Any “WestAllen” fan will tell you that last week’s episode of The Flash was a quick but exciting peek into the fate of the show. In “Welcome to Earth-2,” it was revealed that in an alternate universe, police detective Iris West (Candice Patton) and a non-metahuman Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) are happily married. To say that Earth-1’s Barry Allen was shocked to discover his alter ego actually got the girl would be an understatement, and he didn’t let the opportunity to play husband go to waste in his time on Earth-2.
Patton couldn’t wait for fans to get to finally see all the happy WestAllen moments on Earth-2.
“It was a cool nod to Earth-1’s potential relationship,” Patton tells Nerdist. “We’ve been toying around here and there for almost two seasons now with it, So it was nice for true Flash fans to see that come to fruition on Earth-2 where Iris and Barry and happily married and living that life we know they have in the comic books.”
But now that Zoom has Barry captive in his lair with plans to steal his speed, Harry (Tom Cavanagh), Cisco (Carlos Valdes) and Earth-2’s Iris need to work together to save Earth-1’s Flash in this week’s second part of the Earth-2 storyline. (Got all that? Wait, it gets even trickier…) They’re going to have to turn to an unlikely source for help: Earth-2’s Barry Allen.
“[Earth-2 Barry is] a little bit more reserved. He’s way more conservative and has a lot of trepidation about things,” Patton teases about the Flash’s alter ego. “He’s very sweet and nerdy. Iris loves him to death but they are polar opposites. She’s quite aggressive and fearless, where he’s more… I don’t want to say ‘scared,’ but he’s tentative about things. It’s a version of Barry that fans are going to fall in love with.”
Fans are also going to get quite the kick when Earth-1 Barry and Earth-2 Barry come face-to-face again. We’ll also see some more “sweet moments” between Earth-2’s Iris and Barry, in this episode, “Escape From Earth-2.”
“He’s going to be working with Iris to go find Earth-1 Barry and save him from Zoom, so we’ll see how they interact with each other,” Patton says. “It’s less about the romance and more about the action of finding Zoom’s lair, but there are definitely some sweet moments between the two of them. I’m excited for all the characters to come together to find Zoom’s lair and save Earth-1 Barry.”
But does Patton think the fact that Earth-2 Barry and Iris are married is a sign that Earth-1 Barry and Iris can make it work?
“I think it’s a nice nod to the idea that maybe it’s destiny for Earth-1 Barry and Iris,” Patton says. “We’ve seen the news article that says they’re married in the future and now we see that they’re married on Earth-2. Barry has seen it and Iris will hear all about her doppelganger. With that information, both Earth-1 Barry and Iris will be dealing with this idea that it’s destiny for them to be together. It gets their wheels turning about what that means for the future. It’s fair to say that there is gentle proof that they could end up together.”
While WestAllen “shippers” want to see Barry and Iris get together on Earth-1 immediately, Patton wants the relationship to happen over time.
“I don’t think I ever want to see them stay as just friends,” Patton says. “I’m of the ilk that believes in the comics. But I don’t want them to rush into being together. If and when they do get together, it has to be earned and it’s got to be something that can last. I’m in no rush for that to happen right now if it doesn’t make sense at the time for it to happen.”
Back on Earth-1, Iris’ journalism career is going to be front and center again in upcoming episodes when her new editor wants her to write an exposé on the Flash.
“He’s not a big fan of the Flash and she is,” Patton says. “He’s really pushing her to write an article on how the Flash might not be the hero that everyone thinks he is, which is really difficult for Iris. She comes up with an idea to write an article about the other Flash instead, Jay [Teddy Sears], who is trying to stop the Geomancer.”
But throwing a wrench in Earth-1’s potential relationship for Barry and Iris is the fact that said new editor Scott (Tone Bell) will become a love interest for Iris after a rocky start.
“Iris quickly understands that Scott may have feelings for her and wants to act on those feelings,” Patton teases. “Really what it is is the fact that Scott introduces her to the idea that she’s finally ready to move forward with finding love again after Eddie [Rick Cosnett]. He’s a person who comes into her life and makes her realize that maybe it’s time to finally move on and approach the idea of falling in love again.”
Do you want to see Barry and Iris end up together on Earth-1? Tweet me your thoughts at @SydneyBucksbaum!
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Images: The CW
The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
