By Johan Hernandez
Staff Writer
This is the time of year that TV channels push out as many shows as possible to rank in the ratings. Although some may not make the cut to television, there are a few that do, and one of those shows that did make the cut this season was CW’s The Flash.
The Flash is yet another in a line of superhero TV shows that have become something of a fad in recent years. It all started back when The CW was The WB, in 2001. The WB aired Smallville, the coming-of-age story of everyone’s favorite man in red and blue, Superman. The series revolved around a young Clark Kent and how he eventually became the Caped Crusader. It lasted ten seasons, with a season finale that ended with the classic Superman move, ripping his shirt off revealing the iconic ‘S’ as he goes off to save those in peril. Not long after the finale of Smallville came Arrow, a spin-off series that focuses on The Green Arrow, which is currently in its third season.
And that brings us to The Flash. This series focuses on the Barry Allen incarnation of the fastest man alive. In the show, set in fictional Central City, his tragic backstory is seeing his mother being murdered by a mysterious man in yellow lightning, but his father is blamed for his death since no one believes his story.
With his father in jail, Barry is raised by Joe West, a police officer working for the city police, and years later Barry becomes a forensic scientist working for the same precinct as Joe. Barry is in love with Joe’s daughter, Iris, whom he grew up with. But as with any childhood friend cliché, she only sees him as a best friend and a brother.
Barry comes into his powers one night, during an accident brought upon by a particle accelerator exploding from a nearby demonstration. The explosion sends out a wave of energy, striking him with lightning, which grants him superhuman speed and reflexes. It is later revealed that the wave of energy also struck numerous other people in Central City, granting them abilities and making them meta-humans, much like Barry. He later decides to don the iconic red suit in order to make the city a better place; again, much like every other superhero movie and show.
In the two episodes that have aired, Barry has taken on villains that have been shown in the comic. One was a man with the ability to manipulate the weather to his favor; originally thought to be the villain Typhoon, but there was no reference to the name, leaving it ambiguous.
And he’s also taken on Multiplex, a former scientist with the ability to replicate himself exponentially. My guess is the show will most likely have a new meta-human antagonist every episode that are references to the comic’s villains.
Frankly, I was hesitant to watch the show because although I haven’t read the comics, the Flash has been a character I’ve enjoyed since I watched Justice League and Justice League: Unlimited when I was younger. Those had the Wally West incarnation of the Flash, who was the main source of comedic relief for the team. I think because that’s the only exposure I’ve had to the Flash, I expected something similar to it, and didn’t really expect the alter ego cliché of the mild-mannered average Joe who’s harboring a some sort of secret.
And while having a physicist from the future with some secret ulterior motive is an interesting addition, it doesn’t really stand out for me as much as it should. Superhero shows like this all seem to bleed together and culminate into one mass, with not much to differentiate them. It may be the fact that they run for too long by focusing too much on fleshing it out for it to be any good.
But who knows? Since it’s just the start of the series, I could be proven wrong and it could be as big as Smallville. But since there haven’t been any superhero shows that big and impressive since Heroes, I’m not holding my breath.
