S01.E01: City Of Heroes

[Big Bad Wolf]

I can see why they would want to be careful not to potentially alienate new viewers of 'The Flash' who had never seen 'Arrow' by not introducing too many crossover references, particularly at this early stage.

[Chicago Redshirt]

Speaking of Arrow, I am a bit disappointed with the amount of crossover. Just less than 2 minutes. For starter, did Oliver not own STAR Labs? Was it not part of Queen Consolidated? And no mention of Felicity at all? Did she not say that she went to Central City to visit Barry in the hospital?

 

Star Labs was never, as far as I knew, a part of Queen Consolidated in the show. Which in part is why Team Arrow could go to Star Labs for help in combating Deathstroke after losing control of Queen Consolidated.

 

Since at least some of the viewers might be seeing The Flash without having seen Arrow, it seems to make sense to wait to bring back references to Felicity.

[Mrs OldManBalls]

Speaking of nitpicks, in the previews they keep showing the Flash grabbing a guy before a car explodes (in a cool super slo-mo sequence) -- only problem is that speeds the Flash travels at, he would rip the guys arm off, because .... you know .... basic physics.  Plus all the people he seems to save would have such traumatic brain injuries from the sudden acceleration that they would all either be in a vegetative state or dead.

You sound like Sheldon Cooper. LOL!!

[shapeshifter]

I really liked it...

I thought it really came across that Iris and Bazza (sorry, couldn't help myself - I'm pretty sure its Australian Law to nickname someone named Barry, 'Bazza') were childhood friends, far more than say Oliver and Laurel on Arrow...

Very much so, and, off topic, now I'm wondering: Do Aussies refer to Barack Obama as Bazza Obama since his childhood moniker was Barry?

...Speaking of Arrow, I am a bit disappointed with the amount of crossover....

And no mention of Felicity at all? Did she not say that she went to Central City to visit Barry in the hospital?

I can see why they would want to be careful not to potentially alienate new viewers of 'The Flash' who had never seen 'Arrow' by not introducing too many crossover references, particularly at this early stage.

Yes, and I'm okay if they even want to retcon Felicity out of his life (dodges rotten fruit missiles) or not, I just hope they clear it up soon.

[TV Anonymous]

Speaking of nitpicks, in the previews they keep showing the Flash grabbing a guy before a car explodes (in a cool super slo-mo sequence) -- only problem is that speeds the Flash travels at, he would rip the guys arm off, because .... you know .... basic physics.  Plus all the people he seems to save would have such traumatic brain injuries from the sudden acceleration that they would all either be in a vegetative state or dead.

 

Well, this is comic book universe. Such nitpick does not apply.

 

Superman saves a plane by grabbing its wing or holding its nose. Why is the structure of the airplane not breaking apart?

The Hulk's pants rip off below the knees and stay between the waist and the thighs. However, pants are typically looser on the ankles and tighter around the buttocks. 

[CabotCove]

I think comparing Iris to Lana is really unfair and almost entirely pre-judging her based on characters from other shows.  I thought it really came across that Iris and Bazza (sorry, couldn't help myself - I'm pretty sure its Australian Law to nickname someone named Barry, 'Bazza') were childhood friends, far more than say Oliver and Laurel on Arrow or Bruce Wayne and Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins.

 

Well it can't be helped when they repeat the same thing thats been done before with other love interests/female leads in superhero shows. If it was unpopular and not very interesting the first time, imagine a fourth time, really show. You had the history, you just had to learn from it, not repeat it. Thats were I'm disappointed with this show, otherwise I think a lot of the show will be good. I enjoyed the pilot and a lot of characters very much. Can't wait for the season episode and the rest of the season really. 

[Iamsweetdee]

Liked it so much better than Arrow. Here the characters are likeable and this show feels like a show based upon a comic. Also Barry isn't a murderer like Oliver. Hopefully there will be very, very little Felicity as I can't stand her.

