Luke Kalamar – The Flash

Comic book adaptations are big business. Films and television shows featuring these stories are completely inescapable at this point. As is the norm, however, most adaptations attempt to move on from their comic past. It’s almost as if the people behind these don’t believe the mainstream public will be completely behind the craziness featured in print. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., for example, didn’t go “full Marvel” until the Inhumans appeared in Season 2. Despite netting billions in the box office, the Marvel Cinematic Universe barely scratched the source material until Phase 2. Gotham is all about throwing in DC focused Easter Eggs, but is still basically a police crime procedural with DC characters.

The Flash is easily the best example of a show that has overwhelmingly bucked this trend right out of the gate. From the moment a young Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) watched his mom get attacked in a spray of yellow and red light, The Flash practically worshipped its own history. Barry quickly donned his trademark red costume and battled a guy who could control the weather. His mentor Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) was revealed to be a complete fake with a mysterious connection to the future. The question of who actually killed Barry’s mother was a recurring focus, despite what “villains of the week” were on our screens. Over the course of 23 episodes, we got the Reverse-Flash, Firestorm, superhero team ups, time travel, and a psychic gorilla named Grodd. The season even ended with Barry running into black hole with intent of destroying it. A black hole that is very likely connected to different realities that we will presumedly focus on. Seriously. This is awesome.

The one part about this show that I just couldn’t stop obsessing over was the Reverse-Flash story. I couldn’t believe that this was a focus so early in this show’s history, and I was blown away by how effortlessly it spread throughout the season. Like I said before, the very first episode showed that Wells had something to hide. His true identity was the Reverse-Flash came only nine episodes later, and it just kept getting better from there. Cavanagh clearly loved the role and practically devoured every scene he was in. Once our main characters caught up with the audience, every episode just fired on all cylinders. I have no doubt that the writers will find a way to bring the Reverse-Flash back because, quite honestly, he is one of the best villains I’ve ever seen on a superhero show.

As for the episodes in May, they were extraordinary. May 5th gave us Grodd, probably the most “comic book” character to ever grace television. I mean, this is a gorilla with psychic powers. “Grodd Lives” so willingly threw itself into this mythos without a care in the world. Plus, Grodd looked awesome, a true testament to small screen CGI. Right after that we had “Rogue Air,” which ended with a climactic battle between the Reverse-Flash and the Flash, Green Arrow, and Firestorm. Before that was practically a parade of nearly every villain this show had ever featured. Then came the finale “Fast Enough” which featured time travel, a black hole, the Reverse-Flash’s defeat, and plenty of hints to alternate realities.

Of course, The Flash wasn’t without its flaws. A lot of the first season was filled with unneeded campiness, annoying love triangles, and an abysmal treatment of Iris West (Candice Patton). Once it was fully invested in the time travel story though, which conveniently happened near the end, this show was one of the best things on television. “Fast Enough” absolutely blew me away and I cannot wait to see what Season 2 has in store. If you missed this season, spend the summer catching up. You won’t regret it.

https://youtu.be/Yj0l7iGKh8g

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