In the season one finale of The Flash, Barry Allen was presented with a choice to go back in time and save his mother from being murdered by the Reverse Flash. Also, in effect, would save his father from false imprisonment. Doing so would save years of anguish and help many people who have been hurt by Eobard Thawne.

However, Barry went back in time and just watched as his mother is killed, not altering the time line from its original state.

This choice has been praised by the fans of the show I have known. However, while I have partially come to terms with the choice, I still believe that he made the wrong choice and here's why

1. His dad is still in jail for a crime he didn't commit. It is an incredible injustice to have a falsely accused person spend any amount of time in prison and it's incredibly tragic for a good, innocent person to lose their autonomy forever.

2. Nora Allen is still dead. An innocent woman, detached from any involvement in heroics or villainy has been caught in the crossfire and paid the ultimate price. Barry had the chance to save her life and enjoy a world with her but blew it.

3. The Reverse Flash, his greatest villain, took what mattered from Barry the most. Certainly a win for Eobard.

4. Barry's future self shaking his head and telling present Barry to do nothing means jack to me, and it should have meant jack to him. What does the future Barry know about a timeline we will never see? The only caveat I can provide is if future Barry has somehow seen an alternative timeline where his parents were free and alive and somehow it was worse. Seems unlikely.

5. "This is just the way it was supposed to be" means jack to me as well. It's a copout

6. Speaking of cop outs, Eddie Thawne is now dead. A good man, who killed himself. If Eobard was allowed to go back to the future, Eddie could have just gotten a vasectomy or something instead of having to make a split decision. Yet another innocent life lost. I realize this point is unfair because Barry could not have seen it coming, but still...

I want my view changed because I have a personal stake in this allegory. My father is in prison right now for a crime he DID commit, but if it was up to me, I would consider going back in time and stop him from doing his crime. That said, no guarantees on that, I will admit. There are good things that ended up happening because of his imprisonment but they would possibly be outweighted by his freedom and having a dad physically in my life.

Yeah, CMV

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