The Flash S1 E1 - 'Pilot' Review

Run, Barry, Run.
Following his introduction in Arrow season two, Barry Allen a.k.a. the Flash finally gets his proper Arrowverse debut in the first episode of The Flash season one and it is a solid debut for the Scarlet Speedster.
Picking up slightly prior to the fateful lightning strike but just after the events of 'Three Ghosts', the show establishes Barry's position as a CSI along with his relationships to foster father Joe, love interest Iris and idol Harrison Wells within the first few minutes. We then travel through time to the day Barry awakens from his coma (which he spent most of Arrow season two stuck under) to discover his city racked with changes. I enjoyed this angle on the beginning of the Flash's journey, as it acted as a great entrance for newcomers whilst also respecting those of us who have already seen Barry's transformation in Arrow.
From here, events transpire rapidly as Barry discovers his powers and becomes acquainted with what will become Team Flash - Caitlin, Cisco and of course Harrison Wells. Barry's relationships with this trio stuck out as the most forced part of this pilot, as they become close unnaturally quickly and I feel like they could've stretched out this bonding process across a number of episodes (much like Arrow did) to make their interactions seem more natural. This qualm aside, the supporting cast of this show are brilliant, as Cisco is immediately funny and loveable, Caitlin is mysterious and withdrawn whist Wells is both a mentor figure and one shrouded in secrecy (as revealed by that cool post-credits scene at the end). All in all, we are left curious to learn more about these characters and how they grow alongside Barry.
The villain is typically one-note, as will become a trope in this first season of The Flash. Clyde Mardon randomly turns from bank robber to terrorist at the end of the episode to set up his confrontation with the Flash, in costume for the first time. Sidenote - the costume I love and especially how it began as plain red and included a gas mask! I kind of wish he had earned the lightning symbol later on, but at least it looks great. Anyway, the final battle was a fun introduction to Barry's powers and although Mardon was one-dimensional, he served his purpose in this pilot.
Overall, the very first episode of The Flash is awesome and teases many better things to come. The connections to Arrow felt meaningful and whilst it tethered the Flash into the overall Arrowverse, it also established the feeling of a shared world between the characters we have grown to know and love - it's the first time that DC embarked upon this TV multiverse and it would go on to become huge.

STARRING: Clyde Mardon, Green Arrow

AWESOME MOMENTS:

• Those slow motion sequences were so cool and an effective way of Barry realising his powers
• That tornado explosion at the end was also just straight bad-ass
• THE FATEFUL LIGHTNING STRIKE!!!

