The Flash Series Premiere Review: “City Of Heroes” (Season 1, Episode 1)

Over the course of its two seasons, Arrow has proven to be one of the best superhero shows on television, and in only one single episode, The Flash is already fighting to take that title. Barry Allen really does move fast, eh?

Quite simply, The Flash had one of the best pilots of the year, as it delivered on all of its promises and surpassed our expectations. When the series was first announced, some concerns were raised about how the scarlet speedster would fit into the more “grounded” world that Arrow had created, and about whether or not Barry’s powers could be effectively conveyed on a television budget (not just any budget, mind you, but a CW budget).

Luckily, The Flash is in great hands, because both of those concerns have been completely put to bed by episode’s end. Barry looks great while running and overall, The Flash is a perfect companion series to Arrow. In fact, one could argue that it’s even counter-programming. Arrow is known for being more “dark” and “gritty,” while The Flash is anything but. It’s definitely meant to be taken seriously and comes with some intense drama right off the bat, but it’s far more light-hearted than its sister show and is akin to something more along the lines of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man than Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins. 

In a day and age where superheroes already dominate the multiplex and are quickly making their way toward television (The Flash is just one of four new shows based on a DC property), The Flash has the advantage of being a bit different, tonally, than what’s already out there. The way to combat saturation is with variety, and The Flash accomplishes that in spades.