The Flash: Here is How "The Last Temptation of Barry Allen Pt. 1" Sets Up for "Crisis on Infinite Earths"

Tonight's episode of The Flash saw Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) having to deal with the threat of Ramsey Rosso/Bloodwork (Sendhil Ramamurthy) in a unique and terrifying way when the villain got into the hero's head just days away from the in-universe arrival of "Crisis on Infinite Earths". But while Barry was fighting his most terrifying villain yet, the series was also setting up for the epic five-part crossover event, laying the groundwork for the crisis that will change everything for the Arrowverse -- including The Flash.

Spoilers for tonight's episode of The Flash, "The Last Temptation of Barry Allen Pt. 1" below.

In tonight's episode, Barry gets infected by Ramsey when he saves Ralph Dibny's (Hartley Sawyer) life after he's attacked by Bloodwork, but while Barry finds himself trapped in a mental hell of his own making, Iris (Candice Patton,) Allegra (Kayla Compton), and Kamilla (Victoria Park) are working to find out more about the mysterious organization that is connected to the disappearance of Allegra's cousin, Esperanza. However, last episode Allegra found out that Iris' husband Barry is in fact The Flash and that he's going to die in Crisis. It's information that Allegra struggles with because no one has told her what's going on -- and she finds the work that Iris has been doing to write the now-iconic Central City Citizen headline declaring The Flash's crisis disappearance.

That headline -- and the fact that Iris is avoiding it by pursuing the story about the mystery organization -- is a major piece of how The Flash is setting up for "Crisis on Infinite Earths". While we've long seen variations of that headline -- a version of it dated for 2024 was first seen in The Flash's series premiere -- we've never seen how it comes to be. Sure, Iris writes it, but what does the lead up to that moment look like? Now, with days to go before Barry's fate plays out, Iris is setting up for that world-changing issue of her paper.

But it's something that Iris is also trying to put off. Allegra eventually calls Iris out on it. She reveals that she knows that Barry is the Flash, but also tells her boss and mentor that she has to write the story and that she will never forgive herself if she doesn't. And it's on that note that the episode ends, in part, with Iris tearfully writing the article about the disappearance of Central City's greatest hero -- The Flash.

But the episode has one more mystery to reveal: Nash blasts the wall in the sewer behind which The Monitor has been hiding to reveal mystery symbols with Nash musing to himself that there's nowhere left for the cosmic being to hide.

The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.