The Flash
What’s it about?
After a particle accelerator incident, mild-mannered Barry Allen becomes The Flash, a super-fast crime fighting hero. Solving the mystery of his mother’s murder is his main driving force.
Starring
Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Jesse L. Martin, Danielle Panabaker, Carlos Valdes, Tom Cavanagh, Rick Cosnett, John Wesley Shipp
An Introduction to The Flash
Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) is a shy, regular guy who works in the Central City Police Department as a forensic crime scene assistant. As a child, he witnessed his mother’s murder as a result of… well, it’s almost impossible to make sense of what he saw, but he’s determined to get to the bottom of it.
All Barry knows is that, given the lack of evidence to the contrary, his loving father (played by previous TV Flash actor, John Wesley Shipp) was accused of the heinous crime; solving the riddle will surely see him released from prison.
Across town, scientific maverick Dr. Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) is forging ahead with testing particle acceleration technology at his S.T.A.R. (Scientific and Technological Advanced Research) Labs. One night, a catastrophic explosion at the lab releases a powerful wave of radioactive energy into the atmosphere, and anyone caught in its path gets a cell-drenching dose of its awesome power.
Barry gets a life-changing shot of energy that transforms him into a ‘metahuman’ – someone whose abilities are far outside the normal spectrum; in Barry’s case, he finds that he can move at incredible speed. The enigmatic Dr. Wells, along with S.T.A.R. Lab assistants Dr. Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) and Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes) offer to help Barry control and develop his new and remarkable skills.
Summary
The Flash is one of DC’s more popular superheroes. He has the down-to-earth, geeky charm of Peter Parker / Spider-Man as opposed to some of the more traditionally tough and aloof costumed crime-fighters. This makes for an approachable, sympathetic character, nicely balancing The Flash’s determined heroics with Barry Allen’s more self-doubting meanderings.
Mood-wise, all superhero shows are not alike: at one end of the spectrum are series like Daredevil and Arrow, who delight in a more gritty, simmering and violent tone. Shows like The Flash and Supergirl are lighter in mood, and have more of a teen-drama feel. This suits these particular shows well, and opens up the world of superheroes to an audience that may otherwise look elsewhere.
The Flash is an enjoyable ride, with an intriguing, unfolding backstory regarding who or what killed Barry’s mom. There’s also the matter of unrequited love: should Barry be honest with Iris (Candice Patton) and risk losing his best friend? Also and inevitably, there’s additional fall-out from the lab explosion but what is the extent of the trouble caused? Time will tell!
Check out the Season 1 Trailer here:
