When “The Flash” ran onto the scene in October 2014, it left a giant impact on the superhero fandom and gave the CW a fighting chance in the superhero genre, just like it’s predecessor “Arrow” which aired in early October of 2012 and started the “Arrowverse,” a universe which incorporates every superhero show the CW has made and will make. 

“The Flash” begins with the viewer following our main character Barry Allen, in his native city named “Central City,” in his daily life as a CSI, until a major catastrophe happens with the local laboratory called Star Labs, the laboratory starts up a particle accelerator which causes a major power outage and emits a wave of dark matter energy, this wave of energy hits many people turning them into “Meta-Humans,” regular people with superhuman powers. 

This energy also causes a major lightning storm happen which strikes Barry Allen whilst he is in his lab. The lightning combines with the multitude of chemicals present and causes Barry to acquire inhuman speed, making him faster than planes, sports cars, and even bullet trains. 

After the blast he runs into three people who know how to harness his newfound power. Their names are Cisco Ramon, Caitlyn Snow, and Harrison Wells, and over the course of the first season they teach him the ways of being a superhero. Along Barry’s path to become the greatest hero that ever lived he runs into numerous villains, such as Weather Wizard, Gorilla Grodd, and Trickster, but Barry’s most personal and powerful villain, Reverse Flash gives him the most trouble. The Reverse Flash constantly harrasses him and even kills someone very close to Barry.

 The actor that portrays Barry Allen is also very talented, he has also acted in the TV show Glee, Grant Gustin really brings Barry’s character to life and in the emotional moments gives a powerful performance that will move people. The main driving point of Barry’s good will is protecting everyone he can, because earlier in his life he watched his mother die and this event is what causes him to work for the forces of good instead of evil.

 In the second season, Barry fights Zoom, another speedster that uses a chemical named Velocity 9 to increase his speed beyond the Flash’s. This is also the season that time travel becomes very prevalent and impactful as it creates a new timeline called Flashpoint for the beginning of season 3. Another speedster named Savitar, also known as the God of Speed, breaks Barry down and completely destroys his way of life, changing him fundamentally for the entire series. Those are just some of the villains that Barry encounters on his journey to become the fastest man alive. 

This year, Barry will be fundamentally challenged again as his biggest threat will show itself, The Antimonitor, in the comics The Flash loses his life to it and doesn’t come back for many years, however the showrunners at the CW will most likely kill off the Green Arrow instead of Barry.

 Overall, the show is very interesting and emotional at some points making the viewing experience very pleasant. The show also has a home on Netflix giving access to binge watch all 5 seasons without pause. The fight scenes are amazing to watch and while the acting can get a bit shoddy at times it is still a worthwhile show to binge.