The Flash in the Media

[ruby24]

I think the network didn't invite the female leads so as not to take attention away from Melissa. Which is ridiculous, because like you said, they didn't have to be onstage. But to not invite them? That's some bullshit right there.

Edited May 21, 2016 by ruby24

[Starfish35]

Mechad was there? Oh sorry, I didn't realize.  I thought Melissa was the only one there from Supergirl.  I guess it does seem strange then that only Stephen represented Arrow.

There was a tweet over in the Social Media thread in the Arrow forum that said that Candice was at the LA Upfronts event.  I don't know who else was there.

https://mobile.twitter.com/VladaGelman/status/733361586010611712

Edited May 20, 2016 by Starfish35
To add link to tweet

[phoenics]

3 hours ago, ruby24 said:

I think the network didn't invite the female leads so as not to take attention away from Melisaa. 

See - if this is what they were thinking - then it completely explains their BS approach to writing women on the show.  Like crabs in a barrel - only one can have screentime at a time.  It's such BS.

[GHScorpiosRule]

On 5/20/2016 at 8:48 PM, Trini said:

The Flash in the Supergirl teaser promo, and CW superheroes sizzle reel:

 

 

 

Barry/Flash: screeching to a halt: "How did you do that?"

Kara/Supergirl: "I'm Supergirl."

Barry/Flash: "You're WHO now?"

Me: SQUEEEEEING at the uber ADORKABLENESS!!!!*

What?

*PEEVED that now that Supergirl is coming to CW, fucking CBS only has the last two episodes to rewatch.I really, and I mean really should have remembered to dvr that episode so I could watch it repeatedly!

[phoenics]

On 5/21/2016 at 8:54 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

*PEEVED that now that Supergirl is coming to CW, fucking CBS only has the last two episodes to rewatch.I really, and I mean really should have remembered to dvr that episode so I could watch it repeatedly!

I'm sure it will be on netflix soon...?

[Trini]

On CBS.com the last 5 Supergirl episodes are available.

End-of-season special effects:

[GHScorpiosRule]

On May 23, 2016 at 9:29 PM, Trini said:

On CBS.com the last 5 Supergirl episodes are available.

End-of-season special effects:

 

 

Nope. CBS.com only had the last two. I suspect if I join the full access, I'd see the last five.  Sorry, not paying for it.  I'll just have to wait for it to show up somewhere!

[pookat]

27 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

 

Nope. CBS.com only had the last two. I suspect if I join the full access, I'd see the last five.  Sorry, not paying for it.  I'll just have to wait for it to show up somewhere!

They now have 6 free episodes, including Grant's episode, because I just checked the CBS app and I definitely don't pay for All Access.

[GHScorpiosRule]

5 minutes ago, pookat said:

They now have 6 free episodes, including Grant's episode, because I just checked the CBS app and I definitely don't pay for All Access.

Huh. I'll have to check it out again to see what happened.

[Trini]

DC All Access: Starting from 2.23, Grant/Jesse/Carlos tease a bit about Season 3:

[Trini]

Teen Choice Awards 2016, Early Nominations:

Quote

Choice TV Show: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
“Arrow”
“iZombie”
“Once Upon a Time”
“Supernatural”
“The Flash”
“The Vampire Diaries”

Choice TV Actor: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Andrew Lincoln – “The Walking Dead”
Grant Gustin – “The Flash”
Ian Somerhalder – “The Vampire Diaries”
Jared Padalecki – “Supernatural”
Joseph Morgan – “The Originals”
Paul Wesley – “The Vampire Diaries”

Choice TV Actress: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Candice King – “The Vampire Diaries”
Emily Bett Rickards – “Arrow”
Danielle Panabaker – “The Flash”
Eliza Taylor – “The 100”
Kat Graham – “The Vampire Diaries”
Lana Parrilla – “Once Upon a Time”

[Trini]

Finale clip:

[Trini]

John Wesley Shipp post-finale interview:

Quote

TVLINE | If I told you 26 years ago you’d be wearing a Flash costume again, would you have believed me?

I would not. I remember the last scene that Mark Hamill and I did out in southeast L.A. at 5 in the morning. I was in the Flash suit and of course he was being The Trickster, and I was so relieved to never have to put on the superhero suit again that I ripped the wings off and threw them in the air. Mark got those wings, and he still has them — it never occured to me to keep anything. But because it was such a grueling season — we had to do practical effects, we did not have the possibility of doing so much in CGI — I swore at that moment that I would never, ever get into another superhero suit ever again. Well, now 25 years older and 25 years wiser, I know never to make those kinds of statements!

[CabotCove]

Quote

 think the network didn't invite the female leads so as not to take attention away from Melissa. Which is ridiculous, because like you said, they didn't have to be onstage. But to not invite them? That's some bullshit right there.

Except that Caity & Megalyn were there.

[zannej]

Thanks for that link, Trini. It's nice to know that Mark Hamill kept the little wings.

[Lady Calypso]

I saw this meme on Facebook and I couldn't help but laugh:

[Kromm]

On 5/21/2016 at 10:22 PM, phoenics said:

I'm sure it will be on netflix soon...?

Why would you assume that?  CBS has been in the business of piping their own content only to their own streaming service for a bit now, but even if the rights on Season 1 revert to Warner Brothers (who knows?), WB and CW are going the same way really soon with their own content.

15 hours ago, WildcardC said:

Except that Caity & Megalyn were there.

Stop!!! It's easier for people to gripe about perceived slights/sexist than deal with facts!

Hee.  

[Kromm]

15 hours ago, Trini said:

John Wesley Shipp post-finale interview:

I do love the little bits we learn here.

A.) that Mark Hamill is such a geek/fanboy that he keeps stuff like this
B.) that Shipp and Hamill still know each other

[driedfruit]

5 hours ago, Kromm said:

Stop!!! It's easier for people to gripe about perceived slights/sexist than deal with facts!

