Warning: contains mild spoilers
Returning for a fourth season, CW’s “The Flash” stars Grant Gustin as the fastest man alive, and this season premiere definitely seems to be taking the show in a new different direction.
With a cliffhanger ending at the conclusion of season three (spoiler alert), we see Barry enter the Speed Force as its prisoner in order to save Central City from the devastating Speed Force storm brought about by Savitar’s defeat. This episode takes place six months after Barry entered the Speed Force, and things just aren’t the same without the Flash, although Wally West is trying his best to take up the mantle in Barry’s absence. However, Cisco and the rest of Team Flash figure out a way to free Barry and bring him back, but things aren’t quite right. It seems that Barry’s prolonged exposure to the Speed Force caused brain damage, essentially causing him to go insane. Meanwhile a mysterious villain known as the Samuroid proves to be too much of a challenge for Wally, and Barry has to find himself once again in order to save the day.
It’s great to have the Flash back, and this episode was a pretty good start for what is sure to be an interesting season. Season three left more to be desired, and while it isn’t bad, it is easily the least popular of the three. After three seasons of what felt to be like the same cookie-cutter speedster villain, we are finally getting some variety with a brand new villain known as The Thinker, who was teased at the end of the episode. Savitar seemed to be an interesting villain at first but slowly devolved into generic and convoluted as the season progressed. This variation could result in a season that stands out among the other three, as The Flash is going to have to rely on more than just improving his speed in order to best the villain.
Each previous season seemed to follow a certain formula, where The Flash took on a new villain of the week in order to improve and finally beat the big speedster baddie at the end, a formula which has started to wear thin, but having The Thinker as the main event will surely shake things up, resulting in a new story that’ll keep us hooked. Of course, we are sure to get a slew of new Metas stirring up trouble in Central City, and we should hopefully see the returns of fan-favorites such as Gorilla Grodd, Captain Cold and maybe even Reverse-Flash once again.
Overall, this is a great return for all of our favorite characters, and leaves the viewers excited for what’s coming up next on what is sure to be a great season.
Joey Menendez // Editor-in-Chief
