'The Flash' Finale Is Quickly Approaching

There's not much longer left until (sob) The Flash Season 1 finale, which will bring the freshman series to an end — well, at least until we return to Central City in the fall. Futon Critic currently lists the season finale air date as May 19. That's right, there are only seven episodes left, if you include this Tuesday's "Tricksters," which will add Mark Hammill's villain and a little bit of extra in jokes from the 1990s version of The Flash TV show. And after the Trickster episode, the show will be taking a two-week hiatus, followed by the remaining six weeks and six episodes. It's really been an incredible debut season, and even though every episode isn't perfect, the series has already moved beyond the typical procedural format with things like turning Barry's mentor into a villain and using devices like time travel. It's really similar to what DC Comics has been doing for decades, with their various special events and imaginative stories.

But what's left for the end of the first season? What plotlines have been promised, what characters have been teased, and what guest stars are still on tap? We've already been reintroduced to the Snarts, and Barry has convinced them to leave the life of Flashverse archvillains, shepherding them into the lives of... dun, dun, dun: antiheroes. At the very least, Lisa seems to be on the fence about what she, her brother, and Heat Wave are doing in Central City. And ambiguous motives are what superhero stories are built on. But here are the remaining questions that the show needs to answer before the season finale.

Who Is The Real Reverse-Flash?

Right now, it's really looking like the Reverse-Flash is definitely Harrison Wells. But there's been enough twists on this show that it could turn out that Wells is just one of a group of Reverse-Flashes, or that through time traveling, multiple versions of Wells are running around, because they've come face to face with one another.

Who Killed Barry's Mother?

Just like Baby Bruce Wayne over on Gotham, finding out the person who killed Barry's mother is one of the central mysteries of the first season of The Flash. Will it be Professor Zoom/Eobard Thawne, like in DC Comics? One of the established villains or metahumans, traveling through time? Or maybe even an errant police bullet from Detective West?

Will Captain Cold & Heat Wave Stick Around?

When Barry changed the timeline, Leonard Snart ended up finding out about Barry's real identity. But apparently, Captain Cold and Heat Wave might be moving over to the proposed Atom Arrow verse spinoff. Hopefully, they can manage to maintain a presence on both shows, because these two are great additions to the cast.

Is Harrison Wells A Good Guy Or A Bad Guy?

This is the biggest question for the end of the season. Either Wells will be revealed to be Professor Zoom — his name is Eobard, after all — or someone else, possibly a time traveler. And Wells' secrets will absolutely come to light by the end of the season, and Barry will either have to find a way to forgive him, or Wells will go from wise man to chief bad guy in Season 2.

Images: Dean Buscher/The CW; FlashAllens/Tumblr (3)