Hee.  

You think sexism doesn't exist in the entertainment industry? Really? Least of all amongst the all bros led backstage of DCTV? 

 

20 hours ago, WildcardC said:

Except that Caity & Megalyn were there.

Let's be real though, Caity is the only draw left for LoT (the only popular face pretty much) and Meg was clearly there as a token, because she's not actually on any of these shows. It's still pretty off putting how the actresses of Arrow/Flash weren't invited. Certainly side-eye worthy.

Edited May 26, 2016 by driedfruit

[Kromm]

39 minutes ago, driedfruit said:

You think sexism doesn't exist in the entertainment industry? Really? 

Yes, that's exactly what I said word for word, sure enough!

Except I didn't. I'm saying you grabbed onto a bad example/illustration. Might CW/WB be sexist?  Sure. But the fact that they specifically had a presentation that highlighted the characters who were playing Superheroes and only marched on stage the ones who... play Superheroes... isn't proof of sexism. Perhaps there need to be more female Superheroes on these shows numerically, but you can see the thought process because the actual presentation/material was a big graphic featuring all of their superhero names/logos, and that corresponding to each actor they marched out. Men and women both. It's also why Megalyn was there despite not having a show--she plays a costumed superhero character with a logo, a history, action figures, etc.

Someone DID mention that Mechad was there too in some capacity, but he wasn't part of that presentation either. The ones I saw had the hero names and the people matching to those. 

Wait... here's one shot (not one that shows the superhero names/logos, but when I find one I'll add that). Ask yourself... what do ALL of these actors, and the roles they are playing, have in common? Hint: It's not that 4 out of 7 of them (not really the worst percentage) have penises.

Edited May 26, 2016 by Kromm

[driedfruit]

2 hours ago, Kromm said:

Except I didn't. I'm saying you grabbed onto a bad example/illustration. Might CW/WB be sexist?  Sure. But the fact that they specifically had a presentation that highlighted the characters who were playing Superheroes and only invited the ones who... play Superheroes... isn't proof of sexism.

Except that's not the case at all. Are Jimmy Olsen or Joe West now superheroes? Because Mehcad and JLM were both present.

Look, EBR clearly took issues with it, otherwise her friend, a showrunner on CW, wouldn't comment. And both Danielle and Candice attended afterparties for the event, so clearly they would've been happy to attend too. If you don't see anything wrong with it, fine. But making a snarky comment about how it's out of the realm of possibility that the dudebro club over at DCTV could be shady to their actresses is OTT.

Edit: Those are people onstage, if you were on social media and looked at the arrivals at the event for the interview, meet and greet media portion, you would've also seen Carlos, JLM, Mehcad, Arthur...

http://tomandlorenzo.com/2016/05/2016-cw-upfront-red-carpet-rundown/

Edited May 26, 2016 by driedfruit

[Kromm]

20 minutes ago, driedfruit said:

Except that's not the case at all. Are Jimmy Olsen or Joe West now superheroes? Because Mehcad and JLM were both present.

I think it's a ton to project on them being in the room, but clearly NOT on stage with the others, as sexism/"dudebroism". Two people, just two, who might have had other influencers to get them into the party. If we're really being cynical?  How about their race?  I don't like thinking it's true, and possibly Candice would have been there too if that was taken to the max, but I can completely see some network pinhead concerned about spin saying "what's it gonna look like if we have no African-Americans here?"  Likely that could be behind Megalyn being there too, albeit that having extra juice because they could toss her on stage with the others to fit the "hero characters on stage" theme. And if EBR felt left out?  I'm sympathetic to her quite a bit, but putting the worst possible motives on it isn't clearly a truth (and putting at least a partial racial one on it isn't much better, admittedly).  

EDIT - If Carlos and Arthur were also there, that does change things. But that was far from clear in the earlier part of this discussion.

I'm still fairly skeptical it comes down to organized corporate sexism though. I think it's perhaps more of the trickle down variety, where they organized it around who's in the presentation, then expanded the list ad hoc and kept coming up with some dumbass add-to-create-diversity arguments ("add the black guys so we don't look bad", "add the Latino so we don't look bad", etc.) The white English guy is the only confusing one, frankly. Can't see the pinhead reason for that one.

Edited May 26, 2016 by Kromm

[driedfruit]

28 minutes ago, Kromm said:

EDIT - If Carlos and Arthur were also there, that does change things. But that was far from clear in the earlier part of this discussion.

I'm still fairly skeptical it comes down to organized corporate sexism though. I think it's perhaps more of the trickle down variety, where they organized it around who's in the presentation, then expanded the list ad hoc and kept coming up with some dumbass add-to-create-diversity arguments ("add the black guys so we don't look bad", "add the Latino so we don't look bad", etc.) The white English guy is the only confusing one, frankly. Can't see the pinhead reason for that one.

I don't think it's necessarily nefarious, but when you have majority men (often all white) in charge, certain biases will come into play. Undervaluing female characters/actresses is fairly common. Women get paid less. Important female characters get less to do... I think in this case it's something similar. Not surprising that it'd be the non-powered women left out. 

Edited May 26, 2016 by driedfruit

[Trini]

Two more interviews with Shipp:

Hollywood Reporter,

Quote

"He wants to have the same relationship with Jay that he had with his father, but Jay is coming from place of, 'That has nothing to do with who I am,'" Shipp says. "Barry and Jay have to make their own relationship which will be separate and distinct from the Henry and Barry relationship. That was the challenge."

He continues, "This isn't the Henry/Barry relationship in another form. Jay is a very different guy. People say that I, John Wesley Shipp, am the original Flash, but he's the original original Flash. This is the Golden Age Flash, the head of the Justice Society. This is the real Flash daddy. I have to remind myself of that, because there were some aspects of the Henry/Barry relationship that I treasured, the absolute emotional vulnerability, being a safe haven for him, that emotional connection. It's going to be very tempting for me to want to go back and play that dynamic again, but the Jay/Barry dynamic is going to be very different."

