5 Things We Need to See in Season One of CW’s THE FLASH


CW’s The Flash has me impatiently waiting for the fall television season. With Arrow getting a third season and an extended trailer showing fans what to look forward to in the upcoming show, this will be the chance for DC Comics to truly flex their media muscle. Last year I wrote an article about how the Scarlet Speedster deserved an animated series (which you can read here), but a live TV show will do just as well. Multiple reports have stated that the goal of this show is be almost the opposite of Arrow, its TV counterpart. With that in mind, there are some things that fans need to see in the first season to really drive that message home.

#5 – CSI FOCUSED EPISODES

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In the world of superheroes, Barry Allen has a unique point of view in crime fighting since he’s a police officer. More to the point, he’s a forensic investigator. I have no doubt that more than a few episodes will be dedicated to showing Barry’s skills on a crime scenes instead of fighting metahumans. Some might argue that this will slow down the show’s pace, but I disagree. Part of what made the 1990s series so fascinating was that Barry often went to a lab or two to figure out his next move. Even Batman refers to forensics when he’s not running around scaring people and has stated outright that he admires Barry’s expertise in that field. At least 2-3 forensic focused episodes will show a whole new side to the way people look at superheroes and attract viewers who are into cop dramas like CSI, Law & Order, NCIS, and so forth.

#4 – COSTUME CHANGE

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Awesome photoshop by BossLogic

Comic book fans often have to accept certain changes when superhero properties are adapted to the mainstream media and The Flash is no different. I’ve accepted that Barry will have a team helping him like in the 1990s series, I’ve accepted that the particle accelerator accident is what causes the birth of metahumans, I’ve even accepted that Iris West will be black (I’m torn between my identities as a black man and comic book purist), but I abhor Flash’s costume in this show. I know a lot of people are saying this look is better because it’s more realistic, but that’s the problem. Keeping a lot of realism for these things make sense when dealing with characters like Batman and Green Arrow because they have no powers. But when you’re dealing with someone that outruns jets and stops tornadoes, a little realism can be thrown out. I expect Barry to keep the look for most of the season since it’s an experimental suit and not a costume, but I hope he starts tinkering with it at some point. I’m not saying it has to look exactly like the comic book suit (even though the image above looks awesome), but they can at least make it less burgundy and more hot-rod red. It worked for Iron Man.

#3 – BARRY/FELICITY EPISODES

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I know a lot of female fans of Arrow are waiting for that moment when Oliver Queen finally hooks up with Felicity Smoak. In fact, a lot of scenes are written into the show just to tease them. Personally, I hope this never happens. Why? Because Oliver Queen is one of the biggest players in comic books and that part of his character has transferred well on television. Seriously a lot of that show’s first season was about him making up for all that lost time without a little tail. In fact, two of his conquests have tried to kill him while another got paralyzed from a case he was working on. I think Felicity’s life is dangerous enough as is. The chemistry between her and Barry was a high point of the second season and she visited him while he was comatose. Before gravitating towards Iris like we all know he will, I hope an episode or two is dedicated towards Barry trying to establish something with Felicity. After all, what’s more adorable than nerd love?

#2 – FRIENDS BECOME ALLIES/ENEMIES

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Just like Ollie, Barry won’t be fighting crime alone. He’ll have his own team comprised of S.T.A.R. Labs employees Caitlin Snow and Francisco Ramon. For those who don’t know, those are the names of DC Comics’ Killer Frost and Vibe. I think it would be a great season finale to have these two develop powers like a lot of other people in Central City will. A big fight with Killer Frost would not only be nice to see, but could also be written as an inspiration for Leonard Snart to become Captain Cold later on in the series. Also, DC Comics recently gave Vibe a power upgrade and made him part of A.R.G.U.S. That means we could get more episodes involving Amanda Waller and her crew. And what about Dr. Ellis, the inventor of the particle accelerator? The possibilities for this show seem endless.

#1 – GORILLA GRODD

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A lot of people say that you can’t have something Flash-related without Captain Cold. I say it can’t be done without Gorilla Grodd, the super intelligent ape with mind control powers and an over-evolved ego. Considered to be one of the Flash’s biggest enemies, his involvement would be a complete 180 from the villains seen in Arrow, giving The Flash a truly sci-fi villain. In DC’s New 52, The Flash is spoken of in a prophecy by the citizens of Gorilla City. Grodd, the newly crowned gorilla king, saw him as a threat to his power, and sought to kill him. Having him observe The Flash’s heroic deeds would make another great season finale, setting up fans for an action packed second season. I’m willing to bet that the success of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes will determine if he shows up, since super smart apes could be in high demand soon.

What do you expect to see in CW’s The Flash? Drop a comment below!