The Flash seems to be the best superhero show on television right now. I don't know any other series in the genre that's as consistently entertaining, fun, and surprising as this one. Especially since Arrow has gone so far downhill, and squandered all of the elements that once made it so good. The Flash is continuing to build on what makes it great, and continually impressing in terms of effects, characters, and story.
Season 1, especially the finale, built up a lot of expectations for this season. The creators built up so much goodwill across the first 23 episodes, and opened so many doors for the future that it seemed impossible for it to be anything less than awesome.
But maybe I shouldn't have set my expectations so high.
What really makes the show work, week after week, is Barry Allen. Grant Gustin is so charismatic and funny, but this season had plenty of moments for him to show off how he's created the perfect Barry Allen for this show. One of the highlights of the season was an episode where Barry traveled back in time to season 1, and encountered the Eobard Thawne version of Harrison Wells. Grant Gustin and Tom Cavanagh were flawless during this face-off, and putting Barry against his original major enemy with another year of experience was a great way to show how his character has grown and evolved.
The only downside to Barry was that he was a bit too down in the dumps this season. He had to face some serious emotional conflicts, and his reactions to them were appropriate, but his character works best when he's light-hearted and fun. It can't be that all the time, and I do want to see some variety, but he just moped around a lot. They even made him more optimistic in the penultimate episode of the season, but that was gone by the end of the episode. The more light atmosphere is mostly controlled by Barry, so his character's change from season 1 was very noticeable.
The other characters were mostly well-served too. Caitlin had yet another tragic love story (no spoilers here, but she has terrible luck with men). She didn't really have much to do for most of the season, but her role on the team has always been kind of undefined. She doesn't have a specific role like comedic relief, love interest or father figure to Barry (not that he needs any more). She has her moments, but she's definitely one of the weaker points of the season. Cisco had a lot more to deal with, as his metahuman powers started to emerge more and more. There was a very unique style to the sequences with Cisco "vibing", and he turned into an even more valuable asset for Team Flash. He remained as funny as ever, delivering many hilarious one-liners and geeky references that always land. The only thing that remains to be seen is whether or not he'll get his own costume and have an active, crime-fighting role on the team, since some of his abilities make him quite a bit more capable. The West family saw some very big changes, with the re-introduction of Iris' mother, as well as her brother, Wally West. As the season went on, Wally took on a semi-sidekick role (pretty much exactly what Roy Harper was in Arrow season 2). He spent a lot of time moping around about his family, which got very repetitive very quickly, but he eventually found his footing and his place among the characters. Iris, thankfully, took on a less irritating role, although I really am against the love story of her and Barry. I'm sorry, but when a guy is having a conversation with his adoptive father about hooking up with his daughter, I just can't get on board with that. She was dealing with the loss of Eddie for a bit, but as the relationship with Barry evolved, I just found myself wishing that their characters hadn't been raised together, because they have some solid chemistry.
This season really got off to a strong start, and introduced some very interesting new elements to the world. The singularity that appeared over Central City in the season 1 finale opened the door to an alternate universe, Earth-2. Heroes and villains came through the breach, and we met iconic characters like Jay Garrick, as well as some surprising appearances by villains. There was one villain who was a complete shock, and who I never expected to see on-screen. I was even more surprised that they looked so good on a CW budget. And, of course, another version of Harrison Wells showed up, because Tom Cavanagh is the best actor on the show, and they literally created another universe to bring him back. Even though he was pretty much the same character as in season 1, there were some differences, and I'll give him credit for being able to make both characters feel different.
The characters and ideas that came over from Earth-2 were all fascinating. Some of the best episodes of the season were the ones where the characters went over to Earth-2, and we met all of the alternate versions of them. You could tell how much fun the writers were having by showing how differently the characters lived and acted, and having Earth-1 characters interact with them just added to that fun. Comic book elements like those are so well-handled in this show, and it makes me confident that the writers could handle Grodd as a main villain in the future.
But ironically, in terms of pacing, this season never really got going. It felt like it was moving in a straight line with occasional rises of quality, as opposed to a constant rise. It just meandered along at times, with only very loose story threads holding things together. It also suffered because, like Arrow, the first 8 episodes were devoted to setting up Legends of Tomorrow, so the story itself didn't get as much focus. As the season went on, I was waiting for the story to really take off, but it never really did until the very end. So many episodes felt like filler, and the insanely stupid logic took me out of the show more times than I can count.