EW,

Quote

How do you think Henry would feel if he knew Barry had changed the past to save his mom?

We know already, don’t we? Henry has already said unequivocally when Barry came to Iron Heights to say, “I can save her, I can get you out of here.” I go, “No, absolutely not. Things happen for a reason. There are unintended consequences, Barry. You cannot go and change one thing without it having myriad unintended affects.” Henry Allen was very clear with Barry back in Iron Heights that he should not go back and — excuse my French — f— with the timeline. You cannot do that. It’s one of the reasons why Barry, the first time around, stopped himself from stopping the Reverse-Flash from killing his mother. Now he’s decided, “What do I have left to lose? I’ve lost everything? I’ve lost my father. I’ve lost my mother. Screw it. What else can go wrong?” So he decides to go back and do what Henry had advised him not to do.

Easter Eggs in "The Race of His Life"

[Trini]

Season finale recaps:
TVline ,
SuperheroHype,
Entertainment Weekly,
Jo Blo, -- I think he glosses over too many things.
ComicBook.com,
Buddy TV,
Comic Book Resources,
Flickering Myth,
Polygon,

Edited May 27, 2016 by Trini
added another link

[Trini]

'TV Performer of the Week - Grant Gustin'

[zannej]

Thanks, Trini.

[Trini]

Interview with Violett Beane (Jesse ).

[Actionmage]

Quote

 It's also why Megalyn was there despite not having a show--

I will argue that Megalyn has a show. Granted, currently it is six episodes long, animated and on CW Seed, but it is getting a second season, so an on-going concern. (If "bros" hiking and trying to score with "chicks" across Europe can make the jump to CW TV proper and get a summer run, then it's not too outrageous to think Vixen could get a tryout.)

Quote

Henry has already said unequivocally when Barry came to Iron Heights to say, “I can save her, I can get you out of here.” I go, “No, absolutely not. Things happen for a reason. There are unintended consequences, Barry. You cannot go and change one thing without it having myriad unintended affects.”

I did not think I could crush on JWS any harder than I do, but I love that response. This season was not Henry heavy, but Mr. Shipp remembering that makes me happy.

From the Performer of the Week link:

Quote

Barry lost his powers and had to redefine his sense of self after making a huge sacrifice; he was taunted by an evil power hell-bent on destroying everyone he loved (and multiple Earths on top of that), and he had to re-live the horror of his mother’s death, as well as the new horror of his father’s death. Joe West, his other father, was also taken at one point, and Barry had to not only confront the Speed Force itself, but ultimately made a time-altering decision to change the past because he was tired of living through all of this pain.

 I totally agree that Grant is wonderful and a big part of why I keep giving the show my attention. Still...

a)Barry did not "lose" his powers, Ms. Keene, he volunteered to give them up; there is a difference. Glossing over that questionable action does no one any favors. I understand you were praising the actor, but not pointing out how Grant sold this nonsense turn would've been better, imo.

b)I saw no redefining of Barry's self. I saw mopey-ness and dragging around. Barry wanted to return to being The Flash because , to paraphrase, he couldn't be his best self if he wasn't The Flash. How is that redefining his sense of self? He never stopped wanting to get his powers back.

c)Barry had to relive his mother's death? Had to. One: I don't think Nora had much to do with Henry's murder, except as overly rude taunt material. Two: Iirc, Barry himself did not think of her as he was too busy trying to save his father. The Show could have interspersed flashes of that much used scene as Barry tried to figure out if/how he could save Henry. They did not.

After everything quieted some, directly after everyone still with him that cared about him was safe? That's when Barry thought about Nora and Henry. After the woman he changed time to save once told him she was ready to love him, Barry ran back to his mother's murder and saw himself wink out of existence after stopping said murder. Much has already been said on these boards, but I will say, we understand and feel for BA, but there was no have to, to that.

d) Barry did not "confront" the Speed Force; it took him aside for an intervention. It clearly did not work. Also, Barry did not initiate contact. That was an accident/side effect of Harry, Cisco and Barry trying to give Barry back those powers he "lost". As usual, there was no intent on talking to the Speed Force, as such. The intent was to re-power Barry. The Speed Force, to that point, was considered an it, a thing, something to be manipulated. Anything but a sentient consciousness. So, no to this thought.

It wasn't a bad piece, but obviously, my mileage varied from hers.

PS: Thank you Trini for the links; you are a tireless resource that I'm sure we all appreciate.

[Trini]

I don't agree with all the points in this article but here's one take on Season 2: 'The Flash’s Wonderful Fake Science Was Its Greatest Strength This Season'

Quote

... I’m not really talking about the hand-wave-y technobabble dialogue that gets spewed in virtually every episode, usually by the show’s pair of go-tos for such things, Carlos Valdes’s Cisco and Tom Cavanagh’s Harry. The Flash’s more interesting deployments of pseudoscience are the ones with thematic weight and/or high-concept inventiveness. ...

This kind of stuff just doesn’t show up in other superhero shows. Marvel’s output on ABC and Netflix is filled with fistfights, espionage, and/or ninjas. The CW’s other DC-based shows don’t satisfyingly explore pseudoscience, either: Arrow is all about swashbuckling and terrorism, Supergirl throws aliens at us but lacks any big ideas about them, and Legends of Tomorrow uses time travel basically as a way to change set dressings every few episodes. The Flash stands alone in this regard. Given that fact, it would be wonderful to see the show’s creators double down on pseudoscience next season. Perhaps we can spend less time on monster-of-the-week villains and more time on esoteric concepts and alternate worlds.

