THE FLASH Comes Back Around

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'The Flash - The Complete Third Season' on Blogcritics.

The Flash – The Complete Third Season has arrived! The show’s junior year begins with Barry Allen having altered time to save his mother’s life. Unfortunately for Barry, that comes with a whole host of unforeseen consequences. Barry seeks to reverse the new timeline, dubbed Flashpoint, but despite his best efforts, things don’t exactly go back to normal. There are many consequences for him to deal with, testing the superhero in new and challenging ways.

I like The Complete Third Season‘s premise a lot. Many shows and movies have dealt with time travel, but few have gotten into the realistic intricacies of it. The fact that Barry Allen, a.k.a. The Flash (Grant Gustin), changes something doesn’t meant it can easily be undone. In The Flash, time is portrayed as a fragile thing, and while much can be set back to the way it was, there will always be differences that cannot be undone. Barry learns his lesson early in the year not to screw with the past again, though he has to deal with the fallout from his actions for a long time to come.

The character-driven story goes hand-in-hand with the neat science fiction element. The best superheroes aren’t perfect, and learn the hard way that their actions have consequences. Even if they do something with the noblest of intentions, the world doesn’t always let them off the hook. This is a very hard lesson to learn, but an authentic tale to tell. The weight of it gives a new angle to Barry that I enjoyed very much.

Hanging over the whole season is another time-travel related problem: tossed briefly into the future, Barry sees Iris West (Candice Patton), the love of his life, perish at the hands of Savitar, the Big Bad this year. Obviously, Barry wants to change this future, and has a very hard time doing so. This opens up the dichotomy of time also being hard to change, and even after learning a lesson, there may be a desire to repeat the mistake. This complexity, combined with the above, makes for a very pleasing run of episodes.

There are many other highlights in the twenty-three episode season. I loved the musical crossover episode with Supergirl, “Duet,” which made good use of the strong singing talents of both casts. Patton did an excellent job portraying an Iris that could accept her fate. Cisco’s (Carlos Valdes) flirty relationship with new frenemy Gypsy (Jessica Camacho, Sleepy Hollow) is fun, as is the inclusion of H.G., the third major character played by Tom Cavanagh in three seasons. Adding Julian Albert (Tom Felton, the Harry Potter films) to the cast nicely shook up the dynamic. A visit to Gorilla City made for a cool way to play up the different worlds The Flash deals with. And it is very hard not to be delighted by Caitlin’s turn as Killer Frost (Danielle Panabaker), evil as she may be.

The Complete Third Season does expose a glaring problem with setting multiple television series in the same universe, though. Savitar is a truly terrible villain, and the possibility of losing Iris is just about the worst thing Barry can imagine. Yet, Barry doesn’t call upon the Green Arrow, Supergirl, or any of his other super-powered friends for help (save a one-episode appearance by Snart (Wentworth Miller)). Given how serious the situation is and how desperate he becomes, Barry should be making use of any avenue available to him, so it doesn’t make sense that he doesn’t recruit his pals from the other shows. The mid-season crossover event was OK, but there really should be more integration in a story with such intense stakes.

The Flash – The Complete Third Season comes with a wealth of extras, including TEN featurettes! Unfortunately, one of them is the 2016 Comic-Con panel for the show, and as covered in other recent reviews, sticking it on the last disc of the set isn’t very helpful; we really need next year’s panel, or, at minimum, put it on the first disc to view before the episodes. But the other featurettes, covering a variety of topics, are good, and there are also deleted scenes and a gag reel.

The Flash – The Complete Third Season is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital.

VIXEN - THE MOVIE

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Vixen - The Movie' on Blogcritics.

I’m sure most people interested in superheroes know of The CW’s excellent DC lineup, which includes Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. But did you know that The CW Seed, the online off-shoot of the network, also has a DC animated series called Vixen? Originally released as two seasons of a handful of short installments ranging from four to seven minutes in length, all of the run has now been combined into Vixen – The Movie, available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD.

Vixen - The Movie does sort of feel like a movie. It isn’t super obvious where one episode from the web series ends and another begins, other than if you assume it happens at scene changes. And while the overall run is kind of segmented into three parts – season one, a fifteen-minute interlude, and season two – the story of Mari McCabe (Megalyn Echikunwoke, The 4400, House of Lies) finding her identity and her powers, which involves controlling the spirits of animals, does help it gel together, albeit without a very definitive ending. Still, the whole thing, overall, comes across as more cohesive than I expected.

