Revisiting The Flash Season 1

Spoilers: it's still good!
00:00 - Intro:
00:55 - Part 1: Nostalgia
05:30 - Part 2: Starting Strong
10:07 - Part 3: A Mystery We Already Solved
13:55 - Part 4: Barry & Iris
17:39 - Part 5: What Went Wrong?
22:02 - Part 6: Final Thoughts

[@zachryder3150]

"Where did that bring you? Back to me..." - The CW

[@TF2Fan101]

Me: Yeah, well… You’re dead.

[@projekttaku1]

*flash gets renewed again* "My goals are beyond your understanding."

[@suicidalloafofbread2009]

"I am inevitable"

[@forestcampbell8962]

Cuts deep.

[@AzguardMike]

CW Critically Woke

[@Xehanort10]

5:03 You'd think Iris, a cop's daughter would know police cases are confidential rather than believing that Eddie not telling her every detail of his every case meant he didn't love her.

[@projekttaku1]

ironically the one time keeping secrets made sense but was called out.

[@Belnick6666]

saying what said, that is racist....

[@Xehanort10]

@@Belnick6666 Saying a cop's daughter should know police procedure isn't racist.

[@RIPJimmyA7X]

To be fair iris was never the sharpest tool in the shed

[@mightywizard7475]

Iris is too stubborn of a character to listen to reason 😒

[@kirjoittajajoni]

Honestly Wentworth Miller as Captain Cold was so damn good. I was always so excited to have a Rogues episode with him and his Prison Break buddies in wacky costumes

[@randallflagg3700]

Damn right, this "new" Captain Cold totally rejuvenated the fandom's love for Leonard Snart, who kinda was "just one of the Rogues" before *The Flash* season 1... suddenly, everyone wanted more Cold! And that was awesome, and even if my dreams of having a seasons of the show where the "Big Bad" would be an alliance of the Rogues... hey wait, season 9 with Captain Boomerang Jr showing up, and old Rogues like Pied Piper and *Arrow* 's Murmur coming back, this might be what they have in mind (I hope, because Red Death looks like crap, and... well, there's still hope for Cobalt Blue, just because they wasted Godspeed doesn't mean they'll also mess him up) Anyway, long live Wentworth Miller, I don't think I would have been that interested in *Legends of Tomorrow* without him.

[@jadenbryant9283]

@@randallflagg3700 yeah honestly if it were possible I would have wanted the rouges for the villains of the flash season 3 instead of Savitar

[@bluewhiterams227]

@@jadenbryant9283 in reality, Barry could literally just pick up all the rogues on at a time, and drop them off at Iron Heights, so the rogues don’t pose much of a threat to the flash, and all of Barry’s encounters with them should be over before they begin. That being said, they are very entertaining.

[@jadenbryant9283]

@@bluewhiterams227 eh yeah but it would be more fun Having Barry Fight the rouges

[@flatbread42]

But like...he's literally a 2 second villain. Barry should pull a red rush and just take his gun. It's so easy.

[@jakesimpson3373]

I met Tom Cavanaugh in an ice cream shop after season 1, but before season 2, and it was so wild talking to him and hearing him say he was gonna be in season 2

[@mufinboi975]

Really? Dang that's cool and mustve been confusing.

[@xccxuy5hnhbvc]

He lives in my town near my friend lol. He’s a really chill guy.

[@FlashBoyBruno]

@@xccxuy5hnhbvcbro that’s actually sick. Im just imagining as a huge fan of the show living literally NEXT to a huge actor in it. It’s in Vancouver right?

[@xccxuy5hnhbvc]

​@@FlashBoyBruno Hmm. Well I looked up the places he lives and where I live is somewhere that isn't mentioned anywhere so I would rather not leak it, he probably lives here for privacy, and my town is really quiet and small. I don't think he actually lives here, but he owns a house here and probably visits a few times, and lives on the richer side of my town.

[@FlashBoyBruno]

@@xccxuy5hnhbvc yeah I understand dude. It’s cus I just went to Vancouver with my mom not too long ago and visited Barry’s house from the show. Pretty surreal moment but yeah that’s fine man 💯

[@calebmurphy9406]

I will maintain that the finale of season 1 of the The Flash is one of the best episodes of television I've ever seen. The way all of the storylines converge to tie up all the thematic threads of the show in an interesting and subversive way. Like, the fact that Barry DOESN'T save his mother after everyone told him to because he finally listened to "himself" (an alternate timeline future version of himself, but still) is brilliant. The fact that it's Eddy, the nobody loser, who uses time travel logic to kill this seemingly unstoppable threat whose been terrorizing Barry all season is perfect. I don't really feel nostalgic for things, but I can recognize good writing when I see it.

[@projekttaku1]

same. Season 2's slightly worse but still great.

[@theoutsiderjess4869]

1 and 2 had the best season finale

[@Mewse1203]

The time travel logic kills it tho... It's fun never existed then all of season 1 couldn't exist. It's a paradox.

[@calebmurphy9406]

@@Mewse1203 Congratulations, you noticed a plot hole that everyone else noticed

[@parkerboy795]

No finale was able to top the first. Especially the end where Barry runs into the singularity.

[@EyebrowCinema]

Genuinely heartwarming to see Ross look back on how he came to love a show in the first place.

[@jonathansoko1085]

I will never forget watching the first ep. Flash has been my favorite hero since mike barons 80s wally west book. Seeing this was incredible. Yes, im bias, it isnt a 10//10, its got alot of problems, but man, i still enjoyed it and at the time i needed it. It paved the way for ALL comic tv today.

[@Nexishere]

I think the biggest issue with the later seasons is how they get from beginning to end. In season 1 everything was pretty clearly thought out. In season 2 things are a bit weird near the end but up until the stuff after Barry loses his speed, it's all pretty good. Season 3 was weird because while the first half was just building up savitar and killing time with the meta of the week, the second half really was just killing time say for a couple of episodes. You can tell season 4 had a beggining and ending thought out but the middle was definitely just made up as they went along. Season 5 was just trying to do season 1 again but didn't really know how to. Season 6, 7 and 8 all suffer from the show just not really caring anymore. You could tell it was getting bored from season 3 onwards but it's really obvious now

[@projekttaku1]

Yeah, plus the seasons were getting dragged out with 20+ episodes. Maybe if they shortened it to 13 episodes it'd be a tighter story.

