John Wesley Shipp on His Return to ‘The Flash’ and the Season 7 Finale

The Flash is a superhero mantle of legacy, with several speedsters taking up the role. The Flash series on The CW has been successful at incorporating numerous elements of this line of legacy, particularly in its Season 7 finale “The Heart of the Matter, Part 2,” in which Barry must gather speedsters of past and future to defeat the villainous army of Godspeeds. This includes the original Flash of the Arrowverse Multiverse, the one and only Jay Garrick, played by John Wesley Shipp who originated the role Barry Allen in the Flash show of the 1990s.

Continue reading “John Wesley Shipp on His Return to ‘The Flash’ and the Season 7 Finale”

NOC Recaps The Flash: The Do Over

“I ran back in time because Zoom and my dad and things and I got to live with my parents and it was all good but then it wasn’t so I came back but everything is different and I want everything to change back.” – Barry Allen during this week’s panicked voiceover

Barry flips his shit so hard that he flips it all the way to Star City. All over Felicity. Who, like us, is like, “You just, like, run back in time? All the time?”

Continue reading “NOC Recaps The Flash: The Do Over”

NOC Recaps The Flash: Running on Sunshine

In the penultimate episode of the season, Barry can’t stop the feeling that he’s invincible since the Speed Force told him that it loved him and read him a Night-Night book about a dinosaur. He’s got that sunshine pocket. Got that good soul in his feet.

Even #Metapocalypse 2016 won’t throw off his game. The metahuman army that rallied together when Zoom outed the “disappearance” of the Flash on broadcast TV. Barry swoops in — a little too late, in my opinion — to bail out the Central City Police because EVERYTHING IS LITERALLY ON FIRE. And did I spy Earth-2 Hawkpeople?

Continue reading “NOC Recaps The Flash: Running on Sunshine”

NOC Recaps The Flash: Grodd + PTZD

It’s the return of Grodd! But we’re mainly dealing with the aftermath of Zoom. Not all of the destruction was physical; Barry’s spine has basically healed but the shame of losing has not yet scarred over. Well, hopefully he “gets back on his feet” soon because superhero legends need him! Let’s just think of Grodd as the big bad boss of this video game level.

I almost didn’t change the title “Gorilla Warfare,” the original was just too good.

Continue reading “NOC Recaps The Flash: Grodd + PTZD”

(Re) Enter The Nightshade: Why The Flash Should Reintroduce this Character from the ’90s

With over 4.5 million viewers, The Flash has been one of this season’s most definitive breakout hits. Last night, the freshman series delivered a finale that had audiences wanting season two like yesterday.

While many, like myself, were skeptical, The CW drama brought its A-game right out the gates: an impressive affable cast; superb storytelling; and crossovers with its popular sister show, Arrow. Even an overarching mystery that has offered more than a few surprise twists that has left viewers (new casual fans and hardcore comic geeks alike) eager to find out what’s going to happen next.

Another component of The Flash’s success is that show runners haven’t hesitated to utilize the Scarlet Speedster’s rich mythos, be it the comics or CBS’ 1990 series.

Continue reading “(Re) Enter The Nightshade: Why The Flash Should Reintroduce this Character from the ’90s”

NOC Recaps The Flash: May The Speed Force Be With You

The Flash won’t be back until April 14, so I’m here to late-recap last week’s “Tricksters” episode and muse upon the recent spoiler-y sizzle reel revealed this past weekend at WonderCon!

While thinking about last week’s episode, I’m alternating listening to “Father Figure” by George Michael and “Tricky” by Run DMC. A lot of daddy issues in this one, but there are also a lot of fun inside jokes. So while you read this, keep in mind that during the serious moments I am singing, “I will be your father figure, put your tinyhandinmine” and during the fun Trickster moments, I’m rocking a rhyme that’s right on time.

Continue reading “NOC Recaps The Flash: May The Speed Force Be With You”

NOC Recaps The Flash: Peek-A-Boo(b)

“Crazy For You” opens in an upside-down car with two “ohmygod”-ing teenagers strapped down (up?) and trapped while electrical wires zap around, signaling to us that they are in trouble. It’s very Smallville/CSI/Teen Horror Movie, but I accept it; The Flash has always had a trope-ier tone anyways. Our hero zips in just as a powerline ignites the car’s leaked gas and creates a LITERAL RING OF FIRE around the inverted vehicle. Shit goes down real fast, but our man in red is even faster. The car bursts into flames like Ronnie Raymond, but Barry has already rescued the remaining victim. And the Central City Fire Department is all, “Okay we can take it from here, I think.”

But the two car crash victims embrace and turn to Barry. “Thank you… Flash.”

Continue reading “NOC Recaps The Flash: Peek-A-Boo(b)”

NOC Recaps The Flash: Better than the Multiplex

Yesterday, I went on a bit of a rant about how DC was getting trumped by Marvel on the big screen. The opposite is true on the small screen. Sorry, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but there’s only one comic-based superhero show to watch on Tuesdays: The Flash on The CW. After one of the best pilots of the season, how was Team Flash going to follow through on episode two?

Well, by fully embracing its superhero-ness, for one. Grant Gustin’s opening narration even poked fun at similar type internal monologues — *cough*Arrow*cough* — before diving right into the action. And this week’s cold open was literally on fire as we saw Barry saving  folks from a burning building.

Continue reading “NOC Recaps The Flash: Better than the Multiplex”

NOC Recaps The Flash: Proof that Superheroes Can Still Be Fun

One of the most anticipated new shows of the fall finally premiered last night, and it did not disappoint. The Flash has been on the NOC radar ever since Grant Gustin did a multi-episode arc last season on Arrow. More than that, I’ve been super psyched for this show and thought some of the initial casting choices potentially made The Flash the most diverse live action superhero adaptation in history.

Well, after having watched the pilot, I can safely say that The Flash works for all of the reasons that I think Gotham doesn’t. Namely, these writers get it. The Flash not only revels in the joy of being a superhero, it respects the source material in a way usually unseen in DC’s approach to live action.

Continue reading “NOC Recaps The Flash: Proof that Superheroes Can Still Be Fun”