A Fun Run

Central City and, uh, The CW

I’m going to come right out and say that I love The CW’s new show, The Flash.  Having been lucky enough to see the old John Wesley Shipp version of the series and being really ticked off when that show was dropped (Does that mean I was Firefly before Firefly was cool?  I’m a hipster!  Look at that!), I was both excited and worried that this new series would be either great or terrible.

Luckily for me, it’s great.

Tons of other bloggers and critics have mentioned how light-hearted The Flash is compared to Arrow, the Dark Knight films, and even Man of Steel, and I can’t help but agree with them.  The Flash IS funny.  It isn’t full of brooding or grimacing or conflicted heroes.  It’s Barry Allen, good guy supreme, given amazing abilities and doing all he can to use them to help those in need.  Heck, he has no special training, outside of forensic sciences he isn’t necessarily super-intelligent (but he’s no idiot, either), and he doesn’t go into a fight thinking that he’ll best the villain right away.  Nope, Barry has doubts, learns from his mistakes, and sometimes forgets that he is now leading a double life (I love how in the latest episode he forgot his normal clothes when heading to work).  He also realizes that as cool as it would be to tell his friends about his new abilities, he can’t do so in order to keep them safe.  I love that about this guy.  He’s nice and funny (much like in the comics).

I’ve never laughed at a DC property on the big or small screen as much as I have laughed at The Flash.  DC is known for their gritty films (even the animated ones) whereas Marvel seems to be (successfully) taking a lighter route.  The Flash seems to be walking the fine line between both.

The cast is excellent.  Grant Gustin (Flash) is funny, and has decent comedic timing.  Danielle Panabaker (Caitlin Snow) is funny as well, which is an amazing feat considering that she’s probably the most serious member of the S.T.A.R. Labs team.  Jesse L. Martin (Detective West) is Barry’s cornerstone in the show, but delivers a performance that is more patronly than gritty or tough.  Carlos Valdes (Cisco) is possibly the funniest member of the cast, and I love his one-liners and “villain name making” abilities.  Tom Cavanaugh (Dr. Wells) is probably the most serious guy in the bunch, but even he shows a little heart here and there (whether or not it’s genuine, though, remains to be seen).

Basically you have a light show about a powerful superhero that doesn’t take itself too seriously.  It does all of this, with attention to detail.  From hinting at future heroes and villains and even blatantly showing some (Reverse Flash, for starters), The Flash has a very formulaic quality that is somehow fresh.  It’s one of a very small batch of programs that I actually look forward to each week.

Here’s hoping that The Flash keeps up the good work.  I know there’s plenty of season left, but I believe it is safe to say that The CW has a hit on their hands.