Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

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Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Iroscato »

I was a naughty boy and streamed the leaked version, and I must say I was impressed at how they handled it. In a little over 40 minutes, they had to sell the plot of 'This ordinary, if clever man gets turned into a super-fast demigod by a freak accident' and juggle it with a murder mystery, a love interest and heartbreak, a great cameo from The Arrow and an interesting reveal at the end. I thought it was pretty awesome, not to mention a bit more light-hearted and humourous than Arrow ("My father gave me that pen...before he died!" :lol: )
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Broomstick »

Er... when was it on? I seem to have totally missed that. I must have blinked.

Wonder if it's available on-line on Hulu or whatever?
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Iroscato »

Broomstick wrote:Er... when was it on? I seem to have totally missed that. I must have blinked.

Wonder if it's available on-line on Hulu or whatever?
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Yeah, I've always taken the subtext of the Birther movement to be, "The rules don't count here! This is different! HE'S BLACK! BLACK, I SAY! ARE YOU ALL BLIND!?

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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Broomstick »

No, seriously - tell when it was broadcast. It will be free on Hulu a week later.

I realize there are other sources out there, but I don't want to muck around with new software/apps/services when the ones I know will get the job done.
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by mr friendly guy »

He got the leaked version Broomie. According to wiki it doesn't start broadcasting until october.
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Broomstick »

Ohhhhh......

so it might not even be in its final form, then?
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Iroscato »

Broomstick wrote:Ohhhhh......

so it might not even be in its final form, then?
Possibly, but I doubt the final cut will deviate from the version I saw too much considering it matched the 'extended trailer' pretty much exactly. That trailer really did give too much away...
Yeah, I've always taken the subtext of the Birther movement to be, "The rules don't count here! This is different! HE'S BLACK! BLACK, I SAY! ARE YOU ALL BLIND!?

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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Broomstick »

Er... considering the character first appeared in 1940 I'm not sure how much was really given away there. Granted, this version is based on the Barry Allen Flash, but still, I don't see the extended trailer giving up what anyone with any familiarity with the comic wouldn't already know or guess.
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Iroscato »

I personally have zero experience with the comics and have only preliminary knowledge now; a few months ago I couldn't name a single member of Flash's rogues gallery. I just think it gave away too much footage from the show, but then I'm a twit for watching it, so I'm not really complaining. :)
Yeah, I've always taken the subtext of the Birther movement to be, "The rules don't count here! This is different! HE'S BLACK! BLACK, I SAY! ARE YOU ALL BLIND!?

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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Batman »

Actually they seem to be going for an amalgamation of Barry and Wally because age and personality wise this seems to be a lot more Wally and Linda Parks is definitely Wally territory. I liked the 'Grodd' sign on the empty cage at STAR Labs and Barry's first official test being at a 'Ferris Air' facility.
And, just to be my usual obnoxious self, 'knots per hour' is an acceleration figure given that knots is already a speed measurement (namely, nautical miles per hour).
All in all, as live action superhero series openers go, I've definitely seen worse.
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Gaidin »

All things being equal, acceleration might not be an inappropriate thing to measure for the Flash. And that one's easier to throw at the masses than the typical metric standards.
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Broomstick »

Even those of us who know better (like pilots and sailors) will sometimes say "knots per hour" because we're so used to "miles per hour" or "kilometers per hour) so I'm not surprised when TV writers get it wrong.
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Batman »

I don't see how a 'per hour' acceleration figure is all that useful in a test that lasted minutes (not to mention a scene that lasted seconds), and I doubt 'knots' is all that more familiar to the masses than the metric system.
'Next time I let Superman take charge, just hit me. Real hard.'
'You're a princess from a society of immortal warriors. I'm a rich kid with issues. Lots of issues.'
'No. No dating for the Batman. It might cut into your brooding time.'
'Tactically we have multiple objectives. So we need to split into teams.'-'Dibs on the Amazon!'
'Hey, we both have a Martian's phone number on our speed dial. I think I deserve the benefit of the doubt.'
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Broomstick »

I'd say "knots" is less familiar to most than the metric system.