The weakest point actually is the new stuff, which is inserted into the middle. While it is relevant to Mari embracing the Vixen identity and learning how to control her powers, it also feels weird and out of place, with no virtually no continuity crossover into the two seasons. This is because Mari already seems to have a decent handle on things from instinct in the first thirty minutes, so it’s almost a step backwards to struggle with how to use them later, and we don’t see her continue the job she accepts into the latter section. I would rather the story had just skipped the year that follows to get to the last thirty minutes if they weren’t going to connect it better. Though, is a running time of less than sixty minutes long enough to be considered a movie?

Vixen isn’t as good as the other DC shows, mainly because the world it portrays is even simpler and more two-dimensional than the live-action incarnations. With most superhero series, there’s a certain amount of black and white in how characters view the world, and that’s an accepted part of the genre. But certain occurrences in Vixen – The Movie, such as Mari forgiving Macalester (Sean Patrick Thomas, The District) so easily, or the handling of what a small world Mari is from in Africa, seem cartoonish, rather than real.

But this is a cartoon, and the target audience is more than likely children. For this, it works. It is better than other children’s superhero cartoons I’ve seen, including the two episodes of the short-lived Justice League Unlimited included in this release’s extras. It’s entertaining, Mari’s powers are cool, and there are decent action scenes. The family drama is interesting, and the hero herself is at least lightly layered. I do wish the characters weren’t so still when they aren’t talking or fighting, but I did find Vixen – The Movie enjoyable.

If you’re a fan of the DC shows on The CW, Vixen – The Movie fits into that universe well. Among the characters crossing over into the animated world are Green Arrow (Stephen Amell), The Flash (Grant Gustin), Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes), Black Canary (Katie Cassidy), The Atom (Brandon Routh), and Firestorm (Franz Drameh and Victor Garber). These give the universe some cohesion, and make the new film feel a part of the cannon, which it is.

I also like the performers they’ve recruited just for this project, which include Echikunwoke, Neil Flynn (Scrubs, The Middle), Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Black Sails), and Anika Noni Rose (The Good Wife, Dreamgirls). So again, overall, pretty good cast.

Sadly, Vixen – The Movie is lacking in bonus features. There are the aforementioned episodes of Justice League Unlimited episodes from more than a decade ago, which feature Gina Torres (Suits, Firefly) as Vixen. I find both of them boring and not great examples of children’s entertainment. Then there’s a very brief documentary about how Vixen fits in the DC landscape, which is interesting, but at only about six minutes, far too short. So the extras are not going to sway a would-be-buyer to make the purchase.

Though, if you’re already a fan of The CW shows, or you have a child who needs a good female superhero role model, or even just a bit of light entertainment, I recommend checking out Vixen – The Movie, available now.

THE FLASH Zooms Past the Competition

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'The Flash - The Complete Second Season' on Blogcritics.


Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this blog post. The opinions I share are my own.

While the DC comic universe fails to find success on the big screen, it excels on the small, especially for the shows that air on the CW. The best of these is The Flash, which follows speedster Barry Allen and his friends as they fight metahumans in Central City. The Complete Second Season of The Flash comes to Blu-ray and DVD this Tuesday, September 6th, with the four-disc set providing all twenty-three episodes and a host of extras.

The Flash – The Complete Second Season picks up right where the first year left off. Barry (Grant Gustin) saves the world from a temporal vortex, but in the process, attracts the attention of the people on the other side. Let’s call where those other people live Earth 2, because that’s what the show names their locale. Like their counterparts on our Earth (Earth 1), Earth 2 residents deal with metahumans, but while many of their faces seem familiar, with all of the main cast popping up in alter ego form, their personalities do not.

Introducing Earth 2 is convenient for The Flash. It lets the actors on the show have some fun, with heroes tapping into their inner villain. It also keeps things unpredictable, including who someone is at times, since there’s always another character who looks exactly the same lurking nearby. It opens the door for another version of The Flash from the comics, this one named Jay Garrick (Teddy Sears, Masters of Sex), and a new big bad, Zoom. Most importantly, it allows The Flash to retain Tom Cavangh in the cast, whose Harrison Wells turned out to be the bad guy in season one, and was promptly killed.