[@CelestialQueenLollipop]

Season 4 was fine, 5 is where they messed up badly. Season 8 was also killing a lot of time just look at how much fillers there are.

[@dimitrescu182]

I actually like the first half of season 6 before Crisis, probably because they have a goal in mind.

[@SWTobito0702]

@@projekttaku1 Funny you should mention that

[@projekttaku1]

@@SWTobito0702 why?

[@Xehanort10]

21:00 That whole plot with the Forces in Season 7 with adult men and women calling Barry and Iris their parents despite being their age or older was weird and creepy as was the "Speed Force takes the form of Barry's dead mother" thing.

[@CelestialQueenLollipop]

Exactly lol

[@Tiernan422]

That’s why Legends of Tomorrow grew to be my fav show cuz 1. It’s wacky and funny but 2. There’d only maybe be like 1 or 2 filler episodes per season but even then they do enhance the plot I think

[@fishertheadore6095]

@@Tiernan422, Legends of Tomorrow is a Political Pandering Propaganda show that promotes homosexuality and feminism. It's basically an Abomination of a show and should have been *Aborted* from the Show Runner's Mind as soon as it was thought up.

[@marxist-leninist-protagonist]

I didn't even get past s3 so seeing the speed force personified is so incredibly cringy and bizarre... what were they thinking???

[@johnnotrealname8168]

I mean speed time and it could just be children when they are older. Doctor Who did a whole thing like that.

[@oblivion6635]

Wow, I forgot Barry was that funny and a likeable person and also at the same time quite serious about his dramatic past. Damn I wish they continued this attitude.

[@hardym9532]

The one thing i hate about Nora and Bart is that they cast Barry kids as adults which is ok if they didn’t act like they were kids. It just weird to see adults act like littles at that point just cast kids or they can act more mature

[@leterops4262]

24:35 honestly season 2 should have been about the rouges and cold forming them full on. Loved him

[@dylanaruto20]

He was a pointless villain for The Flash since Barry could just take his cold gun and disassemble it. Oh and that's exactly what he does... in the second season... after 5 encounters...

[@leterops4262]

@@dylanaruto20 yeah but thats the point of the rouges. Numbers and planning. In the comics they commit crimes across the world to distract him and while he's away it turns out they never left cemtral city, it was mirror master making images. So they rob the city. Cold by himself the shiw did pretty good but the full group like 5 or 6 of em. Would work

[@dylanaruto20]

@leterops4262 Cold by himself did pretty good? How? Barry could just take his gun and knock out Cold or cuff him. It really isn't hard.

[@projekttaku1]

@@leterops4262 and team flash could slowly break apart, so while the villains are forming a team, the heroes are breaking apart. And season 3 could start with a solo barry who's slightly paranoid.

[@mark.n8182]

@@leterops4262 Cold also has a 'cold field' or whatever which sorta slows barry down when he enters said field, which is why he is able to remotely doing anything at all to him, they don't have this in the show so it sorta becomes nonsensical that he can't immediately beat him

[@lancehitt0548]

Iris isn’t a bad character by any means. However Iris’s and Berry’s relationship will always be one of the biggest complaints I have about this show

[@yournemesis]

Their lightning rod crap annoys me to no end Also "WE are the flash"

[@iamben7009]

“noooo I don’t wanna get back Barry it’s too dangerous” (Barry gets back) “Barry why did you leave me alone!? That’s like not cool😭” (Barry and Iris kissing) (Joe comes in so naturally Barry stops kissing Iris) Iris: “Barryyy😒💅 why did you stop kissing me like I know my dad came in but like whateverrrr😒💅💅💅” Hr dies instead of Iris, not much needs to be said (Nora working with the man that essentially ruined Barry’s life) (Barry I’d naturally upset and feels betrayed) Barry: “Iris do you even care?” Iris: “Uh no lmao cry abt it, also your mom was ugly asl😂 L bozo Fr, also your dad gotta lose some weight, glad zoom toke away some of that body mass🙏” (Ik that’s not even close to what Iris said but she said she doesn’t care so she basically did. There’s plenty more examples of Iris being a NUT but that’s just a few

[@sassmos]

They are siblings

[@johnnotrealname8168]

@@sassmosStep-siblings although that is not much better.

[@MikaelLV]

I could overlook the weird step-sibling thing and other odd elements of their romance. However, the biggest flaw for me is that there wasn't really that much chemistry between the actors. I'm sure they are great friends in real life, but on screen they never sold me on being in love and that made the whole thing feel really forced.

[@ricardokojin7]

As for the Barry and Iris thing I'll say this...if they had this level of attraction, Joe would be a grandfather by the time Iris was 16.

[@omnianimator8468]

One thing I like about season 1 and 2 is that powers feel like science or at least pseudo science. When that say how fast barry needs to go for a super sonic punch or run on water or run up a building. It's feels like a world with universal rules but Barry now has less or different he has to abide by, same with all the other medas. This guy can make wind but can't run fast, Barry can run fast but he can't beat smoke. The more the show went on the more magic the science became. Also I noticed Barry stopped getting new tricks after season 2. Other the lightning saber(that came out of nowhere) he hasn't. There is flash time but the show has to forget he has that.

[@emc246]

I just started a rewatch of The Flash and Arrow a while ago, and it's crazy to see how different the show feels in early seasons compared to the most recent ones. The stories and characters are all taken much more seriously by the show until about mid season 4, and even that has its moments.

[@rampant1apart]

Thank you for talking about Barry's and Iris' sibling-like relationship. It doesn't matter if they aren't related by blood or they were a little older when they started being raised together. Growing up shoulder to shoulder with someone, especially through adolescence and maintaining a carnal attraction to someone is going to feel awkward.

