The Flash is the fastest superhero to ever hit the comics. He runs so fast, he travels through time itself. The only thing faster than the Flash is the speed to which I watched the first season of his show currently streaming on Netflix. Early on the show deploys the art of suspense and cliffhangers to arouse curiosity and build investment. Chock-full of these elements, the Flash makes the viewer yearn for more and keep watching.

The story follows Barry Allen (the Flash), a man who is thrust into becoming a superhero due to a rogue science experiment gone wrong. This experiment also gives powers to others who will not use them for good. The Flash feels it is his self-appointed duty to stop these villains and help out the city that needs him. He develops speed but also develops deep relationships with characters who may or may not be who they say they are, most notably the Reverse Flash. The Reverse Flash is the antithesis to the superhero Barry has become. Everything Barry stands for, the Reverse Flash opposes. This character is also accountable for the death of Barry’s mother. As the plot twists and turns, the identity of this villain is revealed, and all that is left is to watch from the edge of your seat.

Barry Allen runs his way into the viewer’s heart. He displays true courage and poise as he develops into his own. That can’t be said for everyone on the show. And by everyone on the show I am completely singling out one person and one person only – Iris West. She is the love interest for Barry and why she is I totally don’t understand. She brings literally nothing to the table and every second she is on the screen, the story is automatically worse. Iris is the embodiment of neediness, selfishness, and shallowness, and has an overall distasteful personality. As Barry grows into becoming a hero, Iris grows to becoming completely insufferable to the audience. It is easy to cling hard onto this element of the show because it is the only major weakness the Flash has. To her credit, the actress who plays her, Candice Patton, gives the character the best shot she can. The writers truly wanted a love triangle between her, Barry, and Eddy and to do this Iris had to be far worse than she could have been. Regardless, it does not detract from how great this show is overall. The Flash is one of the best screen adaptations of a comic book in my lifetime and is fun throughout its runtime.

Final Score: Speed through this one.