Eta: yay for Iris! About time the CW acknowledged 1) Black women exist and 2) are desirable.

Edited October 8, 2014 by Iamsweetdee

[Chip]

Please! No comic book spoilers in the episode threads without spoiler tags!

[FineWashables]

I've never read any superhero comics (I'm the kid who liked Millie the Model!) and my knowledge of the Flash is limited to Sheldon and crew all dressing up as the Flash for Halloween.  So I went into this without any idea of what was going to happen, and I really enjoyed it. I thought it would be formulaic -- guy has dark side due to great loss, guy gets powers, cops think guy is a villain, lots of chases -- but there were some refreshing surprises in how they set this all up.  I loved that Jesse L Martin caught on right away and embraces Barry's abilities.  I love that Barry wants to solve the mystery of his mother's death but isn't all dark about it.  I love that I have no idea what Tom Cavanaugh is up to and that I don't know whether he's good or evil -- though I was pretty sure he could walk, and I was right.  I never expected surprises but there were enough to hold my interest.  The cast is awesome.  This looks like fun! 

[Ubiquitous]

I enjoyed this show last night. I plan on hanging around. Barry reminds me of Jake 2.0 in some aspects.

 

Ugh. I felt like I was watching Smallville 2.0.

 

Iris=Lana

Metahumans=Meteor Freaks

Lab guy and girl=Pete and Chloe

Discovering that Weather Wizard and all the potential future metahumans in this show originated from that energy explosion reminded me of the first season of Smallville and made me roll my eyes a bit.

 

I think my favorite moment was Barry using the pen to scoop up the manure and the cop saying his father gave him that pen.  

What was with the terminator-esque displays when Barry was examining the tire tracks?

 

I recognized Reverse Flash at the beginning but wondered why

he killed his mother instead of Iris

, as per the Silver Age Flash comics. I can only assume it's the disgraced professor but I am suspicious of "Detective Handsome".

 

Is Arrow that much of a douchebag?

 

ETA: Added spoiler for comic-book stuff.

Edited October 9, 2014 by Ubiquitous

[Sandman]

Guess I have to do some Googling and bring myself up to speed! LOL

 

I see what you did there!

 

I was actually surprised at how effective I found the pilot. I agree that it's much better than the pilot episode of Arrow -- I found Arrow such a mishmash, so self-consciously dark, and the plot elements so haphazardly lifted from so many sources (all handled better in their previous iterations) that it was hard to care about any of the jerks on screen. And they were all jerks.

 

In the past I've found Grant Gustin, if not exactly smarmy, then just too smirky. Even the backdoor pilot seemed to be trying too hard to make Barry likeable. But here the tone seemed better, or more consistent. Gustin seems much more amiable here. He might be able to carry a show after all. I even liked Barry's jailhouse heart-to-heart with Daddy OldFlash. (Berlanti seems able to get John Wesley Shipp to tone down the cheeseball more effectively than most directors/showrunners.) I like Jesse L. Martin, and I want to see West's relationship with Barry developing. Don't know what (or rather who) to make of Professor Wells and his Unnecessary Wheels of Doom (or Zoom). 

 

I'm not a very regular viewer of Arrow even now (still find the flashbacks to Haircare Island clumsy and grating), but I had no problem with Oliver's little hero pep talk with our boy. Didn't seem all that different from Oliver's  usual brand of nonsense, from what I can tell.

Edited October 8, 2014 by Sandman

[amensisterfriend]

Like many of you, I found that this Pilot really surpassed my expectations (which, granted, were somewhere between moderate and low!) I'm someone who likes my superhero stuff to have some fun, joy and energy, so the tone of Flash works for me far better than Arrow's somewhat pretentious darkness and grimness. It also helps that I found Barry/GG eminently lovable and root-worthy and think Oliver Queen is a raging doucehbag. 