[@thesmellofadventure5370]

Every episode reviewed: 1x01 Pilot: Great Nostalgic origin story! 1x02 Fastest Man Alive: Good Not great but still enjoyable 1x03 Things You Can’t Outrun: Good Same thing as 1x02 1x04 Going Rogue: Good Captain Cold is so awesome! 1x05 Plastique: Great Underrated classic for me 1x06 Flash Is Born: Great Flashbacks were the highlights 1x07 Power Outage: Amazing First amazing episode of the show 1x08 Flash vs. Arrow: Great I’m a fan of hero vs. hero stuff 1x09 Man In Yellow Suit: Amazing Truly unbelievable episode 1x10 Revenge of Rogues: Good Going Rogue but bigger and better 1x11 Sound and Fury: Good Has only aged better 1x12 Crazy For You: Meh Not terrible, but really boring! 1x13 Nuclear Man: Great Interesting first part 1x14 Fallout: Amazing Nonstop and action packed 1x15 Out of Time: Amazing Do I need to explain? 1x16 Rogue Time: Great People hate it but I do not 1x17 Tricksters: Amazing Better than you would expect 1x18 All Star Team Up: Good Flawed but fun 1x19 Who Is Harrison Wells?: Amazing Crafts a crazy mystery 1x20 The Trap: Amazing Turned me into a Flash fanboy 1x21 Grodd Lives: Great Came too late, but very cool 1x22 Rogue Air: Amazing Could’ve been the finale 1x23 Fast Enough: Amazing Best finale of the show Overall: Season 1 was a strong start to a strong show and I’d say it’s an amazing season!

[@worshel9257]

the eddie part had me rolling when it just cuts to him with the gun

[@AGXZ-mz4il]

In my opinion the flash s1 is one of the best first seasons of a tv show. Its just so damn good. It had mystery , emotion and humor . The storyline was so well written. Reverse Flash was such a great villain.

[@marlonclark1896]

same

[@MonkeyDBatman]

It's horrible and nothing like the comics. They turned Barry into diet Wally West

[@marxist-leninist-protagonist]

@@MonkeyDBatman since when does comic accuracy have anything to do with quality? lol

[@MonkeyDBatman]

@@marxist-leninist-protagonist Well since you're adapting a comicbook wtf do you think

[@Supl3xcity]

@@MonkeyDBatman then the MCU must be horrible, because it dosnt give a shit about the comics. (Phase 4 is shit)

[@SC4R3]

I honestly loved Mark Hammils delivery of "I am your father". Such a great refference to Star Wars

[@speedy4574]

I feel like Barry and Caitlyn would have made a more natural couple imo. I cant be the only one who saw the potential there.

[@abaddon_9941]

Pretty much same here, every of their interactions and life stories made much more sense, and feels like both would get along more well. They pretty much did black canary/green arrow dirty, so I think writers would've done a great decision there. and I feel like Barry has been always one of people that always cared her the most among with Cisco/Ronnie when he was around, but they screwed it up anyway.

[@baahubali3213]

Yessss!!!😂😂😂 Barry and Caitlin had so much chemistry in their interactions, not to mention how forced Barry and Iris seem (and their basically siblings!!!!). There is some attraction between them, Barry checked out Caitlin when they were at the bar and Caitlin kissed fake-Barry back without knowing who he was.

[@musiclover_kb4913]

As someone who recently watched the show for the 1st time, I don't c no chemistry between Barry and Caitlin, I'm glad nothing happened and I actually do love West-Allen

[@karlhawkins5164]

The flash unironically would've been great as a one season special

[@exhri]

Two seasons

[@H41451]

I just won't go past season4 ever. I tried season 5 and 6, but... No

[@ayomidesadiq8705]

@@H41451 yh i stopped at 5

[@jadenbryant9283]

@@exhrimaybe three seasons and make it a trilogy

[@BayAreaRushHour]

I just imagine that Barry died stopping the singularity at the end of the first season.

[@theblazingninjagamer1757]

A perfect way to put what he’s saying about this show loosing its spark Season 2- Barry: I need to go back in Time Cisco: NO WAY!! Season 6- Barry: I need to go back in time Cisco: Okay.

[@zackcrouch6930]

My favorite part is when Barry said “it’s flashin time” then pulled his pants down. He flashed all over the place.

[@randallflagg3700]

There is one thing that I've always given the early Arrowverse shows credit for, is that even if you're a big DC nerd, they still manage to surprise you with the identity of some of the Big Bads. *The Flash* season 1&2 are pretty damn smart with keeping the identity of Reverse Flash and Zoom a mystery. No need to explain those ones... *Arrow* season 1 had the Dark Archer, who could have been either Malcolm or Tommy (who had just been created earlier this year in the comics, and was a former friend of Oliver who got screwed over reaaally badly by his antics), since his name before DC Rebirth was Arthur King, and not Merlyn. There's even a clever misdirection, when Malcolm tells Laurel about how Tommy wanted a puppy named "Arthur" when he was a kid, so fans of Green Arrow can go _Oh shit Tommy IS the Dark Archer, this is clearly a clue for us hardcore fans!!_ *Arrow* season 5 had the brillant switcheroo between Adrian Chase & Vigilante/Prometheus. *Legends of Tomorrow* season 1 had Chronos ' identity being a nice surprise (not saying no one figured it out, but still) Good stuff. *The Flash* had 2 great seasons before it started to slow down pretty bad in season 3, and after that, my god... if only they could have stopped after 2 seasons, right after Barry creates "Flashpoint", it would have been perfect. People would have fond memories of this show, instead of being the laughing stock it became. Thanks for this video, Ross!

[@Jacob-nh9yv]

Barry had more romantic chemistry with every single recurring character around his age than Iris with maybe one or two exceptions.

[@MyMagnificentOctopus]

I agree on Grodd. If anything, he is one of the few elements that continued to hold up throughout the later seasons. Grodd episodes were often the only really entertaining episodes.