Normally, I would worry that having Cavangh come back as a very different Dr. Wells cheapens the other Wells’ death. In this case, however, it does not, partly because fans weren’t sad about the first one’s death. The Flash has firmly established the differences between the various characters that each cast member plays, and because the tone of the series is fun, rather than high drama, it enhances things to bring back a solid actor as someone else. I don’t want to give much away about the ending of the season, but I found myself very, very grateful for the convention at year’s close.

Which is not to say that The Flash doesn’t have some new players this year, too. Wally West (Keiynan Lonsdale, Dance Academy), Joe’s (Jesse L. Martin) long-lost son, shows up, as does Harrison’s daughter, Jesse (Violett Beane, The Leftovers). Again, I often find it annoying when TV programs bring in new family members, but again, The Flash bucks the trend and makes these two worthwhile contributors who help the show, not hurt it. This is a rare series that can go in expected directions, but use its charm to make that all right.

There are a LOT of extras on The Flash – The Complete Second Season. There’s the now-obligatory shortened Comic Con panel that we all wish was longer, along with deleted scenes and a gag reel. I am also very excited about the inclusion of an episode of Arrow from the shows’ two-part crossover, both halves of which are also in Arrow’s recent release, the doubling up beneficial for those who only follow one of the series (though you should watch both).

There are also a ton of featurettes on special effects, which is great for a show that has so many, and some shorts focuses on important story points, such as Barry and Iris’ (Candice Patton) relationship, the backstory of Firestorm, an introduction to Dr. Light, and many more. A lot of these maybe should have been in the DC’s Legends of Tomorrow DVD set instead, given that some of those featured are main characters on that spin-off, but at least fans get them here, better than never seeing them at all. Overall, it’s a ton of material, much of it good (though some is fluff), and I give the set high marks for its bonus features.

The Flash – The Complete Second Season will be released this Tuesday.

ARROW Finds Target

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Arrow - The Complete Fourth Season' on Blogcritics.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this blog post. The opinions I share are my own.

The CW’s Arrow is coming back for year five soon, so let’s take a look at the WB release of The Complete Fourth Season, available now. The four-disc set contains all twenty-three episodes of the run (of course), plus a handful of bonus features.

The end of season three found our hero, Oliver (Stephen Amell), and his gal, Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards), riding off into the sunset together. It’s no surprise that they will be drawn back home early in the season, as Arrow wouldn’t work without the whole team, which also includes Laurel (Katie Cassidy), Diggle (David Ramsey), and Thea (Willa Holland), in Star City. It’s also no surprise that the couple will go through their share of drama over the course of this run, as an hour-long series needs personal strife in order to keep it humming along.

Thus, season four is as much about Oliver and Felicity finding identities apart from one another as it is them finding a way to work together. While Felicity struggles to run the company she is now CEO of, Oliver jumps into a frantic election for mayor of the city. It’s good material for each to work with, even as long-time shippers will ache each time something comes between them, and the frequent additions of Felicity’s mother, Donna (Charlotte Ross), and employee, Curtis (Echo Kellum), are a delight.

A lot of the first half of this season is very obviously gearing up for the mid-year launch of spin-off DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Several of the characters announced for that show (which was released on Blu-ray, Digital, and DVD a week earlier) are dead in the Arrow cannon, so in order to prevent that new program from being bogged down in origin stories, they must be brought back on Arrow. The result is lots of screen time having to be given up from the main arcs in order to accommodate this set up, though it isn’t too distracting, since these are mostly characters Arrow fans already care about.

Speaking of caring, a nearly year-long tease of Oliver at a grave provides a compelling mystery that propels the plot. By the time we realize who has been buried, there have been multiple false starts, but not enough to take away from the impact of the death. (SPOILER!) Press materials promising a return in some form do not do much to lessen the sting, at least at this point, and did not come to light until well after the fateful hour aired.

The main drag on year four is the same one that brought down years two and three: the flashbacks. Even as each subsequent present-day story gets better and better, Oliver’s journey leading up to the beginning of the series has become tedious and unimportant. While it does give some scant clues about the Big Bad this season, Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough), it’s not enough to be worth it. Hopefully, knowing season five will complete this arc will infuse the events with a new sense of urgency to make them less cumbersome in the upcoming installments.