 

I'm already liking Caitlin a lot, am torn on Iris's role but take comfort in the fact that she doesn't seem nearly as annoying as Laurel, like Barry's relationship with Jesse L Martin, and am sufficiently intrigued by the storylines. Of all the pilots I've seen this season, this is actually the one that has me most excited for the second episode!  

[kimberella]

Eta: yay for Iris! About time the CW acknowledged 1) Black women exist and 2) are desirable.

The CW or any other network, really. This is the only genre show that has a lead black woman, who is considered worthy of romantic love by the male lead. I'm thankful they are not telling me she's too busy for love, a strong woman that needs no man or that there is a white woman woman out there, who should be getting all the male attention instead. This is a show worthy of the label "diverse".

 

I loved the pilot, it was really fun. Barry and Iris are very cute. Everyone was enjoyable and the chemistry among the cast is really good.

 

Good job!

[BkWurm1]

Yes, and I'm okay if they even want to retcon Felicity out of his life (dodges rotten fruit missiles) or not, I just hope they clear it up soon.

Well Felicity is

showing up in episode 4 by herself and then Arrow and The Flash will both crossover in their 8th episodes with first team Arrow showing up on Flash and then Barry's team traveling to Starling.

I think it was important not to confuse the audience by bringing in characters that won't be a regular part of The Flash. Oliver's cameo was pushing it as it was.

[SonofaBiscuit]

Overall, I liked the Flash pilot and I think that I'll stick around.  I had forgotten that they cast John Wesley Shipp in this, so I smiled when he showed up as Barry's dad.  I was surprised that I liked Cisco's intro so much.  I thought that it was totally sweet that he was playing Lady Gaga while Barry was in a coma since he knew from facebook that Barry liked that song. 

 

I thought that some of the special effects were terrible, but some were cool, like the tornado.   

 

I would like to know who wrote the dialogue for The Arrow/Oliver, because that was extremely cheesy and completely out of character.

 

Detective West was a little harsh with Barry when he was telling him that he took Barry in and never asked for anything, not even a thank you (I think that this was right after Barry told Det. West that the villain guy was controlling the weather).  Barry was a little kid when Joe took him in and it's not like he grew up to be some ungrateful loser.  He grew up to be a smart, driven, talented guy who respects Joe's daughter.  I don't know, this just bothered me because it came across like Joe had resented the fact that he had to raise Barry, or something.

 

Iris is OK so far.  I didn't see an instant spark with Barry, or anything like that, but there was no anti-chemistry either.  I hope that she is clued in to Barry's secret very quickly.  How about the showrunners even let her figure it out for herself?    

[caracas1914]

Grant Gustin is an appealing dork as the Flash.  Thank God they put away the super hero dark gravitas, because if there is one superhero that should be light and not too serious is one that runs very, very fast.  His super power doesn't lend itself to Gotham like introspection, yet it's a fine line as they couldn't make him too campy, and pardon the pun, cartoonish.

[thuganomics85]

 

I hope that she is clued in to Barry's secret very quickly.  How about the showrunners even let her figure it out for herself?

Heh, as oppose to just having the big baddie of the season stroll up to her house, tell her that Barry is The Flash, and then stroll away, while she just stands in the doorway, looking confused.  Why, yes, I'm still not happy over they handled a similar reveal on Arrow last season.

Edited October 8, 2014 by thuganomics85

[Racj82]

Man, people already with the Smallville comparisons and labeling the lead female Lana? Really?

 

This is the CW. If you are going to have a genre show with a hero on this network it needs a scoobie gang (as Buffy set up years before Smallville). There has to be a love triangle of some sort. That's the CW way. Has nothing to do with the CW or anything else. And a lot of fans get sucked in by these romantic elements so that's why they put them in there. I just found out that the most watched episode on season 1 of LOST (outside of the pilot and finale) was Whatever the Case May Be. Which was the dumb episode where we see Kate robbing a bank for a very dumb reason. But, the focus of the whole island story was Jack/Kate/Sawyer. It's no coincidence that this was a drawing point for viewers even if others hated it. Barry has two (i guess three if you count Felicity) but that is nothing new for a CW show. You can only hope that he doesn't spend too much time pining one way or another. Judging by the fact that he's very serious about being a hero and more concerned about his father, I may get what I want in this regard.