This one specifically talks about the cliffhanger ending of the finale: 'Why 'The Flash' Season 2 Finale Cliffhanger Is a Huge Disappointment'

Quote

If The Flash wanted to do this storyline it could have done so already. The season 1 finale would have been the perfect opportunity to do it. It still would have been a mistake, for all the same reasons, but it would have made sense. By putting this cliffhanger on the season 2 finale it just feels like The Flash is tacking on something shocking to "hook" viewers for next season. This is itself a misguided venture because what fan of The Flash is going to want to tune into a story that might be completely different? If you like a story you want to see more of the same story. You don't want a reboot.

 

More reviews later...

[Trini]

"The Race of His Life" reviews: It seems like most people are excited and/or curious at the possibilities of the show taking on 'Flashpoint', but disappointed about how the show got there; also disappointed with Barry's decisions and the Zoom arc.

Vulture:

Quote

... Teddy Sears obviously had a lot more fun with this role once he was able to ditch the Jay Garrick persona. As Zoom, his look and voice (thanks to the great Tony Todd) is menacing — but menacing can only go so far. It took this villain far too long to come into his own. Likewise, it takes the finale far too long to reveal Zolomon's master plan.

... The death of Past-Barry would have been more impactful if we got to see the two Barrys interact. It's obviously an important detail, underscoring that Barry would die for the ones he loves, but it doesn't totally work.

... Barry may win the fight, but until the last moments, the finale feels vaguely underwhelming. There's a lot to love, of course. Cisco getting a better handle on his powers. The moving score in the final scenes....

TV.com:

Quote

... But I suspect it'll be undone in some fashion, which is why I'm more annoyed than I'm actually angry or frustrated. I'll readjust my response after Season 3 begins as well since I have vague hopes that by undoing it, there'll be a degree of emotional maturing for Barry. Which is also why I'm not as angry or frustrated as I probably should be since Barry's actions made emotional sense.

... Parts of the finale couldn't help but feel a little underwhelming in the grand scheme of things since they never really reached even "whelming" status as Season 2 progressed.

Zoom's desire to destroy the entire multiverse save for Earth Prime was pretty much a big shrug as an endgame. Why should we care? I mean, yes, countless lives were lost as a result of Zolomon's bloodlust and/or desire to just be better than everyone else in the entire multiverse, but it was such an abstract stake in the narrative that it barely seemed to matter.

... However, if there's one big takeaway from Season 2, it's how good the Wests are, and how great Iris ended up becoming. While Francine barely qualified as a character, she provided enough story material for Joe and Iris to work through secret-keeping issues that plagued them both last season, and she also brought Wally into the fold, which was a real treat considering how very good Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally has been this season. ...

Iris, however, was the character who needed the most rehabilitation after last season.... While the show struggled with what to do with Iris outside of being on Team Flash or Family West—her job and life at the Central City Picture News still hasn't come together—all the work on those other aspects were real steps up from Season 1.

Den of Geek:

Quote

Barry's been a broken man for much of this season, and when Barry's sad he makes stupid decisions. The death of his father pushed him over the edge, but what was missing from the impulse to completely rewrite time was any rift between him and the Wests. Henry's death is about the only thing that's changed since last season's finale, in which he chose to let his mother die over losing his surrogate family. ...

...I guess what I'm saying is that the season had multiple ways in which it could test those connections. ... With the Wests happy and adjusted, that could have made Barry feel out of place. The trouble is, we never saw much of that on screen.

... The biggest problem in this finale is Zoom. I don't know what we could have expected for a final showdown that serves as a full stop to an arc I don't think anyone's particularly interested in, but a big race wasn't it. It's almost comical in its pettiness and insanity, but I guess that's just Zoom in a nutshell.

... The Berlanti-verse has a tendency to just double-down on the things we like in the hope that we'll keep on liking it – speedsters, Wells, Grant Gustin crying – but that has resulted in as many misses than hits this season.

Nerdist:

Quote

... Unfortuantely, that’s when the show starts to cheat. Big time.

Although Barry’s hellbent on killing Zoom, we never see if he’d actually go through with it, since a pair of time wraiths arrive at the last second and whisk the villain away to what we can only assume is the Speed Force equivalent of Hell. The really frustrating thing is that the exact same scenario was presented in the second season of Arrow, and Oliver Queen was allowed by that show’s writer to make his own decision regarding his enemy, ....

... All kinds of repercussions are guaranteed in the show’s third season, be they narrative, psychological, or temporal. ... It’s enough fuel for an entire season, but part of me wishes the show wouldn’t go down this route, and would move forward instead of looking back. Especially since Barry’s parental issues have informed a full two seasons now.

For all this season’s faults, most of which came from repeating the major villain arc of season one—i.e., a good mentor is revealed to be an evil one with a hidden agenda—there were moments in the last handful of episodes where Barry demonstrated more independent thought than the show often allows him. ... That’s the Barry I want to see more of in season three. But it’s hard to accept anyone as an adult responsible for his own decisions if one is forever reminded of the child inside him.

[Trini]

IGN:

Quote

... This episode had plenty of great moments, but in the end it was more notable for the groundwork it laid than the way it wrapped up the conflict with Zoom.

... Zoom’s star has risen and fallen over the course of the season. Early on it was enough that he was a terrifying presence. Then he was diminished by the reveal that his main goal was to drain Barry’s speed like some sort of vampire. His characterization improved a lot in the months since then as more reveals were made and the man behind the mask was revealed. But ultimately, there was something a bit hollow about the way Zoom’s story ended. Zoom’s murder of Henry played right into the idea that Hunter Zolomon is a twisted mirror image of Barry Allen. It seems like that idea was ultimately meaningless and had little bearing on the manner in which Barry overcame his foe. It didn’t feel as though Barry proved a point or won a great moral victory over Zoom. There was just something missing there.