The best bonus on this set is The Flash crossover episode. Arrow and The Flash did a two-parter in the fall, and while I suspect most of the audience is shared between the two, I appreciate that Arrow makes it easy for those who just watch this show to follow along. Three featurettes are more mixed. I think the one on Darhk is definitely appropriate, but cared much less for those on Hawkman and Hawkgirl, the most forgettable characters in Legends, introduced in this episodes in this set. There is also another regrettably truncated Comic Con panel, as well as some deleted scenes and a gag reel. So, overall, the amount of material included is fine, but the quality is a bit lacking.

Still, I definitely recommend checking out Arrow – The Complete Fourth Season, now on sale.

DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW Aired A Couple Days Ago

Article first published as DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW Review on Seat42F.

 

Thursday, January 21^st brings one of, if not the, most anticipated mid-season premiere on the broadcast networks. DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW, a spin-off combining characters from the popular shows The Flash and Arrow, launches, expanding the comic book universe on the network, and making three simultaneously running series set in the same universe. It’s the culmination of the crossovers that have worked very well for the two shows, and a chance to see some fan favorite characters a lot more often. While Marvel is winning at the box office, DC is dominating the small screen.

The premise of DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW is well publicized, so I don’t mind recapping it here. Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill, Doctor Who, Broadchurch) comes back in time from a bleak future in which Vandal Savage (Casper Crump) is destroying the world. To prevent catastrophe, Rip assembles eight people remembered in history as legends to team up and stop Vandal before his rise to power. These include: Professor Martin Stein (Victor Garber) and Jefferson Jackson (Franz Drameh), who together become Firestorm; the resurrected Sara Lance (Caity Lotz), now the White Canary; Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh), a.k.a. The Atom; the immortal Hawkman (Falk Hentschel) and Hawkgirl (Ciara Renee), also known as Chay-Ara and Khufu, who have their own history with Vandal; and the villainous Leonard Snart (Wentworth Miller) and Mick Rory (Dominic Purcell), dubbed Captain Cold and Heat Wave because of their weapons.

The group is undeniably fun. By including antagonists alongside protagonists, there is natural conflict and varied motivations. The spectrum runs from the idealistic (Ray) to the in-it-for-themselves (Leonard and Mick), from those seeking redemption (Sara) to those just out for adventure (Martin). Some have a personal stake in the outcome, while others want to prove something to themselves. None stand out as “the” star, all coming from second-fiddle status on Arrow and / or The Flash, making DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW one of the truest, most balanced ensembles assembled.

While not all of the actors are on the level of Garber or Darvill, both fantastic actors, they are well used in these roles. The writers have smartly figured out the characters, and played to the strengths of the individual performers as much as possible. Miller and Purcell are delightfully re-teamed after their stint on Prison Break as brothers, albeit with a totally different chemistry. Overall, it’s a nice assembly.

I wouldn’t say my review of the pilot is quite as glowing as how excited I am about the premise. With expectations high, DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW has a lot to live up to, and while it gets off to a decent start, it still has some way to go.

The main flaw I see is that this series was created when a group of people thought “Wouldn’t it be fun to see ____ together with ____.” It’s a hodgepodge of characters, not at all like an Avengers best-of-their-class team up. This is a great concept, but it takes a lot of skill and finesse to make it work. The first two hours fall just a bit short of that, at times having some really good interactions, particularly between Sara and Leonard, but at other times, feeling more like the idea is better than the execution.

There is hope, however. While the premise seems a bit weak at the start, there is a twist late in the first hour that does a lot to righting the course of the story and making things that seem off make more sense. I can’t reveal what I mean by that, but if you can get through that rocky beginning, it will result in a good pay off. The second half of the pilot, which will air a week later, is much better because of it.

At the end of the day, I remain excited about this show. It has a bit of maturing to do, not hitting the ground running as strong as The Flash did, but with a better start than Arrow’s. The sheer adventure element is so much fun, and I do look forward to the character growth that will surely emerge, as well as the larger scale story that this series is tailor-made to tackle. The CW has very valuable property on their hands with their DC partnership, and I hope they continue to make good use of it.

DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW premieres Thursday, January 21^st on the CW with the first half of the two-hour pilot.