[@Skyewardbound]

It makes me sad that the last Grodd appearance was in S6

[@jadenbryant9283]

@@Skyewardbound hope he shows in season 9

[@SheevTalks]

I miss these days of The Flash. Incidentally, I also miss heroin

[@SamsChannelOfficial]

Relieved to hear you mention Westworld as a show that lost it, since I specifically stopped watching it once S1 finished. Found is so perfect, I didn't believe it had anywhere further to go. Shows like The Flash taught me to trust that instinct lol. Excellent video as always.

[@projekttaku1]

The biggest issue with the later seasons is that they dragged on with 23 episodes, meaning filler, bad guys getting away in dumb ways and just alot of pointless drama, along with the writers getting burnt out. Shorten it to like 13 episodes and it'd be a much tighter story. Btw, would love to see you review smallville or the 90s flash show.

[@Xehanort10]

The CW never learned that the 20 plus episodes a season formula is outdated.

[@projekttaku1]

@@Xehanort10 yup. Honestly netflix did the whole interconnected superhero tv universe better with their 13 episode per season shows. Should've taken notes.

[@kuivia]

SMALLVILLE YES agreed :D! i just re-watched it. Kinda holds up not gonna lie, obviously there's some things that are a bit whack but overall an awesome coming of age story and Rosenbaum owning almost every scene he's in along with John Glover

[@projekttaku1]

@@kuivia the whole lex marrying lana arc was very strange, but I overall enjoy the show and michael rosenbaum is absolutely fantastic.

[@kuivia]

@@projekttaku1 haha ohh ye, that was very strange indeed, like i said there are faults for sure:p you probably know but incase you don't Rosenbaum and Welling are doing re-watch podcast they've finished season 1 "talkville"

[@joeker5208]

We already know the Prime/Original Timeline is better because it’s confirmed that Barry only lasted for 4 seasons

[@Xehanort10]

3:18 Don't forget "5 years in hell" and "someone else, something else."

[@cwhite1358]

I think one of my favorite parts about season 1 was the advancement of Barry's powers. Everything about Barry using his powers for "normal" things, the spotlight of his forensic expertise that just sort of disappears later on, and him learning new abilities just feels more realistic. There's more of a science to his abilities now than "I somehow cause lightning to strike me and turn into a personal lightsaber."

[@cis4659]

I like the fact that the show is not the og timeline. Just part of something big and not the chosen one. He's just a (lack of a better term) variant. If they did the barry became the lightning that struck him, its not the very first one. It's the altered version of it.

[@Dhruv-qw7jf]

I have a feeling that this is indirectly in response to Madvocate's videos, especially since he reused the music Madvo uses when Barry stops to talk and doesn't knock out enemies instantly for several seconds, and also at one point "I can just poke a million holes in it and say, _this season isn't as good as we thought, but it kind of is_ "

[@TheMaskedHero]

I remember feeling like the resolution of the finale felt so clever at the time. Not to mention the gut wrenching nature of Barry's trip.

[@peacemaster8117]

I hope you get to be happy forever man, that sounds nice. I never really liked season 1, but I can't deny that Tom Cavanagh does incredible work.

[@polarlololol]

tbh i dont rlly like s1 either.. it was good the first time but i just rather seasons like s3 and s4

[@nikunjdixit1175]

I have been rewatching the show from scratch. Season 1 of The Flash genuinely holds up as one of the best seasons of superhero tv and that includes all the streaming shows. Its just consistently entertaining and its more impressive given that that they sustained it over a 23 episode season. Season 2 largely holds up though narratively not as clean. I'm mid season 3 and though its definitely a step down, it is better than I remember it being.

[@Skyewardbound]

I unashamedly love Savitar

[@nikunjdixit1175]

@@Skyewardbound First half of season 3 is a bit rocky, but the second half kicks ass. I think everything starting with the Grodd 2 parter is excellent.

[@jac0736]

I remember thinking season 1 and 2 were near perfect, 3 was mostly good albeit a bit repetitive, I actually liked season 4 a lot after The Thinker is properly set up. Season 5 is okay, season 6 had really good moments, really interesting moments, but also really bad ones. Season 7 and 8 are trash

[@nikunjdixit1175]

@@jac0736 I honestly don't have too much complaints with season 8. I think it was much stronger than other recent seasons. Season 7 was awful. Season 6 mirror arc stretched on too long but I liked the Bloodwork arc. Season 5 had an ordinary main villain but I liked the family stuff and the Thawne stuff. I have just started rewatching season 4. I think The Thinker is a villain that would have worked in a half season arc. He was just a little too OP and the season became too rinse and repeat of team Flash trying and failing to stop him from taking over another Bus meta.

[@BayAreaRushHour]

Season 3 feels better in retrospect because the first two seasons were really really good, and this was a clear step down. I look back more fondly now because the show kind of just tumbled off a cliff afterward, so it doesn’t seem quite as bad. That being said season 3 is the season that makes me the most angry because I thought it had the greatest potential and was a huge let down.

[@zackwalker1789]

I used to like this show so much, but what I've always hated about it was how the flash will run over to stop a crime, stop and talk to them, then the criminals do one thing to distract him and suddenly they're able to get away. No. He's too fast for that. He could stop them before they even knew he was there. And even if he did wanna give em a chance to stop first, they can't really escape from him unless they have a reason as to why his speed won't suffice

[@jbcatz5]

In terms of superhero media on TV at the time there was also Agents of SHIELD, which was airing the second half of season two in the first half of 2015 and focusing more on superpowers through the Inhumans.

[@epicc1o1official]

After all this time. Ross has finally returned to the Arrowverse, but not to the new Arrowverse, but to something he has never done before, the Original Flash seasons! Seasons 1 and 2 were amazing and seeing you and all of us returning to the OG Arrowverse especially in this time. This is the video I didn’t know I was waiting for but now I know I definitely was.

