It wouldn’t be The Flash without a mini crossover. In “It’s My Party and I’ll Die if I Want To,” old friends return to help Team Flash face an old foe who crashes Barry’s (Grant Gustin) birthday party.

It’s Barry Allen’s 30th birthday … again! Technically, he turned 30 last year, but on a cellular level, he’s 29. The team plans a surprise party for their fearless leader and invite some familiar faces. Wally West (Keiynan Lonsdale), John Diggle (David Ramsey), Capt. Kristen Kramer (Carmen Moore) and former Captain David Singh (Patrick Sabongui) join Team Flash to celebrate. Khione (Danielle Panabaker) is the only team member missing. She was supposed to pick up the cake. 

Things get emotional when Diggle tries to give Barry the Green Arrow bow as a gift, but Barry feels guilty accepting it. Barry isn’t the only one getting gifts. Chester (Brandon McKnight) gives Allegra (Kayla Compton) a locket that actually has a facial transmogrifier inside to hide Allegra’s identity when she uses her powers. 

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Wally and Barry catch up on life. Wally has the ability to project his consciousness into the speed force so he’s been looking at other timelines. Wally left Central City to achieve enlightenment, but it’s been a few years. He thinks if he finds another version of himself who has achieved true awakening, then they can help him get there. He says his baggage is holding him back. Barry didn’t know he had baggage, but Wally decides to end the conversation.

It’s time for a toast, but everyone’s drink tastes funny. Barry sees something floating around in his glass, but it’s too late. Everyone but Barry and Wally fall to the ground. That’s when he shows up. Dr. Ramsey Rosso (Sendhil Ramamurthy), who just escaped from ARGUS. He returned to Central City to finish what he started. To save the world from death. First he taunts Barry with news that his unborn daughter will be the first blood baby born into a new world.

Barry vows to stop Ramsey. He says he won’t let Ramsey get in his head, but Ramsey says he’s already there. He isolates Barry from everyone else, sending him into darkness. In the lounge, he finds Chester who did not imbibe the tainted champagne. Ramsey summons zombie Team Flash to go after Chester, except for Iris (Candice Patton). Nora saved Iris with her meta healing powers, so she didn’t succumb to Ramsey’s blood virus. Iris says they will stop Ramsey, but he’s confident that he’s already won.

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Barry faces off with Dr. Ramsey Rosso on The Flash

The Flash — “It’s My Party And I’ll Die If I Want To” — Image Number: FLA909a_0247r — Pictured (L – R): Sendhil Ramamurthy as Ramsey and Grant Gustin as Barry Allen — Photo: Katie Yu/The CW — © 2023 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Ramsey with Barry in his isolation as well. He says Ramsey showed him lies when he possessed him before, but Ramsey says it was the power to end death. He reminds Barry of how many people he’s lost in the last year. But he’s not there to convince Barry. His new target is Wally.

Wally is transported to his childhood home where Ramsey is waiting for him. He says when he possessed Barry, he saw the Crisis coming. A crisis that ended the multiverse, but it didn’t work. Wally disagrees because he lost Jesse in the Crisis. Ramsey suggests that there’s another Jesse out there waiting for Wally. What if Wally wasn’t seeing other timelines, but other universes instead where Jesse is alive. 

Wally won’t play Ramsey’s games, so Ramsey talks about how hard Wally’s childhood was. His mother was on drugs and Wally had to watch her die. Meanwhile, Barry grew up in a happy home with Wally’s father and sister. Ramsey empathizes with Wally because he had to watch his mother die too. He wanted to create a world where they don’t have to lose anyone they love again. 

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Iris locks herself in the time vault and contacts Chester. She says the outside comms are down and her comm goes dead shortly after. Chester comes face to face with Zombie Allegra. He knows it’s actually Ramsey controlling Allegra’s body. The rest of the zombie team are outside, banging on Chester’s lab door. 

Barry tells Ramsey to leave Wally alone. Ramsey says he won’t harm Wally. If he did, Wally would just be another sacrifice in Barry’s name. He changes the scene to a television show. He takes Barry to a set that looks like his lab at the CCPD. Ramsey calls ‘Action,’ and Barry starts reading from cue cards. The message is one about survivor’s guilt and Barry walks off the set. 

When Barry turns around, he bumps into a group of guys carrying a casket. Frost falls out and Caitlin walks up. She says it’s okay that Frost died because Barry is the star of the show. He’s the only one who matters. Barry says he didn’t want extra time without all of his team.

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Barry transports back to the lounge where Wally and Ramsey are. Wally is angry with Barry, calling him selfish for living Wally’s life and having two dads that loved him. He says Barry thinks he’s the only person who matters. Barry tries to convince Wally that Ramsey is manipulating him to get through his speed healing and take over his mind. Wally is too angry and says he hates Barry. He phases his hand through Barry’s abdomen and kills him. 

When Barry opens his eyes, he’s in the forest. Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) walks up to him asking what he did this time. Barry freaks out a bit and realizes he’s dead. Then he freaks out because there’s no one there to stop Ramsey. Oliver calms him down and says it’s worse than he thought. It’s not just Barry’s world that’s in danger. 

Oliver took on the power of the Spectre and started building a new Multiverse. He confirms that not only was Red Death from another universe, Wally is able to reach other universes as well. Ramsey wants to spread his infectious cells to other Earths. With Wally by his side, he can control the entire Multiverse. 

