The Flash Season One

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

Holy cow, that was the best thing the CW has ever given me for my birthday.

This is everything I'd want a Flash show to be. There are some changes to the mythos -- the particle accelerator being the source of most or all of the super powers in the area -- but I'm okay with that. It gives the show some unity, and asks us to believe one unbelievable thing instead of asking us to believe a new unbelievable thing every week. I think it's a smart approach. 

Grant Gustin is perfect as Barry -- younger than when I'd first encountered the character, but with so much heart and good humor. I'm stunned at how well he inhabits the part.
I'm most concerned about Thawne's inclusion -- I hope they don't rush through that, putting the prime suspect for his mother's murder right up front. And, frankly, I think growing up with Iris is makes that relationship a little odd, too... and ultimately she might not be the one he ends up with because of that dynamic. (I don't think they plan for that not to happen, but it might be that the show finds itself unable to surmount the squick factor and decides to go another way.)

But I love the cast, the supporting characters (especially at the lab) are great, and I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes! For me, this is head and shoulders above Gotham -- even after this week's ridiculous Balloon Man episode, where I'm finally starting to enjoy it for the cheese it brings to the table.

[Ron M.]

Wells never gave him a name and just called him The Time Traveler. He also never gave the Invisible Man a first name. Maybe he was very bad at names like Robert E. Howard was.

[Richard Willis]

The Flash has a new episode on January 20 (tomorrow) featuring Captain Cold and Heat Wave.

[Richard Willis]

Now we have coming up Lisa Snart, Pied Piper, and Grodd!

[Philip Portelli]

Iris' stuffed turtle was named McSnurtle the Turtle who in the Golden Age was THE TERRFIC WHATZIT who resembled the original FLASH!

[Mark Sullivan (Vertiginous Mod)]

Grrr. I went out to dinner last night and started watching the Agent Carter rerun already in progress when I got back. Completely forgot to check to see if there was a new Flash!

[Richard Willis]

I wasn't aware of McSnurtle so didn't catch the reference. In case anyone is wondering, he first appeared in Funny Stuff #1, which was also a DC comic. 

Philip Portelli said:

Iris' stuffed turtle was named McSnurtle the Turtle who in the Golden Age was THE TERRFIC WHATZIT who resembled the original FLASH!

[Richard Willis]

On the Gotham thread, Jeff mentioned Firefly. Watching the latest Flash episode I thought they had combined the burn-scarred Firefly with Heat Wave. In the Silver Age Heat Wave didn't have burn scars. Did they do this for the show or was it a comics ret-con I don't know about?

[Richard Willis]

I can't find the post, but someone recently commented that DC was promoting the Flash and Arrow shows but was ignoring the Gotham and Constantine shows because they aren't Warner Brothers shows.

I was reminded that Warner Brothers show Big Bang Theory has a comic shop with only comics, statues etc from DC.

By the way, the CW Network is a joint venture from CBS and Warner.

[Bob Buethe]

Some random thoughts:

• I'm glad that they remembered that Heat Wave's real name is Mick Rory, and didn't refer to the Who's Who in the DC Universe entry that mistakenly said his name was Rory Calhoun. The comics actually called him Calhoun for a while.
• Does anyone else think that the guy playing Eddie Thawne looks more like the Barry Allen of the comics than Grant Gustin does?
• Last night we learned that Martin Stein's "Firestorm" project was funded by an unknown benefactor who is interested in the concept of transmutation. I wonder if that could have been Simon Stagg? (Probably not, but I can hope.)
• All that Roy Bivolo did was use a red glow from his eyes to drive people into a rage. For this, Cisco nicknamed him "Rainbow Raider?" You'd think he should have used a couple of his other emotion-controlling powers (yellow/fear, violet/passion, green/jealousy, blue/sadness) before anyone would deduce the color connection.
• It's been announced that Mark Hamill will be reprising his role as the Trickster soon. I think, then, that the only original Rogues left to appear will be Mirror Master, Abra Kadabra, the Top (unlikely, I think), and Mr Element/Dr. Alchemy (ditto, unless he turns out to be Stein's mystery financier; that could be interesting).
• Richard mentioned Lisa Snart above, but didn't add (for those who don't remember her) that she was the Golden Glider. She was a champion figure skater determined to avenge her lover, Roscoe Dillon (the Top), who apparently died as a result of fighting the Flash. She wore skates that generated their own ice (not unlike Iceman's ice slides, using her brother's technology) and used gimmicked gems as weapons.

[Bob Buethe]

Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod) said:

I'm pretty sure the dead villain from the first episode was Clyde Marden, Mark's brother. (Who, in his original origin, Mark killed for the Weather Wand.)

Almost. Mark had escaped from prison, and planned to hide out in his brother's isolated home. When he got there, he found Clyde in his lab dead from a heart attack, with the detailed plans he was working on for constructing a weather-control device. Mark completed the gadget and decided to use it against society, which he held in contempt.

(That's the Silver Age version, at least. Maybe it was rewritten for the New 52. I don't know.)

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

Ach, you're right about Weather Wizard! I knew that, but was flummoxed by what I think is the New 52 origin -- or maybe an earlier Geoff Jonhns revision -- where Mark killed his brother. 

And yes, I think Det. Thawne looks more like comics Barry than Barry! But I'm glad we've got Grant Gustin playing the role -- I think he's the stronger actor of the two.

And you should have heard me cheer when they name-dropped McSnurtle!

[Bob Buethe]

I didn't pick up on the McSnurtle reference. I never read any of his Golden Age stories, but I remember when Roy Thomas brought him back in Captain Carrot #9.