[@Evanz111]

Regarding “knowing the answers to the mysteries” - I actually started watching The Flash because one day I caught a part of a random episode on TV. It was the one where Reverse Flash killed Cisco and Barry ran back in time. I thought the reveal was done so well that I went back and watched the first episode and wanted to see how it got to that point. I loved watching all the clues that lead up to it, like knowing a spoiler actually made the show better. All the clues were there so it was really rewarding!

[@ImTheReverse]

Still the best episode lol

[@andrewrogers3067]

I’d say the worst thing of early Flash is how inconsistent the fights and the series as a whole is. Madvocate really showcases this. That said, if you’re willing to overlook the inconsistencies in the fights, the story is interesting, Thawne is a fantastic villain, and its humor is excellent.

[@dylanaruto20]

Hello fellow Madvocate viewer 👋

[@jashuarai3415]

Hello other fellow Madvocate viewers

[@MistahJ1940]

Thawne is honestly a terrible villain. Why would he keep a hologram at the containment cell? Why does even want Barry to save Nora? Also why did he even admit to killing Nora even though he despises Barry’s guts? Such a stupid plan.

[@oliverqueen474]

Gideon isn’t kept in the containment cell, she’s kept in a secret room. He wants Barry to save Nora so Thawne can go back to his original timeline. He admits to killing Nora because that makes Barry suffer even more than he did already.

[@ImTheReverse]

@@oliverqueen474I think he was talking about the hologram of Reverse Flash he used in the mid-season finale. The one that Cisco found.

[@yassvaritaass]

Season 1 (and 2, honestly as well) truly made The Flash my favorite show for quite some time. Also, *cries in Cisco*… while I totally understand why Carlos wanted to move on, I miss my favorite nerdy boy! Cisco added so much joy and humor and I think the show really suffered without him (and without Tom Cavanaugh too). Anyway, awesome video!

[@TheInkTank]

Great video. I've been afraid to revisit Season 1 as I had very similar views. I loved it, and enjoy the feelings it gave me at the time, and I didn't want to lose that. But if you're still able to enjoy Season 1 despite what the show has become, perhaps I will give it another shot, too.

[@Jimbobaggins223]

YOU CAN'T ESCAPE THE FLASH ROSS

[@pendarazaripoor4296]

One could say, there's nowhere to run

[@projekttaku1]

one could say he's ran out of time.

[@marque2127]

It got to a point in season 1 where every episode felt like a season finale (the last five episodes) and I was pleasantly surprised each week. Season one was the best season.

[@God-Level-Threat]

We need a Season 2 video for 1. You talked about all seasons and 2. I think it is also a really good season of The Flash

[@Darth_Mornabin]

Ross is doing a Flash-video because he wants to?! Ok, now I‘m interested …

[@projekttaku1]

that's not something you see everyday.

[@tylerty7235]

The Flash had the potential to be so good it’s unfathomable. Season 1: It was just amazing especially for a first season, my only nitpicks are how everyone just felt awkward at the beginning, you could just feel that the Actors didn’t know each other enough to make it seem natural but it’s easy to get past because the chemistry picks up really fast, and the Episode where Barry looses his speed, I really believe if that Episode was not a thing Season 2 could have been more Centered on that and would feel more natural at the point where Barry looses his speed and it would be more of a Big Deal, they could have even done it where Zoom is the only speedster that knows how to steal speed but it’s a stretch. I also want to talk about Seasons 4-6 because there where so many glances at what she show could have been. Season 4 was almost a Masterpiece and it never gets the respect it deserves, it was almost the best Season if they had a bit more time to focus on the middle part of the Story. Season 5, was amazing before Grace became Cicada, it felt like they just wanted to force more time Travel since they laid off the idea of Multiversal Travel, if they just worried more about the actual Cicada becoming a good person and realizing he is becoming what he was trying to save Grace from than that would have made that Season nearly perfect if they did it right, also it would have already been amazing if they kept the Season 4 suit. Season 6 in the first half should have been the whole Season, I forgot the name of the Episodes but the two where Barry was fighting against Ramsays Blood where probably the best the show has ever been, maybe not the Second but the first one was a Masterpiece and if we could have had more of a Gradual progression of it like he was already affected and it was just getting more serious overtime would have been nearly perfect again if done right. It’s sad to see all the wasted potential from the Show because if you really look deep, we could have been praising Seasons 1-6 instead of 1-3 because of those smal spurts of Masterful Telivsion, I still believe we should be praising 1-4 but I would love to hear everyones thoughts on that.

[@KingHypel]

I find this funny because me and one of my best friends are watching this show from start to finish on the weekends. We’re continuing season 1 today! I have to say that you inspired me to do this. Watching you dissect the show from your own viewpoint and getting Grant to watch this show and give his thoughts on it was hilarious and fun. Love your content. Cant wait for more 🤝

[@comixproviderftw_02]

“This was back in a time when Cinematic Universes were still felt like an exciting promise, and not an exhausting chore.” Well, that’s sad.

[@projekttaku1]

but facts tho.

[@Xehanort10]

Studios need to learn that not everything has to be part of a connected universe.

[@comixproviderftw_02]

@@Xehanort10 It’s kinda funny how the only other Cinematic Universe that’s successful other than the MCU is The Monsterverse. A Godzilla/Kong franchise that me, my father and like, 10 other people care. Which only consists of four movies, a fifth one on the way and a AppleTV+ show coming.

[@jadenbryant9283]

@@comixproviderftw_02 said 5th flim and said appletv show I am excited for and there's a netflix show coming out I believe

[@BigPeej]

this shows seasons 1-4 were amazing and will always be one of my favorite things to watch.

