It's Official: the Upcoming 'Flash' TV Series is a Must-Watch

I just got to chance to watch The Flash pilot that has been leaked in the Net.  And, boy, I will definitely watch every single episode of this new series once it finally gets officially shown.

Though I adored the first image of the titular character, the trailer for the pilot never made the show appealing to me.  It felt underwhelming.  So, since there’s a  TV shows that I’ve been watching already, and a lot more cool shows worth watching are coming, I decided that I would give it a pass for the time being and would just check it out in a later time (or if there’s enough awesome buzz of its awesomeness), like I have done with Arrow, the show it spun-off from, so far. 

But then the pilot was leaked, and since 24: Live Another Day and Defiance are the only shows I’m currently watching these days – for the majority of TV shows I’m following are still in hiatus or aren’t being aired yet – I have the time and proceeded to check it out.   And despite of it being basically the same thing that the trailer had already revealed (seriously, if you have seen the 5-minute trailer, then you have watched the entire plot of the pilot), watching it in its entirety made me excited for the rest of the show.  Heck, I like it so much that there’s a good chance I might even pick up Arrow, too.  

I’ve always been reading that Arrow is doing a good job covering as much of the DC Universe as possible.  Between Arrow and The Flash, we might see an epic DC TV Universe happening.  And if DC even manage to get the upcoming Constantine show to be part of the same universe Arrow and The Flash are existing in, though improbable and undisclosed at this point, then that could be another big step for them.   

As for Gotham, I’m not expecting it to be connected to Arrow, The Flash, or Constantine.  The premise of Gotham just doesn’t feel right being in this potential shared universe.  Besides, so far, I do not like the gratuitous need of infusing a lot of the Batman mythos in it when we’re not really getting a legitimate Batman show in the first place; everything just seems to me as a poor gimmick devoid of creativity.  So far, this show still hasn’t provided enough reason to make me watch it once it’s aired.

Regardless of whether an extensive and abundant DC TV Universe will come into fruition or not, The Flash is probably going to be worth watching as it is. 

The lead alone seems sufficient enough to carry this show by himself when required.  I’ve always loved “the Flash” character, but I’ve always preferred Wally West over Barry Allen.  However, The Flash’s Barry Allen is “Peter Parker-esque” – it’s as if there’s a lot of Parker’s trademark geeky charm, strong sense of moral responsibility, and bearing in The Flash’s depiction of Barry Allen – making this version mightily interesting.  If this is sustained through the show, there’s a chance that this Flash could become my favorite speedster.  

I also approve of the use of an exploding “particle accelerator” as the main catalyst for the creation of “meta-humans” like Flash in the show’s universe.  Just like Smallville’s use of “green meteor rocks” (i.e. Kryptonite) as plot device to provide super-powers for the antagonists that young Clark Kent had to face, this is also what The Flash’s “particle accelerator” explosion has provided: a common origin for the existence of superpowers, which made the production of super-powered antagonists that the hero has to face less complicated and more convenient for the plot.   But unlike Smallville’s decision of using green Kryptonite as power-giving rocks, which I recognize as necessary but still stupid, the course that The Flash took is far more brilliant and plausible (in fact, the mechanics of how Barry got his powers here was probably a better origin).   So this is how Flash’s gallery of rogues is going to be launched in this show.  The pilot had Weather Warlock.  Reverse-Flash, Killer Frost (who is surprisingly an initial ally), and Gorilla Grodd appearing in future episodes was also hinted by the pilot.   I can’t wait to see the rest of them, since next to Batman and Spider-Man, the Flash is the superhero that has the most interesting collection of arch-villains. 

I’m really looking forward to get into this series.  If the pilot was any indication, it’s going to be pretty rewarding.  The pilot laid down a solid premise and cast, and it has tons of potential to be worth getting excited about. 

The Flash is set to officially premiere on October.