The popularity of superheroes is at an all-time high. They are permeating every form of media imaginable, and the DC superheroes in particular have a lock on your television screen. From Gotham to Arrow and now The Flash, I had my fears that The Flash would falter solely due to less brand-recognition. Gotham is known by just about everyone, and the Arrow followed up its up-and-down first season with an outstanding season two. So, can The Fastest Man Alive carry the torch? Judging by the Pilot, The Flash is far ahead of any superhero tv show out right now, and I am already pining for the next episode.
A pilot is a tricky episode to pull off. You can’t spend the entire episode doing an origin type of story, nor can you assume that the audience knows exactly who Barry Allen is and from where he came. Having a nice lead-in with the Arrow backdoor pilot, for those that watch Arrow anyway (which you should), was a great way to introduce us to The Fastest Man alive. Luckily, for those that didn’t watch it, the show struck that balance between giving us just enough information on the origin story for those that didn’t watch the Arrow backdoor pilot but also didn’t stay on the origin too long for those that did catch it.
Barry Allen, having gone through tragic events growing up, is working with the police force as a forensic analyst when an explosion at S.T.A.R. Labs sent unknown energies throughout Central City. Allen was struck with lighting from the blast and thrown into a rack full of unknown chemicals, leaving him in a coma for nine months. He startles awake and realizes something isn’t quite right. But where other characters are timid about their newly found abilities, Allen seems to relish in them. After getting off on a sporadic foot, he quickly harnesses the powers, and just in time to take care of the first villain in the series, the Weather Wizard.
The Weather Wizard, another person afflicted from the unknown energies at the S.T.A.R Labs explosion, is robbing banks across Central City, leaving a path of weather anomalies in his wake. Barry Allen caught up to the villain and saw that is was recently deceased Clive Mardon. After convincing the hard-headed Detective Joe West, Allen caught up to the Villian and ran circles around him per se.
Although Barry Allen is the main draw of the show, and Grant Gustin does a spectacular job bringing life to the character, the supporting cast is just as good. Danielle Panabaker plays a S.T.A.R. Lab scientist and keeps Allen in check, while Carlos Valdez plays Cisco Ramon, the friend that can’t wait to see what else The Fastest Man Alive can do with his new abilities. Not to mention he’s quite the stylist. Not to be outdone is Jesse L. Martin as Detective Joe West, the one character that has the biggest change of heart throughout the Pilot. Last but not least we have the very puzzling, Harrison Wells played by Tom Cavanagh. The creator of S.T.A.R Labs whose reputation is pretty much nil after the explosion is overly curious about Barry Allen’s new powers. While Wells is seemingly helping him when he needed to stop the Weather Wizard, something just feels a bit off about him. If you watch the episode you will surely understand why.
Score
Alas, the Pilot episode was such a treat to watch. I had no idea how it would go, but I can honestly say I had no idea it would go this well. I absolutely loved it. The pacing was great, the moments between action and dialogue were properly laid out, and we were given just enough to keep us wanting more. The comic book fans should have their appetites appeased with a slew of comic references, while the non-comic crowd should be sitting just fine with an outstanding premiere episode. There hasn’t been a pilot that has ever made me feel this way; we’re in for something special with CW’s The Flash.
+ Grant Gustin plays The Flash perfectly
+ Some great special effects
+ The easter eggs and the cliff hanger
+ Supporting cast is strong
– Some brief corny dialogue moments