[@misaelintriago5434]

The biggest problem with the later seasons is they started focusing WAY too much on other characters instead of on Barry and his journey as a superhero, like they were doing in the first couple of seasons. It's a shame because, given how long the show has lasted, Barry should feel like this veteran hero who has gone through a lot in the past years and has learned and grown from it all, but because we barely ever see him anymore, it just doesn't feel the same. It's gotten so bad that it almost feels weird when they actually do focus on him again. It would have been interesting if they would have slowly dissolved team flash out of the picture, and he was just a solo hero who, on occasion, would get the help from Cisco or Caitlin. The alternative, if they were really intent on keeping Team Flash, could have been to just keep it a three, maybe four-person team. What they actually ended up doing was the worst mistake they could have made. Anyways I really hope that they learn from it and focus solely on Barry and his character arc and growth in the final season, especially with the fact that it's only 13 episodes. Aside from all of that I also hope they have taken inspiration from the earlier seasons and make it more cinematic, with more of a heartfelt and emotional feel to everything.

[@brrrr997]

Man... Growing up and revisiting the old things we used to enjoy, it's really a magical experience.

[@CelestialQueenLollipop]

The main problem with the later seasons is it was never about Barry anymore. Like I watched the Flash because I want to watch Barry. I mean some other character developments and screentimes are fine but they overdid and like no room for Barry.

[@marciofilho2137]

Exactly!!! It's basically Cecile/Allegra show now.

[@CelestialQueenLollipop]

@@marciofilho2137 Yeah, Cecile and Allegra has too much screentime.

[@marciofilho2137]

@@CelestialQueenLollipop Let's be honest, the last season of The Flash where Barry was the protagonist was season 4, and even that season has some cringe and annoying moments with dumbass humor. From season 5 to now Barry has been a side character in his own show, with full episodes that doesn't feature Barry at all and is entirely focused on other (and mostly boring) characters like Iris (WE ARE THE FLASH), Cecile, Allegra, Chester and even fucking Chillblaine. I will awalys consider that the season 3 finale, with Barry going to the Speed Force to repair his mistakes (doing the whole Flashpoint and creating Savitar as a result) and save the world, is the true ending of the show!!! Barry's arc that started in season 1 was fully finished by that point.

[@dirkdigger69]

rewatching the CW shows I always forgot how much they lean into the dramatic music and melodrama

[@theoutsiderjess4869]

I just rewatched Season 1 and 2 and those were the best season of the show and it is still so good even though I know how it plays out. I'm on Season 3 and it fell a little flat at 3 but it's still enjoyable I liked 4 more than 3 and after those season I don't blame anyone who stopped watching

[@BayAreaRushHour]

I stopped at 5 and it’s really hard for me to decide if season 3 or 4 is worse. Both of them built up a great villain up until the mid season finale, then squandered the rest, especially the finale. Season 3 makes me mad because they did a “tell not show” with savitar, and half the time I forget that it’s a future Barry because grant gustin barely had any time to play and develop him. It just felt like wasted potential. With the thinker in season 4, after the mid season finale it felt like the writers were not smart enough to write a super smart villain. I think season 3 makes me more angry because I think in some way when they announced the thinker as the next villain to change from the speedster villains, I always felt that the writers were not gonna be capable of fully utilizing the thinkers potential. Season 3 just angers me because they had a great story laid out, and chose to fill it with filler instead of essential development for the villain, who is basically the main character.

[@blitzknight2533]

By far the reverse flash was the best villian. Now something I love that they did is if anytime reverse flash is on screen you can hear that really cool vibration sound, yea it might seem weird but I personally love it. No other villian had like their own abiant sound:)

[@thevplayer]

This video encapsulates the exact thoughts I was having comparing the first season with the newer ones. I absolutely love season 1 and I remember thinking about the enjoyment of being a hero point so much. Thank you for putting this out because I couldn’t agree more.

[@kiratherenegade1561]

Arrow went for a safe first step, stomped down the next, twisted it's ankle for the third, broke it's face on S4 then dusted itself off for S5. The Flash has a nice first step, toom another nice step, then broke it's ankle, broke it's face & got run over. I have to say Arrow hasn't age great either - but it's aged much better than everything post S2 of Flash. Maybe one of the harshest crashes in TV.

[@hayesshepard]

Tom and Grant both were guests at phoenix fan fusion 2023, I saw them both. Tom mentioned that, like most shows, they were never certain they were going to get a season 2 so they went all out and told a complete story in season 1. When you look at it alone, disregarding that there IS a season 2, I personally think season 1 is damn near perfection.

[@momoura305]

Love this video. Feels like you went back to your roots lol.

[@chrislenferna4384]

I recently rewatched this show again, the writing is great, all the actors look like they want to be, also the special effects still really hold up in a television series context

[@ethanlappin]

I kinda miss how Iris was in season 1. Like the rest of the show she was much lighter and more carefree

[@magikphoenix140]

Right. I feel like they made her character revolve around WestAllen a lot more in the later seasons and didn’t focus that much on her character outside of their relationship

[@Dannyboy31805]

I really like this it’s the kind of video where I can still enjoy and understand it even if I don’t personally 100% agree with everything. And part of that is stuff that’s not really covered in this video but I like a lot of stuff from all of the seasons not everything of course but I always love seeing the good parts that shine. Anyway this was a great video so keep it up

[@kdubbss0583]

18:45 I’m glad you brought up Mason Ridge’s character. As an avid soap opera watcher, I will always appreciate those actors branching out and doing different things, and I love Roger Howarth as an actor.

[@HiperPivociarz]

So what's the solution here? Not every season of a show can be season 1, but also not every show can just end with season 1. It feels like there's no solution.

[@projekttaku1]

consistentency

[@HiperPivociarz]

@@projekttaku1 I feel like that's like saying "Just write the show better". How do you achieve consistency? Hell, as an artist, it's kinda of encouraged to accept that your art won't be consistent, you have better days and worse days. There are many outside factors that affect the consistency of your craft.

[@projekttaku1]

@@HiperPivociarz don't retread old ground, drag out plotlines, pointless drama etc Essentially, cut out all the filler and shorten it to 13 episodes.

