The return of the CW hero shows is upon us and Season 5 of The Flash comes out of the gate in full form. The opening, which mirrors that of Barry’s classic intro only with his speedster daughter from the future, finds Excess running around the city while narrating herself. I’m already a fan. Instantly, Excess fits right in with the other characters and has amazing chemistry with the rest of the cast.
Jessica Parker Kennedy (who I remember as Plastique from Smallville) really is a scene-stealer as Nora Allen in the premiere. She’s traveled back in time to see The Flash and can’t get enough speed to travel back to the future (or so she claims). This, appropriately, allows for all the Back to the Future jokes one may expect. Her bright-eyed idealization of her dad is very believable, whereas something is obviously off with her relationship with her mother, Iris.
My early prediction: something happens to Iris in the future, or Nora may not be quite the person she claims to be. However, the big “gotcha” moment is that Barry is really the one who is gone. According to Gideon, The Flash vanishes in the year 2024 and NEVER returns. Nora didn’t get to know her dad but idolized him and came back to see him. Everything was genuine here, and I absolutely love the father daughter dynamic between Barry and Nora.
Meanwhile, the villain of the week is “Gridlock” who nearly crashes a plane (with himself on board). The speedster trio of Flash, Excess, and Kid Flash combine forces to phase the plane through buildings and land it safely. This was actually a pretty cool scene on many levels; not only was the rescue pretty epic, but Barry using this as a teaching moment for Nora. The scene, which uses Harrison Wells’ (a fave) words, complete with a flashback, gave me chills.
Meanwhile, a subplot included a Kaitlin back story which, I guess, will lead her back to Killer Frost. There’s a solid setup here.
Ultimately, we find Excess could have left all along but wants to be with her dad. The gang discusses the ill-affects of Time Travel but Wally brings up a one-liner about “soft historical events” vs. “fixed historical events” which means it’s no biggie! I absolute loathe one liners that clean up plot holes, but I understand it needs to be done frequently on these types of shows, especially with time travel. Regardless, I am more than stoked that Excess is sticking around as I’m already invested in her relationship with Barry. Also good to see Wally take on more of a leadership roll as he will be returning to the Legends.
The show closes with Excess again running and narrating much like The Flash. I loved it and wish it could’ve ended there, but it was time for the “to be continued….” scene.  Gridlock is being transferred by the authorities when his truck is broken into by a new villain with a Bane mask and flash shaped lighting bolt daggers. From what I’ve read it’s Chris Klein. No it’s not Dusty Dinkleman, but it looks the big villain this season is going to be Cicada.Really strong episode from start to finish that may set up The Flash as the “A Show” this year.
Overall rating: 9 out of 10
The Flash Season 5 Premiere is now onDemand
-Rob Crowther IV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNNr_IQmH1A
