:
"I was like . . . we can do this now? Really?"
Prior to this season, there was never any evidence that the speedsters could have a lightsaber duel. The episode also received a ton of criticism from viewers due to its sheer lack of logic. After all, why would speedsters stand and have a sword fight at a normal human speed?
Season 7 is widely regarded as the worst season of The Flash, with its ninth and final season closely matching it. Unfortunately, the high standard of those first few seasons was only occasionally present for standalone episodes in the back half of the show's run. And it was questionable storylines like these ones that really highlighted that.
It's pretty ironic that Gustin singled out the seventh season when discussing some of the show's weaker moments, too.