[@HiperPivociarz]

@@projekttaku1 I mean, it's tricky with the "old ground thing". I'd argue the second time Flash loses his speed is more impactful, because instead of being an one off episode, it's more of a longform storytelling thing, and it ends in a pretty nice episode, "The Runaway Dinosaur" Cutting out drag out plotlines and pointless drama I definitely agree, but you still need the show to be about something. Season 1 had it's work cut out for it, because they already have a premise, it's Barry's origin story, so we see him develop his powers, and his relationship with the team. Like you said, they can't retread old ground, so season 2 can't be about Barry learning new powers AGAIN. So what should it be about? Maybe the problem is they blew their load too early. But like you said, they can't drag out things either. So it's a balancing act. Keeping a show fresh will always be a challenge, and writing a season 1 is kinda like cheating, because you don't have to worry what to write about, each episode you are slowly introducing people to this new world. In season 2 the world is no longer uncharted, the audience is familiar with it, so what do you write about now?

[@projekttaku1]

@@HiperPivociarz yes, but once you do it more than 2 times it gets boring. Just introduce new concepts. They literally had a whole new world in season 2. Have a different norm for the season, so maybe no team flash, the rogues are forming, crime is escalating.

[@Celerott]

I love Season 1 and 2, but after that, to me the Seasons became more and more insulting to me. The biggest issue with all the CW superhero shows is exactly what became a problem with Smallville around Season 5. The 20+ episode format had run it's course by then(yeah, I said it), and people were wanting shorter seasons. Had these shows been around 12-16 episodes per season, they wouldn't feel no where near as tired as they do. It also didn't help that the CW couldn't keep their politics out of it either.

[@projekttaku1]

yup. Honestly netflix did it best with their 13 episode superhero shows. Shorten it to 13 episodes and cut out all the pointless drama, filler, dumb getways etc

[@jadenbryant9283]

@@projekttaku1 and if you still want it to have villain of the week villains just have the vilain of the weeks villains be really interconnected to the point where certain villains where certain characters were already present before there episode

[@projekttaku1]

@@jadenbryant9283 no, villain of the week is boring.

[@jadenbryant9283]

@@projekttaku1 eh I kinda like the trope

[@projekttaku1]

@@jadenbryant9283 nah its boring and meandering. Its a tired formula.

[@PhilMcCawk]

Woooo I’ve been eagerly waiting since you replied to my comment. You’re a goat

[@bonoshii]

I would cry my eyes out if I watched this show again. Not really because of the quality of the show (even though S1 was really, really good in a lot of aspects) but I remember watching this when I was in a better place in life. Feels like I got sent back and dragged back to reality after the video ended. Fuck man

[@damiansaucedo9951]

Season 1 was a masterpiece. Loved how The Reverse Flash and Flash just duked it so many times but so many things happened just for one season. I use to be so religiously invested in the arrowverse lmao

[@matthewnord5238]

Fun fact, in 2006, David S Goyer wrote a Flash film with an identical storyline to CW’s The Flash Season 1, with a few changes: Barry Allen would’ve been Wally West Nora Allen would’ve been Barry Allen Joe West would’ve been Iris West Caitlin Snow would’ve been Tina McGee Cisco Ramon would’ve been Jerry McGee Harrison Wells/The Reverse Flash would’ve been Hunter Zolomon/Zoom And Leonard Snart/Captain Cold would’ve been Victor Vesp/The Turtle There weren’t any counterparts for Iris or Eddie to my knowledge. He wanted the film to feel like the Spiderman movies

[@marciofilho2137]

Actually there was a script for a Flash movie that never got made written by Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim, and that scrapped Flash movie was gonna be in the same universe as the 2011 Green Lantern movie. And that script is pretty much identical to season one of CW Flash TV show, much more than David S. Goyer script. That script leaked years ago and if you read it you will see the similarites with the TV show.

[@matthewnord5238]

@@marciofilho2137 Arrow Season 7 was basically an adaptation of the “Green Arrow: Escape From The Supermax” movie that was supposed to be set in The Dark Knight Universe. Add The Green Lantern/Flash universe and the forsaken Snyderverse to that, and you might have a pretty decent DC Cinematic Universe consisting of: Batman Begins The Dark Knight Green Lantern Green Arrow: Escape From The Supermax The Dark Knight Rises Man of Steel The Flash Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Suicide Squad Wonder Woman Justice League Aquaman Shazam! Justice League II Birds of Prey Cyborg (Doom Patrol) Lanterns Superman: Legacy Wonder Woman: 1984 The Suicide Squad Shazam! Fury of The Gods Flashpoint Paradox Blue Beetle Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom And TV Series like: The Sandman Constantine iZombie Lucifer Swamp Thing Justice League DARK Peacemaker Waller Superman & Lois

[@ttech8054]

That season one final shot is fire no lie

[@nickeel8401]

“You need to believe in the impossible “ Things in this season and later on make me think this was a disclaimer to warn of all the impossibly dumb things to follow. Example being how non speedster characters always turn a corner and escape someone fast enough to time travel

[@b.0266]

This video was amzing brought back so many memories of when i feel in love with the show

[@washgaming5825]

To be fair a lot of the recent seasons have the same problem. And his name is Eric Wallace.

[@robertrogers074]

Awesome man doing recaps.

[@lgkninja]

I’ve always loved season 1 and 2 and will definitely rewatch them

[@matthewblackwell9272]

7:24 I honestly don't think people see how similar every Arrow and Flash season are. You already stated season 1. Season 2 starts off with both hero's abandoning their teams after feeling they failed last season. But after reconnecting they face a serious threat who was once an ally/friend to the hero. This villain is basically just the hero but stronger. Oliver's mother dies by Slade and Barry's Dad is killed by zoom. They end the season on a win. Season 3. Both are the season's where the show's quality started to dip. They finally introduced the long awaited sidekick in full costume. They face a evil villain that commands a cult/league of people, plus a smaller villain to pad out the middle season (Brick, Dr. Alc). The villain really just want's the hero to become the villain and take their place, either as leader or time loop stuff. Season 4. This was the season both shows said they were giving it a tonal reboot, something more comic book like. Both season had fantastic actors for a terrible villain who didn't hide behind a mask, and one of the most boring mid sections of any seasons. At least Barry went to Prison, that was different. Both season's ended with the hero defeating the villain but the ending suggested that things were to change again. Both season 5's were callback to the first season of each show. Arrow took the tone and the care and love and craft, while flash took the main villain and tone. These are the most different season's as I believe Arrow Season 5 was a mistake. It's too good compared to what the CW was making. Both Season 6's were the ones to fully introduce 2 main villains. With the second villain in each having their story continued in season 7. Season 7 and Season 8 don't fall the best into these lines, but still. I'm surprised more people don't talk about this

