5: The Flash by Matt Kelly

What can I say in support of The Flash that isn’t just the phrase “Evil Psychic Gorilla” repeated over and over again? When you get right down to it, the inclusion of Grodd is symbolic of everything that makes the series so great. While other comic book TV shows are their more pretending their sillier source material doesn’t exist, The Flash is putting it front and center.

As a fan of Arrow, I was initially hesitant when I heard that CW would be developing a shared universe Flash show. Would they adjust the character of Flash so that he fits into the Arrow atmosphere? Would he be dark and brooding instead of light and hopeful? Would his superpowers be toned down so that he would fit into the nearly superpower free Arrowverse? Thankfully the answer to those questions are No, Not Really, and Hell No!

Flash is unapologetically fun, optimistic, and full of crazy CGI superpowers. Grant Gustin’s take on Barry Allen is everything we could hope for. My only gripe about the performance is that it won’t transcend the TV universe into the seriously lacking DC cinematic universe but maybe it’s for the best. The benefit of Flash adding some fun to the movies may not be worth the risk of the movies sucking the fun out of the show.

Season One introduced us to a thoroughly entertaining cast of characters, chief among them being the eventual villain Dr. Harrison Wells played masterfully by Tom Cavanagh. It was equal parts filled with suspense, emotionally gripping, and faithful to the source material. Most importantly, in the face of incredibly high stakes, The Flash never stopped being fun. Season Two has been a blast. Zoom takes all of the intensity and mystery of Wells to a whole new level. The writers have also done an astoundingly good job of establishing comic concepts like Earth-2 and the speed force without alienating non comic readers.

I could say a whole lot more about how Flash made clunky characters like Firestorm work onscreen or how effortlessly crossed over with Arrow and set up Legends of Tomorrow, but I think I’m going to end my recap with the highest possible praise I can give to a show like Flash.

Evil.

Psychic.

Gorilla.

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