The Flash returned to airwaves last night after an incredibly successful debut season. The show managed to adapt a comic book that has a lead character who is struck by lightning, which embues him with super speed enabling him to break the laws of physics. Yeah, it’s a pretty far out concept… However, producers Greg Berlanti, Geoff Johns, and Andrew Kreisberg, crafted a show that became one of the CW’s biggest hits based on a well-balanced combination of comic book conventions, heart, humor, and characters that are easy to care for.

 

Catch-Up

 

The end of the show’s first season ended with many surprises and cliffhangers for viewers to mull over during the long summer weeks. The Flash, aka Barry Allen, was last seen running full speed directly into a black hole. (Take that Batfleck.) Detective Eddie Thawne killed himself, which eliminated Eobard from the timeline. Ronnie and Caitlin tied the knot. All while the balance of the city and time itself was thrown into peril. We catch up with Team Flash six months later. The team has disbanded at the request of Allen, who is guilt-ridden and battling crime on his own, in an effort to protect his friends and family. Much of “The Man Who Saved Central City” deals with wrapping up the loose ends of season one and strengthening new plotlines for the second season.

 

Atom Smasher

 

While it has been heavily promoted that Zoom will be the villain of the season, Atom Smasher played by WWE’s The Edge, was the primary antagonist of the episode. He was a typical freak of the week, who is able to grow his mass over twice his natural size. After a first season that had many surprises including tidal waves, super-speed, and giant talking gorillas, it’s hard to understand why they choose to start the second season with a villain whose special effects look so rudimentary. Atom Smasher’s connection to Zoom and the “other Earth” is where his introduction will pay dividends down the line. However, he was largely a forgettable and underwhelming character, who seemingly would have had potential if given the proper time and FX budget.

 

 

Flame Off

 

A problem that was even more glaring than some of the spotty special effects work was the poorly written exits of Ronnie Raymond and Henry Allen. In both cases, there were narrative and contractual reasons for their departures and it was a glaring issue within the episode. Ronnie was unceremoniously killed off-screen, essentially because Robbie Amell’s film career is beginning to take off. We get to see that Firestorm participated in saving the city during the singularity event glimpsed in the final moments of last season. Amell will not be part of the spin-off, Legends of Tomorrow, however Dr. Stein and Firestorm will be. So The Flash writers are slowly laying the seeds for not only the new show, but also for the brand new face of Firestorm, Jay Jackson to be played by Franz Drameh. 

 

Papa Flash Can’t Stand Still Either

 

Henry Allen’s departure from the series was even harder to rationalize. After spending over 14 years of his life (and an entire season of television) trying to free his wrongfully convicted father, Barry gets his hands on the full confession that he needed to prove his innocence. (Apparently the justice system in The Flash is as easy to navigate as it is in a game of Monopoly.) Henry Allen is almost instantaneously released from jail. At his own Welcome Home party, he lets Barry know that he won’t be staying and has bought a ticket out of town. With Dr. Stein, Joe West, Jay Garrick, and inevitably the real Harrison Wells, all appearing on the show to mentor Barry during the season, it’s clear that there is no room for Henry in the narrative. However, the writers surely could have found a less clumsy way for him to exit. Even if Henry made the exact same declaration in a few episodes down the line, it could have given the story some breathing room and felt more natural.

 

“The Man Who Saved Central City”

 

Next week we will begin to get a better idea of exactly how the new-look Team Flash will operate, particularly with the emergence of Jay Garrick. We got another hint at Cisco’s burgeoning powers and Caitlyn’s new job at Mercury Labs, which will surely be storylines that heavily affect the series in the near future. However, they were largely there for humor and set dressing this go around. One of the strength’s of the first season was in the show’s ability to walk the tightrope and balance a lot of elements, without dropping any balls that it happens to be juggling. The first episode of the second season was not up to those standards, but there is a lot to look forward to. 

What did you think of “The Man Who Saved Central City?”  Let us know on the comment boards, , , and !