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Tuesday, May 26, 2015

The Flash - Season 1 Review

The Flash, one of the best new shows on television.

Plot Summary: After witnessing his mother being murdered by a strange yellow lightning as a child, Barry Allen's father is wrongly imprisoned, and Barry is then taken in by Detective Joe West and his family. Years later, Allen becomes a criminal investigator working with Detective West in the Central City Police Department. When a failed science experiment exposed Central City and its inhabitants to an unknown radiation, Barry is also struck by lightning, which puts him in a coma for months and when he wakes up, he has incredible speed.

Plot: 7.9/10- The Flash's first half follows a relatively episodic "supervillain of the week" structure with the seeds of a larger plot being sewn. Many of the episodes are entertaining to watch, thanks to the superhero action and likable protagonists. The second half narrows the plot's focus as the true villain is revealed, which is where the series shines the brightest with unexpected twists and generally effective drama.

Ironically, The Flash is everything that the DC movies are not: funny, colorful, and full of heart. It never hides from the fact that it is based on a comic book, and actually delves into what makes The Flash different from heroes that walk the along the path of moral ambiguity, like the Arrow.

One of my favorite aspects is how The Flash crosses over to the Arrow TV series and vice-versa. The CW have created a universe within their two series, and it makes the two shows feel like reading a comic book where characters can crossover without it seemingly like a big ground event. At times, the ability to crossover opens some plot conveniences, which are occasionally distracting. However, for the most part, the crossovers are absurdly fun to watch since these are characters that I watched in cartoons as a kid, and now they are teaming up in excellent live-action stories!

One scene towards the end of the series is full of emotion that it hits you like an emotional sucker punch. Never before has a live-action DC property managed to make me feel anything to this caliber; it truly shocked me. 

Much like Arrow, many episodes of The Flash displays moments of poor writing that overlooks obvious logic. The biggest flaw is how absurdly overpowered The Flash's powers are compared to normal humans. Example, he can move faster than any normal human's reflexes, and therefore he can dodge bullets and remove weapons before the criminal in question can realize what is happening. This is a problem when fighting enemies like Captain Cold or Heat Wave since he can easily remove their weapons in the blink-of-an-eye, and yet he never does so. Thankfully, these lapses in writing do not tarnish one of the most enjoyable experiences on television.

Characterization: 9.2/10- The Flash's characters is what you keep coming back for, especially Barry Allen, aka The Flash. Barry is, unquestionably, the most well realized DC character in live-action.

From his tragic backstory to his unrequited love of Iris, everything about Barry's characters makes you just want to like the guy, and yet he never falls into the typical brooding hero. One key aspect of Barry's character is his relationship to his family, both biological and adopted. It humanizes the character and makes him more relatable.

The Flash's supporting cast is full of likable characters, particularly Joe West, Barry’s adopted father, who provides a unique parental view that few other TV shows in general feature. Dr. Harrison Wells, Cisco Ramon, and Dr. Caitlin Snow provide Barry a support team, as well as characters to play off of as the plot unfolds.

Unfortunately, aside the main antagonist, the villains range from somewhat forgettable to corny. Captain Cold and Heat Wave are the worst offenders as their dialogue almost delves into the corniness of the 60s' Batman TV show during one episode. Thankfully, however, the series' comic book tone makes most of the villains work.

Acting: 8.2/10- Grant Gustin's performance as Barry Allen (The Flash) is, in large part, one of the reasons the character is likable with his relatable personality. Of all the actors cast to play a DC hero, Gustin is, undoubtedly, my favorite. Aside from some corny performances by the villains, the rest of the cast do a fine job in their roles. 

Special effects: 8.9/10- How do they do it?! The Flash is on CW! It is barely a network TV channel and yet the special effects are better than anything on network TV or even cable in many instances. Of course, they are not movie caliber, but it looks fantastic for television.

Humor: 8.3/10- As expected with a series about The Flash, there is some great moments of humor throughout, especially how Barry uses his powers for everyday tasks.