EASTER EGGS:
-  In the comics, Central City and Keystone City are twin cities on either side of a large river and connected together by a series of bridges (including one that Wally West built).  In the opening scene of the series, we see Central City and Keystone City's many bridges spanning across a river.
- As he runs from the bullies, Barry is wearing a red sweatshirt with yellow trim. That's a clear callout to his classic comic costume
- Barry's dad is played by John Wesley Shipp, best known for his role in the 1990 CBS television adaptation of The Flash. 
- Barry's mom's death in the show closely resembles her death in Flash: Rebirth.  While Barry's parents were originally both depicted as being alive in the comics, Flash: Rebirth retconned Barry's history so that his mother had died as a child and his father had been imprisoned for her murder.  Flash: Rebirth later reveals that Professor Zoom, Barry's arch-nemesis, had gone back in time and killed Barry's mother.  This is referenced by the yellow-tinged man silhouette seen by Barry shortly before he is pulled out of his house. Viewers might have also noticed that there were flashes of red lightning surrounding Barry's mum in addition to the yellow bursts.  In the comics, Barry attempts to stop Professor Zoom from killing his mother, triggering the events of Flashpoint
- In the comics, Mark Mardon is best known as the Weather Wizard, a longtime foe of the Flash with the ability to manipulate the weather via a special wand.  Mardon built this wand using notes written by his deceased brother, Clyde, whom Mark may or may not have killed while escaping from prison. Mark goes onto become an enemy of both Barry Allen and his successor Wally West and becomes a staple member of the Rogues, a group of Central/Keystone City villains that run in opposition to the Flash. This episode shows a different take on the Mardons.  Clyde, played by Chad Rook, is featured as the episode's primary villain, while Mark is only mentioned and never shown off-screen.  Since Clyde is gunned down at the end of the episode, I'll bet we'll be seeing the "real" Weather Wizard in a future episode. 
- In the comics, Barry is constantly chided for his inability to arrive at things on time.  Looks like that trait crossed over into the TV show
- Joe West and Barry's boss on the force, Captain Singh, makes a brief appearance at the crime scene at the beginning of the episode.  In the comics, Singh is Barry's boss in the forensic department at Central City.  He is also in a secret relationship with the Pied Piper, a former Flash Rogue turned vigilante.
- Joe West's deceased partner is Frank Chyre, a recurring character that appeared in Geoff Johns' run on The Flash.  In the comics, Chyre is a detective working for Keystone's Department of Metahuman Hostility. Chyre is played by Al Sapienza, who appeared in a first season episode of Arrow as a villainous businessman who hires the assassin Mr. Blank to kill a family set to testify against him.
- Barry’s Science Showcase magazine, which has a headline on the STAR Labs particle accelerator is probably a reference to Showcase #4, the comic in which Barry first appeared
- Barry buys his lunch from the Big Belly Burger food chain, a restaurant that appears in the DC universe. Big Belly Burger is frequently mentioned over on Arrow, and several episodes in Season 1 took place in a Big Belly Burger restaurant
- STAR Labs is mentioned frequently in various DC comics, and specializes in matters related to superhumans and advanced science.  STAR stands for Scientific and Techniclogical Advanced Research. STAR Labs is an indepentant research firm with numerous locations across the globe.  STAR Labs has long been a part of the DC Universe.  It first appeared in 1971
- The thief who steals Iris's laptop at the opening of the particle accelerator is played by Curtis Braconnier, Colton Haynes' stunt double on Arrow
- Olivia Cheng reprises her role as Linda Park in tonight's episode, having first appeared in the Arrow episode "Three Ghosts". The Central City reporter covering the particle accelerator is Linda Park. Linda is the girlfriend, and eventual wife, of Wally West, Barry's sidekick and successor as the Flash. Wally is also the nephew of Iris West, Barry's love interest (who was mentioned earlier in the episode).
- On Barry's Board of Weird, there's an article about his mother's murder written by Evan Gibson. In the comics, Evan Gibson is a reporter for the Star City Gazette and ally of Green Arrow.
- Evan Gibson’s article on Barry’s father’s trial mentions that Barry was interviewed by police officers from Central City’s 52nd precinct.The number 52 is a recurring thing in DC comics, and gets referenced on a weekly basis over on Arrow. Expect to see more little nods to 52 in future episodes. 
- As Barry and Harrison walk through the damaged STAR Labs, they pass a mangled cage with a GRODD license plate hanging from it. Gorilla Grodd is a mutated gorilla with psychic powers, and a recurring enemy of the Flash.  In the comics, Grodd and a number of other gorillas gained human level intelligence after being exposed to radiation from an alien spacecraft. Founding their own city in Africa, Grodd eventually makes plans to conquer the world, but is stopped by the Flash.  Grodd’s mixture of brute strength and psychic abilities make him one of the Flash’s more powerful foes, and he’s often seen colluding with other major DC villains during various crossover and event comics.In recent issues of The Flash, Grodd and an army of gorillas invaded Central City, forcing the Flash to team up with the Rogues to fight them off. 
- When Barry first tests his abilities to run fast, he crashes into a laundry van owned by Gambi Cleaners. In the comics, Paul Gambi is a tailor who designs many of the Rogues’ costumes.
- The landing strip in which Harrison and the STAR Labs team tests the full extent of Barry’s powers is owned by Ferris Air. Ferris Air is an aviation corporation that employs Hal Jordan, one of Earth’s many Green Lanterns, and is owned by Carol Ferris, Hal’s longtime love interest. Ferris Air previously appeared in an episode of Arrow, when Eddie Fyers attempted to shoot down a Ferris aircraft flying over the island that Oliver and Slade were also stranded on
- Harrison and Caitlin mention that both Barry and Clyde are classified as metahumans.  In the DC universe, metahumans is a fancy word for referring to people with superpowers. While many metahumans contain a genetic anomaly called a metagene, Superman, Aquaman and other heroes with powers are also considered to be metahumans despite their lack of metagenes.
- Cisco dons three geek themed t-shirts this episode, including two that reference the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory
- The news report Iris watches at the end of the episode airs on Channel 52. Channel 52 was a weekly feature that appeared in the back of every DC comic for a while, and was adopted by Arrow last season as the primary news station of Starling City
- Harrison’s newspaper from the future has a couple references to some major DC happenings. The lead headline mentions that the Flash has disappeared in a “Crisis”, which coincided with the appearance of red skies.  Several of DC’s biggest event comics have featured Crisis in the title, including “Crisis on Infinite Earths”, in which Barry sacrificed his life to save the world.  That crisis also had red skies appear. The newspaper also mentions that WayneTech and Queen Industries experienced a business merger.  WayneTech, of course, is the company owned by Bruce Wayne, AKA Batman

RATING: 7.9/10