Director: David Nutter
Writers: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg & Geoff Johns
Cast: Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Tom Cavanagh, Carlos Valdes, Rick Cosnett and Jesse L. Martin
Synopsis: Barry dons the Flash getup to take out six gunmen who storm a university event honoring a famed scientist. But still getting used to his new powers, he’s not quite able to be the hero he aspires to be yet. He will have a learning curve to get over. Meanwhile, Isis (Candice Patton) starts to wonder what is behind the “red streak.” Barry promised Detective West (Jesse Martin) that he would not tell his daughter anything about his powers, but will she find out on her own?
Verdict:
Episode two of Arrow‘s freshly minted spin-off picks up pretty much exactly where last weeks pilot left off. Grant Gustin’s brand new Scarlet Speedster is continuing to test his amazing abilities, as he saves the endangered and terrorized citizens of Central City. Thankfully, the brilliantly titled ‘Fastest Man Alive’ continues on from the first episodes terrific start, and begins to expand upon the initial premise of a young man granted extraordinary powers of superspeed. This weeks story kicks off with Barry racing to save a small child from an incredibly clichéd (but cinematic) house fire, which looks like a scene taken straight out of SPIDER-MAN. However, it is a great way of reminding audiences how much money has been spent by the CW on The Flash‘s fantastic special effects, which (again) wouldn’t look out of place in a big screen blockbuster.
One of the first things that should also be said regarding ‘Fastest Man Alive’, is that it is clear the shows writers have given a lot of thought to bringing The Flash to life on screen. For example, a large portion of the episode revolves around the fact that, although Barry now possesses the powers of a god, he is still very much a human being. This materialises through the fact that the young genius frequently experiences dizzy spells following the use of his super speed. As it turns out, Barry now needs to consume quite a large amount of food and fluid to survive and counteract his extremely high metabolism that comes with the ability to run over 700 miles per hour. This is one of many great examples of how Andrew Kreisberg and Geoff Johns have adapted the character to make him believable in the gritty and semi-realistic world of Arrow.
Where fellow freshman drama and rival DC Comics adaption Gotham, has occasionally struggled with its overly populated universe, it would appear that The Flash has actually benefitted greatly from Arrow doing most of the heavy lifting in terms of character introduction and world-building. However, the series’ second episode continues the intentionally fun and much more light-hearted tone that has given Marvel Studios such great success on cinema screens. And, more importantly, this makes the show a great addition to the CW’s fantastic Arrow-verse that has already claimed millions of viewers across the globe.
The story also (once again) displays Grant Gustin’s fantastic range and skill as an actor, which could (as much as it pains me to say) out way that of his former Arrow co-star Stephen Amell. These skills are highlighted particularly in the scenes between Barry and his surrogate father Joe, which build upon the complicated relationship that was established in the first episode. The sequence at the climax of ‘Fastest Man Alive’ between Barry, Joe and a box of pizza, so beautifully expands upon this that it could have brought a tear to the eye (largely due to effective flashbacks as well as Gustin’s very convincing speech to his step-father). Having said this, Gustin’s skills seem to be better suited to emotional side of The Flash, rather than the more comic-orientated superhero elements of the series. Although, we are only witnessing an early version of the character at this point in time, so we have a while yet until he becomes The Flash we all know and love from the comics and animated movies.
Harrison Wells is also quickly becoming a potential antagonist for the future, with his dedication to Barry’s superhero career leading him to fake his disability and murder anyone in his way. Other than that, it would seem that The Flash is sticking close to Smallville‘s ‘freak of the week’ formula with generic villains to forward the larger plot. However, this weeks ‘Multiplex’ was a great showcase for the series’ spectacular CGI, as well as Barry’s narrative learning curve in terms of his own humanity. Overall, another stellar episode from a show rapidly becoming a favourite of mine. Although, I would like to see more of what Candice Patton can bring to Iris, other than the typical ambitious-but-romantically-distant-best-friend stereotype Kirsten Dunst made popular back in 2002. Also, while it is clear that Eddie is destined to become Barry’s arch-enemy, it would be nice for the audience to actually get the chance to like him first…
[usr=4] The Flash airs on Sky One every Tuesday night at 8pm. Check out their official website here.
