In terms of sheer quality, The Flash is as strong as ever when it comes to storytelling, special effects, and character work; Grant Gustin and Jesse L. Martin’s scenes continue to be a highlight, with their chemistry ensuring that you’ll once again be fighting back tears during their heartfelt conversations. However, despite the fact that the series continues to excel in those respect, it suffers from spending so much time setting up the rest of the season.
We get a mention of Zoom (something a little more concrete that wasn’t shown in all the trailers would have been far more exciting, especially if they were hoping to recreate a moment as exciting and intriguing as Harrison Wells being revealed as the Reverse-Flash in season 1), a tease of Cisco’s transformation into Vibe, and a very random and out of the blue development with Barry’s father which will hopefully lead to something significant down the line. While all of these new plot threads are sure to pay off at some point, they come across as unsatisfying here, and that’s why The Flash premiere somewhat suffers.
However, there’s no denying the fact that this episode works in the respect that it’s sure to get you excited for the rest of the season, and if its intention was to guarantee that new and existing viewers remain hooked on the adventures of the titular hero, then it’s a rousing success. It’s also an interesting move on the show’s part to have The Flash reveal himself to the world, a sign perhaps that we’re now going to be moving on from Barry blurring his face while in the costume, thereby allowing him to become the well-known and beloved hero we all love from the comic books.
Now, Tom Cavanagh no longer being around as Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawne has obviously resulted in there being a massive void in the series, but we do at least get one cool surprise in regards to his character which wraps up his arc in a strong way. The final scene, meanwhile, is also a moment that fanboys are going to love, and it will leave you counting down the days until next week’s instalment even if it isn’t as strong an ending as last year’s big reveal.
Nitpicks aside, though, The Flash is definitely off to a strong start, proving that last year most definitely wasn’t a fluke. Building on the history of what’s come before and adding a lot of new elements which are sure to pay off at some point over the course of the next 22 episodes, season 2 of The Flash has all the makings of another amazing year of television.
