This many years after the particle accelerator explosion, The Flash's characters are pretty used to dealing with completely over-the-top situations that have zero precedence. Never before Season 4, however, did Barry and Iris have to deal with the arrival of their own offspring visiting from the relatively distant future. Nora West-Allen's presence in Season 5 will make things pretty complicated for Team Flash, and star Candice Patton gave fans an early idea of how Iris and Barry deal with the situation in the early days of Season 5.
I mean, I think anyone in that position would be like 'What the...?' You know. Because it's weird, her daughter came back from the future, essentially at the same age that [Iris] is currently. So, it's super trippy. I think both her and Barry are kinda like 'What the hell?'
I'm pretty sure Iris and Barry's "What the hell?" reaction to Nora is the most relatable element that is humanly possible on The Flash, since isn't the kind of thing that affects characters on many shows outside of something like Futurama. Knowing the show usually shifts its main narrative along a few months to account for the real-world summer hiatus, I imagine at least that first month after Nora shows up is just Iris and Barry saying, "Huh?" with varying levels of intensity.
Even tough Nora never really got too invested with any of the Team Flash members she crossed paths with during her time-traveling jaunts, she already had a ton of information about all of them, including all of their future fates. (We're kinda worried about Barry in that sense.) But Iris and Barry don't have that kind of privileged information at the ready, and they'll likely never fully get used to Nora's presence. I mean, Iris is still having to wrap her head around going through pregnancy at some point in the very near future, which is something Candice Patton addressed at POPSUGAR's Play/Ground festival while asking her own questions about the situation.
And that also means that, you know, Iris has to be pregnant at some point. When does that happen? How does this affect the time continuum, if [Nora is] coming back to the past? Could it fudge up whole storylines? Could Barry and I not be together? I have no idea what'll happen.
We know that Jessica Parker Kennedy's Nora West-Allen will be around The Flash Season 5 for the long haul, which will provide a lot of bonding time between the future parents and their future kid, even if a lot of it involves wide-eyed disbelief. To answer Candice Patton, though: if Nora has Barry Allen's DNA in her, then her time-travel shenanigans almost definitely fudged up whole storylines and then some. We just have to hope that Black Flash isn't able to track her down at any point.
Also, I'm just going to sidestep the prospect of Barry and Iris potentially not being together in Season 5. If a couple can make it through alt-history Nazis from another dimension wrecking their wedding, they can make it through anything.
The Flash will return to The CW for Season 5 on Tuesday nights this fall at 8:00 p.m. ET. To see what other shows will be showing up in the meantime, head to our summer premiere schedule.
