Duck Fox

I’ve outlined before the many ways in which a pilot of a television show can be drastically different from the series on a weekly basis. The purpose of a pilot is to introduce major characters and tease upcoming storylines, but all TV shows are, by their nature, meant to avoid resolution to the central theme for as long as possible. Or, if the central theme is resolved, create a new theme that leads out of it. Point is, a Pilot is hardly the best thing to judge a TV show off of, even if it’s the only thing you’ve got. I was thoroughly unimpressed by last week’s overstuffed, uninteresting series premiere of The Flash, but this week’s episode has me much more excited for the series. 

The first bit of course correction involves getting away from Iris and Barry’s romance. Iris is in a relationship with Eddie and Barry is in a relationship with his newfound powers. The fact that they have very little time for each other isn’t made out to be some huge tragedy, or the beginnings of a painful “pining for the woman you can’t have” story, but instead just a natural way of allowing the characters to drift apart. Though there’s a scene where Barry confesses to Iris about his abilities and hints at his jealousy, it’s played for laughs as he spills his guts at superspeed. 

The rest of the characters are also granted real personalities, with Caitlin being more than just the ice queen, Harrison Wells revealing more sliminess and, most notably, Joe West stepping back up with his role as surrogate father to Barry. “Fastest Man Alive” puts the relationship between Joe and Barry front and center, it benefits greatly from doing so. Flashbacks reveal Joe prevented Barry from visiting his father in prison. A young Barry, eager to prove his father was innocent, lashes out at Joe, only later to find out that his father himself wanted Barry to avoid visiting him. The entire dynamic between the two is the cornerstone of the episode, and when Joe finally comes around to supporting Barry as a hero, it makes you want to clap and cheer. If there’s one difference between this show and Arrow, it’s the fact that it is up front about being a feel good, more whimsical take on superheroism, and this scene exemplifies this mission statement perfectly. 

Unfortunately, the superheroics are less impressive. One of the things I pointed out in last week’s review was that the Flash is a rather overpowered hero, if used to his full potential. I wondered how the series would get around him literally being faster than anyone else in the world, and rather than approach the issue head on, the writers kind of wrote around it. While they explore some legitimate weaknesses of having super speed, like having a metabolism that requires hundreds of thousands of calories instead of hundreds, Barry’s mostly held back from instantly beating the villain du jour because he chooses to fight at normal speed. With no explanation. There’s a bit of course correction towards the end, but it’s never fully explained why Barry runs up to the insane gunman Danton Black, AKA Multiplex (an enemy that will almost certainly be reappearing considering he’s FireStorm’s arch nemesis in the comics) at superspeed, only to start trying to fight him with completely visible movements. Towards the end Barry runs at clones using his superspeed to send them catapulting through the area in a fantastic display, but he once again slows down intermittently during the final fight. 

To add insult to injury, Danton Black is just as bland a character as last week’s Weather Wizard. While Arrow always focused less on the villains, that show almost always made at least a mildly entertaining foe for Oliver to defeat. Artful Dodger’s roguish charm and explosive collars, and Vertigo’s general insanity made them stand out. The only thing I’m likely to remember about Danton Black is the actor’s excellent robotic face. 

All in all, “Fastest Man Alive” effectively slows the series down, putting character first and superheroing second, for a satisfactory second installment.