Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.
If there is one complaint about superhero culture in 2014, it is that it is overly saturated. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe taking a lot of top priority at the box office, there's little room for something new and exciting to come out of it. Sure, there's films like Guardians of the Galaxy which have untested properties, but they still feel tragically rooted in the familiar. Everything has to connect into each other in ways that are unappealing and lack any justice to their own narratives. Even in TV, Marvel has the unimpressive Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which exists solely to sell more Marvel Cinematic Universe products. It is audacious, but it is also ludicrous. By comparison, DC hasn't been as excessive with their appearance. Though that could be because their attack on culture is in a less frequented place where ads are reserved to specific channels and their overall appeal is more limited: TV.
It may seem blasphemous to say this, considering that The Dark Knight trilogy and Man of Steel are recent success stories at the box office. However, their hold on pop culture has been more reserved to serial storytelling on TV: a format which better fits comic book stories, especially ones from a company called "Detective Comics." Since Smallville, CW (formerly WB) has done impressive things with DC characters by turning them into live action dramas. It was only recently that they attempted to do something not featuring Superman. It was Arrow starring The Green Arrow. It could seem like piggybacking on the more successful elders at the movies, but it also marked a shift that is only continuing to grow.
The fact is that DC is about to conquer every network not named ABC. There's Arrow on CW, Gotham on Fox, and an upcoming Wonder Woman show on CBS. While the saturation is surely high, it shouldn't hold back enthusiasm for one of the more bizarre superheroes out there. He's the Jessie Owens of the DC universe if you will. Ladies and gentlemen, The Flash. After being introduced on Arrow, the series has become its own behemoth with the CW's highest ratings in five years. Even then, what's the appeal of a guy that runs really fast? Thankfully, the series knows how to handle it with a sense of quirk that has desperately been missing from superhero movies/TV. It is sloppy for sure, but it is fun and lacks pretension. It may be tying into Arrow, but its sappiness has an addictive undertone that really works.
As required, The Flash begins with central focus Barry Allen's origin story of his parents being killed (how original) by lightning in his living room. From there, it flashforwards to contemporary Barry (Grant Gustin) where he's a forensics assistant. From there, the story revolves around how he gets his powers and meets up with an organization that essentially give him a suit and fights a man who can make tornadoes. It is super ridiculous and Barry, before he was given the name The Flash by The Green Arrow, is told by his friend Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) in a very exaggerated tone "Run, Barry Run." In a sense, this show is already way too campy to ever be as dark as the Zack Snyder counterparts or whatever Thor: The Dark World thought it was. This could easily have been an autobiographical tale of Hussein Bolt and been just as logical.
Much like Selfie, there is a sense that the series wants to appeal to the hip youngsters out there by using Lady GaGa music. Add in some up-to-date terminology and this at least feels contemporary in a good way. Yes, the stereotypes are a little loose and silly, but it is convincing enough to add a fresh take on a really old character. This more than anything is the reason that The Flash could work. Compared to even people who can shoot arrows, The Flash has nothing of value beyond running. He's already handicapped. Even then, what gives the series something exciting is that it is contemporary and will do something that most other series right now aren't wanting to do: have fun.
While I come on the side of burnout from superhero films, I do have a soft spot for Batman. With this said, Gotham was a drag to get through because it reflected everything that was detrimental to its modern perception. Where even in 2001 a superhero film could be wrapped up in fun and fancy, now it is about darkness, origins, and proving that your story is somehow intelligent/faithful as to keep audiences from feeling pandered to. I don't know much beyond The Flash's first episode and I know even less about the character as a whole, but he has fascinated me because he is one of the few names out there that is popular enough to be known, but somehow hasn't broken into the over saturation market. It seems exciting because it comes across more as a fun, youthful crime show than a dark, boring story of how characters came to cross paths.
While I had trouble getting into Arrow, I may stick around for The Flash for a few more episodes. Superhero culture may be something that I tend to steer clear from, but I also just enjoy the energy. The performances are solid and they take a fast guy just about as seriously as I do. I hope that it could create a depiction of The Flash that makes me care about him. While the episode ends with some weird supernatural aspects, there's still a sense of espionage that works. It is scrappy and fun and while not perfect, makes more sense than a gritty series about how Gotham characters came to be deformed outcasts or how Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. can generate interest from a nonstarter. The Flash, for now, feels like a fun and silly show of what superheroes used to be, and I kind of like that.
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