I was also disappointed with how some characters were handled. None of the main characters really suffered in terms of writing, but some very cool (and comics-wise, very important) characters felt like they were pushed to the side. Earth-2 was the prime example of this, as characters' doppelgangers were killed left and right. Leaving those characters alive could have created very interesting conflict and interactions, especially since those alternate versions of characters were so much fun to see. Not doing things that would have been really interesting was a recurring thing in a lot of episodes.
Zoom as a main antagonist was handled very strangely. He was built up very well, by having a series of Earth-2 metahumans following his orders out of blind fear. When he finally did appear, he completely destroyed Barry in a fight, showing just how fast and powerful he was. But he didn't do much beyond that, and spent a lot of the season standing around and talking to people. Tony Todd's voice was perfect, but that wasn't enough to sell Zoom as a legitimate threat at all times. Not to mention that this season did another "who is he" plot, but here it felt unnecessary (and like the writers were re-treading ground but doing a worse job). There were certain moments when there was legitimate threat from him, but they were few and far between. Maybe the lack of a significant personal connection to Barry just didn't make him resonate as much as Reverse-Flash did. Then, at the end of the season, they tried to force in a connection to Barry, but it just didn't fit. Zoom's motivations were also really poorly defined, and constantly shifting, so I never really knew what he was trying to accomplish.
Despite all that, the last few episodes really elevated the season, and the finale gave it a very strong send-off. Some of the moments were so deep, emotionally resonant, or just plain fun and joyful that it embodied everything that The Flash is. One of the best episodes of the season was directed by Kevin Smith and written by Zack Stentz, a combination which I really want to see continue in the DCTV Universe, and shows that the show can be a draw for big talent. There were moments in the season where it looked like they were going to fall into the same CW clichés as it has before, but it didn't, and that was so relieving. There were a lot of moments in the season that were very surprising and memorable, so it was never bad.
I never jumped ship, like I did with Arrow.
I've forged a strong connection with these characters, and because the show always makes me want to come back for more, this season was definitely good. It just wasn't very consistent at times, and while the writers managed to balance actual story and fan-service very well, there was a lot in there that felt like filler. But like last season, whatever was lackluster was made up for in the finale, which both resolved the loose ends of the season and set up for a massive change for the next.
I hope that the next season will be better, and with the DCTV universe expanding so much, and so rapidly, I can't wait to see what'll happen. For now, this season of The Flash was perfectly fine continuation of the series, with the same amount of impressive effects work, ridiculous science, and a fun-loving atmosphere that can be downright infectious.
Season 1, especially the finale, built up a lot of expectations for this season. The creators built up so much goodwill across the first 23 episodes, and opened so many doors for the future that it seemed impossible for it to be anything less than awesome.
But maybe I shouldn't have set my expectations so high.
What really makes the show work, week after week, is Barry Allen. Grant Gustin is so charismatic and funny, but this season had plenty of moments for him to show off how he's created the perfect Barry Allen for this show. One of the highlights of the season was an episode where Barry traveled back in time to season 1, and encountered the Eobard Thawne version of Harrison Wells. Grant Gustin and Tom Cavanagh were flawless during this face-off, and putting Barry against his original major enemy with another year of experience was a great way to show how his character has grown and evolved.
The only downside to Barry was that he was a bit too down in the dumps this season. He had to face some serious emotional conflicts, and his reactions to them were appropriate, but his character works best when he's light-hearted and fun. It can't be that all the time, and I do want to see some variety, but he just moped around a lot. They even made him more optimistic in the penultimate episode of the season, but that was gone by the end of the episode. The more light atmosphere is mostly controlled by Barry, so his character's change from season 1 was very noticeable.
The other characters were mostly well-served too. Caitlin had yet another tragic love story (no spoilers here, but she has terrible luck with men). She didn't really have much to do for most of the season, but her role on the team has always been kind of undefined. She doesn't have a specific role like comedic relief, love interest or father figure to Barry (not that he needs any more). She has her moments, but she's definitely one of the weaker points of the season. Cisco had a lot more to deal with, as his metahuman powers started to emerge more and more. There was a very unique style to the sequences with Cisco "vibing", and he turned into an even more valuable asset for Team Flash. He remained as funny as ever, delivering many hilarious one-liners and geeky references that always land. The only thing that remains to be seen is whether or not he'll get his own costume and have an active, crime-fighting role on the team, since some of his abilities make him quite a bit more capable. The West family saw some very big changes, with the re-introduction of Iris' mother, as well as her brother, Wally West. As the season went on, Wally took on a semi-sidekick role (pretty much exactly what Roy Harper was in Arrow season 2). He spent a lot of time moping around about his family, which got very repetitive very quickly, but he eventually found his footing and his place among the characters. Iris, thankfully, took on a less irritating role, although I really am against the love story of her and Barry. I'm sorry, but when a guy is having a conversation with his adoptive father about hooking up with his daughter, I just can't get on board with that. She was dealing with the loss of Eddie for a bit, but as the relationship with Barry evolved, I just found myself wishing that their characters hadn't been raised together, because they have some solid chemistry.