 

It was a really good pilot. Characters clearly defined. Motivations made clear for Barry. I'm already behind Barry as a hero. That's all I could ask for in a pilot.

[Lyndy]

I'm definitely in for this one. It's fun and the leads are charismatic enough for me to care what happens to them. Really like Grant Gustin and also Tom Cavannaugh is finally back on television. 

[seamusk]

I though this was great. And I completely agree that the scene with Oliver was off.  I'm not sure what that's about, but the writing was just off for that scene.  But I laughed it away and was happy to see Barry back home.

 

Regarding romance on these shows, while I don't like how over the top it goes, and while I appreciate less love triangles, I appreciate the romantic elements.  It's part of life and I don't want to see my super heroes without someone to love.  But even more importantly, the friendship and romantic elements, when done right, can add a lot to the characterization.  I agree that they are too often not done right, but as forced plot points, but I still prefer to have some of it than not have it.

[JTMacc99]

I'm a sucker for a good easter egg, too, and they didn't disappoint.  Loved the busted gorilla cage labelled "Grodd", and all the Crisis references in the future newspaper.

The torn apart Grodd cage was my "Whoa!" [rewinds] "Hee!  Excellent." moment of the show.  I wanted to mention it in my first post, but I made it before the show aired and didn't want to give it away.

[FineWashables]

I'm really impressed that this show works so well both for newbies like me who are just discovering this superhero as well as for long-time fans, who are evidently being treated to references to the story origins.  For that to happen, the exposition has to be clear but not heavy handed.  Shout out to the writers for achieving such a tricky balance with the script, and to the cast for making it work.

[miracole]

I really liked this show.  I'm not an Arrow watcher(just can't get into it) but I did watch the epi's Barry was on to see if I'd want to watch the Flash.  I liked him a lot more on the actual show then I did on Arrow.  I liked his interactions with Iris and her father and I love that they had the detective find out about his secret right away.

 

The villains look pretty cool and I'm interested to see if the professor is  ee-vil  or not.

 

I'll be watching next week.

[slayer2]

Yes!!! It was so worth the wait, loved every second of it. Loved that Detective West is in on the secret and loved that Barry went to Ollie when in doubt and that the old Flash was his dad!!! Absolutely perfect! I loved his crack team of Scoobies especially the dude and Iris reminds me of Chloe Sullivan. I'm so happy right now. Gonna go congratulate the show runners on twitter. Long live Arrow and The Flash!!!

Edited October 8, 2014 by slayer2

[SonofaBiscuit]

I forgot to add in my post that I think it was a mistake to have Barry and Iris raised together like siblings.  That makes a possible future romantic relationship a little icky, and even if I get past the sibling thing, there's still the little problem of Iris not really being into Barry at all.  He seems to be firmly stationed in the "friend-zone," and all interaction on Iris's end was pretty platonic.  I don't know why the writers created this obstacle when it wasn't really necessary.  Barry and Iris could have been life-long friends, but Barry could have been raised by an aunt or grandma to avoid the "you're like my brother" issue.

[Actionmage]

I watched the pilot last night and am in for the season!

 

I believe that the Oliver scene was off due to the speech he made (which was shown in all the freaking ads for the show). I t had dark and broody Oliver Queen/The Arrow, that he believed that the lightening bolt chose Barry.  It feels off because Oliver Queen doesn't think like that, let alone talk like that. It is a minor nitpick, this being a pilot. I think what amplified it, for me, was that it was highlighted in the ads since they started showing anything other than teaser ads.