[@rulerofthewild7747]

I rewatched this show with my friend who never watched the Arrowverse and we both loved it. It’s so much fun

[@bradgamble131]

Great video! Would be interesting to see another on Season 2 because it seems like you have some similar criticisms to mine that I don’t see talked about enough with S2

[@msekiller64]

i think if Barry and iris stayed more of a sibling relationship and veered from the comic more that would have been more interesting, because it would have been something different than just what we expect from the comics.

[@giancarloandretorresguzman7717]

I think Season 1 was just perfect. Nothing more but nothing less either, just perfect. That includes casting, references, the many Arrow crossovers, the speeches and reasons, and the MEGA cliffhanger of the season. I love how they setup Deathstorm from Season 8 that early without us noticing too. Tom is amazing. There will never be another set of around 23 episodes that will give me goosebumps like The Flash S1.

[@arnoldabenesjr2321]

Also it pretty cool that Ronnie and Oliver were working together because they are cousins IRL

[@josephhunter3513]

I really wish it was Caitlyn and Barry that were together. Caitlin when she got smooched by Barry’s look alike, diddnt realky resist. I love the idea of Ronnie dying and Caitlyn thinking she’ll never love again, Barry finally realizes that his lifelong love will never love him back. They find comfort in each other, abd eventually realize they have feelings for one another

[@ginge641]

21:24 Reminds me so much of how Arrow did the "hero gets his identity leaked" plot in episode 6 and then used it in the main season arc twice.

[@GentleGorillas]

The music editing in this video is GOD TIER

[@hugojack6547]

I recently started rewatching the Arrowverse and I would disagree about The Arrow and The Flash being all that similar in season 1. The love triangles were different, as Arrows was a lot more personal due to Oliver having a very deep connection with both participants. Also, Malcolm Merlyn wasn’t an evil mentor to Oliver in season 1, mostly because Oliver had 5 years of “crime fighting” experience before he came back to the then Starling city.

[@emperorcubone]

Flash season one is some of my favorite television; it's so fun, but tightly connects together in such fun ways, without getting bogged down with too many ties to other shows like now.

[@thevikingbear2343]

Flash Vs Arrow was SO GOOD that I blasted that soundtrack all the time (I actually bought the CD) And it came with a bonus track that was the Reverse Flash's theme, because Reverse Flash appeared for the first time in the very next episode. It was incredible! Flash vs Arrow is still provably the highest point that Flash reached in hype and approval and ratings and quality.

[@bonparadiso]

Season 1 and 2 are the best for me. If want perfection beginning to end with DC/CW, watch Legends of Tomorrow.

[@musiclover_kb4913]

I'm a 1st time viewer of not only the Flash but the Arrowverse in general and I feel the show is only getting better. I'm now on the 2nd half of season 3 and I'm loving it so far

[@DOCSH-jy8on]

​@@musiclover_kb4913Season 3 is phenomenal and it's my favorite season of The Flash.

[@realbigflopa]

The biggest thing that I miss from season 1 was the fact that Barry losing to villains made actual sense because he has never done crime fighting before so losing to a dude with a cold gun made sense

[@justsomekidthatsinfinitely7090]

Cut to 6 seasons later Barry falls on face against a literal glass human

[@redhunter8731]

It still doesn't make sense with the speed he is shown to have.

[@just1rando]

Madvocate says otherwise lol

[@realbigflopa]

@@just1rando i agree that the villains disappearing was annoying

[@just1rando]

@@realbigflopa Lol yeah

[@Unti1tmrw]

Ever since I started watching Flash I’ve actually seen quality tv shows like Breaking Bad. But I’ll maintain that season 1 of Flash is a great season of tv.

[@Darth_Mornabin]

17:19 In retrospective, why did Thawne being erased from existence lead to the opening of black hole? Getting erased from existence happened A LOT afterwards in Flash and Legends. But yeah, the writers probably just hoped, no one would remember it …

[@minerpvpgaming2160]

i thought it was because of barry going back to save his mother but then leaving the portal open or something

[@Darth_Mornabin]

@@minerpvpgaming2160 They did have to close the black hole in time, yes. But… they did that …

[@minerpvpgaming2160]

@@Darth_Mornabin oh, I remember because Barry came back it stayed open too long

[@Darth_Mornabin]

@@minerpvpgaming2160 No, it didn‘t stay open too long. Caitlin shut down the technical stuff to close the black hole. Afterwards, Thawne got erased from existence a few minutes later and another black hole immediately opened up after that.

[@minerpvpgaming2160]

@@Darth_Mornabin I just rewatched the scene they said she closed it but it reopened and they didn’t know why

[@SourRobo8364]

Iris: What are you doing step bro?

[@thebigsteppa1101]

Rewatching season 1 hurts my heart seeing what the tv show should’ve been but instead what it actually ended up being

[@varga2049]

i love when you do things

[@rutepereira7628]

I need to add to the Barry & Iris thing, bc as much as I love them, it's very confusing to me. Because they said Joe is Barry's legal guardian, but then they refer to Joe as Barry's adoptive dad *so* many times?! I hate that.

[@Xehanort10]

Seems to me that the CW made them adopted siblings for awkward drama then regretted it when they finally made them a couple so they're trying to pretend they were never adopted siblings.

[@carsonwroten6867]

This would be a cool series to go through if you can bring yourself to break down each season this way. If not, completely understandable, but ill be here for it if you do! 😁