Director: Jesse Warn
Writers: Alison Schapker, Grainne Godfree
Cast: Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Tom Cavanagh, Carlos Valdes, Rick Cosnett, Jesse L. Martin and Robbie Amell.
Synopsis: As Barry and the team at S.T.A.R. Labs work to capture Kyle Nimbus a.k.a. The Mist, a dangerous new meta-human with toxic gas powers, they revisit the painful night the particle accelerator exploded and killed Caitlin’s fiancé, Ronnie.
Verdict:
Well here we are, three weeks into the CW’s brand new superhero drama that appears to be the spiritual lovechild of both Smallville and Arrow. However, strangely enough The Flash feels like it has been on the air for much longer than a mere three episodes. Fortunately enough, the DC-based series has managed to get a firm grasp on its characters and narrative structure within an incredibly short amount of time. Many television shows take a few weeks to establish themselves and get a handle on the things such as tone, story-arcs and characterisation, especially when it comes to superhero adaptations. For example, both Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Fox’s Gotham have had problems deciding what sort of series’ they would like to be, which has resulted in some harsh backlash from both fans and audiences alike. But, this is a problem that has seemingly bypassed The Flash like a speeding bullet, as Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg and Geoff Johns clearly know exactly how the handle the scarlet speedster on the small screen.
This is largely due to the fact that the show’s writers have been slowly building upon their small circle of characters each week, by adding another layer to each of them as the episodes go by. Although The Flash is definitely not a perfect television drama, it is definitely confident in its fantastic ability to craft characters that are both relatable and emotionally engaging. This is also likely the reason that Barry and his interesting group of friends have such an unfathomable likability to them, which is by no means a bad thing when convincing audiences that a man can run over 700 miles per hour. This story’s ‘freak of the week’ is once again a largely forgettable villain that merely forwards the plot by challenging Barry to test the limits of his super powers once again. A man that can transform himself into poisonous gas is hardly the most imaginative super villain in the world, but it is effective in introducing the interesting concept that the particle accelerator can be utilised as a ‘meta-human’ prison.
The highlight of ‘Things You Can’t Outrun‘ is easily the flashback sequences involving Caitlin Snow’s heavily discussed fiancée who ‘died’ during the particle accelerator accident. Ronnie Raymond is introduced to audiences for the first time in these scenes, and he is portrayed by the real life cousin of Arrow‘s very own Stephen Amell. Casting Robbie Amell (The Tomorrow People) in the same television universe as his cousin, is a wonderful tip of the hat to fans of either of the extremely talented (and not to mention chiselled) stars. These short segments are brilliantly heart-breaking and effective, but they also manage to finally give Caitlin and Cisco some genuine emotional depth to their characters. Cisco’s guilt for effectively ending Ronnie’s life by following instructions and trapping him inside the building (with the explosion), was a great tool to exploit the grief felt by Caitlin throughout the entirety of the show thus far. Which certainly helps us with identify with both characters a little bit more, rather than getting irritated at their lack of dimensions.
It is also painfully obvious that the producers of The Flash were keen to replicate Arrow‘s Laurel Lance to an extent with Candice Patton’s Iris West. The two almost certainly share some the same narrative DNA, as their characterisation is almost identical in a number of different ways…which may not be a good thing. However, there is still plenty of time for Iris to crawl out of her (so-far) very familiar teen-drama territory, that plagued Katie Cassidy’s Laurel throughout a good portion of Arrow‘s run. Overall not as entertaining as last week, but definitely a solid superhero drama that is far more reliable than many television shows currently on the air. Jesse L. Martin’s Joe will quickly become a solid fan-favourite if he carries on the way his is going, and it will be interesting to see how the shows writers deal with both the Amell’s striking similarity in appearance when the characters inevitably cross paths…And finally, is Harrison Wells an ally? or is he a misguided protector of Barry hell-bent on protecting the future saviour of Central City?
[usr=3] The Flash airs on Sky One every Tuesday night at 8pm. Check out their official website here.
