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in: Episodes, The Flash (The CW) episodes, Season 9 (The Flash)

Wildest Dreams

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"When my powers started fritzing, I thought that I was losing my path as the Dreamer, so I held on tighter. But Iris helped me realize that giving up control was what I needed to do all along. Turns out, we were both on the right path. We just needed to adjust our perspectives. So, it turns out that my potential is beyond my wildest dreams. "
—Nia Nal

"Wildest Dreams" is the seventh episode of the ninth season of The Flash, and the one-hundred-seventy-eighth episode overall. It aired on March 29, 2023.

Synopsis[]

Iris is visited by Nia Nal, as she needs Iris' help. When Iris and Nia fall into a fever dream and explore different possibilities for their lives, Barry, Chester, Allegra and Cecile desperately try to help them. Meanwhile, Mark entertains Khione but they have different ideas of what is fun, leaving Khione to feel that Mark is trying to make her something she is not.[src]

Plot[]

Dreamer is surrounded by random people and a hooded woman. Iris is there too and says it’s all about control. Then the unthinkable happens. Iris falls over and dies. Nia wakes up with a strong urge to go to Central City. Iris has been hard at work on her story about Red Death. It’s almost ready to publish as Allegra reveals the title she came up with for Iris’ story. “Nightmare Under Red Skies.” If this looks familiar is because it’s the title of Iris’ first Pulitzer Prize in Barry’s mapbook. That throws Iris off a bit, but Allegra is excited, Khione has been working on trying to manifest powers. So far she’s had some chilling results, making Mark believe that Frost is still in there. Mark gets excited that Khione is able to freeze a tray of medical supplies. He wants to see if she can freeze a liquid that freezes a super low temperatures. Khione gets the liquid but spills it all over Mark, causing him to take of his shirt. Khione is overwhelmed at the sight of Mark shirtless and they start making out. Then Mark wakes up to Chester and Khione staring at him. They are smiling because Mark talks in his sleep. Khione is ready for a break and wants to leave the lab for some fresh air. Mark offers to take her out and is more than excited about the opportunity.

Later that night, Nia arrives at the Citizen to check on Iris. Iris thinks it’s weird because she just met Nia at brunch. She has a standing brunch date with Kara, Alex, and Ryan. Nia tells Iris about her Dreamer powers and tells her about her last dream. It’s very concerning because Nia actually lost her power while trying to find a Naltorian source of power. She thinks she got too close. And now she thinks the only person who can help her is Iris because Iris was in her last dream. The hooded woman shows up and Nia gets a headache. Iris can’t see the woman, but she falls to the ground with Nia and they are both transported into a dream together. The dream is Iris’s dream. She’s the captain of the CCPD and she likes it. She thinks this must be what her life would have been like if she followed in her father’s footsteps. Iris actually wanted to be a cop at one time. She starts having fun in her new role, but Nia is focused on the dream. She’s concerned because she doesn’t have the power to wake them up. A blue door appears and Nia grows more concerned. She tells Iris that she died in Nia’s last dream and they need to be careful. Nia doesn’t know who the hooded person is, but she’s pretty sure that this person stole her powers and killed Iris. When they go through the door, the end up at Jitters. Iris is the manager. Nia, Barry, and Chester are her employees.

In the real world, Barry finds Iris and Nia unconscious in Iris’ office. He takes them back to STAR Labs where the team begins working on finding away to wake them up. Chester runs some tests and finds that they are in a deep REM sleep. Barry is super worried, especially about the baby. The baby is okay for now, but they need to find a way to wake the women up. Barry leaves to make some calls to his powerful friends and Cecile goes with him to keep him calm. Chester didn’t show it, but he’s really worried too. If they don’t wake up Iris and Nia soon, they could fall into a permanent coma.

Nia gets frustrated because she can’t find a way out. Iris starts to worry about her baby. The only thing that takes their worries off of their minds is the bean popper breaking. Barry and Chester freak out and it’s up to Iris to keep them calm. She gives Chester the pep talk he needs to get to work on fixing the popper. She also suggest that Barry make lattes with the frothier because he is the fastest man alive. Iris realizes her body temperature is going up and Nia gets really worried. They have to leave again. Back in the real world, Mark takes Khione to the bar for some fun, but she’s not having fun. She’d prefer something more relaxing to nurture the body and soul. Mark thinks she means shots, but Khione doesn’t drink. They talk about going somewhere else, but Mark shoots down every suggestion that Khione makes. He says it’s not exciting and asks why she can’t be more like Frost.

Nia tells Iris that a rise in temperature means she’s in an angry sleep. her body is experiencing trauma from the intense strain. Dreams reflect back to the problems of their every day lives. She thinks if they can figure out what’s causing iris stress, they can find a way out. Iris can’t think of anything. She has everything she ever wanted … except a little bit of freedom. They merge into a warehouse, the same place where Nia’s nightmare began. The hooded woman shows up and Nia tells Iris to run.

Nia and Iris’s body temperatures begin to rise. Allegra gets really worried that they can’t save them. Imagine how Barry feels. In the dream Iris and Nia run through a narrow hallway. There are random people stopping them and the hooded woman shows up. She twists her wrists and Iris gets a headache. Nia yells at the woman that she is control and the nightmare ends.

Iris and Nia end up back at the Citizen where Iris’ staff is meeting. Allegra, Taylor and Aariz are watching Iris accept her Pulitzer Prize. Instead of praise, the trio talk about how Iris is a fraud who gets her stories because she’s married to the Flash. Even Allegra calls Iris fake. The whole thing upsets Iris.

