The Flash Star Reveals They Won't Be Watching the Series Finale

The Flash ends this week after a nearly decade-long run on The CW, but while fans will be tuning in to see what the final fate of Barry Allen, Team Flash, and Central City ends up being, one of the series stars won't be joining them in viewing that final run. Iris West Allen actor Candice Patton told Entertainment Weekly that she doesn't plan to watch the series finale — and revealed that she hasn't watched the show at all since Season 1.

"I haven't watched the show since season 1, and I don't think I'll be able to watch the finale just because it's such an emotional ending for me," Patton said. "I definitely want to watch the series maybe five years down the line when I'm separated enough from it so that I can just enjoy it for what it is and give myself a pat on the back."

Patton isn't the only The Flash star who hasn't watched the show in years. Carlos Valdes, who played Cisco Ramon/Vibe, also admitted in a recent interview that he hasn't regularly watched the show since he left in Season 7.

"I'm being brutally honest here — I watched [the season 8 premiere] because it was during one of those little waves of nostalgia and it gave me that little juice I was looking for in that moment," Valdes explained. "But no, I have not been watching the show. It's torture at a certain point. I don't want to watch my friends having fun without me. 'I'm supposed to be having fun with you!'"

"I really did feel like a heavy tug inside me of just fan service and really trying to honor the show by sticking with it and seeing it through," Valdes said of his decision to leave the show. "But ultimately, I had to do what was best for me and my mental health. And I really just felt like I hit my spot with that show where I gave it everything that I was capable of giving, and it really felt like the time that made the most sense for me to go off and do other things. Even though it was a really tough decision for me, you have one life to live. Life is too short. I have to keep moving. So, I really had to follow my personal compass on that one...  I made the right call, and that's not to say I didn't have pangs of missing the process and missing the people. I met some amazing people courtesy of working on that show, and not just my co-stars, but crew members. That really broke my heart, not really being able to wake up in the morning and get to work and see everybody that makes that show possible, hair and makeup and grips and camera. That was really tough. I definitely had those pangs of missing those pieces every now and then."

What is The Flash series finale about?

"THE FINAL RUN – The Flash (Grant Gustin), the fastest man alive, is tasked with his greatest challenge yet, to save the timeline and save existence. Friends old and new gather for an epic battle to save Central City, one last time. The episode was written by Eric Wallace & Sam Chalsen and directed by Vanessa Parise."

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The Flash's final season airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.