‘The Flash‘ has managed to carve its own niche in the superhero schedules and as the second season hits DVD (with a third series debuting on tv shortly), it seems the concept is set to run and run…
Now learning to fully control and push his abilities to the max, Barry Allen and his friends at S.T.A.R Labs find that life is no less dangerous than it was when Allen was first struck by the fallout from Central City’s particle accelerator. There are still meta-humans, some using their powers for evil, to be caught and apprehended, but sometimes the dangers are closer to home. In an effort to be the hero he wants to be, Barry must find a way to balance the thrill he gets from his super-speed with the very real consequences of the adversaries he seems to eb attracting and the side-effects of his powers. With time itself becoming more of a factor, how fast can Barry run to save the future… and maybe even affect the past? As The Flash enters its second season on DVD, it’s all to play for…
The second season of the show? Wow, time has gone by in… well, yes, a Flash.
If anyone had any doubts about the CW show (airing in the UK on SKY 1) when it began, most of those should have been rendered moot by what has turned out to be – at least in its second year – a series that balances action, angst and the absurd with fun, family and fight-scenes in just the right amounts. As with any of the timeless comic-concepts and the CW line-up of DC heroes (Arrow, The Flash and soon to be joined by Supergirl as she migrates from CBS) one has to accept the idea of vividly-coloured costumes and convenient names and go with the flow and The Flash expects you to keep up and enjoy the ride. It’s first year was important for setting the tone – a little lighter than stable-mate Arrow – but more able to play with some higher-concepts and have some knowing fun amongst its ensemble.
Grant Gustin now has the experience to take the character of Barry Allen in his stride and having laid that groundwork, Season Two (and its writers) are able to weave stories that are often more than ‘villain-of-the-week’ and add some texture to the mythological universe. Perhaps that should be universes in plural as our hero bends time and space in search of the extent of his powers and his ability to protect his adoptive family, friends and citizens of Central City. Though we don’t get to see the Supergirl crossover (which would have been nice, but was technically episodes of that show rather than The Flash), we do get a crossover with Arrow and a kickstart to the Legends of Tomorrow series by introducing characters and concepts that lead into that newest addition to the programming roster and some disparate time-travelling heroes and anti-heroes who form that team.
Essentially this is a show and a season entering its run with an air of confidence – and it shows. With plenty of nods to comic-continuity – especially a season climax that promises much for the third run beginning next month in the US – there’s plenty to please die-hard comic fans and television series followers alike… slowly (sometimes quickly) expanding out the series’ horizons – paying off some elements from Season One and also planning ahead. And the DVD box-set is equally full. Almost all the 23 episodes featured here have extensive featurettes and special extras that go behind the making of the stories. The six discs ALL have such additional material (deleted scenes, gag reels, special-effect breakdowns etc),running in total to about three hours – making the collection one of the best-value packages we’ve seen in some time.
9/10
The Flash – Complete Season Two Box-Set (12) is available from this week from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment… in both Region 1 (US) and 2 (UK).
