Grant Gustin already proved himself to be a likeable everyman in his appearance during Arrow and this further expands upon that by showing his relationships with his surrogate father, Joe West and his surrogate sister/best friend/prospective love interest, Iris. Jesse L. Martin and Candice Patton prove to be likeable characters and play well alongside Grant. Later, we’re introduced to “Team Flash” in the form of Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh), Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes) and Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker). Cavanagh’s character is indirectly responsible for the metahumans we’ll be seeing throughout this show’s run while Ramon and Snow are named characters from the comics whom I presume will be receiving their powers at some point. Team Flash don’t have a lot of time but you see enough to get their characters and motivations down (some more than others) and what the team’s dynamic will be like.
Other noteable cast members include Rick Cosnett as freshly transferred detective who has such a douchey face, you hate him before you even hear his name (Eddie Thawne, which will probably have dire consequences in the future) and John Wesley Shipp as Barry’s father. Shipp gets a nice bonding moment with Gustin late in the pilot that comes off as a passing of the torch between the Flash of the 90’s and the Flash of today. Even the villain of the week (Weather Wizard, though not explicitly named that) proves to be a great first challege for our novice hero!

The special effects are spectacular, especially for a TV adaptation, and while they sometimes stray a little towards Smallville shiteness, it’s more than bringing the Scarlet Speedster to life in an amazing way! I can’t wait to see what they can pull off!

I’ve refrained from heavy spoilers (I’ll probably get into those when the show airs proper) but for now, I can highly recommend this series! I’m not saying you should go out right now and find it but if you want to, it’s certainly there to find! We’re three months away from the series debut on October 7, so until then…

“I’ll be back in a Flash!”

Right out of the gate, we’re introduced to the downtrodden, out of work father of one, Mike Peterson (played by Angel Alumni, J. August Richards) as he’s witness to an apartment explosion and wastes no time in jumping in to rescue a woman. His heroic efforts catch the eye of a young hacker and, eventually, the attention of SHIELD as Coulson and Maria Hill gather a new team together in an effort to recruit new heroes as they appear and put a stop to foreseeable threats.

Being the pilot for a new show, we’re hit with a lot of information very fast but none of it feels especially rushed. We spend a little more time with Maria Hill and learn that she actually has a sense of humour, as well being conspiratorial with SHIELD physician, Dr. Streiten, played by Firefly Alumni Ron Glass. If more and more actors from Whedon’s past projects show up, I’ll be a happy camper. Who wouldn’t want to see the likes of Nathan Fillion, Jewel Staite and Adam Baldwin in this show?

Now, to the subject of speculation: Phil “Agent” Coulson. We all saw the Son of Coul die in New York but why is he here now? According the man himself, Fury faked his death and sent him on vacation to Tahiti but Hill and Dr. Streiten seem to know more. Is he a clone? A Life Model Decoy? Hell, is he even human? This will no doubt be an underlying subplot throughtout the season but my personal take is this: He is Coulson. Doesn’t matter what he is, he’s still Coulson and that’s good enough for me. For now.

The rest of the team is assembled and is a surprisingly diverse bunch. Ward is a specialist, conflict resolution, that kind of deal, but he admits to being scared of women and that he loves his Grandma. Admittedly, he said that after being nailed with truth serum by Coulson but still. Melinda May is Mulan the pilot and obviously has a mysterious reputation as a field agent. Fitz and Simmons are the adorable techies who have a really fun brother/sister bond and Skye is the hacker I mentioned earlier. They don’t get much development but you get a good sense of each character and we’ll be seeing more of them throughout the season so it’s a good introduction.

One thing I love in my entertainment is continuity and references so this show will be perfect for me. All the little nods to the cinematic universe and to a larger Marvel Universe made me smile. Mentions of Puente Antiguo, Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., and freakin’ Longshot all had me sitting there saying:

The pilot episode was quick, to the point and highly entertaining. I can see so much potential for this show being the springboard for concepts later seen in the movies and vice-versa. We could have all-new heroes and villains to deal with and, budget be willing, maybe even some A-list guest stars (The A stand for Avenger). I’m looking forward to what wonders and woes this series will bring us and I hope you’ll be following along with his here on The Website of Doom! See you next weeeeeeeeeek!