The Flash: 5 Reasons Why The Pilot Promises Great Things

2. Supporting Characters

The show may be called The Flash, but it was going to need more than one strong character to create anything consistently fun to watch. Producers Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg clearly drew from their Arrow roots in the construction of the supporting character dynamics. The wrongfully incarcerated Henry Allen (played by previous Flash portrayer John Wesley Shipp) is downright tearjerking as he speaks with his son from prison. Consummate cop actor Jesse L. Martin as Detective Joe West is Quentin Lance without a vendetta against the hero, and the fact that he is in on Barry€™s secret-and vigilantism-from the beginning should prove interesting. Candice Patton as his still-in-the-dark daughter Iris exudes a warmth that distinguishes her from her Arrow counterpart Laurel Lance, and the chemistry between Gustin and Patton is perfectly natural, if not particularly heated. More unique to The Flash are the Star Labs pariahs whose lives and careers were annihilated by the particle accelerator malfunction. Caitlin SNOW is perhaps analogous to Arrow€™s Felicity, but she has an inherent sadness that sets her apart. Slightly one-note for much of the episode, the moment at the end in which she finally breaks into a smile is a breath of fresh air. Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon is borderline annoying in several of his scenes, but the character is saved by his enthusiasm for his job and desire to help Barry as a person rather than a specimen. Most intriguing of the lab rats is Tom Cavanagh€™s Dr. Harrison Wells. The man behind the particle accelerator, its destruction weighs heavily upon him. His quest for knowledge costing him everything-seemingly including the ability to walk-left his insistence that Barry€™s accelerated healing is more important than his speed feels more tragic than hopeful. By the final few minutes of the episode, viewers everywhere were hoping that he€™d someday finish his karmic penance and regain use of his legs. Then, in an unexpected coda to the episode, Dr. Wells wheels himself into a secret chamber of Star Labs and stands up. Tall and strong on two legs, he removes his glasses and reveals a power of his own: seeing the future. So, there€™s probably some stuff going on there.