THINK FAST! The Flash is going to have to if he plans to finally defeat an enemy that has proven ten steps ahead of the Fastest Man Alive!
It’s been an extraordinary season for all the DC inspired television series! Defying expectations show-runners dug deeper into their main characters backgrounds and brought out adversaries that were far more inclined to push the boundaries of the directions that long-running series had established! On FOX’s Gotham the prequel series tackled the decisively complicated origins of one of the Dark Knight’s most nefarious villains, while the SYFY’s new series Krypton revealed the complicities of the Man of Steel’s home world as a conspiracy takes shape to rewrite history.
On The CW, the network that dominate’s the primetime landscape with the most DC TV series this season journeyed into the multiverse for the most exciting crossover event with the epic “Crisis on Earth X” that brought together all the heroes from all four super powered series while introducing a new freedom fighter with The Ray. The CW also welcomed a new hero into its ranks with Black Lightning which follows the journey of a veteran vigilante who has come out of retirement to take down the urban corruption in his city and defend his family.
Arguably Arrow has had its most narratively complex storyline as it begun Season Six in the aftermath of a seismic explosion shaking up the world of Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and his allies as their city fell to an underworld gang leader. The recent season finale ended with the heart-stopping moment as Oliver after saying goodbye to one of his oldest friends, was taken off to prison after revealing his identity as the Green Arrow. Fans now have an entire summer to wonder just how he’ll get out of this latest predicament and what it means for the future of Star City.
Decidedly taking the approach to ground Oliver’s story is a much more “real world” situation, the street-fighting warfare that was most prevalent when the series premiered six years ago resonated with audiences and benefitted from not revisiting the “flashback” trope that was a vital component of its previous storylines. With the exception of the crossover event which brought metahumans, enhanced warriors and technological wonders together for the first time on the bridge of a time-travel starship, Arrow remained true to its baseline reality.
The Fastest Mind Alive
Over in Central City, the home of The Flash Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) was rescued from a self-imposed exile into the Speed Force but not without consequence. After defeating the Speed God, Savitar at the end of conclusion of Season Three, Barry’s world was torn up sunder and he was forced to make the ultimate sacrifice to restore the natural balance or watch Central City get decimated by the Speed Force. His allies in S.T.A.R. Labs devised a plan to get Barry out of the Speed Force but unwittingly set in motion a series of events that would set up a new threat!
With the rise of The Thinker (played by guest star Neil Sandilands) this season, The Flash has seen his metal tested in a way most unfamiliar to him. In the past, the Scarlet Speedster and his friends were mostly challenged by adversarial speedsters which included the Reverse-Flash, Zoom and an arsenal from his classic Rogues Gallery. The Thinker presented our hero with a counterpart who was prepared to out-wit, not out race, The Flash and trip him up at every corner, engaging him in a dangerous plot to “enlighten” the world’s population.
This week’s Season Finale of The Flash finds our heroes in a startling predicament as The Thinker enacts his endgame, launching a series of satellites into orbit that will nullify the population and de-evolve them into a more docile state leaving everyone to the mercy of The Thinker’s superior intellect. With time running out “Team Flash” will have to pull-out all the stops to bring their enemy to his knees, though at what cost? Series show-runner Todd Helbing is promising that this final act of The Thinker’s will be full of surprises and perhaps might give viewers an idea of what’s to come!
The Flash Season Finale “We Are the Flash” airs Tuesday, May 22 @ 8pm on The CW. Tune-in for my Season Four “Wrap-Up” Reporting coming this week!