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Back in Chester’s lab, Zombie Allegra finds the necklace that Chester gave to the real Allegra and crushes it. They hear a commotion outside and then everything gets quiet. Khione opens the door and freezes Zombie Allegra before she can attack. Khione froze everyone who was zombified. Khione says she heard a presence calling to her so she came as quickly as she could. And she can sense that her job isn’t over yet. 

Zombie Kid Flash races Ramsey to the CCPD. They stand outside and Wally opens up the Multiverse. Zombie Kid Flash says infinite souls will know Ramsey’s gift and rejoice. Ramsey is delighted. He throws his arm into the breach and watches. 

Oliver says Ramsey’s attack has started and Barry asks him to send him back to the living. Oliver can tell that there’s part of Barry that doesn’t want to go back, so he can’t send him back yet. Barry admits that he feels guilty that some of his friends are dead and he’s living. Oliver says that guilt will never go away and Barry has to learn to live with it. It’s why those people sacrificed themselves for Barry. So that in the darkness, Barry could be a guiding light. Barry is ready to go back, 100%. Oliver punches Barry back to the world of the living.

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Green Arrow and The Flash team up one last time

The Flash — “It’s My Party And I’ll Die If I Want To” — Image Number: FLA909b_0265r — Pictured (L – R): Stephen Amell as Green Arrow and Grant Gustin as The Flash — Photo: Katie Yu/The CW — © 2023 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Barry wakes up and groans in pain. Oliver, the Green Arrow says living hurts and picks him up. Barry is surprised to see him. Oliver is only there because the Multiverse is in danger. Barry says it’s because Oliver missed him. He did, but not as much as he missed his bow. Time to kick some a$$

The Green Arrow and the Flash head to the CCPD and see the damage that Ramsey has done. The Green Arrow says they need a massive ultraviolet blast to stop it. Zombie Kid Flash stops them from attacking Ramsey and the Flash is shocked that The Green Arrow was affected. The Green Arrow says his powers are weak because the Multiverse is under attack. He says he needs a clear shot at the breach to save the Multiverse.

Zombie Kid Flash faces off with the Flash. Ramsey sets the Zombie CCPD on the Green Arrow. Khione freezes the Bloodwork virus out of Diggle and he suits up as Spartan. 

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The Flash stops long enough to pin Zombie Kid Flash to a wall. He backs off because he doesn’t want to hurt Wally. Flash tries to reach Wally, telling him that he loves him. He apologizes to Wally for any pain he caused. Flash says everyone has darkness in them. There’s no cure for his pain. The only way to beat the pain is to accept it. Thoughts of Joe (Jesse L. Martin) and Iris bring Wally back to normal. He apologizes to Flash for killing him. Flash forgives him and says they have to save the Multiverse.

The Green Arrow defeats the Zombie CCPD and Ramsey steps up to fight him. Before they even start, Spartan arrives to blast Ramsey. Diggle is happy to see Oliver, but their reunion is short-lived. Ramsey transforms into the Bloodwork monster and goes after Green Arrow and Spartan.

Flash and Kid Flash show up. They run circles around Bloodwork, throw lighting cuffs on him and hold him. That gives Green Arrow enough time to shoot a glowing green arrow into the breach. When it hits the breach, the green light washes over the city.Everyone is okay, including Ramsey … the arrow cured the Multiverse and everyone of the infectious cells that infected Central City, including Ramsey. The Spectre power even cured Ramsey’s HLH. He’s human and he’s going to jail. Ramsey thought he was going to cure the world, but that’s a hero’s job.

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Everyone returns to the lounge and thanks Oliver for saving them. They are all amazed that there’s a new Multiverse. Khione realizes that it was Oliver that she heard calling her back to the lab. Oliver says Khione is connected to the natural world. Only she could save Diggle so he could help. Khione understands what he’s saying and decides to go meditate to digest it. Everyone else decides to party. 

Iris checks in with Wally to make sure he’s okay. He says he still has a lot to come to terms with. He knows he can’t cure his pain with the multiverse. He has to accept it from within. Iris quotes the teachings from the Buddhas from Wally’s emails. He realizes she’s been listening to him from afar. She’s going to be the best mom. 

Diggle is called back to ARGUS. He asks Oliver if he plans to see Felicity. Oliver’s powers came with rules so no, he can’t see her until the predestined time. He’s watching over her, William, Mia and Diggle. He knows about the green glowing cube and says Diggle did the right thing to get rid of it. It means he can be happy with his family. Diggle says Oliver is his family too. And he’s happy that he gets to say goodbye this time.

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Barry and Oliver end up at the bar and wonder what life would be like if Barry didn’t get on that train to Star City. Oliver thinks Barry would still be a hero. He asks how many times Barry saved Central City and Barry actually counted. 180 times. Barry says Oliver made him a better hero. Oliver says Barry made him a better man. 

It’s time for Oliver to go, but Barry has one more question. He asks if he’s doing enough with his powers and his time. Oliver thinks only Barry can answer that. He asks Barry if he gives people hope. Is he moving through the city like a guardian angel? Does he make a difference? Oliver’s eyes glow green. He says the bolt of lightning chose Barry and he should forget that. Happy Birthday Barry Allen.

 

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