Barry Allen is introduced as a forensics investigator who came from Central City to assist Starling City police and Oliver find the stolen centrifuge. We soon learn that Barry wasnt assigned to the case by the Central City Police Department, but came on his own accord. He explains that this case has similarities to his mothers murder case. Barrys father was arrested for the crime, but Barry thinks the blur-like tornado force he saw that day was somehow responsible. As a result, he became a forensics expert to try to prove his father innocent. Barry assists Oliver and the gang in finding the centrifuge and even saves Oliver's life after he got injected with a foreign substance while fighting Cyrus Gold. After leaving a new mask for Oliver as an early Christmas present, Barry heads back home. We all saw the TV snippets about the Central City particle accelerator that would soon be activated, and this all came to fruition when Barry got back to Central City but wasnt able to see the activation live. Instead he heads back to his lab at the police department to watch it on the news. Suddenly, the power goes out and an energy wave sweeps across the city, which somehow makes the chemicals in the lab start floating. Then, the legendary moment happens: a bolt of lighting pierces through the skylight and strikes Barry, knocking him unconscious into the chemicals. Glowing with energy, a new hero is born. When it was announced over the summer that Barry Allen would not just appear on Arrow but also eventually become The Flash, we were all quite surprised. For a show that was at best heightened reality, introducing superpowers was a huge leap from what wed already seen. Originally, Barry was make his debut as The Flash in the 20th episode of Arrow this season as a backdoor pilot, but the CW executives were so impressed with Gustins performance that hes now been given his own pilot episode to debut his powers. With a Flash show on the horizon and other shows like Hourman and a live action Young Justice series being developed at the CW, we are entering the beginning of a DC television universe. Whether this means Arrow will slowly add more super-powered characters and plots remains to be seen, but at least now were no longer hindered by the original grounded route that the show-runners wanted to take. Im excited to see what happens with their television plans, and Im glad Arrow was able to usher in a new age of superhero exploits. What did you think of the first half of Arrow Season 2? Share your thoughts below in the comments.
Adam Holmes is a writer who loves a good story whether it's fact or fiction. When he's not day-dreaming about time travel, he's usually immersing himself in all things film, television and comic books. He hopes to one day break into the entertainment journalism industry. Yes, he is aware of his resemblance to Clark Kent and McLovin. Keep up on the latest geek news by following his articles at Unleash The Fanboy: http://www.unleashthefanboy.com/author/adam-holmes