Back in THE FLASH

Article originally published as THE FLASH Review "The Man Who Saved Central City" on Seat42F.

The Flash -- "The Man Who Saved Central City" Pictured: Grant Gustin as Barry Allen/ The Flash -- Photo: Cate Cameron /The CW

Last night’s season premiere of THE FLASH on CW picks up six months after the spring finale. The metropolis wants to honor “The Man Who Saved Central City,” meaning the titular superhero, but Barry (Grant Gustin) doesn’t feel like he’s the one who deserves the credit. After all, both Eddie (Rick Cosnett) and Ronnie (Robbie Amell) gave their lives in the fight, so Barry understandably is reluctant to receive praise. But the problem goes much further when he won’t allow anyone to help him be The Flash anymore and he encounters a villain, Atom-Smasher (wrestler Adam Copeland), whom he cannot defeat himself.

“The Man Who Saved Central City” is a great character-driven hour for Barry. His despair and urge to pull away in order to protect his loved ones is understandable, and one virtually every superhero goes through at one time or another. Thankfully, unlike, say, Arrow, Barry is much more accepting of the help others want to force upon him, and it only takes him a single hour to change his mind. Not that Iris (Candice Patton) and Joe (Jesse L. Martin) give him a choice in the matter.

Barry isn’t the only one who has split off from the group. Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) now finds Star Labs too painful to be in, constantly reminded of Ronnie. She blames herself from not leaving town with him when he asked her to go. As such, she’s accepted a job with a different lab and hasn’t kept in contact with anyone. It only takes one visit and heart-to-heart from Barry, though, to make her feel better. After all, the whole team needs to stick together, and she’s soon back where she belongs.

These elements show us how different THE FLASH is from Arrow and other superhero ventures. It has become in fashion to have our heroes be moody loners, and in many cases, that’s fine. But it’s also refreshing to get a lighter touch sometimes, and Barry is the type of individual this fits well with. The show can be dark in sections, but a thread of optimism runs through it and is an essential part of this series.

“The Man Who Saved Central City” is pretty cool overall. I like that it waits to show us Ronnie’s death, doling out details sparingly at first, but not to the point where it gets annoying. I enjoy very much Barry’s dream sequence at the beginning where he’s stopping Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) and Heat Wave (Dominic Purcell) with the help of his full team, making good use of recurring players. Cisco’s (Carlos Valdes) new job with the force is fun, and it’s gratifying to have Dr. Stein (Victor Garber) join the team. The idea that Barry is secretly rebuilding the city at night is neat, too, something most superheroes wouldn’t think to do.

Dr. Wells’ (Tom Cavanagh) presence hangs heavy over the season premiere. We see him in Barry’s dream, and in a video will. Both times he seems kinder, not the evil villain from the end of the season. Is THE FLASH seeking to redeem him? The video he leaves, which provides evidence that frees Henry (John Wesley Shipp) from prison, reaffirms this. I’m not opposed to such a reverse course as long as it’s handled well, giving reason to forgive him before his memory is improved upon. Will he still be around this season to keep the rebranding going, or was his name only in the opening credits for this one last hour?

Despite everything great about “The Man Who Saved Central City,” though, there are two glaring flaws that hurt the episode. One occurs when Joe, Cisco, and Iris openly discuss Barry being The Flash in the middle of the precinct. Aren’t they concerned about blowing his secret identity? Other officers have to hear them, and the last time I checked, only a small circle of people know that Barry is The Flash and it should stay that way. The second is that, right after getting out of prison, Henry leaves town with no explanation.

Henry’s excuse that he’ll get in Barry’s way of becoming who he’s meant to be is crap. Sure, he might be a distraction for a bit, but how does Henry being around impede Barry’s mission? Barry has lots of help, and none of them get in the way. Why doesn’t Barry push for further explanation? And where is Henry going? What else does he have to go to after fourteen years in jail? How is he going to start a new life elsewhere with nothing to his name?

Still, even with these missteps, THE FLASH is generally strong. It’s an entertaining show that has good story and characters. That makes it a show I look forward to each week.

THE FLASH airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on the CW.

ARROW / THE FLASH Crossover Is "Brave" and "Bond"

Article first published as ARROW Review Season Episode 8 The Brave and the Bold on Seat42F.

