s e r e n i t y

Wingster

Can't wait for this

Elektra

eternalfate

Wingster

I LOVED IT.

Coherent thoughts on the ep later

ban1o

I thought this was a great follow up episode.

The Barry/Joe relationship provided a lot of the emotional meat for the episode and I thought that was great. Really looking forward to their relationship on this show. I'm glad they clued him in on the secret.

Most of the actors on this show are pretty good, especially Grant and Jesse. However I find Danielle Panabaker's performance really wooden. I get that this is her character, but the way she delivers her lines is very stilted. But I'm sure she will improve as she gets more used to the roll. I like the team dynamic with Harrison-Caitlin-Cisco and The Flash.

I'm really wondering if there is more to Eddie's character, it's only the second episode though so I'll wait and see.

I liked the Barry/ Iris scenes. You can really see that they are close friends and I think Iris is really funny.

The action sequences were great One thing that griped me only a little is, it was probably possible for Barry to run and catch multiplex, but he's inexperienced so I'll give him a pass lol.

All in all, I really loved this episode. Can't wait for next week.

classictvfan91

It was such a great episode. I loved it all. The stuff with Barry/Joe was great and so was all the Barry/Iris goodness

DigificWriter

My full review of the episode:
After getting off to a phenomenal start last week, Flash kicked things into even higher gear this week with "The Fastest Man Alive", showing us something that we don't usually see in superhero shows: the eponymous hero actually struggling as he/she attempts to establish a heroic persona for themselves.

I mentioned in my review of the Pilot that Joe West fills the same archetypal role as both Quentin Lance and John Diggle do on Arrow, and tonight's episode only cemented that assertion, particularly when it comes to the Diggle part of things. His objections to Barry's heroics were nearly identical - in motivation, at least - to Digg's objections to/struggle with what Oliver was doing (as seen in "Damages"), and the resolution to those objections also mirrored what happened with Digg. It was a nice subtle 'echo' of Arrow, and dovetailed really nicely with the use of flashbacks to explore what Barry and Joe's relationship was like in the aftermath of Henry Allen being arrested.

I'm not really sure what the writers are doing with Caitlin Snow; they clearly established in the Pilot that she fills the same archetypal role as Felicity does over on Arrow, but then portrayed her in this episode in a fashion that wasn't really consistent with said archetypal function. When characters like Diggle and Felicity get mad at Oliver, they remain very much entrenched in their specific archetypal roles, but when Caitlin freaked out on Barry, she came across as being an 'overprotective mother hen', which made things feel rather disjointed in terms of her characterization, particularly since she was back in her "female confidante" role by the end of the episode.

I said last week that Harrison Wells fills the same archetypal role as Malcolm Merlyn and Slade Wilson, and also said that I believe he's going to end up being the season's "Big Bad", and tonight's episode - particularly the very end - only cemented those conclusions. Knowing that he's not a character from the comics only increases the intrigue surrounding his motivations and actions, and I really can't wait to see what else the producers have up their sleeves when it comes to him.

I'm probably in the minority, but I would rather Iris and Barry's relationship not progress into romance. I fully expect that it's going to come out at some point that he's romantically interested in her, but, if I had my wish, she'd shoot him down and stay with Eddie. I know that it's probably going to be inevitable that she and Barry end up in a romantic relationship (particularly since she fills the same archetypal role as Laurel does over on Arrow), but, for now, that's how I feel.

BTW, the reason I don't want them to end up in a romance together is because I love the brother/sister relationship they have. It reminds me of the kind of relationship I've always had with my eldest sister (who's two years younger than I am), and I think it'd be a shame to ruin that, especially now that she's developed a keen interest in his superhero alter-ego.

I said last week that Cisco reminded me of Xander Harris, but I've got another Buffy character to add to that description: Andrew Wells. He's got Andrew's techy genius and introverted 'nerd cred' coupled with Xander's role as the 'everyman comic relief', and it's a nice combination that I think adds a fresh new layer to Flash and helps set it apart from its sister series Arrow (since there's not a character on Arrow that fills this archetypal function).

I didn't really get Barry's 'out-of-time' confession to Iris about how he feels, but it wasn't enough to drag down the episode's quality in any way, and I'm giving it a 10 out of 10.

LunaSolTierra

I really enjoyed the flashbacks, glad they have them. It will give us a whole new perspective of their lives.

Elektra

So it wasn't just me? I was waiting for her to ground him or something... "You get back here right now, young man! And go to your room!"

Forwood4Bamon

sounds like a good episode.

Ron_Beckett

Damn such a cool episode!

I especially love those after scenes so for the doc to stab that scientist all in the name of protecting the Flash- gotta wonder what his agenda is.

There was such a good storyline here. I like how the Flash is his own hero and can get beat up.

One of my favorite parts was the ending with Barry and Joe- Barry telling him that he did all the things a dad does.

And the whole super metabolism thing; normally food scenes bother me and gross me out but I gotta say this is gonna be hilarious. I'm looking forward to more empty plates and cartons like we saw in this episode.

We got mention of Ronnie which is awesome!

And the villain of the week- very cool!

scorpio_chick

Lol Someone else pointed out that they have more of a sibling dynamic than Barry/Iris and I'd have to agree. Caitlin gives me protective big sister vibes.

As for the episode as a whole, I have to admit that I thought the pilot was a little stronger but this episode was no disappointment. Loved Joe/Barry, Barry/Iris scenes and the flashbacks of young Barry with his dad, as well as the Harrison moment at the end. The latter is definitely bringing the intrigue.

brave princess

I really enjoyed last night's episode, maybe even more than the pilot episode. It was great to see Barry struggling with his new powers and the effect that they have on his body.

My favorite scene was probably the Barry/Joe scene at the end. I'm such a sucker for great family dynamics on shows so that scene at Barry's lab with the pizza had me tearing up quite a bit especially since I can relate completely to what Barry said with my own background.

Jade4813

My heart sank a little at the repetition of the "You're not my dad!" thing throughout the episode, since it was very clear that Joe cares a lot about Barry and has been there for him in a way his father couldn't, while he was growing up. So I really enjoyed that scene because it was quite sweet and it put that to rest.

I really loved the scene with the treadmill. That scene and the line at the beginning (paraphrasing): "I wonder how long it'll take for him to realize that he forgot his clothes," actually made me laugh out loud. I LOVED the little touch of Barry using his ability when his centrifuge was broken. Like the moment in the Pilot, where he and Green Arrow shared a moment of mutual appreciation for the other's abilities, I just love moments like that. I love moments where the characters are allowed to have wonder - and even sometimes FUN - over what they can do. Or even just using them in small ways to make life better/easier.

I do hope that, now that Joe is on-board, the show moves past Barry questioning whether he should try to be a hero or not. It's an understandable struggle for a couple of episodes, but I prefer seeing characters struggle with how to do what they do the best they can (and juggle it with a personal life) over whether or not they should.