 

I like Caitlin and Cisco. I love that Caitlin's an actual doctor-y scientist, not some grad student. I love gadgeteers, so Cisco just needs to not be grating and I've got his back.

 

John Wesley Shipp has been a crush of mine since his soap days (Kelly & Morgan 4evah!), so I am glad he will be recurring.

 

The biggest problem I had was how stupid the cops of 14 years ago were! At a murder scene, where the coroner hasn't taken the body away, Barry was allowed to end up by his dead mom and uncover her!  With cops- including freakin' Joe West!- right there in the damn room!  That puts them between the Gotham PD and the Starling City PD in the DCU.

 

Still, Grant Gustin and the rest of the merry band of players seem to be having a blast, which is helpful in shows like this. Tom Cavanaugh and Grant, especially.

Is it next week?

[Sandman]

The biggest problem I had was how stupid the cops of 14 years ago were! At a murder scene, where the coroner hasn't taken the body away, Barry was allowed to end up by his dead mom and uncover her!  With cops- including freakin' Joe West!- right there in the damn room!  That puts them between the Gotham PD and the Starling City PD in the DCU.

 

Right? I spent that whole scene thinking, Uh, guys? He's eleven! Why are you even letting him on the scene?

 

(Kelly & Morgan 4evah!), so I am glad he will be recurring.

 

Yay! (Hee. We are old.)

Edited October 8, 2014 by Sandman

[Raja]

I forgot to add in my post that I think it was a mistake to have Barry and Iris raised together like siblings. That makes a possible future romantic relationship a little icky, and even if I get past the sibling thing, there's still the little problem of Iris not really being into Barry at all. He seems to be firmly stationed in the "friend-zone," and all interaction on Iris's end was pretty platonic. I don't know why the writers created this obstacle when it wasn't really necessary. Barry and Iris could have been life-long friends, but Barry could have been raised by an aunt or grandma to avoid the "you're like my brother" issue.

That's what I thought when I saw his looks towards her after the reveal that he was an adopted brother. It would be like seeing Greg going after Marcia and needs to be dropped as we move forward. Edited October 8, 2014 by Raja

[amensisterfriend]

I forgot to add in my post that I think it was a mistake to have Barry and Iris raised together like siblings. That makes a possible future romantic relationship a little icky, and even if I get past the sibling thing, there's still the little problem of Iris not really being into Barry at all. He seems to be firmly stationed in the "friend-zone," and all interaction on Iris's end was pretty platonic. I don't know why the writers created this obstacle when it wasn't really necessary. Barry and Iris could have been life-long friends, but Barry could have been raised by an aunt or grandma to avoid the "you're like my brother" issue.

 

This is such a good point. I generally don't care much about romances either way, though so far I enjoy the idea of Caitlin and Barry only because I happen to love when two 'geeky' people connect! I'm not against the idea of Barry/Iris, but I agree that playing up how he was practically a sibling to her for years rather than just a male best friend and how Barry has a quasi-father-son relationship with Iris's dad was kind of odd if they ever want to go in a romantic direction. It didn't help that Iris seemed to have viewed Barry solely as a brother throughout their lives without even the hint (at least that I saw!) that she ever felt more. None of that affected my love for this episode, but I do agree that depicting them more as de facto siblings than just best friends was kind of a surprising choice. 

[Xantar]

I'm not seeing any kind of connection, romantic or otherwise, between Barry and Caitlin. This isn't a criticism since we've only had the pilot so far, but I think it's way premature to think that anything could develop between them. Just because Danielle Panabaker is attractive doesn't mean Barry has to be into her. In fact, I'd much prefer it if the show didn't go down that road and kept them as friends and colleagues.

 

On another note, did anybody notice that the full name of Tom Cavanaugh's character is Harrison Wells?

 

So he's H. Wells. Wonder if his middle initial is G...

