By Josef C. Davis
As a person that praises Stan Lee and all that is Marvel, speaking on a show of the rival fandom spectrum of comics seems like blasphemy. Yet, somewhere down the line of praising the films, no matter how bad “Age of Ultron” was in terms of Captain America’s lines or the show “Agents of SHIELD,” there are just some things that DC Comics does better and the “Flash” brings forth the potential it has in the television market.
Although all the DC Comics films have been getting darker and darker over the years and it even reflecting in the “Flash’s” counterpart on the CW television networks’s “Arrow.” Although unlike Marvel, were they are only on ABC and Netflix, where the DC Comics being on several different stations and separate from one another there is no real need to watch the other DC Comics shows to get an idea what is at play, although “Arrow” is connected from time to time. The “Flash” holds up in the opposite department of being that perfect blend of light-hearted superhero action and yet dramatic dark-filled background that is ever-present, which seems to be the main focus for DC Comics image.
Barry Allen, portrayed by Grant Gustin, is the incarnation of Flash who was used for this show. Gustin as the main protagonist goes about pulling off the quirky nerdy forensic investigator turned fastest man alive with just the right zip. Yet the fastest man alive cannot always outrun everything. With the childhood where his dad was wrongly convicted for the murder of his mother, and all he has is the image of a blur being the real cause, it pushes forward more of the reason why the character goes forth to be the hero.
Then there is his team that allies him throughout the encounters with other villains, and the occasional other hero. Dr. Caitlin Snow, the highly intelligent bioengineer, Cisco Ramon, the mechanical engineering genius behind the gadgets, and with the mysterious Dr. Harrison Wells serving as Barry’s mentor.
In the pilot episode, a tragedy at S.T.A.R. Labs brought forth a wave of Dark Matter which turned some individuals, including Barry, into “Metahumans.” They were each granted special abilities, in which is the main focus of the show. Although the focus is set on capturing the “Metahumans” that wish to cause harm, it does not always focus on superpowers vs. other superpowers. Between the cases of who really killed Barry’s mother, and the main antagonist, the Reverse-Flash, some villains that are combatted range from the verity of masterminds with no powers.
From an episode-to-episode basis, the mixing of not always needing super powers can bring up a little fun for the series and not always having to see two different powers collide. Captain Cold is the more dominant non-“Metahuman” that is encountered, which is in several episodes that have Rouge in the title. The one that sticks out most had to have been Trickster, which gives throwback to the short-lived “Flash” television show from the 1990s. Between Barry’s father, who played the Flash in that series showing up time to time, none other than Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, returns to his role from that show as well as the Trickster.
However the show does have some slight problems to it, like any show. The constant reminder of “The person who killed my mom,” line, in some variation, popping up almost on an episode basis can get a little boring. This is especially true when streaming multiple episodes. The problems tend to stem from the dialogue, and the problems from there. It feels as though there always has to be the constant reminder of something important that is obviously known. This has appeared even in the second season. However this can be seen in a lot of shows regardless.
As a Marvel fanboy it is hard to say if this is a show that I will love and proclaim that everyone should watch it. Yet, it still holds that superhero concept that movies have been filled with in recent years in an interesting format that should have been getting more attention from the start. It gives more to the story of a beloved comic book character that should give a chance to check out at least once.