7 Things We Want To See On The Flash Season 2

Spinoffs suck. Thanks to programs like Joey and The Cleveland Show, this is the common misconception many audiences hold, but in reality, some of TV's finest shows started life as spinoffs. Frasier, Angel, Better Call Saul... Each of these programs wouldn't exist if the waters hadn't been tested first by the likes of Cheers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Breaking Bad. Initially appearing in season two of Arrow, DC's iconic hero Barry Allen quickly became a firm fan favourite, inevitably leading to a solo show. Despite a wobbly pilot, The Flash quickly found its feet with a likeable cast, its family-friendly tone and an exhilarating arc surrounding the mystery of the Reverse Flash. The season one finale was perhaps the best episode of The Flash so far and by ending on an epic cliffhanger, anticipation for season two is at an all-time high. Fortunately, fans only have to wait until October 6th for the season premiere, but in the meantime, it's hard to not speculate about what the upcoming episodes will entail. Join us, then, as we suggest 7 things we would love to see happen in season two of The Flash, and remember to add your own ideas in the comments section below. However, please note that suggestions involving Grant Gustin somehow flashing for real will be met with a bemused smile and little else. 7) The Return Of The Pied Piper After impressing on the underrated musical show Smash, Andy Mientus had a memorable turn midway through season one of The Flash as the Pied Pier, a former colleague of the S.T.A.R. Labs crew who went rogue after the particle accelerator explosion. On the surface, the Pied Piper sounds like one of the lamest super villains ever depicted on primetime TV. Superhuman hearing is possibly the worst power you could imagine, yet the producers made the Pied Piper far more formidable with the aid of special gloves that emit sonic attacks. Mientus's charisma also added another dimension to the complex relationship he shares with former mentor Harrison Wells, and the fact that he happens to be gay was refreshing for mainstream audiences used to homosexuality often being ignored completely. Mientus has stated that he would be thrilled to become a regular fixture on The Flash and is even open to starring in his own spinoff show, although this seems a far less likely proposition this early on. The Pied Piper flits between good and evil in the comics, a complexity which is already evident from his few appearances on the show so far, which is why he's become a fan favourite so quickly. In hindsight, the Pied Piper could have been a far more interesting addition to the new spinoff Legends of Tomorrow than Captain Cold, although Wentworth Miller is awesome, so that basically works itself out in the long run. 6) A Larger Role For Barry's Father In a fantastic nod to the original Flash TV show of the 1990's, John Wesley Shipp returned to the world of superheroics in the role of Henry Allen, Barry's father. Blamed for the death of Barry's mother, Henry spends the entirety of season one in prison, anchoring emotional moments as his son gets to grips with life as a superhero. Henry's confinement worked within the context of season one, but to evolve the character further, he ideally needs to leave prison or at least experience a big shake up of some kind. Now, this is where the DC Multiverse could come into play. Producers have already confirmed that season two of The Flash will explore alternate realities in more depth and this could open up infinite possibilities for characters like Henry Allen. Imagine a world where Barry's father is never blamed for the death of his wife, a world where he perhaps even becomes the Flash instead of his son. The idea of the original Scarlet Speedster returning to the role that made him famous would blow the minds of diehard fans and it's hard to think of a better homage to the original series. No offence Mark Hamill. Your new interpretation of the Trickster kicked ass, too. Let's just hope The Flash treads carefully when expanding the Multiverse, ensuring the continuity doesn't become as convoluted as the comic books upon which the show is based. 5) More Crossovers In the tradition of annual comic book events, The Flash and its sister show Arrow have begun to link with scheduled team-ups each season which are undoubtedly highlights of both programs. While the suggestion of more crossovers was already made in a companion piece about season four of Arrow, there are a few more points worth bearing in mind here. Watching the newly christened Green Arrow and Flash work alongside the Legends of Tomorrow could be one of the best things seen yet on a CW show, assuming the budget allows for that much super heroic goodness on screen at once. If this does occur though, the writers will need to ensure that the crossovers continue to be believable and that any conflict between the heroes isn't crowbarred in purely for the sake of it. Another overlooked advantage of this shared universe is the smaller crossovers that involve supporting cast members such as Quentin Lance and Cisco Ramon. Each successive guest appearance makes the links between both shows more believable, while also rewarding loyal audiences who tune into both The Flash and Arrow. If Arrow's too busy to help Barry out, wouldn't it be great to see Thea swing by in her new Red Arrow costume and lend a hand? 4) Make Iris Interesting! No offence Candice Patton, we can only work with what we're given, but Iris West isn't exactly the most interesting person to ever appear on the small screen. As the ongoing love interest for the majority of season one, Iris should be one of the most charismatic characters on The Flash, yet the will they/won't they dynamic between her and Barry has fallen flatter