Entertainment Value: 9.7/10- The Flash is absurd amounts of fun to watch! Every week, The Flash delivered fun superhero entertainment, and the second half set in motion a plot with surprisingly complexity and twists; what more could you ask for?

Overall: 9.0/10- The Flash captures the essence of a superhero comic book, and while the writing might be a little spotty at times, the comic book action and lovable characters make The Flash one of the best shows on television and an obvious Must-Watch recommendation.

Closing Comments: In this Renaissance of comic book television, Daredevil (review here) and The Flash stand tall as the best of superhero on TV. Could there be a better time to be a superhero fan!?

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

16 comments:

  1. Great review! :) This show and Daredevil look like a lot of fun. I'll have to check them out! :)

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    1. Thanks! And yes, those two are highly recommended. :)

      -James

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  2. Totally agree James! The Flash quickly became one of my favorite shows this first season and that finale was incredible.

    The CGI team at CW (seriously, it has to be black magic) deserves a shoutout as does the incredibly well-chosen cast. I remember when everyone thought Gustin was a horrific choice as Barry, but he fits PERFECTLY.

    Great review!

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    1. That finale really hit harder than expected, and it was so much fun. And I know, it is crazy how good the CGI is! Thanks Jordan.

      -James

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  3. You Just got me interested b4 I had kina blown this show off But now I think Ill give it a try when I am done with DareDevil

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    1. I hope you enjoy if you decide to give it a shot.

      -James

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  4. Admittedly, I had no interest about the show when I found out about it; still, I watched the trailer and was happy that they mostly got Barry's character right. Then I watched the third episode, and we were hooked. The Flash is everything that most other comic-book shows aren't; it's cheerful and colorful. I love Arrow and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and while they have their moments of hilarity, they've lost their colorfulness (in AOS's case, mostly). It's really like a breath of fresh air. And of course, with emotional moments (SPOILER ALERT: Barry and his Mom in the season finale or Eddie *End Spoilers*) it just sucker punches you. And yes, the effects are pretty darn awesome! It's amazing, really. I do agree, however, that Captain Cold and Heatwave can be corny at times, but with Cold it works, with Heatwave....not so much. Hopefully they'll tone it down a little in Legends.
    Excellent review, James!
    -Tegan

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    1. Me either, but wasn't it such a wonder surprise. :) Exactly! And I completely agree, it was so good.

      -James

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  5. I'm one of the people who barely knew the first thing about the show when it started, but I feel overall it was worth staying up all night to see episodes on release night each week. The first season was a fun ride, and the final minutes of the season were some film-worthy awesomeness. Summer is slow-I want October now...

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    1. Glad you enjoyed The Flash as well. It really is a hit even with those that knew little about it.

      -James

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  6. There are so many superhero tv shows I have missed. The Flash (and Arrow!) sounds great though! I'm happy that DC can put out something that enjoyable! ;P Great review!

    ~Jamie

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  7. This show looks like its something special. I wonder how Captain Cold and Heat wave will get along with their enemy the Flash in the upcoming Legends. The cross overs between Arrow and Flash are a ingenious touch.
    I wonder if there is any immoral content in this series?

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    1. Sorry for the late reply, but in regards to immoral content: From what I remember, Barry starts to make out with a girl he is dating before stopping and deciding it is not what he wants to do. Two people are said to be living together, even though they are not married. There is occasional mild language, but other than that, I don't remember anything that big. Of course, I don't remember everything, but I do not recall anything worse than Agents of SHIELD or Marvel movies like Iron Man.

      -James

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  8. The Flash remembers that superheroes should be fun and is a must watch for good old fashioned fun. It's a comic book brought to life. I've loved this first year and have reviewed each ep. I thought the finale made little sense but have loved every minute. Gustin is perfect and I love the corny villains, especially Wentworth Miller's laconic Captain Cold.

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    1. Cannot agree more! Yeah, the finale's logic with the time-travel and certain character actions did not make any sense at times. I liked Cold for the most part, but just not Heatwave.

      -James

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One rule: No strong profanity. If you want to link to one of your posts, please do; I am always interested in other reviews and such.

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