Pilot Perception: The Flash

Welcome to Pilot Perception, our feature in which we break down the first episode of each new show in order to help you decide whether it’s worth your time.

The Show: The Flash, The CW in the U.S. and CTV in Canada, Tuesdays at 8/7c

The Pedigree: The Flash is a DC Comics property and, more directly, an Arrow spinoff, created, written, and produced by Arrow‘s Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, and Geoff Johns. The pilot was directed by David Nutter (Game of Thrones).

The Cast & How You Know Them: The Flash stars Grant Gustin (Glee), along with Candice Patton (The Game), Jesse L. Martin (Smash), Tom Cavanagh (Royal Pains), Danielle Panabaker (Justified), Rick Cosnett (The Vampire Diaries), and newcomer Carlos Valdes.

The Premise: When scientist Barry Allen is hit by lightning after a particle accelerator explodes, he becomes the fastest man alive and works to protect his city while trying to solve his mother’s mysterious murder.

A Taste:

What Works: This premiere was a great deal of fun, and it basically just made me smile the whole time. Barry is an incredibly appealing character — he has angst and darkness in his background without that being his dominant focus, which is a nice way to go to separate this from a lot of other recent superhero portrayals. The supporting cast is great and I’m already curious to learn more about almost all the characters, both on the police side (especially Barry’s found family of Joe and Iris) and the STAR Labs side. It also looks like there will be some more fun crossovers with the folks from Arrow. If the show continues as it started, it will definitely be one of my favorite new shows of the season.

What Doesn’t: There’s a lot of set-up to get through, as you’d expect from the beginning of a superhero story, and at times this can feel rushed. Some of the dialogue — especially in the scene when Barry goes to visit Oliver Queen — is extremely cheesy. We’ve got a love triangle going right off the bat, which made me sigh a little, though it entirely depends on how they handle it. But these are all small quibbles; I loved this premiere and can’t wait to see more.

Our Favorite Line: “Lightning gave me abs?”

You Might Like This if you like the lighter side of superheroes. It clearly shares some DNA with Arrow, but the tone is much brighter and more focused on fun.

If You’re Interested: The CW is rerunning the premiere tonight (Wednesday, October 8th) at 9/8c (after the Arrow premiere), or watch online at the CW or CTV. Then set your DVR for Tuesday at 8/7c.

(Photo courtesy of the CW.)