[bettername2come]

Not sure who I'd want him with at this point. I love Danielle Panabaker in general, but Barry clearly cares for Iris. I think I'll like their relationship however it pans out. My favorite Iris moment of the episode was her yelling "I'm family!" and trying to get to him at the hospital. I do like that they went ahead and had Detective West find out. I've watched enough CW to know that the cop you're friends with will always find out your secret.

 

I really like Grant Gustin in the role. I've only seen him on Glee before this, and it's fun to see him playing such a goohearted, likable character. 

[bethy]

I'm not bothered by the fact that Barry and Iris have a semi-sibling connection. They're NOT siblings, so there's just not a squick-factor for me. I really liked Iris's unabashed affection for Barry. I think if they do decide to go with the Barry/Iris pairing, they'll need to be careful how they develop that relationship, but I could see a shift in her perception from "best friend I love like a brother" to something romantic.

[Spicy Bubbles]

My only exposures to the Flash were the 90s show, which I loved (and I know people age, but John Wesley Shipp looks a bit different to me that doesn't seem to just be from aging) and the Justice League cartoon, where the Flash was one of my favorite characters. Thus, I think this show was made just for me. It seems pretty well cast; I am a fan of Jesse Martin and Tom Cavanagh, don't really know any of the others but thought they did a great job, especially GG.

 

I guess I should add I haven't seen John Wesley Shipp in anything beyond the 90s Flash (no Dawson Creek ran in my house), so maybe I missed the part where he aged as he did.

 

I look forward to Mark Hamill making an appearance, once he's done shooting another reference from his past.

[shapeshifter]

I've never read any superhero comics (I'm the kid who liked Millie the Model!) and my knowledge of the Flash is limited to Sheldon and crew all dressing up as the Flash for Halloween.

And Archie and Casper, right? We were deprived of the real comic book literature!

...did anybody notice that the full name of Tom Cavanaugh's character is Harrison Wells?

 

So he's H. Wells. Wonder if his middle initial is G...

Okay. So I only watched it once, but at the end, I thought he was using some sort of time travel-ish device. No? Maybe we're in for Morlocks! Oh noes! I just Googled the spelling of Morlocks, and they are in Marvel-verse too, not just H. G. Wells The Time Machine!

(Sorry for the exclamation point (or bang to the Brits) heavy post, but, hey, it's *%$#/ COMICS!)

[SimoneS]

I watched this out of curiosity. It was not bad although a bit predictable. I have never seen so much diversity in the main cast of a CW show. That a black woman has been cast as the leading lady and the object of the leading man's desire shocked the hell out of me. Of course, that means that some in the audience will be hating on her, but go Iris! The actress is pretty and so far seems like she can act unlike just about every other CW leading lady. I am looking forward to Barry and Iris' romance playing out over the many, many years.

Edited October 9, 2014 by SimoneS

[Grammaeryn]

I really, really liked this! Barry's scene with his father got me in the feels then I realized I just met these characters! I think the clunkiest scene was the confrontation in the lab. It felt like Barry came in at anger level 8 and no one really lobbed that level of intensity back. Also, when Mulaney gets cancelled, could Barry have a long lost older brother?

[aradia22]

So I still need to watch this seriously but I caught bits and pieces while it was on. 

 

I think they cast a pretty good Flash. 

It feels a LOT like Smallville from the meteor freaks to the super speed. 

Danielle Panabaker is still a big old meh. She's clearly the love interest. She couldn't be more the love interest.

There was a lot of stuff to take in during the pilot what with the massive time jump and the dad in prison and the tie in with Arrow and all the emotional weight they put on Jesse L. Martin. I don't think it all worked but it held together fairly well and it's got me interested for the future.

 

Most of all, I just like that this show doesn't feel heavy. It's not just that it's not dark and gritty. The show actually has a bit of momentum. I think it helps greatly to have a young protagonist. Yeah, blah blah another origin story but there's something to be said for the Smallvilles and Spidermans.