This season really got off to a strong start, and introduced some very interesting new elements to the world. The singularity that appeared over Central City in the season 1 finale opened the door to an alternate universe, Earth-2. Heroes and villains came through the breach, and we met iconic characters like Jay Garrick, as well as some surprising appearances by villains. There was one villain who was a complete shock, and who I never expected to see on-screen. I was even more surprised that they looked so good on a CW budget. And, of course, another version of Harrison Wells showed up, because Tom Cavanagh is the best actor on the show, and they literally created another universe to bring him back. Even though he was pretty much the same character as in season 1, there were some differences, and I'll give him credit for being able to make both characters feel different.
The characters and ideas that came over from Earth-2 were all fascinating. Some of the best episodes of the season were the ones where the characters went over to Earth-2, and we met all of the alternate versions of them. You could tell how much fun the writers were having by showing how differently the characters lived and acted, and having Earth-1 characters interact with them just added to that fun. Comic book elements like those are so well-handled in this show, and it makes me confident that the writers could handle Grodd as a main villain in the future.
But ironically, in terms of pacing, this season never really got going. It felt like it was moving in a straight line with occasional rises of quality, as opposed to a constant rise. It just meandered along at times, with only very loose story threads holding things together. It also suffered because, like Arrow, the first 8 episodes were devoted to setting up Legends of Tomorrow, so the story itself didn't get as much focus. As the season went on, I was waiting for the story to really take off, but it never really did until the very end. So many episodes felt like filler, and the insanely stupid logic took me out of the show more times than I can count.
I was also disappointed with how some characters were handled. None of the main characters really suffered in terms of writing, but some very cool (and comics-wise, very important) characters felt like they were pushed to the side. Earth-2 was the prime example of this, as characters' doppelgangers were killed left and right. Leaving those characters alive could have created very interesting conflict and interactions, especially since those alternate versions of characters were so much fun to see. Not doing things that would have been really interesting was a recurring thing in a lot of episodes.
Zoom as a main antagonist was handled very strangely. He was built up very well, by having a series of Earth-2 metahumans following his orders out of blind fear. When he finally did appear, he completely destroyed Barry in a fight, showing just how fast and powerful he was. But he didn't do much beyond that, and spent a lot of the season standing around and talking to people. Tony Todd's voice was perfect, but that wasn't enough to sell Zoom as a legitimate threat at all times. Not to mention that this season did another "who is he" plot, but here it felt unnecessary (and like the writers were re-treading ground but doing a worse job). There were certain moments when there was legitimate threat from him, but they were few and far between. Maybe the lack of a significant personal connection to Barry just didn't make him resonate as much as Reverse-Flash did. Then, at the end of the season, they tried to force in a connection to Barry, but it just didn't fit. Zoom's motivations were also really poorly defined, and constantly shifting, so I never really knew what he was trying to accomplish.
Despite all that, the last few episodes really elevated the season, and the finale gave it a very strong send-off. Some of the moments were so deep, emotionally resonant, or just plain fun and joyful that it embodied everything that The Flash is. One of the best episodes of the season was directed by Kevin Smith and written by Zack Stentz, a combination which I really want to see continue in the DCTV Universe, and shows that the show can be a draw for big talent. There were moments in the season where it looked like they were going to fall into the same CW clichés as it has before, but it didn't, and that was so relieving. There were a lot of moments in the season that were very surprising and memorable, so it was never bad.
I never jumped ship, like I did with Arrow.
I've forged a strong connection with these characters, and because the show always makes me want to come back for more, this season was definitely good. It just wasn't very consistent at times, and while the writers managed to balance actual story and fan-service very well, there was a lot in there that felt like filler. But like last season, whatever was lackluster was made up for in the finale, which both resolved the loose ends of the season and set up for a massive change for the next.
I hope that the next season will be better, and with the DCTV universe expanding so much, and so rapidly, I can't wait to see what'll happen. For now, this season of The Flash was perfectly fine continuation of the series, with the same amount of impressive effects work, ridiculous science, and a fun-loving atmosphere that can be downright infectious.
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