Khione starts to leave the bar, but stops to ask Mark if he wishes she was Frost. Before he can answer, the karaoke host interrupts them, introducing them as Icepack. Khione takes the mic and tells the bar crowd that Frost is dead. She’s upset that he’s been trying to turn her into Frost from day one. He tells her about the dream he had where they were kissing and he wanted to see if there was chemistry there. Khione is shocked because they don’t even really know each other. The entire bar can hear them and cringe at Mark. He realizes that Khione will never be Frost. Khione agrees but says Mark wouldn’t know because he never tried to get to know her. She leaves him in the bar with everyone staring at him.

Iris is a little upset but realizes why. She says the fact that she knows she is going to win a Pulitzer with her current story makes her feel like she didn’t earn it. Her future is already known and that takes away some of her freewill. She just wants to be able to make her own choices. Nia says she is making her own choices and has been all along. Everything Iris does is a choice. Her destiny isn’t one choice, but a culmination of choices that she made her entire life. Iris was always on the right path that she created with her choices. They figured out Iris’s dreams, but both Iris and Nia’s body temperatures continue to rise. If the temperature hits 106, their organs could shut down and they could die. Barry and Cecile return to just sit and wait. Cecile feels a presence in the room, but can’t see it. It’s the hooded woman. As soon as Cecile feels her presence, she leaves. Cecile isn’t scared though. She says the presence made her feel like everything is going to be okay. The presence was powerful and kind, like a guardian angel. In the dream, a blue door with cobwebs all over it appears. Nia’s mother died from a spider bite, so she’s scared of it. Iris wonders if Nia is supposed to regain control of her powers. What if she’s supposed to give up control. Nia realizes that’s why Iris was in her first dream. Iris helps realize that she needs to give up control in order to find her path. Nia has to through the door alone.

On the other side, Nia walks through more cobwebs and finds another door. She ends up back in the warehouse where the hooded woman and random people stand before her. Nia realizes the hooded woman was guiding her and she’s ready to give up control. The random people disappear. The hooded woman lowers her hood. Nia recognizes the woman as the first Dreamer. The OG Dreamer is the Naltorian source of power that Nia was looking for. The OG Dreamer doesn’t say anything, but Nia realizes that she’s been there all along to guide her and Iris on their paths. Blue light surrounds both Nia and Iris as the both wake up in the lab. Their temperatures return to normal like nothing happened. Everyone is relieved and grateful. They go to the lounge to debrief. Iris says they were both on the right path, but needed to change their perspective of their journeys. Cecile asks about the presence. Nia explains that the woman was the first Naltorian woman to receive the dreaming gift. She is going to teach Nia to use her upgraded powers. Chester nerds out about Nia’s powers.

Nia leaves and everyone goes home. Iris and Barry have a late dinner. Barry suggests they watch a movie and get cozy. But first Iris has to publish her story. She tells Barry that she realized that she’s been making her own choices and writing her story all along.

The next morning, everyone gathers at Cecile’s for breakfast. Everyone is cheerful until someone knocks at the door. Khione excuses herself to answer the door. It’s Mark. Everyone gives him a less than enthusiastic hello. Khione goes outside to talk to him. Mark admits he was wrong. He thought Frost was his destiny. Every since she died, he’s been in a nightmare of his own. And the only way for him to move on is for him to face his grief. And that means he has to leave. Mark apologizes to Khione for how he treated her and Khione forgives him. He asks her to keep exploring her power and she promises. Khione goes back inside and she’s so sad that she freezes breakfast. Everyone gets up to give her hug.

Cast[]

Starring[]

Special guest star[]

Guest starring[]

Co-starring[]

Trivia[]

  • The title is a reference to the Taylor Swift song of the same name.
    • Interestingly, Nia is a fan of Taylor Swift.[1]
    • The title is dropped when Nia says that her potential of her newfound powers is "beyond [her] wildest dreams."
  • Mark leaves Central City, unable to bear the loss of Frost and be around Khione anymore. Similarly in Doctor Who, Joan Redfern couldn't look the Tenth Doctor in the eye as he had the same face as her lover, John Smith. Both situations involved the death and replacement of a personality.
  • Nia mentions missing Brainy after seeing Chester and Allegra flirt. Chester informed the team earlier that Brainy is off-world with Kara and J'onn.
  • Nia and Iris mention monthly brunches with Kara, Alex Danvers, and Ryan Wilder, the latter of whom invited Iris in "The Mask of the Red Death, Part 2",
  • Despite being in the Dreaming, Nia and Iris do not run into its ruler, Morpheus of the Endless.
  • Like the last episode, this episode had several call-backs to previous seasons:
    • Iris being a cop in the dream world is a nod to her originally desired career before she withdrew her police academy application due to her father Joe's disapproval, as mentioned in Season 1's "Going Rogue".
    • Iris mentioned that she used to work at CC Jitters as a barista, which was during the events of Season 1.
    • Nia and Iris being trapped in a dream world by the Original Dreamer to accept their paths references the Season 3 crossover episode "Duet" where the Music Meister trapped both Barry and Kara in a musical reality in order to help them fix their relationships with Iris and Mon-El, respectively.
      • In another reference, the targeted characters are sleeping in separate beds next to each other.

Goofs[]

  • As indicated by Iris' article on the Red Death, this episode, except for the final scene, takes place on March 28, 2023 (the day before the episode aired). However, the previous episode, "The Good, the Bad, and the Lucky", took place on May 22, 2023, Jenna West's 5th birthday.
    • It is impossible for this episode to take place before that episode chronologically, since Mark leaves Central City in this episode, but works with Khione to test her abilities in "The Good, the Bad, and the Lucky."

References[]

  1. ↑ "Stranger Beside Me"
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