On this week’s installment of the CW’s ARROW, “The Brave and the Bold,” Oliver (Stephen Amell) and company get one step closer to figuring out who killed Sara, with a little help from some friends. It’s a crossover event that works well by serving ARROW’s main player more than the guest stars, using the visitors effectively, and handling a matchup with grace.

When I first heard about the ARROW / The Flash crossover, I was skeptical. That sort of thing is usually a stunt, which values showiness over quality. When the ads starting airing, billing this as being Arrow vs. The Flash, that seemed even worse. Why does the network need to pit two superhero friends against one another? Yet, what ends up emerging in the actual broadcast are two separate, excellent stories that highlight the similarities and differences between the series, while still staying true to the show they take place on.

The Flash’s first hour is very different in tone than ARROW’s second outing. ARROW is dark and gritty, firmly rooted in reality since its titular character has skills, not powers. The Flash is fun and flashy (pun intended), in keeping with the spirit of the young man who accidentally gains super speed. When Oliver visits The Flash, he seems out of place because he’s too serious for that world. When The Flash visits Arrow, he seems out of place because he takes things too lightly. They are perfectly matched to their own environments, and it’s clear that while The Flash may be a spin-off, it is also its own thing.

In The Flash episode, Oliver tries to teach Barry (Grant Gustin), a.k.a. The Flash, to be more aware of his surroundings, training him to be a better crime fighter. It’s a great scene, but it’s even better when Barry tries to apply this lesson in “The Brave and the Bold.” It’s a little corny that he thinks he’s mastering those skills after only a week of practice, but I like the interplay between the two, and how they learn from one another, Barry helping Oliver find his buried humanity.

Oliver may be serious and use brutal tactics, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about people. We’ve seen him go from killing the bad guys to only wounding them to get information, and he acts selflessly to save innocents. Part of this is because Team Arrow is helping to humanize its leader, Oliver’s friends reminding him that there are consequences to his actions and challenging him to be a better man. Having an outsider like Barry come in and reinforce that trend, able to make a more distanced judgment, allows Oliver to really see himself as others see him and extend that change.

It’s also loads of fun to see the two teams intermix. Cisco (Carlos Valdes) and Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) are appropriately impressed with Team Arrow’s hideout, being the geeks that they are. Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) makes some improvements in The Flash’s base, and Cisco returns the favor. The chemistry between this mix is charming, and I love that Roy (Colton Haynes) is so amused by the newcomers. I also love the casualness in how Barry accidentally reveals his identity to someone. Basically, any scene in which several main characters from both shows are together, “The Brave and the Bold” shines.

As mentioned, this ARROW installment does have its own semi-self-contained story. The villain from The Flash doesn’t carry over, which is smart because it doesn’t make sense for that to happen. Instead, The Flash characters visit more naturally, just anxious to see the base, and end up getting involved in Oliver’s investigation of a former A.R.G.U.S. agent because they are there.

The bad guy, Harkness (Nick Tarabay, Spartacus: War of the Damned), a.k.a. Captain Boomerang, is a very dangerous man. The fight scenes with him are intense, and he certainly poses a challenge to the efforts of everyone combined, which proves more team-ups might just not be welcome, but necessary in the future. He also brings Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson) further into the series’ story, which is great because she’s someone who really matters to Diggle (David Ramsey) and whom we haven’t seen enough of. She’s a valuable connection for the team to use.

At the end of all that, a showdown between The Flash and The Arrow is promised, but not shown. How can it be? In The Flash episode, they fight for a justifiable reason, Barry being under the influence of a bad guy, and they seem pretty evenly matched, which satisfies both fan camps. When they go to rematch, just for fun, it isn’t shown. Neither fan base wants to see their man lose, and there are many crossover viewers who can’t root for either to fail. It’s better to assume they both have their strengths and weaknesses and are both heroic men.

The flashback this week, seeming even more unnecessary than normal because I wanted to keep getting back to seeing the casts together, who has a limited window to play in, is actually pretty relevant. It illustrates Oliver’s loss of humanity at the same time Barry is helping Oliver realize he’s finding it again. As well as that fits together, though, it would be better to drop it and have some more bits of Cisco and Caitlin with Roy and Felicity.

The ARROW / The Flash crossover seems to me an unqualified success. It’s also structured in such a way to allow many such repetitions of the event in the future without seeming forced or hokey. Let’s hope the writers and producers make that happen, as difficult as it might be to do, production-wise.