...It was also interesting to see Barry at odds with the rest of Team Flash this week. Like any good superhero civil war, neither side was really in the wrong. Barry knew he was the only one that could defeat Zoom, and he deserved revenge for the death of his father. But at the same time, his every encounter with the villain has ended in disaster. His friends knew that Barry’s anger would only cause him to play right into Zoom’s hands. Their decision to confront Zoom without Barry allowed the rest of the team to shine (particularly the crafty Caitlin). But ultimately, a victory that left Zoom alive and Joe in mortal danger was no victory at all.

AV Club:

Quote

... The need to wrap everything up and provide a big end-of-season set piece and a few big twists, along with enough convoluted Speed Force mythology to power a Crisis on Infinite Earths...it’s just too much for one episode to support. ...

... It’s definitely a comic book-ish turn of events, but I’m not sure any resolution could have been truly satisfying given how disappointing the Zoom arc was overall.

... The timeline has been rewritten, but to what extent we can’t know yet. For now, it sure looks like this finale cheapens last year’s finale, along with all the lessons Barry learned (or thought he learned, anyway) since then.

Maybe this is a way for the writers to hit the reset button and bring back the goofy Silver Age spirit of adventure that made the first season such a treat and has been present only sporadically this season. If that turns out to be the case, I’m all for it. .... I hope that’s the case, but I fear this less fun, more brooding version of The Flash may be here to stay.

...Even when the show was pushing toward the Barry/Iris relationship over the past few episodes, neither the characters nor the writers appeared ready to fully commit to the idea.

Forbes.com:

Quote

... The Season 2 finale of The Flash ended with a big surprise, and one that—if the show plays its cards right—should impact the entire CW DC Universe in huge ways going into next season. Barry stopping the Reverse Flash from killing his mother, something he chose not to do at the end of Season 1, will screw with time in a big way. How big remains to be seen.

... This leaves so many doors open, so many new questions, that it’s pretty much a fool’s errand to speculate at all. Suffice to say, this is a big deal.

... In a lot of ways, this season’s villain just didn’t make sense. The plot was too convoluted. Zoom was evil in an almost entirely impersonal way, especially compared to Eobard Thawne. ... It was a more convoluted, less personal, and less original version of the first season with a less interesting villain.

... Even that last moment between Barry and Iris was excellent. Iris has really grown on me, and their first kiss was really well done. It was bitter-sweet and real, and for once in these shows it felt natural and good to watch romance play out on screen. It was all the better due to Barry’s decision right after to go and save his mom and change his life forever.

I don't agree with that last sentence; but anyway,

Collider:

Quote

... With Zoom, The Flash fell victim to a common drama mistake of a contemporary TV era: it prioritized the plot twist over the well-developed character arc. ... it is becoming increasingly common to withhold information from the viewer until the last possible minute for maximum effect. Unfortunately, this generally leads to underdeveloped plots and characters.

... Barry’s legitimate interest in teamwork and the value of seeking wisdom outside of your own ego used to be one of the qualities that set this superhero apart. I hope Barry regains it in Season 3.

... Though The Flash Season 2 has been uneven, it has been consistent in Barry’s angst. ... Barry’s actions at the end of the finale are the actions of a grieving, confused speedster — which is to say, who Barry has been for the entirety of this season.

...“Bro, I went back and forth. I was like a good 60/40 at first.” — Cisco, on his vote to lock Barry up. I would have really liked to see the scene of them discussing this. But, again, The Flash prioritized the shock of having Harry shoot Barry over character and thematic development.

... I will always prefer an ambitious show to one that plays it formulaic and safe. And, even after watching a Season 2 finale plagued with plot holes and underdeveloped character motivations, I could never accuse The Flash of being unambitious or playing it safe.

[Trini]

LA Times.com: (very complimentary)

Quote

The second season of “The Flash” has been near pitch-perfect from wire-to-wire, somehow keeping a convoluted story involving time-travel and parallel universes grounded. No matter how entwined the tangle of paradoxes, time wraiths and various crises on infinite Earths (rimshot!) became, all that mattered was how they affected the core characters of the show. 

... Without the deep understanding “The Flash” cast and crew have of the heart of their series, the final moments of the finale in “The Race of His Life” would have left many deeply confused by the lunacy of it all, or worse, empty.

... No doubt he’ll have to answer for this dramatic time tampering, but that’s for Season 3. But, can you blame Barry for thinking only of himself, just this once?

... For everything great about this season, it did feel like the Zoom plot stumbled a little toward the end. The villain was terrifying through the entire first half of the year, but lost a little of the magic once the mask came off. This interpretation of Zolomon worked for the most part, but stripping him down to a simple sociopath toward the end lost some of the luster.

Um, there are many confused about the finale.
I don't agree that Barry was thinking "only" of himself; still not a good decision, though.

Three if by Space:

Quote

... Even though Barry proved himself able to handle racing Zoom and ultimately defeating him, he couldn’t bring himself to see it as a victory. Even after Zoom was devoured by wraiths and the multiverse was safe, Barry was still damaged. And that damage was enough to drive a wedge between him and his support group. He’s not the man he used to be, and can’t be the man he wants to be. Not yet, anyway.

... Another thing The Flash continues to excel at is special effects. ... I’m sure it’s expensive, but it’s worth it to see these speedsters and their fights really come to life in exciting, reality-bending ways.

... As if last season wasn’t enough warning against saving Nora, Barry watching The Flash—the younger version of himself—disappear from existence is a damn clear sign that he’s probably made a bad choice. But in that moment, Barry felt he was setting things right. Time will tell if he ends up regretting that decision (he will).

[Trini]

From Collider: 'All of This Year’s Superhero TV Shows, Ranked'; The Flash is #2. They took previous seasons(or all seasons) into account.

And the show won the Leo Award for special effects.