 

We'll see how they handle special effects in the future. I think they're doing fairly well so far but I think the danger is in doing too much that they can't pull off. 

[cynic]

Danielle Panabaker is still a big old meh. She's clearly the love interest. She couldn't be more the love interest.

Oh yeah, I'm expecting Iris will die at some climatic moment to raise the emotional stakes for Barry and clear the way for Caitlin. Hoping I'm wrong though. I liked Iris and feel like she did have chemistry with Barry.

Speaking of Caitlin, it seemed like TPTB wanted their very own version of FitzSimmons from AoS. Sure, the guys are very different, but their purposes in the show are similar and Danielle Panabaker looks so much like Elizabeth Henstridge that I was thrown off everytime she opened her mouth and she didn't have an English accent.

On the whole, I really liked this pilot. It was fun.

Edited October 9, 2014 by cynic

[twoods]

Great pilot- much better than I thought it would be. I was all for shipping Caitlin and Barry but I really like Iris so far and love their chemistry. Please don't compare her to Lauren or Lana- she is way better and much better actress IMO.

Really like detective West and how he already knows Barry's secret. Plus, he was awesome in L&O. How did they get such an great cast?

[VCRTracking]

Oh yeah, I'm expecting Iris will die at some climatic moment to raise the emotional stakes for Barry and clear the way for Caitlin. Hoping I'm wrong though. I liked Iris and feel like she did have chemistry with Barry.

 

comic spoilers:

Iris became Barry's wife in the pre-New 52 continuity in the comics and is the aunt of Wally West, who became the Flash's sidekick, Kid Flash and who became Barry's successor after he died back in the 80s. The girlfriend/wife of the superhero is typical in comics but in movies or TV it's a pretty thankless role unless you're Lois Lane(and sometimes that can be thankless).

Edited October 9, 2014 by Chip
comic spoilers

[fantique]

I liked this pilot much more than I expected. In fact, I wasn't even sure I would watch it but I had time on my hands...

I like all the characters so far and everyone seems to be bringing something different to the story. It doesn't feel like Arrow 2.0 so that's a good point. I also like the different dynamics between the different characters. I like the scientific team and am curious about their motivation in not shunning the professor like the rest of the city.

[MarkHB]

I finally watched this last night during the rebroadcast (yes, I'm a comics fan but didn't watch it when it was released over the summer).  One question: who is the Felicity everyone's referring to?

[slayer2]

I'm not bothered by the fact that Barry and Iris have a semi-sibling connection. They're NOT siblings, so there's just not a squick-factor for me. I really liked Iris's unabashed affection for Barry. I think if they do decide to go with the Barry/Iris pairing, they'll need to be careful how they develop that relationship, but I could see a shift in her perception from "best friend I love like a brother" to something romantic.

Me too. It's the typical boy-next-door best friend to lover thing like in every movie, tv show etc. The most important root to start a relationship is good friendship anyway so I don't see a problem at all. I know the shipping wars are going to start and people started hating on Iris before the show even aired. Me, not so much. I look forward to the development of IriSh (?) and the show.

Mark, Felicity is a nerdy hacker character from Arrow whom Barry went on a few dates with. It is my hope that she stays on Arrow and far away from this show.

Edited October 9, 2014 by slayer2

[Biosynth]

Speaking as a self proclaimed Flash Fangirl, I was happy with this show.  I'm willing to keep up with it, even with a few cannon changes.  :)  The speed running was terrific!  :)  and Suit looks good too! 

 

And John Welsey Shipp!  Yay!

[FurryFury]

I wouldn't call the pilot especially good, but Barry's already more likable than s1 Oliver and leagues above s2 Oliver, Iris's much more fun and dynamic than Laurel (but has the potential to become almost as bad due to secret keeping stuff, sadly) and I'm intrigued by Thawne and Wells, the presumable villains (pure spec, never read any comics). It didn't exactly grab me, but it's much better than Gotham, so I'll stick around for a few more showings.