ARROW will air its mid-season finale next Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on the CW.

ARROW Anything But "Calm"

Article first published as ARROW Review Season 3 Episode 1 The Calm on Seat42F.

The third season premiere of the CW’s ARROW certainly starts in, as the episode title suggests, “The Calm” before the storm. But that storm picks up in no time, ripping apart the worlds of a number of main characters, and leading to some huge developments. This first installment of season three cannot be called boring, and it sucks viewers right back into the superhero world in moments.

“The Calm” delivers something fans have being waiting a long time for, especially this past summer: Oliver (Stephen Amell) asks Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) on a date. He has resisted love before because of the danger of his position. He is with Sara (Caity Lotz) for a time, but she’s a superhero, too, so can take care of herself and is in danger with or without him. But seeing Diggle (David Ramsey) happy in a relationship, awaiting the birth of his baby, Oliver decides to take a chance and takes an eager Felicity to dinner. He asking her out and the date are probably the best scenes in the hour, with great dialogue and goofy googly eyes.

Of course, this being ARROW, there is no time for niceties. The new pair hasn’t even begun their meal yet when a new Vertigo (Peter Stormare, Prison Break, 22 Jump Street), taking up the mantle for the fallen Count, attacks, blowing up the restaurant and hurting Felicity, though thankfully not seriously.

This makes Oliver pull away. After all, his fears are confirmed now, right? He can’t be with Felicity without her getting hurt. She resists the breakup (if you can call it that). Oliver doesn’t help matters when he kisses her, insisting he loves her, and it takes Felicity’s strength to pull away, knowing if Oliver can’t fully commit, she doesn’t want him. This is a complicated romance, as they both care about each other and will still have to spend lots of time together, but Oliver is holding back, preventing them from being happy. He needs to realize that Felicity understands the risks and is a grown woman who can make her own choices. Otherwise, shippers watching at home will just keep growing more frustrated. It’s 2014. Other shows are letting their leads get together. Come on, ARROW!

The other consequence of this attack is that Oliver makes Diggle sit out a mission. At first Diggle is furious, but after seeing his baby born, his priorities change. He and Oliver remain friends, but it seems the bodyguard is leaving the team, or at least staying in the office. It’s a tad regrettable and surely temporary, but it’s also easy to see Diggle’s perspective. He’s not a superhero.

If Oliver doesn’t act to be with Felicity soon, he’s likely to lose her to another suitor. Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh, Chuck, Superman Returns) blows into town, quickly flirts with Felicity, then takes Queen Consolidated with his plan to make Starling City a ‘Star City’ that people want to live in again (the population has shrunk due to the events of the past two seasons). He is smooth and charming and smart and definitely likes the blond genius. Might he steal her heart? And if he does, will he take care of it, or will he turn out to be yet another villain with an agenda? I like that we don’t know, ARROW teasing us with a bit of mystery.

I love Routh, a magnetic performer, and this is a great role for him. It’s good to see him still getting work after his own superhero film didn’t do so well. This reminds me a bit of his part in Chuck, which is why I’m suspicious of the character. But any chance to get him on screen this way is welcome.

Oliver has other romantic options, too. Sara returns in “The Calm,” just in time to help take down the new Vertigo. But her triumph is short-lived when, after nice conversations with Oliver and Laurel (Kate Cassidy), she is killed by an unknown assailant, body falling in front of her sister’s feet. So I guess Oliver doesn’t really have other options.

Sara’s death is shocking. While not a main character, she is a staple of ARROW, and her passing will certainly rock many people, from her ailing father, Quentin (Paul Blackthorne), who is trying to support The Arrow and do his job with a condition that should make him slow down, to Laurel, who is on a crusade against crime and doing well, to Oliver, whose fears about being with someone will only be further reinforced. Plus, the rest of the characters know her, too, so there will be a variety of ways to represent that grief in next week’s installment, “Sara.”

Of course, ARROW is always flashback heavy. This week’s scenes in Hong Kong are pretty forgettable, as much of the backstory stuff is. However, toss a dead Sara back into this stuff and it will suddenly be reinvigorated. I think the writers are smart enough to make that happen, going by executive producer Marc Guggenheim’s recent comments.