What the hell were they measuring in knots, anyhow?
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Batman »

Presumably, his speed, because his acceleration would (unless you want to assume they used a positively idiotic measurement like furlongs per fortnight in their displays) be through the roof. Barry went from 281 whatever to 345 whatever in the space of a single second.
'Next time I let Superman take charge, just hit me. Real hard.'
'You're a princess from a society of immortal warriors. I'm a rich kid with issues. Lots of issues.'
'No. No dating for the Batman. It might cut into your brooding time.'
'Tactically we have multiple objectives. So we need to split into teams.'-'Dibs on the Amazon!'
'Hey, we both have a Martian's phone number on our speed dial. I think I deserve the benefit of the doubt.'
'You know, for a guy with like 50 different kinds of vision, you sure are blind.'
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by mr friendly guy »

So the guys working with Barry at Star Labs have the same name as some DC characters. For example Danielle Panabaker character has the same name as Killer Frost, while the possible love rival Eddie Thawne has a similar name to the Reverse Flash, the guy who most likely killed Barry's Mother in the trailer. Interesting. I hope Eddie does not become Reverse Flash because that would be too obvious. And lame.
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by The Grim Squeaker »

mr friendly guy wrote:For example Danielle Panabaker character has the same name as Killer Frost, while the possible love rival Eddie Thawne has a similar name to the Reverse Flash, the guy who most likely killed Barry's Mother in the trailer. Interesting. I hope Eddie does not become Reverse Flash because that would be too obvious. And lame.
If anything, I was convinced from a thirdway through the episode that the professor would become Zoom. (Well before the big reveal).
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Iroscato »

The Grim Squeaker wrote:
mr friendly guy wrote:For example Danielle Panabaker character has the same name as Killer Frost, while the possible love rival Eddie Thawne has a similar name to the Reverse Flash, the guy who most likely killed Barry's Mother in the trailer. Interesting. I hope Eddie does not become Reverse Flash because that would be too obvious. And lame.
If anything, I was convinced from a thirdway through the episode that the professor would become Zoom. (Well before the big reveal).
Yeah I thought maybe he would be the 'Big Bad' from the start, mostly as he was the only face I recognised (Die-hard Scrubs fan). But then it looked as though his character was going in a totally different direction, especially with his apparent remorse for what his machine did and even giving Barry the inspiration to overcome the tornado. So eventually, it did actually take me by surprise when it looped back and revealed he is, if not a bad guy, at the very least up to no good.
Yeah, I've always taken the subtext of the Birther movement to be, "The rules don't count here! This is different! HE'S BLACK! BLACK, I SAY! ARE YOU ALL BLIND!?

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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Minischoles »

I enjoyed it, for an opening episode it worked pretty well.

The set up at the end though Spoiler
with the newspaper referencing the 'Crisis', could be hinting at Crisis on Infinite Earths, which is they're allowed to do it would be very awesome
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by FaxModem1 »

Newsarama
Green Arrow's Cousin Cast as Another Major DC Superhero in THE FLASH
by Lucas Siegel, Site Editor
Date: 09 July 2014 Time: 01:03 PM ET
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Robbie Amell in The Tomorrow People
Robbie Amell in The Tomorrow People
CREDIT: The CW
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Firestorm
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Just after news of The Flash getting a digital tie-in comic, the news continues for The CW’s expansion of their DC Comics TV Universe. Ronnie Raymond, one-half of the hero known as Firestorm, is joining the cast of the series in a “major recurring role.”

Robbie Amell, Arrow star Stephen Amell’s cousin and former star of one-season CW sci-fi series The Tomorrow People has been cast as Raymond, who will first appear in the third episode, according to a report by THR’s Philiana Ng. Raymond is Catlin Snow’s fiancé in the show, and an employee at S.T.A.R. Labs that “plays an integral part in the particle accelerator accident” that’s responsible for metahumans like The Flash gaining their powers.

Greg Berlanti, EP on the series, said that he, Geoff Johns, and Andrew Kreisberg “designed the pilot and series to include Ronnie (aka Firestorm)” implying that yes, we’ll be seeing his super heroic alter ego on the series. Firestorm is traditionally two characters merging into one superhero in the comics, with the ability to transmute matter from one form (or even chemical composition) to another. “To actually have someone with Robbie’s talent playing the role is beyond exciting,” Berlanti added.

