For just about two years, spanning two seasons and 46 episodes, TV lovers – particularly those who are fans of comics –have been entertained by Arrow, which airs on The CW. The series surrounds the wealthy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and his extra-curricular activities of playing guardian/hero of his beloved Starling City as the Arrow – utilizing his archery skills and hand-to-hand- combat expertise to “take down the bad guys”.
Recently, it was revealed that within the coming months there will be another TV series for Arrow lovers to get excited about and be entertained by. The Flash will also be aired on the same network. If the superhero name does not ring a bell – which is arguably quite unlikely – think back to all those arguments growing up as to who the fastest comic book character was. Even before you can finish saying “Superman”, you’ll be thinking “Flash” – he’s that fast.
His Introduction
While fans are yet to be introduced to the Flash who motors around in a full red body suit, they were introduced to the man who is going to play the speed junkie in episodes of Arrow. Season 2 Episode 8: The Scientist marked the first glimpse that fans got of Barry Allen (Grant Gustin). This was one of the earlier episodes associated with those injected with the infamous Mirakuru drug, as one of them was suspected to have stolen the centrifuge from Queen Consolidated with minimum fuss. Being a crime scene investigator (and a brilliant one at that), Barry managed to convince Oliver and his team – computer wizard Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) and bodyguard/partner John Diggle (David Ramsey) – that he came up from Central City on official business, but this was revealed to be a facade.
Those who are avid fans of the comic would have known from the ‘get go’ that Barry was eventually going to become the “Flash” as this was his name in the comics, but his introduction was met with mixed results – both on and off the air. With Felicity Smoak seemingly so drawn to Barry, Oliver displayed bouts of jealousy and all who were longing for Oliver and Felicity to hook up were just as upset to see that mutual attraction come to forward. On the other hand, those TV lovers who were big fans of Felicity were finally glad to watch her get the attention she deserved – she is pretty much everyone’s sweetheart.
Nothing major happened between Barry and Felicity – Oliver made sure of that – but he was certainly a lot further from Oliver’s “good graces” when his identity as the Arrow was to him. He returned home in the following episode Three Ghosts and this was where his journey as Flash picked up speed.
Following the explosion of the particle accelerator in Central City, Barry was not only struck by lightning, but also doused by the chemicals in his lab. Sadly, this incident left him in a coma. He – and everyone else who was watching the episode – could see that something bad was about to happen, but he could do very little to evade it… not a problem he’ll be expected to face once he wakes up out of his coma I’d imagine.
The Buzz from the Masses
For the most part, many fans are expecting a good showing from The Flash when it hits the screen, especially considering that the show will exist in the same universe as Arrow, and it is expected that there will be a few crossovers of the characters. In addition to this, the fact that the likes of Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg – who are major players in the predecessor – are also among the executive producers in this latest production raises some level of expectation that it will be just as good, if not better.
The Flash catching an arrow.
Notably, in the trailer of the upcoming series, Barry wakes up from his coma after 9 months to find that in addition to his ability to move at superhuman speeds, there are others like him who were affected by the explosion. Having to deal with criminal elements of his own, there is a scene that shows the Arrow giving advice to Barry on how to cope with his new responsibility and even doing a bit of training.
On the other hand, there are those who make the claim that they did not see enough of Barry Allen/Grant Gustin in the two Arrow episodes he was featured in to be convinced that he can be a lead actor in a show. Aside from those on the set, very few would have any idea as to what the cast is going to be like, and while it is not a certainty they may be hoping that the level of on-screen chemistry is there from the pilot episode.
The “danger” with spin-offs is that they are usually “hit or miss”. They can either retain the viewership of the initial show – as well as gain a few of its own –or be constantly drawn into comparison and lose viewers if it is considered inferior.
Considering that the show hasn’t even premiered as yet, the jury has not been assembled to cast a verdict on the success or failure on The Flash. Having said that, if it is any bit as successful as Arrow, The CW will have two hit series on their cards.
Arrow Spin-Off on the Horizon
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