There is also a Barry (Grant Gustin) cameo that is completely unnecessary, but no one will ever accuse ARROW and The Flash of not taking advantage of cross-promotion when they can, which is hard to blame them for. The Flash is definitely a show worth watching, too, with a different flavor than ARROW, but just as action-packed.

“The Calm” leaves a lot of hanging threads. Quentin has stopped the police force from hunting Arrow, but how long can he remain in charge, given his condition? Will crime make a comeback in the city after Team Arrow has stomped most of it out (spoiler: yes)? Can one ever truly kill Vertigo, or will a new baddie keep taking that name and rising up? How will Oliver support himself without a job? How long will Felicity stay at the Best Buy Buy More tech store? Who will die next? It’s a great episode, with a lot happening and much more promised.

ARROW airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on the CW.

THE FLASH Flies By

Article first published as THE FLASH Review on Seat42F.

If you’re familiar with The CW series Arrow, you’re likely already aware of both the upcoming spin-off, THE FLASH, and its central character, Barry Allen (Grant Gustin, Glee), who will become the titular superhero. In Allen’s last appearance on Arrow, he is struck by lightning and ends up in a coma, where he has languished for months. So you may be wondering, how will THE FLASH begin?

Well, first we get scenes of Barry as a child, giving him the obligatory tragedy that all heroes must overcome. In Barry’s case, his mother (Michelle Harrison, Continuum) is killed and his father (John Wesley Shipp, Dawson’s Creek, 1990’s The Flash) is arrested as the culprit. Who killed Mrs. Allen is an unsolved mystery, surely designed to give the series somewhere to go.

We also get scenes of Barry on the day of the lightning strike, prior to slipping into his coma. This is important because it introduces us to several important people in his life, like Iris West (Candice Patton, The Game), Barry’s best friend, and her father, Detective Joe West (Jesse L. Martin, Rent, Law & Order), whom raised Barry. In this way, we get to see what Barry’s life is like before he is a hero. They couldn’t pick up in the present day because of the coma and still have this introduction, so it makes sense to show this flashback, though I wish the episode had started with 9 Months Ago, rather than confusing Arrow viewers until the 9 Months Later tag finally arrives onscreen.

Of course, the meat of the pilot is after the strike, as it must be. After all, Barry isn’t The Flash until that fateful event, and this episode is meant to introduce him as that character. It’s typical origin story balancing, getting the viewers to meet both the man and the myth at the same time, before moving on from there. THE FLASH does this pretty effectively.

Once turned, Barry finds his new team pretty quickly, much quicker than The Arrow did. There’s Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker, Shark, The Crazies), who lost her fiancé in the storm, Cisco Ramon (newcomer Carlos Valdes), the tech guy, and Dr. Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh, Ed, The Following), who created the particle accelerator that caused all the problems. One of them has a surprising secret that the pilot doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of, making for an interesting cliffhanger.

I kind of like the way Barry’s group is formed. It makes sense for this to happen early and all at once because of both the science in the premise and the way Barry turns. While Arrow’s secret is doled out slowly, The Flash is part of something greater than himself. The powers he gains may be personal, but they’re also part of a bigger problem for Central City, and can be used to help correct it.

This provides The Flash with plenty of villains right out of the gate. In the pilot, he faces one, but several others are hinted at, most notably an empty cage labeled ‘Grodd,’ one of The Flash’s most famous comic book rivals. More readily than other super hero shows, The Flash has a clear mission and a means to start working on it.

The pilot does a pretty good job setting all this up while still be entertaining, but it isn’t perfect. For instance, in the final showdown between The Flash and his first foe, good triumphs by doing something that doesn’t quite make sense. The physics are possible, I think, but the fact that the bad guy doesn’t just use his powers again right after he’s shut down is puzzling. It’s kind of weak sauce.

Because THE FLASH is on the CW, it’s probably going to be an inferior product than Gotham or Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It’s D.C., so it doesn’t have that cohesive Marvel mindset going for it. It’s lighter than Smallville or Arrow, its network peers, which makes it easier to cross the line into cheesy territory. These are all serious things to consider as the series moves forward, as while I do like the initial installment, it could easily be the weakest of the crowded current superhero TV series lineup. Which doesn’t make it bad, but may allow potential viewers to overlook it.

THE FLASH premieres Tuesday, October 7^th at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.