than The Flash slipping on a banana skin. Season two should hopefully remedy the blandess of season one's Iris through two important changes. First, Ms. West now knows Barry's secret and has begun to worm her way into Team Flash, helping the Scarlet Speedster behind the scenes alongside the rest of the S.T.A.R. Labs team. This new dynamic could certainly re-invigorate interest in the pairs relationship, an effect already seen developing towards the end of season one. Secondly, we've known for some time now that Iris and Barry are destined to marry due to information from the future, but now that the Multiverse has been introduced, this could be set to change. The Reverse Flash arc proved that the writers are capable of pulling off large scale mysteries and if they're smart about this one, too, then the fate of 'Biris' could hold audiences on the edge of their collective seats. Iris should take some inspiration from the Flash and speed things up a bit though, as season two will introduce a new love interest for Barry called Patty Spivot, a science nerd who joins the Central City Police Department. Good luck competing with that one Ms. Average At Best Reporter. It took you a whole season to even realize your best friend was the hero you were obsessed with. Hope you keep a better eye on the ball with this one. 3) More Rogues While they may not be household names like the Joker or Catwoman, the Flash has one of the most varied and unique Rogue Galleries of any comic book superhero. The first season did a fantastic job of bringing a number of these Rogues to life, including Captain Cold, Heat Wave and even Gorilla Grodd, but there are still plenty more legendary villains available to the writers of the show. Mirror Master and Dr. Alchemy have already been confirmed for season two, but we all know that there will be plenty more Rogues for Barry to contend with. A likely candidate is The Top, a foe who can spin at incredible speeds, which somehow imbued him heightened intelligence (?!). Other possibilities include Abra Kadabra, a time traveler from the 64th century whose advanced technology appears magical in nature and Tar Pit, a man who had the power to project his consciousness into inanimate objects and accidentally got stuck in a mass of tar. One particular villain that fans are clamouring to see is Killer Frost, better known to fans of the first season as S.T.A.R. Labs's Caitlin Snow. After offering us a glimpse of Killer Frost in the season one finale, the question of whether this was our very own Caitlin or a version from a different reality is something we're looking forward to finding out in season two. 2) More Speedsters The season one finale contained a huge number of easter eggs, the most exciting of which arrived in the form of a tin hat with wings. For the casual viewer, this helmet simply implied that other dimensions in the Multiverse had poor fashion sense, but for fans of the comics, this heralded the arrival of Jay Garrick, the original Flash who first appeared way back in 1940. Teddy Sears has been cast as Garrick in the upcoming season, but he's not the only speedster hitting the small screen this year. In the 1980's, a new Flash called Wally West took over from Barry in the comics and the producers have confirmed he will also appear on the show, played by Keiynan Lonsdale. On top of that, we recently learned that the main antagonist of season two will be none other than Zoom, another yellow clad speedster who bears more than a striking resemblance to Reverse Flash from season one. Will the producers be able to distinguish their new 'big bad' from the scene-stealing Harrison Wells? “He's faster than the Reverse-Flash, faster than Flash and will be very hard to catch,” executive producer Andrew Kreisberg revealed. “He's going to be terrifying and scary and fast, and it's going to be all kinds of cool.” It's exciting to see CW explore the mythology of The Flash in more detail, but the writers will need to be careful as they include more and more speedsters. Each of these characters is essentially drawing upon the same skill set, so season two will need to perform a careful juggling act to maintain interest without becoming too repetitive or bogged down in comic book continuity. 1) Flash To Master His Powers Part of the first seasons appeal was the journey we took alongside Barry as he began to develop his powers and learnt what it means to be a hero. The writers made the progressive mastery of his powers feel natural, even if it was frustrating at times for diehard fans to see the Flash almost defeated by adversaries he should have been able to take out in a heartbeat. Now that The Flash has reached its sophomore year, the Scarlet Speedster needs to up his game and utilize his powers more effectively in epic set pieces. While there are obviously budgetary considerations to consider, the season one finale took this idea in the right direction, ending as Barry sped up the side of a building to stop a black hole from destroying Central City. Gustin has recently confirmed that The Flash will develop lightning based powers in season two, presumably drawing on the speed force which grants Barry his abilities. What this entails exactly is hard to say at this stage and I can't think of a comic book equivalent off-hand, but it's exciting to think that the show will continue to put its own spin on the Flash, just as long as things don't get too out of hand with crazy stuff like talking psychic gorillas... Argh, what am I saying. Grodd was awesome. More Grodd, I say! Tell us, are you excited about season two of The Flash? What do you think the writers should do to make the next season even better? And how the hell is the actor who played Harrison Wells still going to be a series regular? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.