The Flash 1×02 – The Fastest Man Alive

Fastest Man Alive is definitely an improvement over the slightly underwhelming pilot. I’m starting to like a few of the supporting characters more, the storyline is certainly moving forward and Barry Allen is still extremely likable.

I liked that the episode was set on showing us how strong the connection between Barry and Joe is. Their flashbacks, along with their emotional conversation and bonding over pizza at the end, were all very remarkable. It’s things like this that were missing from the pilot: a real connection between Barry and any other supporting character that’s supposed to make us more invested in this show.

Even Iris saw a slight improvement in her character. Granted, it was extremely “slight” and I can’t stand the fact that she doesn’t know Barry likes her or that he’s the red streak guy, but they did manage to make her a bit less annoying. Unlike Laurel’s storyline in the early season of Arrow (and so many fans out there), Iris is still not doing it for me. She has a long way to go and hopefully her character will continue to improve throughout the season.

The villain, Danton Black, was also very enjoyable to watch. His ability to replicate created some solid tension between him and The Flash, and the scene with the army of Black coming to attack Barry was done very well. I don’t know if every villain will come with a solid back-story like this, but I appreciated that we weren’t just to believe that this guy suddenly became a villain overnight, and that he was actually doing this to save his wife from a heart condition. Not the most original of ideas, but still pretty good for episode two. And it’s easily noticeable that the villains we’re facing here are much different than anything on Arrow (I swear, this is the final comparison). Almost everyone here was affected by the particle accelerator, so that means we have a lot of superpowers on this show.

Now, that ending. I was already pretty intrigued by Harrison Wells in the pilot, but this episode opened the door for so much more confusion and discussion. Yes, he can walk (we already knew that), but he also knows Barry will become The Flash and he certainly knows how to kill people! And of all the possible things I was expecting him to say, I did not see this coming: “The man in the red mask—the fastest man alive—must be kept…safe.”

Speedy Bits

– Another comic teaser with Barry’s voiceover saying: “This is the part where I’m supposed to do the whole intro thingy.” Seriously, Grant is really charming.

– Cisco and Caitlin are, sadly, still uninteresting. I don’t even find Cisco’s few lame jokes funny.

– Amusing touch: Joe finds the board that Barry made to keep track of his mother’s murder, and decides to help him prove his father’s innocence.

– The show’s attempts at giving these villains names (Captain Clone) was not very amusing. I wish they would be a bit more subtle about this, and not steer into the path Gotham has taken in its last few episodes. Remember when they smothered us with the name Cat? Come on, guys.

– The Flash on the treadmill was very fun to watch! Is this something we’ll be seeing a whole lot more of?

– About that word “safe” again: weren’t we all expecting him to say “must be kept a secret” or “to me” or something a little more creepy? This is just…confusing. And I like it.

Red Blurs & Quotes

Joe: Until a few weeks ago, I thought the fastest guy could run a mile in four minutes, not four seconds.
Barry: Bet I could do it in three. Not relevant.

Joe: Your ability to multitask is truly remarkable: the way you embarrass me, the captain and yourself all at the same time.

Iris: How fast can you get home and change?
Barry: Uh, pretty fast.

Barry: I may be the one in the suit doing all the running, but when I’m out there helping people, making a difference, you’re all out there with me. I finally realized something. We were all struck by that lightning.

Barry: You’re just the man who kept me fed and in clothes, who slept on my bed at night until I fell asleep because I was afraid of the dark. You helped me with my homework, you taught me how to drive, and shave, and you dropped me off at college. It sounds a lot like a dad to me.

Conclusion
A promising and entertaining installment to the show that displays improvement over the pilot.

Chris Rating
B