Amell is excited to be “brought into the DC Universe,” saying it’s “a dream, I can’t wait to get started!”
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Iroscato »

That's a nifty concept for a superhero, I'll be looking forward to seeing how they approach that in the show.
Yeah, I've always taken the subtext of the Birther movement to be, "The rules don't count here! This is different! HE'S BLACK! BLACK, I SAY! ARE YOU ALL BLIND!?

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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Kojiro »

FaxModem1 wrote:Green Arrow's Cousin Cast as Another Major DC Superhero in THE FLASH
It'll be interesting if he ever meets Arrow. Those two look so much alike it'd be almost odd to not be noted in the show. I was certain they were at least brothers at first glance.

I'm still extremely wary of the whole Flash concept in live action. Quicksilver's appearance in DoFP showed that speedsters are just on a whole other level in most engagements. The Flash would make laughably short work of any villaIn that appeared in Arrow. I worry things will have to be extremely convoluted to make super speed not an instant win.
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Elheru Aran »

Kojiro wrote: The Flash would make laughably short work of any villaIn that appeared in Arrow. I worry things will have to be extremely convoluted to make super speed not an instant win.
My guess is they'll flog the whole "he's not a professional, he's an amateur" angle for as long as they can. Well-meaning young superhero never manages to actually do the job right until the last minute because he's never done this before. Something along those lines.

Though it'd be hard to reconcile with him being intelligent, but he could well be weak on actual tactics... plus, first season, they're not going to pull out all the crazy stuff he can do with super-speed and the Speed Force (if that exists in this universe). So expect a bit of bumbling. Stuff like he can't actually outrun lightning so the Weather Wizard hits him with a few lightning bolts, Trickster manages to catch him off-guard by spilling marbles on the floor, things like that.

What would be an interesting approach is if they played the collateral-damage card. Guy moving several times the speed of sound would be able to hit things really hard if he couldn't slow down in time, never mind the possible wind force from his passing. That might give him a reason to hold back until he figures out where his limits are.
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Kojiro »

Elheru Aran wrote:My guess is they'll flog the whole "he's not a professional, he's an amateur" angle for as long as they can. Well-meaning young superhero never manages to actually do the job right until the last minute because he's never done this before. Something along those lines.
Maybe... but after his chat with Arrow he promptly zips off the side of a building and goes running through traffic (presumably back the 600 miles to home). Zipping between moving cars implies he's pretty confident in his abilities and not hitting them implies some degree of control. Surely it can grow- he's not vibrating through walls or anything yet but we can say right off the bat that any villain with a gun is moot.

Maybe they can make it work... I'm just skeptical. But the general formula is for the threat of the week to require some sort of action- usually difficult or time sensitive- to be performed. Neither of those criteria- unless another speedster in involved or his powers are stripped- should occur. When your opponent is more or less stationary there's only so much challenge in subduing them and stripping his powers will get old very fast. Plus we'll always wonder why Arrow never calls Barry when stuff gets difficult in future seasons.

We had a couple of threads about super heroes vs Avengers/X Men/etc. Flash could wipe the floor with the Brotherhood and the movie X Men or Avengers. Those he can't actually take out, like Hulk or Colossus, he could avoid with trivial ease (or bury them in so many chains they can't move). Speedsters are absurdly powerful. He could possibly find the right tools and come back to dismantle the Iron Man armour right off of Stark.
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Re: Anyone catch the pilot for The Flash? (SPOILERS)

Post by Havok »

Broomstick wrote:Er... considering the character first appeared in 1940 I'm not sure how much was really given away there. Granted, this version is based on the Barry Allen Flash, but still, I don't see the extended trailer giving up what anyone with any familiarity with the comic wouldn't already know or guess.
The Flash is not Superman or Batman. Most casual fans that like superheros in general, but haven't read Flash comics specifically, won't know the backstory. Hell, I don't even know the different Flash origins and I'm familiar with the comics.

I like the costume and I really dug the first season of Arrow, other than Queen constantly reminding me of Chris O'donnell and his Robin, so I'm looking forward to it.
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