Crisis on Earth X Part 1: “I Am Happy, Excited, and Honored to be Your Wife.”
Their wedding didn’t exactly go off without a hitch, but the tears in Barry’s eyes as he watches Iris walk down the aisle stole our hearts all over again. And in the end, their vows couldn’t have been more perfect. They were also miraculously brief, given that Barry’s first draft was apparently 38 pages. Single spaced. Much like the first draft of this list. His guests are probably glad to be spared sitting through the monologue, but I know a few Westallen fans who would have been more than happy to hear it.
4×10: “I Would Rather Run Forever With You Than Stand Alone Without You.”
When Barry is framed for murder and faces a life sentence behind bars, Iris wants to tell the world that he’s a Flash so that he will be set free. Barry doesn’t want to take the risk, bringing Iris into Flashtime with him to provide her a moment of comfort – and to say goodbye. With these words, Iris reiterates that she would be willing to sacrifice anything if it means the two can be together.
4×11: “I’ll See You Tomorrow?” “Every Tomorrow.”
For Barry and Iris, touch has always been a love language. This was true even before they were dating. So it is particularly difficult for Westallen when he’s unjustly imprisoned, leaving the two forever separated by a pane of glass. It makes the moment that Barry vibrates his hand through the glass to link his fingers in hers even more poignant, the smile they exchange in response reminding us why we can’t help but love the love they share.
4×15: “You’re My Lightning Rod, Iris.”
There are few episodes of The Flash that I would argue are pretty much perfect from beginning to end, but “Enter Flashtime” is one of them. When a bomb goes off in the middle of the city, Barry races into Flashtime to slow down the explosion so that he has time to find a way to reverse it. After several failed attempts, he’s left exhausted and discouraged, and he goes to Iris to spend his last moments alive with her. His desperation is palpable as he holds her, until she eventually helps him find the answer. Barry and Iris have always been stronger together than they are apart, and this moment is just one more example of how much that’s true.
4×23: “It’s You and Me, Iris.”
Season finales have a way of just bringing home how much Westallen love each other and why their relationship is the heart of the series. Even in subtle ways, the show constantly reiterates how important Barry is to Iris – and how necessary Iris is to Barry’s role as the Flash. When it’s time to face off against the thinker, Ralph warns him that he has to fill his mind with something else – with something he loves. And so, as he has many times before, Barry thinks of the person he loves the most: Iris. As it always does, his love for her helps carry him through.
5×01: “We Get Our Happy Ending.”
Barry and Iris hardly lead lives that one could consider “normal” so what’s a daughter from the future added to the mix? The fifth season of The Flash may have missed more opportunities than it should have, but seeing Iris and Barry come to terms with knowing a daughter who isn’t even born yet was a heartwarming moment that made Westallen fans look forward to seeing our beloved couple as parents as well as newlyweds in love. For now, we’ll pretend that the season lived up to the promise of this moment.
5×05: “You Know, We Never Really Had Our First Dance.”
Given the off-the-wall nature of their day-to-day lives – as well as the nature of television drama – it’s probably not too surprising (albeit disappointing) that the moments Barry and Iris get to share just enjoying each other’s company are few and far between. Being able to steal a romantic moment during one of these relatively slow periods is rarer still. So can anyone blame them for stealing a dance while they’re otherwise working a case? Of course, things go pretty quickly downhill, culminating in Iris launching herself off a rooftop to save Barry on the way down. But for one shining moment before they have to save the day, they can pretend to be a young couple in love, out for a night on the town. And for that moment, they only have eyes for each other. (Seriously, Ragdoll actually shows up at one point in the window and neither of them notice. Then again, most Westallen fans were too distracted by their love to notice, either.)
6×01: “Now We Have Something That We Can Honor Nora With.”
Nora’s character may be…divisive within the Westallen fandom, but there’s no question that Iris and Barry genuinely loved their daughter and grieved for her when she was gone. Iris took her death particularly hard, trying to hold onto her lost daughter any way she could. When her jacket is lost in a vortex, Iris breaks. And although Barry knows it’s dangerous to stay in the black hole longer than necessary in the final battle, he stays just long enough to help bring back this memento of the daughter they lost. Because he knows it will bring Iris comfort and make her smile. With moments like these, there can be no doubt how much Barry loves Iris and always will.
6×02: “I Could Never Make the Choice to Leave You.”
There has never been a more honest line spoken on the series. Regardless of time travel, enemies and daughters from the future, amnesia, time remnants, alternate Earths, and never getting five minutes alone together without a supervillain spoiling the fun, Barry and Iris would choose each other again and again and again. And there is no force in the (previously-existing) multiverse that could ever prompt Barry to choose to leave Iris behind. Gold Standard, indeed.
Honorable Mention (Deleted Scene):
‘Nuff said.
The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.