“The Flash” is speeding toward its end, and with it comes the end of the Arrowverse. But, for the most part, Danielle Panabaker hasn’t gotten too emotional — at least until it came time for her final directorial turn on the show.
With Wednesday night’s episode, Panabaker, who has starred as Caitlin Snow and Killer Frost on the series since its pilot, has directed five episodes over the course of the series. And according to the actress, the sense of finality on the show really set in while she was behind the camera this time.
“I will say that was, I think, one of the few times I got emotional, in this final season is looking around, you know, at a lot of the different crew members, most of whom were there the first time I started directing, and you know, I really love collaborating with them,” Panabaker told TheWrap.
“And knowing that we’d never get to do this again, in this capacity, because even if I go back to Vancouver and direct another show, the crew will never be exactly the same,” she continued. “So you know, I do have a lot of gratitude to them, and for them. And I loved, I loved it. So I do think that was a moment where it really hit me like ‘OK, I’m not gonna get to do this in this way with you guys again.’”
Of course, Wednesday’s episode was a particularly special one to helm, as it marked the return of Stephen Amell as the Green Arrow, David Ramsey as John Diggle, and more. And apparently, those returns had a ripple effect on set.
“To be honest, [Stephen] and David both, you know, having basically been in the same shoes as our cast on an incredible number of seasons, done so many episodes, they have a really special enthusiasm for being back,” Panabaker said. “I mean, they’re just getting the band back together again. And I think it was contagious. I think it made some of our other cast really step up as well.”
It certainly made her job easier. As a self-described “perfectionist,” Panabaker says this episode was one where she could really just focus on the details.
“Stephen and Grant [Gustin], most of the actors on our show, don’t really need a lot of hand-holding,” she explained. “They know these characters, honestly, better than I do. And, you know, I don’t need to mess with their performances as much.”
She continued, “But because it’s so important to me, I want to make sure everything else is really working together as well. So you know, I just, I wanted everything to be perfect.”
“The Flash” airs on Wednesdays on The CW at 8 p.m. ET.