[slayer2]

Why would the secret keeping stuff be a reflection on Iris? She had one secret and she was completely open with him when he called her on it. If anything it'd be a reflection on Barry and on Detective West who will be working together to snow her. I think it's clear from the episode that Iris truly cares about Barry and has his best interests at heart. I don't know why the Lana and Laurel comparisons keep happening but IMO these two have nothing at all to do with the Lana/Clark or Laurel/Ollie relationships. If anything it mirrors the Chloe/Clark relationship but with a gender reversal. They grew up together, are best friends and clearly trust each other (even moreso than Chlollie) the only reason Barry isn't going to tell Iris is because her father (a father figure to him) asked him not to. That says so much already about the level of trust they have that Clana and Lauriver never had. Really the only thing they have in common with those other couples is that they're canon in the comics.  I find their relationship (from what I've been shown thus far) to be absolutely adorable. Especially when she conned her Dad into letting Barry go to the nerdy-tech thing and their hug when she saw he was awake from his coma and then brought him to her dad. I'm already invested in these characters and I've only known them (except Barry) for an hour. Good job cast! Good job!

 

ETA I forgot to mention how adorable Cisco (is that his name?) is. I love his enthusiasm and I love when shows and movies have a gadget guy. I wouldn't compare him and Snow to FitzSimmons but that's only because I can't stand Fitz and find him to be the most annoying asshole on that show (which says a lot.)

Edited October 9, 2014 by slayer2

[Ubiquitous]

Heh, as oppose to just having the big baddie of the season stroll up to her house, tell her that Barry is The Flash, and then stroll away, while she just stands in the doorway, looking confused.  Why, yes, I'm still not happy over they handled a similar reveal on Arrow last season.

I was thinking of Lois and Clark.

[Chicago Redshirt]

There definitely is a little of the Smallville 3.0 (I might say Arrow is Smallville 2.0) vibe.

 

But there are a couple things that IMO puts Flash above either Arrow or Smallville potentially for now:

 

1. Barry's pretty together mentally, emotionally and ethically. Unlike Clark, he doesn't seem to be whiny and angst-filled (despite having greater cause, what with a murdered mom and a lifetime of being treated as though he was delusional for seeing a yellow blur killing her) and is straight-up embracing the notion that he has these powers that he can use for good instead of basically backing into heroics. Unlike Ollie, he's not a multiple murderer who was scarred by five years in isolation, and who is a sister-swapping man-whore.

 

2. Although I worry about Iris turning into Lana 3.0, the relationship is inherently better in that Barry knows and cares about Iris and vice versa, and will presumably not interfere with her relationship (as opposed to Lana, where Clark had crushed on Lana for about 8 years without speaking to her and where Clark was trying to hook up with her pretty consistently).

 

3. Because they are clued in about Barry's secret -- and because they actually have skills -- Cisco and Caitlin are in a better position to help Barry than Pete and Chloe were to help Clark.

 

4. Detective Wells>Pa Kent

 

5. Eddie Thawne>Whitney

 

6. Lex and Lionel were, of course, great. But I think Tom Cavanaugh will meet their performance as Wells.

[Terrafamilia]

Comic book physics I can handle. But I knew I had walked into fantasy land when Barry woke up from a nine month coma and the first thing doctor girl wanted was for him to pee in a cup. If he had really been in a coma he'd still have an indwelling urinary catheter and she could have just gotten what she wanted from the attached bag.

:-)

[North of Eden]

Just watched and I wanted to like it but it's DNA was way to close to the horrific Andre w Garfield Spiderman reboot. Also just an interesting side note...whenever you see a white man with a woman of color romantic interest she is always fair skinned...never a Kelly Rowland type. I guess it's tv's way of trying to ease close minded viewers into the idea of a mixed couple.