The Flash TV Show (2014) First Impressions

          I was shocked to have found out that the pilot for the new Flash spin-off had leaked online almost a month ago.  So of course, I had to check it out. Therefore, this first impression really won’t have major spoilers, just explanations of what I saw regarding Easter eggs, but I am still going to give my thoughts on the episode and outlook of the show as a whole. However, it won't necessarily be a review either. I do caution when reading this though.

          First off, I’ve really liked the Barry Allen character since his appearance on Arrow. I grew up a Wally West fan where I only saw him as THE Flash, so it sort of took me a while to get used to Barry as Flash especially in Young Justice and on Arrow. And boy, I am excited to see where this show is going. I like how this episode sort of continued from the Flash episodes on Arrow, yet it still showed what he did when he arrived in Central City before the collapse of the Particle Accelerator.  When you see the STAR Labs team, it makes you wonder if there were ever more employees and what kind of people they had to have been since the group we’re shown are so different from each other. The head of STAR Labs, Dr. Harrison Wells, always struck me as a villain in the trailer for the show, and you kind of get that same vibe when he’s on screen. Because he’s this shows’ John Diggle, as in created solely for the show, you don’t really know what route the showrunners are planning to do. I would love it if they made him a villain. Being a villain would counteract how Diggle is Oliver’s voice of reason and conscious, while Wells could make a great foil to Barry so as to not have to use Zoom too early on in the show. 
      Transitioning to Barry, the charm his character had in Arrow is almost completely gone in this episode. Basically, we don’t really get a nerdy, suave, confident Barry. What we do end up with is a more reserved individual who has that typical friend-zone struggle. Also, this show is about him, yet he almost felt nonexistent at times where the focus of the episode shifts to secondary characters. However, he is still very likable, but he has a different type of aura about him this time.

In regards to secondary characters, I took issue with two specifically. Iris West’s dad, Joe West, felt much weaker especially when compared to other comic book police dads portrayed in recent live action media. I’m mainly referring to Gwen Stacy’s dad George Stacy (The Amazing Spiderman film series) and Laurel Lance’s dad Quentin Lance (Arrow TV Series). These two men are strong characters especially on-screen when they are dead-set on hunting these vigilante. Because of this, they actually help both heroes in having to prove to these men, who are the fathers of the women they love, that they are not just some vigilante in the way of the law, nor are they criminals. They are men who stand up for what they deem to be worth fighting for, risking their lives for citizens day in and day out. By proving their worth, they show what a real hero in that a hero must be a beacon of hope. But in The Flash, Joe West is not the guiding force Barry needs. That role ends up going to Dr. Wells. It almost makes you wonder if Joe West could become almost too expendable early on especially given the fact that he was Barry’s guardian for most of his life since the loss of someone you love always has a profound impact on the hero and provides a challenge to see what path they choose next. I don’t know if it was the actor, but unfortunately Joe West felt weak overall.

          Another character I wasn’t too fond of is the character Cisco Ramon. His role at this point is to be the anti-Felicity. He’s the tech expert, building Barry’s equipment, as well as the comic relief of the show…which can get annoying and cheesy. His character really has no substance at this point unlike his co-worker Caitlin Snow. I can almost make out that his role as the comic relief will wear thin. Hopefully they can build the character later on. This really takes away from his character since he’s supposed to be this incredibly smart tech guru that talks as if he’s in middle school. And yes, I know he’s supposed to be the youngest in STAR Labs, but wouldn’t he at least act a bit more like a scientist should especially given the situation they’re in?

The villain was mediocre. Defeated too easily by the often used Flash cliché of running the opposite direction to stop something like a tornado. Thought it was funny how quickly he became a hero to Central City almost overnight while it took ***SPOILER*** the Arrow two seasons and two major events to be considered one ***END OF SPOILER***. Also, the metahuman aspect sounds intriguing especially since Dr. Wells states that it has traversed into Starling City as well meaning more possible team-ups in the future with the Arrow??? We’ll see, but either way I can’t wait.

Overall, it was a good introductory episode. In some ways it could have been handled better especially in terms of the writing, but nonetheless, it’s basically an origin story. It is meant to simply give us a quick sense of the direction the show is supposed to go. No matter what, I’m still going to watch it. I’ll try to give my thoughts on the show here and there as it premieres. Also, one major development that has me a little uneasy is how easygoing it feels compared to most DC incarnations. I just hope it doesn’t get too cheesy and run its course almost like Smallville had with its characters and their costumes.

For those that want to know about some Easter Eggs I saw and have at least some sort of DC knowledge either through the comics or any other type of adaptations (i.e. animated works), continue reading, otherwise don’t since spoilers are likely. Also, bear in mind that these probably won't be in order of appearance and I might not cover all of them.

1.  We're told who killed Barry's mom indirectly. Most of us probably know who but I won't put who it was especially for casual fans. Took me a while to figure out who he was since I wasn't able to hear his first name correctly, but his last name gave it away. For those that don't know, I don't want to spoil the show for you, so I'll just say that he's in the Police Department building.
2. We see a frame of a cell with a name-plate on the bars with the word Grodd. Having just seen Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, I'd like to see the intelligent Gorilla Grodd ride a horse now haha.
3. John Wesley Shipp is Henry Allen, Barry's father, who once played Barry Allen on the previous Flash TV Series in 1990.
4. There's a reference to Bruce Wayne existing in this universe. No mention of Batman, but in a newspaper, it states that a merger has occurred among Wayne Tech and Queen Inc.
5. In that same newspaper, the title of Barry Allen's Flash missing ("Flash Missing, Vanishes in Crisis") can be a reference to Crisis on Infinite Earths where the Flash of another timeline dies, deeply affecting that timeline's Justice League. However, it could mean a number of things as well such as Infinite Crisis, or maybe even a new storyline by the writers.
6. Reference to Ferris Air which is the aviation corporation that employs future Green Lantern, Hal Jordan.
7. Not really a comic book reference, but Barry's dad Henry at one point yells "Run, Barry, Run!"