[Trini]

Hidden Remote:

Quote

Overall, the finale failed to impress because the Flash versus Zoom conflict did not fulfill its full potential. The cliffhanger could not salvage the entirety of the episode, but it did manage to generate some excitement for Season 3 that will surely have drastic repercussions for the show.

Comics Alliance: (conversation format)

Quote

Ziah: Or we could talk about how weird it is that Barry is on board to race Zoom — which everyone knows will power up his world ending device — and the STARios’ only issue is that Barry is too mad? ...

Dylan: Or how they made up rules about Time Remnants that didn’t make a lot of sense, but were there just so they could explain away Barry’s eventual triumph? Oh Ziah, there was so much in this episode that just plain didn’t make sense. And we could probably keep going here, but let’s switch gears and sort of talk about what works. We start the episode right where last week left off, with Barry still yelling about Zoom killing Henry, and then get a pretty great super-speed fight, with Barry c-c-c-c-combo breaking Zoom. I liked that part.

... Dylan: I also thought the time remnants were deus ex machina BS, but, I mean, 90% of comics endings are fueled by deus ex machina BS, so I guess I’ll stop complaining. It’s true to the source material at least.

TV Fanatic roundtable:

Quote

What did you think of Team Flash's idea to keep Barry from participating in destroying Zoom?

Jim: I agree with Jay and Allison, he was too emotional and anything less than putting him in a cell wouldn't have stopped him.

Carissa: Here's what stood out to me about it. Barry was barely crazy and emotional before they swooped him up and caged him. At what point did they start doubting him? Because they had a very detailed plan ready before he showed irrational behavior. Overall? I don't think it was cool. How about talking him off the ledge with some of his previously optimistic thinking first? Anything but caging him.

Barry turned back time AGAIN. React.

Allison: I couldn't believe it. Team Flash should have kept an eye on him after his fight with Zoom, apparently. Barry did something incredibly selfish, and he didn't seem to consider the ramifications of his actions. I'm definitely curious about what season three will look like.

Jay: Ugh. Really? Is every season going to revolve around his mother's death? I understand that it was very traumatic for him, but we moved past this story in The Flash Season 1 Episode 23, where Barry decides not to save his mom. This is his timeline, he needs to accept it, and be the hero he's supposed to be.

Hitfix /Sepinwall:

Quote

... Formula's expected in superhero stories, but it doesn't have to feel quite as perfunctory and lacking passion as it did here.
The finale played like the creative team had a checklist of necessary moments to get through — Barry grieves Henry, Zoom explains his plan, Wallay frees Barry — and did it as painlessly as possible. Even the revelation that the man in the iron mask was the real Jay Garrick, who happens to look exactly like Henry, didn't have much impact. ...

... First, Barry never seems to learn his lesson when it comes to using his powers to get what he wants. ... Him dealing with the murder of one parent by undoing the murder of the other is understandable, but I tend to like Barry less when he does things like this.

... Again, seeing all the changes could be fun for a bit. I'm a time travel nerd. I usually live for this stuff. But ... Barry's stunt mainly had me worrying that the fallout for the show would be more trouble than the surprise was worth, just as I expect Barry himself to realize the many unintended consequences of his good deed.

[Trini]

Rickey.org:

Quote

... This was an exhilarating finale for what it could mean for the show, moving forward.

So we finally saw the end of Zoom (Teddy Sears), who finally enacted his plan to essentially destroy the multiverse by forcing Barry (Grant Gustin) into a winner-takes-all race. It’s kind of obnoxious how simplistic the ending is though, considering it mostly comes down to the Time Wraiths, who whisk Zoom off to Lord only knows where. I don’t anticipate this is the last we’ll see of the villain, but I’m at the point where I’d be happy for an overarching villain who isn’t a Speedster. Say what you will about the overall quality of The Flash, and I still think its quality is pretty high, I hope the show breaks from its formula for Season 3. Because we’re on two seasons now of Barry facing off against a Speedster with the help of a mentor who turns out to be bad, who then threatens Central City with a time/world-ripping catastrophe, with Barry also returning to the past to debate whether or not to rescue his mother. It’s not a bad formula, but it’s not something the show can necessarily repeat infinitely.

[zannej]

Thanks again, Trini.

[Trini]

DVD/Blu-ray info for Season 2: http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Flash-Season-2-Press-Release/22316

Quote

Zooming Into Stores On Blu-ray & DVD On September 6, 2016

BLU-RAY & DVD FEATURES - 3 hours of Bonus Content including:

Behind-the-scenes visual effects featurettes for almost every episode!
Star Crossed Hawks featurette
Star Crossed Hawks: The Hunt for Vandal Savage featurette
The Many Faces of Zoom featurette
Chasing Flash - The Journey of Kevin Smith featurette
The Flash: 2015 Comic-Con Panel
The Flash: 2015 PaleyFest
Deleted Scenes
Gag Reel

And it includes the Arrow crossover episode too!

[Trini]

 Reviews of the whole season:

Techno Buffalo (new to me):

Quote

At the beginning of the season, we couldn’t have imagined how crazy things would get. The show ended up introducing some seriously complex and out-there concepts that usually get discarded and relegated to the pages of comics when they’re judged as too messy for casual viewers. ...

The two-episode venture into Earth-2 introduced us to a whole slew of doppelgangers and some super cool future-history tech. It gave star Grant Gustin a chance to flex his acting muscles and play a very different Barry Allen, and let the effects team and set builders an opportunity to work on some very cool designs. ...

Some of the monster-of-the-week stuff was excellent, too. The effects team building the visuals for all these CW shows is getting very good, and this was shown off especially well by episodes surrounding Grodd, the psychic gorilla Flash tangled with last season, but King Shark as well. ...

Zoom started a high point for the season, but ended up, ironically, slowing and dragging things down. ...

