Superman was famously killed by the villain Doomsday back in 1992. Heroes like Wolverine, Captain America, Robin, Supergirl, and Jean Grey followed. Captain Marvel led the way in 1982 in Jim Starlin’s classic The Death of Captain Marvel. There have been a lot of superhero deaths through the years. Of course, for this old comic book fan, images of a fallen Flash are always going to offer an emotional punch in the gut. But, with that in mind, the makers of The Flash deserve a world of credit for being able to pull off such a remarkably dark episode in a series that is noted for its optimism. ![]() ![]() So I feel pretty confident that Barry is going to bounce back from this even stronger than before. The Flash is a mostly sunny series, and I don’t expect that to change. ![]() He suffered a devastating and humiliating defeat. This was clearly the Flash’s darkest hour so far. Then Zoom parades the crumpled hero around Central City, his defeat in sharp contrast to the heroic pose he struck on the dais just a few weeks before. In a particularly terrifying moment, we see Barry’s broken body. The battle was the most brutal that we have seen in this series, a harsh and lightning-fast conflict between the Scarlet Speedster and a man in black. The Flash fought hard and intelligently, but after this battle there is no doubt that he is no longer “The Fastest Man Alive”. It was clear from the very beginning that this was a battle that Barry was going to have a hard time winning, but the special effects and choreography sure made it seem like he was trying his hardest. The Flash’s conflict with Zoom (Tony Todd) was beautifully staged, a comic book battle brought to life. Linda’s training and apparent failure at setting the trap for Zoom was typically fun and entertaining, just the kind of light-hearted take on superheroics that make this show such a pleasure week after week. Light, in an attempt to lure the evil Zoom into our world. Team Flash recruits Linda Park (Malese Jow) to don the costume, and take on some of the powers, of her look-alike, Dr. Cisco (Carlos Valdes) employs his new superpowers in order to shed light on the motivations of Earth 2’s Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh). Barry’s relationship with Patty (Shantel VanSanten) continues to heat up. “Enter Zoom” hits all the right story beats. If the Flash is the fastest man alive, then The Flash is the fastest moving show on television. The creators seem to realize that with 50 years of comic book stories as their inspiration, there’s no reason to move slowly. But The Flash has never been a series that liked to hold things back. “Enter Zoom” seemed more like a season ending cliffhanger, or at least the last episode before a mid-season break, than like the fifth installment of the still-young second season. In what was arguably the darkest and most effective episode of The Flash to date, “Enter Zoom” offered up stark images of a beaten and broken Flash that were made even more shocking by the fact that the memories of the first episode’s mostly upbeat story are still fresh in mind. This week’s episode couldn’t have been more different. As icing on the cake, the episode ended with a party to celebrate the release of Barry’s dad (John Wesley Shipp) from prison. ![]() Even though Barry (Grant Gustin) felt that he should be sharing the honor with others - particularly Ronnie Raymond (Cedric Yarbrough) who gave his life in defense of the city - and the ceremonies were interrupted by the rampaging threat of Atom Smasher (Adam Copeland), it was nice to see Barry onstage receiving the accolades and credit that he deserved. The hero’s hometown of Central City threw a big party in the hero’s honor in recognition for all he had done to save the city from the threats of Reverse Flash. The Flash began this season on a mostly happy note.
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