by Mike Lunsford, Editor

Hello ComicsOnline friends! My name is Mike Lunsford. You may have been wondering “who’s the guy who keeps posting all those podcast articles?” That’s me. I used to be the Editor-In-Chief of GGR: The Great Geek Refuge. Back in February, ComicsOnline and GGR went all Megazord/Dragonzord and combined forces to kick more butt.

Back in my GGR days, I wrote articles called “AAR’s.” If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it’s military jargon that stands for After Action Review. Because I’m a busy guy and I have 2 kids, I find myself playing catch-up often when it comes to the movies and TV shows that I want to watch. So I do an “AAR” on them as I get caught up because these reviews are definitely “after the action.” Now that I’m a part of the ComicsOnline family, all of my new “late to the party” reviews will be right here!

I remember many a person of the geeky persuasion petitioning me to start watching The Flash about 2 years ago. They would say “Mike, you’ll love it! You gotta watch it!” First: don’t tell me what to do. Second: on the CW? Really? I can’t take that network seriously. Before the UPN/WB network merger to form the CW, you would turn on those channels to watch shows like Dawson’s Creek. Come on, man. I’m not watching a superhero show that could be mistaken for Gossip Girl. So yes, I turned my nose up at The Flash and subsequently Arrow because of the network they are on. I have my moments where I can be a snob. However, I am humble enough to admit when I’m wrong and in this case, my snobbery was unfounded. The Flash is now one of my favorite shows on TV. 

A few months ago, I found myself in a funk: I had caught up on/finished all the shows that I had been jonesing to watch (Walking Dead, 11.22.63, Daredevil Season 2, Fargo Season 2). With very little on television that I was interested in watching, I turned to Netflix and found season 1 of The Flash. I was instantly hooked. I loved everything this show gave me. All of the characters were engaging, the actors were a good combination of new and familiar (Danielle Pannabaker, Tom Cavanaugh, and the Flash from the 90s CBS series John Wesley Shipp for example as familiar). Grant Gustin, as the Flash/Barry Allen, seemed meant for this role as he plays the new speedster perfectly. His interaction with Doctor Wells was the centerpiece of the first season and made it that much more engaging (yes, I know it’s been out for over a year, but let’s not spoil it for those who haven’t seen it…because it’s a great turn).

What put this show over the top for me in its first season was the supporting cast. Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon as part of team Flash find a way to be delightful whenever they appear on screen. With Cisco coming up with all the nicknames of the villains and Caitlin being adorably awkward with social interaction, they added a great depth to the show. Speaking of the villains, they were great as well. Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) is well played and makes for a great second tier villain to the Reverse Flash, the main villain of the first season. I can’t give an acting credit to him, but Grodd was handled perfectly, as well.

Season 2 was just as fun as the first season. I thought that after the introduction of Jay Garrick and the multiverse concept, that it would get played out. It was far from that. My first perception was that Zoom seemed like a a rip off of the Reverse Flash from season 1, but he held his own as the main villain. There were critics who thought that with so much interaction with multiple universes, the writers wouldn’t have to be as creative: they could fix any problem with a doppelgänger. I disagree. I saw it as a great way to introduce more characters but also, with the multiverse concept in play, it opens up a chance for the actors to stretch out and give a completely different take on their parallel dimension counterparts. Not only that, with a multiverse, it makes for so many twists and turns that most would never have seen coming. 

This show does a great job of making its reveals and surprise moments actually shocking rather than moments of rolled-eyes (which happens so often in comic book related media). It does an excellent job of investing you in the characters’ lives. You want Barry Allen to be happy, to find love, to win the fight and, another sign of a truly great show, you kind of like the villains. You hate that they’re evil, but damn are they exciting to watch. Not only that, the characters are deep. Their reasonings are not one dimensional like so many super heroes and villains, and when they have to make emotional choices, you can feel it. I love this show now and I’m so glad I got over my snobbery. 

Rating:

ComicsOnline gives season 1 and 2 of The Flash 5 Multiverse traveling speedsters out of 5.

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