TV Show Review

TV Review: THE FLASH: Season 1, Episode 6: The Flash is Born [The CW]

Candice Patton Greg Finley The Flash

The CW’s The Flash The Flash is Born TV Show Review. The Flash: Season 1, Episode 6: The Flash is Born is an episode that finds Barry (Grant Gustin) being pressed to his maximum potential…and even with that he still comes up short. We also meet another meta-human Tony Woodward / Girder (Greg Finley).

Barry is really cutting it too close visiting Iris West (Candice Patton) so much. It’s only a matter of time before she figures out his identity or he accidentally tells her. I get Joe (Jesse L. Martin) asked him to help stop Iris from writing her blog but when someone is that set…you cannot persuade them by just asking. It would make much more sense for Barry to be more direct with her and let her know the real extent of danger she could be exposing herself and family too. He is beating around the bush and appears to be torn between wanting to help and enjoying her fascination. This is a good dynamic as long as it’s not over played. For now Iris is being mildly annoying and hasn’t really mentioned anything to The Flash about trying to actually help Barry. Initially that was her excuse.

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Barry getting into a scrap with Girder in round one was fairly decent. I am hoping to see some real development with Girder. Having him be affected and just being an over grown bully is not the ticket. He needs a real purpose. Especially if he is still using lines on people from his childhood. I understand the connection the writers were looking for but it borders on the line of being too corny. It’s always nice when his team comes together and helps him solve a problem. It would be nice if we saw Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes) and Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) actually struggling to find a solution instead of always tripping on them so quickly. One of the things that make this show work is it’s fresh and played light. The down side is if they don’t keep it interesting the ride will be over. By interesting I mean not having things happen that really shouldn’t. When Barry hurt his hand punching Girder…he was able to get struck by a man with normal speed. That shouldn’t happen. Barry can blink and be out of harms way…even if he is in pan. That backhand could have crippled him with the force Girder used. Even a super hero show has to have some ground rules.

Having Eddie Thawe (Rick Cosnett) connect with Barry was a nice change up. There were some opportunities missed with them in terms of feeling one another out more. It felt rushed. Hopefully they will keep building this relationship. Some contrast would be nice too. As it stands Both Eddie and Barry have too many similarities. Eddie is too perfect. He needs some flaws. Being in love with Joe’s daughter doesn’t give him enough to work with. I’m looking to see Eddie start sowing us more about who he is. I’m still wondering why Iris loves him. He is a typical cop and we can’t have Iris falling for someone that basic then being so caught up on the mystery man in red. The cool thing is Iris gave The Flash his name.

The flashbacks to Barry’s childhood were nice. Joe has truly been a solid father figure to him and that registers well on screen. We never found out what happened with Girder as a kid he just grows up a jerk. I guess having the final showdown take place at the school was another way to have Barry resolve his bullying issue with Tony. It’s a bit corny but with Iris there she could have given Barry that extra motivation to defeat Girder. She really didn’t play that angle. Barry used the well placed flashback and the data Cisco and Caitlin gave him to construct the “Super Sonic Punch.” In the end he can get away with it because it was established in the back-story. It would have been nice if it wasn’t so spot on…but the overall story is still moving forward. I’m not sure why Barry would reveal himself to Girder. I understand he is young but these kinds of mistakes could create big problems for all parties involved…especially if Girder escapes the facility. The first people he will go after is Barry and Iris.

Having the back and forth with Joe and Dr. Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) was well worked. For a while it appeared Harrison could be Barry’s mothers killer. When Joe is satisfied that he is not we are still keeping an eye on him. Harrison comes off like a bad guy sometimes and has a big secret he is keeping. We are still curious but they need to take it somewhere and stop teasing with it. Some plots lose their strength when not played in a timely fashion.

The last scene was pretty good. I would not have guessed the killer would pay Joe such a casual visit. Lets remember…this character killed Barry’s mother. I’m not sure why it bothered to threaten Joe instead of just killing him and Iris. If he was digging so heavy and struck a chord that would have him go there…why bother leaving a threat? It doesn’t look like Harrison is the killer…so the killer must be close by or be at he facility. This episode got off to a rough start but saved the game in the last quarter. Barry has his work cut out for him.

Leave your thoughts on this review and this episode of The Flash below in the comments section. For more The Flash reviews, photos, videos, and information, visit our The Flash Page, subscribe to us by Email, “follow” us on Twitter, Tumblr, or “like” us on Facebook.

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Brian Fire

Brian is a screenwriter and visual fx Artist who loves science fiction, drama and follows many TV shows. He is a versatile writer who is published and has written copy for: CompUsa, The California State Lottery and Princess Cruise lines. Every year he attends The Sundance Film Festival and the San Diego Comic Con filling up on his other passions…indie films, comic books and video games.
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