As a cornbread good guy, Sears was, as I said, pretty believable. As a psychotic murder accidentally imbued with superpowers, though, Sears fell a bit flat. Especially once he started interacting with Caitlin Snow, he started to seem less like a villain and more like the most dangerous stalker in the history of the multi-verse. ...

In the first season, actress Danielle Panabaker did a fine job as a supporting character, but this season, due at least in part to writing, she was the weakest link. As Snow, she was often relegated to waiting fearfully for something to happen to her, which is just about the most boring thing a writer can give an actor to do. ...

Getting the audience to care, first, about Iris’s suddenly resurfaced mother, then a brother she didn’t know about, took more time than the show had. Everything about it felt like it was from another show on another network – in a totally different genre.

I ended the season with mixed feelings. A strong start led into a downward swing that lasted a bit too long before the show finally recovered for the last few episodes. ...

The Reel Bits.com:

Quote

THE FLASH is strongest when it explores concepts from the comics, with many of the storylines mirroring the larger arcs that have been occurring in the New 52 version of the comics since 2011. ... If we’re talking about nods to geekery, then one of the highlights of the second part of the season was undoubtedly Kevin Smith’s directorial debut on the series in “The Runaway Dinosaur”. Apart from the renewed attention Smith’s fan-base brought to the series, the Zack Stentz script goes deep into the comic book lore of the character. It explores the relationship that Barry has with the Speed Force by literally placing him inside it, something that become important in the finale and drops a key part of what modern Flash is all about. ... This is what THE FLASH is best at: translating complex comic book concepts to mainstream audiences without dumbing them down one iota. ...

... the mid-season crossover with Arrow (“Legends of Today”) serves merely to set up spin-off series Legends of Tomorrow. However, THE FLASH is nowhere near as guilty of this as Arrow‘s equivalent season, but it just goes to show that the series is at its strongest when stands by the totems of its own world-building. This is as season, after all, where producers were confident enough to lay out time travel, parallel worlds, Gorilla Grodd and King Shark all in the one year. ...

[Trini]

More Season 2 reviews:

EW.com:

Quote

...Barry’s fall, spiraling from fury to hopelessness, was clearly and rigorously presented from opening scene to last. And yet, I didn’t buy a single damn moment of it. “The Good Dinosaur” had settled something, didn’t it? I thought so. Barry should have drawn upon that experience — upon two years of extraordinary experiences — to navigate the chaotic emotional terrain of the finale without getting lost in it. But no ... Here, Henry’s death and Barry’s meltdown in response were contrivances to force the preferred storytelling set-up for next season. ...

... I hope Barry’s past is not lost to him. Learning from his experience — from his successes and failures — is the true source of his heroism. Maintaining continuity also gives this serial a feeling of saga. Don’t look for Barry’s moral fugue to linger. I suspect season 3 will quickly set Barry on an arc of regret and redemption. The Flash — praised by many as the antithesis of a joyless dark knight chic — has too much invested in its anti-antihero brand positioning. ...

The sophomore season of The Flash was certifiably slumptacular. Earth 2 — the bold idea that launched the season — didn’t live up to the hype. The show lacked the interest or budget to fully realize it. Maybe next year. The emotional angle of the multiverse didn’t always work for me, either. ...

Barry’s romance with Patty (Shantel VanSanten) had some promise, but it felt like romance for the sake of romance, and it didn’t make sense he’d pursue it in light of the ongoing threat of Zoom and other struggles. His continued romantic fixation with Iris (Candice Patton) — with his adopted sister — will never work for me. Barry’s rapport with Joe, animated by great Gustin/Martin chemistry, is one the show’s greatest strengths and best sources of meaning. There wasn’t enough of it in season 2, due to the decision to introduce a biological son for Joe, Wally West (Keiynan Lonsdale), and the effort to nurture Barry’s motivation for changing time by emphasizing his attachment to Henry. ...

Zoom was a bust. He began as an alluring mystery but lost zip over time. Once revealed as Sears’ “Jay Garrick” (an identity he stole of Shipp’s Earth-3 character), Zoom became a weak embodiment of generic villainy .... His motivations and madness went from muddy to banal, his tactics made no sense. ...

... I worry the show is running out of producible ideas for expressions of Barry’s abilities. The Flash needs an imagination upgrade. But can the show afford it?

The Flash has a great cast and winning characters, relationships and chemistries that can rock inspired material. I wonder, though, if the show is running out of inspiration.

Edited June 3, 2016 by Trini

[Trini]

We Got This Covered:

Quote

This year, the show lost a bit of that initial charm which made it such an immediate draw due to some messy plotting in the first half of the season, the unfair but very real comparisons made between this year’s villain Zoom and last year’s big bad the Reverse Flash, and the feeling that The Flash was maybe skittering a little too close to Arrow’s melodramatic tone. ...

... Season two didn’t totally disperse of its humor (or, crucially, its heart), but it did allow Barry Allen to adopt a more self-serious mentality, which took some of the overall sense of fun away from his character.

There’s a way to be noble, pure and righteous without being an overly bland caricature.... Even with the late season reveal that he wasn’t actually the real Jay though, it didn’t make this character’s injection into the already cluttered and aimless first half of the season any better. ...

... Also worth noting is that Patty Spivot’s inclusion highlighted just how poorly The Flash handles writing storylines for more than one female character at a time.

... [Iris'] inclusion this year, particularly in the back half of the season, was clear proof as to why Candice Patton is such an asset to the show. Iris and her relationships with Wally, her dad, Barry and even her back and forth with Cisco bring out the best in those characters and we hope that the writers give her even more to do in season 3.

Carlos Valdes became the genuine breakout actor of the show last year by bringing both humor and pathos to his role, which only continued to grow consistently this year. ...

... If anything, since we know that Gustin can effortlessly sell the emotional aspects of Barry, it would be nice for the show to allow him to play the confident version of the character again as well. ...

