Dear writers/producers of The Flash,
Please stop showing Iris West dying. It’s the biggest plot point of the season, that Iris is destined to die. It’s mentioned in almost every scene. We don’t need the visual reminder every episode.
America has a long history of glorifying the brutalization of Black bodies. From the horrors of slavery to the lynchings of Jim Crow to the slaughter of unarmed civilians by the police, it has been a sick source of entertainment and pleasure to a certain sect of people.
These are the same people who have done nothing but criticize Iris since her casting. Candice Patton still has to deal with vitriol to this day, just because the producers dared cast a Black woman.
So, I’m sure seeing Iris die week in and week out feeds those trolls who were looking for her to die in the first season.
But it can also be triggering for a loyal, dedicated sect of the fan base, Black women (and men). It brings up images of lynching and how (white) people would attend and have a good time like it was a ball game.
With as much as it’s mentioned that Iris is going to die, it being shown isn’t necessary. All it takes is a sentence in the recap.
