The Flash is back with a new episode tonight (January 19) on The CW, the first salvo in what the network is calling a “DC Week” that includes previews of Legends of Tomorrow and DC Comics movies tonight, the Arrow midseason opener on Wednesday, and the long-awaited premiere of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow on Thursday. Of the three DC show premieres this week (Flash, Arrow, and Legends) The Flash also happens to be the best.
Again, we are given a “Harry” (Harrison Wells of Earth-Two) who will do anything to help and save his daughter. There’s also a big plot involving Barry grappling with telling his love interest, Patty Spivot (Shantel VanSanten) the truth about his fast alter ego. A villain called “The Turtle” comes in, and we’ll talk about him more. But the big story is probably the full introduction of Wally West, as played by Keiynan Lonsdale, who has already managed to be listed among the show’s series regulars, indicating that he’ll be around for a while.
Wally’s arrival brings interesting conflicts, especially for Joe, and anything that gives Jesse L. Martin material is good in my book. I am a little bit annoyed by the “street racer” angle for Wally, since it seemed to fall a little too close to a certain superhero movie that bombed last year. With that said, though, it does bring up other things to get in the way of an instant-happy family reunion. I won’t lie: Wally West is my favorite of comics’ Flashes; he was The Flash when I started reading the comics, as the sidekick who grew up, took the mantle, and became a better Flash than even his mentor may have been. He was DC’s primary Flash for nearly two decades before someone over there decided it was time for Barry Allen, the hero who sacrificed himself during the Crisis, to come back. Obviously, Wally on TV can’t be that same character, as a lot of comics-Wally’s best traits are now a part of TV’s Barry. Still, I hope this street racing thing is one episode and done, though he does have a pretty awesome car.
Aaron Douglas (Battlestar Galactica) plays the Turtle, a man with the ability to slow time to a crawl. Douglas played a baddie on Smallville before so having him here was fun. Speaking of Smallville, there’s a “Vandervoort” reference in the episode that I’m only assuming is a shoutout to the former Supergirl who will be appearing on the new Supergirl show soon. The effects of the Turtle’s power are top-notch, and I like that. The science might not add up, and I’m sure there are some plot holes in how he does what he does, but I’m not even bothered, because I’m in it to have fun.
What else? There’s a great scene between Patty and Iris where they talk about the complexity that is Barry Allen. Additionally, Barry and Iris have a great talk, so “WestAllen” fans should be pleased. It is nice when the show acknowledges the knowledge and the insight that Iris West has about Barry. And, although we’re told not to mention how the episode ends, I’ll just say it ends on another one of those moments where you’ll be anxiously anticipating the next installment. The Flash is really good at that.
The Flash works best when it remembers the humanity of its characters, and performances from actors, especially Grant Gustin and Tom Cavanagh, push them far beyond comic book tropes. There’s a reason many have hailed it one of the best comic book series on broadcast television, and I’m happy to say that Season 2’s second half is off to a good start.
The Flash airs tonight at 8PM ET/PT on The CW. See some preview images from “Potential Energy” here and be sure to come count down to tonight’s episode on our Flash forum!
