THE FLASH

“I know your weakness.”
That statement from Captain Cold in episode 4 of CW's “The Flash” sums up the hero Barry Allen AKA Flash for me. Flash the comic character has such a long history that it should be intimidating to do a TV series on him. To their credit, the team (same as the one creating Arrow) has done a fantastic job.
“The Flash” is a humane sort of superhero series. It focuses on Barry Allen, the person. He had suffered tremendous childhood trauma when his mother was killed and everyone thought his father had done it. He had seen an almost demonic speed demon on the night of the murder, but could not convince others. He grew up to be a bookish geek; still positive, still a nice guy. He is, after all, a hero. When he 'finds' his super speed powers after the Particle Accelerator of Dr. Wells goes wrong, it just becomes obvious.
“The Flash” has a rich support cast. Detective Joe West is the family friend who takes care of young Barry when the police take his father into custody. His daughter Iris is the love of his life. Tragedy is, Iris is in a relationship with someone else. S.T.A.R. Labs is a big part of the series. Dr. Wells is the genius who created the Particle Accelerator, and has a lot of secrets. His team – of Cisco and Caitlin – is looking after Barry and helping him cope with his newfound powers. They are also tracking the sudden rise of 'meta-humans' who start appearing after the accident. As the series unfolds, the role of 'the man in the yellow suit', the speedster who killed Barry's mother, takes centre-stage.  We are introduced to a host of Super-villains, including the classic Rogues Gallery from the Flash comics. Comics nerds are also given euphoria with mentions/appearances of Ronnie Raymond (Firestorm) and Ralph Dibny (Elongated Man), as well as guest appearance from Arrow and his cast.
The series has incorporated elements from the classic comics wonderfully. It captures the feelings of wonderment, and exploring the realms of sci-fi as the original '50s and '60s John Broome/Julies Schwartz run. In comics, when Flash 'perished' trying to save the world from the first Crisis (as seen in the secret fortress of Dr. Wells), his nephew Wally West took over the mantle. He seemingly did not have the super-speed of Barry. Also a fan favourite of a newer generation, elements of that Mike Baron/Mark Waid/Geoff Johns run is also present here. Flash is a haven for comic geeks but that does not take away from the fact that anyone should enjoy this show. It is well written, produced well. Stories are fast paced, with character growth in mind. Costume design and special effects are top notch as far as TV shows go. Flash is about the boy-scout type old-fashioned hero. He wants to do good. He wants to save the world. Captain Cold is right; Barry won't risk the lives of innocents in trying to get the bad guy first. But he will get the bad guy. He is the hero.

Following our review of “The Flash”, published on December 18, 2014, this is a second opinion on the show.