The seasons for CW’s hit shows The Flash and Arrow have
ended with The Flash leaving fans with jaws dropped while Arrow fans were left
with eyebrows raised. Now I don’t like to post spoilers for anyone who hasn’t
seen either finale but I must for the purpose of the review and I will keep
them to a minimum. As I was saying about both finales, both ended but with
opposite reactions. The Flash in its
virgin season took off with a terrific take on the iconic speedster of DC
Comics and it ended with a fantastic cliff hanger. Arrow ended its third season starting off with a shocking mystery
then ended in a most awkward fashion.
When The Flash began
fans were immediately drawn to the show with thunderous applause. Starting off
with the traditional origin and the then twisting things around to make it more
modern, it was no surprise this show was going to be renewed for a second
season. If you haven’t been following, Barry has been looking for his mother’s
killer while capturing meta-humans that were affected by the same storm that
gave him his powers. Now that it’s revealed the Dr. Harrison Wells is the
Reverse Flash and he was the one who killed Barry’s mother, he offers Barry a
deal he just couldn’t pass up. Wells offers to teach Barry how to go back in
time to save his mom while Wells can have his freedom.
The one thing Wells neglected to mention is that creating a
hole in the time space continuum would create a black hole that could consume
the Earth. All that will be said is that Barry will make it to his house in
time and Wells will not be returning on the show anytime. When things look like
there in the clear, the black hole appears over Central City and the show ends
with Barry trying to disrupt the back hole using the same method he used with
the weather wizard in the first episode. It was heartfelt episode where
destinies were chosen and chapters closed with a regular cast members saying his
goodbyes for the last time.
In Arrow, the show
started strong with Oliver being loved by the city and feared by his enemies
but when Sara (Black Canary) is murdered, that’s when things got complicated.
Using the formula of switching between the past and present, the season seemed
to turn from being a murder mystery to going in several different directions,
taking the audience off the main plot of the story. After Sara’s killer is
revealed, the season started taking a nose dive with several stories going in
different direction. Sara’s sister takes up the mask to be the new Black Canary,
Roy Harper (Red Arrow/Arsenal) leaves the show which makes Thea dawn the red
hood, Felicity is guarded her love for Oliver while Diggle and the city’s trust
in Oliver is broken.
With the Arrow effectively banished and presumed gone, Oliver
trains with the League of Assassin’s to be the next Ra’s al Ghul. A façade for
a time was believable until Oliver made it perfectly clear he would never be an
instrument of death. In the end, Ra’s al Ghul is dead but Oliver finds a
replacement for the league in Malcolm Merlyn. Oliver retires from being a
vigilante and takes Felicity away to a remote place where they can supposedly
live out their lives in peace. Meanwhile Starling City would be protected by
Black Canary, Speedy and Roy Palmer who takes up the mantle of The Atom.
The Atom from what I’ve seen is the biggest disappointment
among DC fans because for a man who is only supposed to have the ability to
shrink, he seems more like CW’s version of Iron Man more than The Atom. My
belief in why this season went in so many directions was to introduce the
audience to the cast that would lead into CW’s next DC comic adaption Legends of Tomorrow. A show bringing
together heroes and villains from both shows to be a team to fight the battles
that Oliver and Barry can’t handle themselves. Think of it as a mini Justice
League only with a less popular group of characters. Considering the cast, I’m
willing to give it a shot.
As far as Oliver and Barry’s shows are concerned, clearly
they will return with one show trying to live up to the hype while the other
should take a step back and focus solely on the main character. We will no
doubt see Oliver return to Starling but what circumstances will force him to
return is uncertain but what is certain is “The Arrow” is gone. The Flash was a monstrous success for
the CW and DC Comics and the fans are no doubt already waiting to see what
happens. Most of what I’ve heard is everyone is waiting to see Grodd again and
for Barry to change the suit to the traditional suit with the white circle and
lightning bolt. Season 4 of Arrow and the next season of The Flash, please come back soon.
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