Written by Matt Kelly
Plot: Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) is a forensic investigator who, after being struck by lightning, is given the ability to run at amazing speeds. He is forced to learn to use his gifts to stop a criminal who seems to be manipulating the weather to commit unbelievable crimes.
Even I didn’t think it was going to be this good.
For those of you unfamiliar, The Flash is a show created in the same TV universe as Arrow. Barry got his introduction during Arrow’s Season 2 mid-season finale. Cisco (Carlos Valdes) and Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) even showed up later in another episode of Arrow. This is DC’s attempt to make a unified TV universe the same was Marvel has made a unified cinematic universe. But no, these shows don’t have anything to do with Gotham or Constantine at this point. That could change but it’s unlikely. And before you ask, we don’t know if Barry or Oliver will ever meet up with anyone from DC’s cinematic universe. We have heard “No” from a couple of people but it makes too much sense to completely count out. However, that may be for the best. Arrow has proven itself to be one the best comic book shows ever made. If Greg Berlanti and his team can catch that lightening in a bottle again, why bother muddling it up with all of Man of Steel’s boring and silly continuity? The Flash just fine on its own. Here’s why.
First of all, the show is fun and that is such a relief. It is easy to make a character seem “realistic” by making him overly serious. Objectively, Barry Allen does have a very Batman back story. His mother is murdered and his dad goes to jail for it. He spends his time searching for the real killer. The producers would have had no trouble turning that story with a show where Barry is a misunderstood bad boy who has issues with authority and takes the law into his own hands because of his difficult past and that works. Specifically, it works for Arrow. And it does. Don’t get me wrong. Arrow is one of my favorite shows ever. Thankfully, The Flash team was able to go in the direction that is really true to the character of Barry Allen. Oh yeah and speaking of the character…
Grant Gustin is the best Barry Allen I could have ever hoped for. I cannot stress this enough. Gustin is great. He hits all of the right notes for the character. From minute one, he is the most likeable guy. He’s got heart. He’s also kind of a dork. He’s late all the time. He’s in over his head but he’s trying really hard. Gustin is going to have no trouble taking this iconic character on his back and turning it into something new and really exciting. But he is not in it alone.
Everyone else in The Flash is great too. Iris (Candice Patton) is fun and kind of all over the place. You get a feeling that the will they/won’t they relationship they will have is going to be pretty entertaining. Detective West (Jesse L. Martin), reminds me a lot of Detective Paul Blackthorne Quentin Lance) from Arrow which is a really good thing. Blackthorne is usually my favorite part of most Arrow episodes, so I hope Jesse L. Martin can do the same with The Flash. Caitlin and Cisco are great. Harrison Wells is also…you guessed it, really great. I have no idea what he’s up to, which is awesome. Tom Cavanagh is doing a really good job of playing whoever Wells really is. I have my theories. And I’m probably right. Go on and ask me. I’ll tell you. POTENTIAL SPOILER Okay it’s gotta be Metron.
Oh yeah and the special effects are perfect. Perfect. The running looks great. The Weather Wizard looks better than that weird salsa dancer from X Men: First Class who had similar powers. The costume is waaaaaaaay better than I expected and it could totally work alongside heavy hitters like Superman.
Obviously, the real highlight of the pilot episode is the creative team. They have done so much in one episode and it has set up a show that can run for ever. We have a lot of important relationships between Barry and his family and his new friends. We have heroes in the mix. The Pilot introduces four key Flash villains. One of them is so bizarre I can barely believe they put him in but they did and it wasn’t that silly either. There’s episode didn’t just leave everyone smiling. It gave them a great foundation to keep this show going for a long time.
Just watch this show. Give it a shot. If you’re the Mirror Master and you hate the Flash , then it’s probably not for you. Otherwise, you don’t have an excuse. It’s fun. The actors are great. The action graphics are of a higher quality than some movies I’ve seen recently. (It makes Left Behind look like it was rendered on an N64.) All of the actors have that CW-esque attractiveness, which is also always nice. Really you can’t go wrong. This show is gonna be a huge hit and it’s moving really fast.
Rating: 9/10
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Matthew Nando Kelly is a contributing writer for Pop-Break. Aside from TV reviews, he also writes about films, music, and video games. Matthew also has a podcast called Mad Bracket Status where he discusses pop culture related brackets with fellow Pop-Break writer DJ Chapman. He loves U2, cats, and the New Orleans Saints. He can also occasionally be found writing lists on Topless Robot and his twitter handle is @NationofNando
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