In the end, the lack of consistency was the biggest hurdle for The Flash this year. The show would go on for a few episodes finding itself back in its campier, comic book roots and then switch in tone and try to be taken seriously again, making its hero a dour, walking Shakespeare tragedy. But, when the season hit its stride it absolutely soared.

Edited June 3, 2016 by Trini

[Trini]

IGN: (Some of the author's points I actually feel the opposite about...)

Quote

... This season met and occasionally even exceeded the heights of its predecessor. But it was also a more uneven and ultimately more flawed experience in the end. ...

The addition of parallel worlds this season wasn't just the latest example of Greg Berlanti and friends delving into all corners of DC's mythology, it was a fun shake-up that resulted in a wealth of both comedy and drama. Seeing characters like Cisco, Caitlin and Linda Park face off with their alternate universe doppelgangers never got old.  No character benefited more from the doppelganger concept than Harrison Wells. ...

... Barry went through a lot of emotional highs and lows this season, including a second tear-jerking, phone call reunion with his mother in "Welcome to Earth-2" and multiple traumatic clashes with Zoom. To their credit, the writers didn't try to force a happy ending out of Barry's arc, either. By the end of the finale, Barry was at an even lower point than he was a year before, which fueled his decision to make another ill-advised trip back in time. He'll no doubt be dealing with the consequences of that act for some time to come. ...

The Flash also deserves credit for the way the writers are able to weave romantic drama into the narrative without it coming across as forced or unnecessary, which isn't something that can always be said for its sisters series. The ongoing romance between Barry and Patty Spivot (Shantel Van Santen) was always entertaining, thanks in large part to the stellar chemistry between Gustin and Van Santen. And if Iris was never the most compelling character in any given episode, she definitely improved this year thanks to her more proactive behavior and her deepening bond with Barry. ...

There was no shortage of movie-worthy special effects this year, whether it was the various high-speed races between Barry and Zoom, the trips between dimensions and into the Speed Force or the return of Gorilla Grodd. But even Grodd's return was eclipsed by the debut of another all-CG villain, King Shark....

But Season 2 was a bit more uneven than Season 1. It was prone to more highs and lows. The first half of the season suffered from an annoying lack of focus at times. ...

And now to the issue of Zoom. This villain was tricky in that he was simultaneously one of the best and one of the worst aspects of the season. He had a very see-saw-type effect on the show. ... Luckily, Zoom's characterization improved as the second half of the season unfolded. We learned much more about the villain's past and motivations, including the big twist that Zoom was actually Hunter Zolomon/Jay Garrick and that Team Flash's newest ally was no ally at all. ...

That spark didn't quite sustain the Zoom conflict until the end of the season, unfortunately. After a pair of top-notch episodes in "Rupture" and "The Runaway Dinosaur," the season seemed to lose a great deal of momentum in its final two chapters. "Invincible" frustrated both in the lack of focus on Zoom's metahuman army wreaking havoc on the city and because so much of the conflict hinged on Barry behaving stupidly for the sake of the plot (not the first time he was guilty of that this season). ...

[Trini]

Tweets from Grant; sounds encouraging...

[Trini]

Promo with "Run, Barry, run" clips from Season 2:

Edited June 5, 2016 by Trini

[Trini]

Carlos and Danielle answer fan questions (very short); maybe we'll get a few ,ore with the other cast over the summer:

[Trini]

From the CW upfronts red carpet; TVLine asked 'what was your favorite scene to shoot?'. Among other actors, there's Grant(1:18) and Carlos(4:10):

[Trini]

A few more Teen Choice nominations for Flash:

Quote

Choice TV Villain
Brett Dalton, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Greg Germann, Once Upon A Time
Lea Michele, Scream Queens
Cameron Monaghan, Gotham
Janel Parrish, Pretty Little Liars
Teddy Sears, The Flash

Choice TV Chemistry
Ashley Benson & Tyler Blackburn, Pretty Little Liars
Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber, Fuller House
Kat Graham & Ian Somerhalder, The Vampire Diaries
Jared Padalecki & Misha Collins, Supernatural
Candice Patton & Grant Gustin, The Flash
Eliza Taylor & Bob Morley, The 100

Choice TV Liplock
Emily Bett Rickards & Stephen Amell, Arrow
Chelsea Kane & Derek Theler, Baby Daddy
Candice King & Paul Wesley, The Vampire Diaries
Jennifer Morrison & Colin O’Donoghue, Once Upon A Time
Candice Patton & Grant Gustin, The Flash
Leah Pipes & Joseph Morgan, The Originals

[romantic idiot]

Have these people never heard of Orphan Black? Or Sense8?

Edited June 10, 2016 by romantic idiot

[quarks]

Romantic Idiot, I think it's a pretty open secret by now that the TCAs are rigged awards, focused more on PR needs than quality. In this particular case, I don't think it's so much that Fox hasn't heard of Orphan Black or Sense8, but more that the PR departments of BBC America and Netflix didn't bother to contact Fox for whatever reason. 

I think this is a nice PR boost for The Flash, and I think that WestAllen fans can/should be happy about the recognition since it shows that the CW's PR department likes WestAllen and/or currently thinks that promoting WestAllen is a good thing for the show. But otherwise, I wouldn't read much into this. 

[Lady Calypso]

On 6/11/2016 at 9:24 AM, quarks said:

Romantic Idiot, I think it's a pretty open secret by now that the TCAs are rigged awards, focused more on PR needs than quality.

I can agree with this. Actually, there's one moment that I remember a few years back that made me eventually drop the TCA's and that was reading the disclaimer at the end of the show, and it says this:

So in reality, this particular award show doesn't matter to me because you can't know if they are the genuine results, or just picked by producers to fit a pattern or theme that they're going for. It's really for PR and to draw attention for certain shows. 

Edited June 12, 2016 by Lady Calypso