The Tragic Downfall of The Flash 

I never want to hear the words ‘Run Barry run’ again

Barrry fights a villian. He fails. He sulks. He gets a pep talk. He beats the villian. This is the main go to for every single episode. I gave up on the series in season 5.

"Iris has no powers" Excuse me?! She obviously has the power of love and friendship!!

"My name is Barry Allen, I'm the 42nd fastest man in my building."

Having only seen the first "run Barry, RUN" moment, I quite liked that scene. Nice to see they beat it to death.

Barry: I can’t do it Everyone: have you tried running very fast? Barry: **runs very fast** Barry: I did it

Like Syndrome said, “Once everyone’s super, no one will be.”

why dosent the flash just run at every villian at like 1000 mph and just blow a hole through their chest with a 1000 mph single punch??? like is there a reason given in the show for why he dosent just even just grab the bad guys at the speed of sound and put them in a maximum security prison cell within literally a single second?

I would point out that Team Flash in season one is even smaller than it appears, since Wells isn't actually a true member in that season - being the villain and all. Yes he fills the role, but halfway through the season we learn the truth and that flips his entire dynamic on its head. Plus, that actually makes Team Flash a useful plot element, with the betrayal, rather than the drag it became later.

the cw knocked the casting for the entire arrowverse superheroes out of the park (grant gustin, melissa benoist, etc) but they did them so criminally wrong with everything else

Worst lines in flash history because of the CW. 3. "You are my lightning rod" 2. "Run Barry Run" 1. "We are The Flash"

If only the CW took a page from the Justice League cartoons. In that show, Flash is every bit as powerful as you would expect, but in that Flash is shown as being a guy who cares for the villians and the people of the city. The villans get a leg up on him by putting him in situations where he has to choose between stopping them, or saving innocent lives. Just adding this one character trait/flaw would make the CW Flash so much more interesting.

honestly for iris, she could have worked as a main character if they leaned more into her journalist/investigator job, imagine if she was the one that found cicada, she was the one who figured out who savitar was, who reverse flash was? but in a way that made her seem like a skilled investigator, which considering she was raised by a cop, her being good at that isnt hard to believe, and in turn, we wouldnt have needed that ridiculous french sherloque. Iris could be the person to show that you dont need superpowers to be a hero, which is what the earlier seasons of the cw arrowverse were a bit better in portraying.

"You can beat the villain Barry, because the power of love or whatever"

I find it fascinating how every CW superhero show has a good first season, a better second season, and then completely falls apart.

The "bargain visual effects aren't the problem, poor writing is" argument is so spot-on, it sums up every bad season perfectly. It costs nothing to write proper build-ups, tension, stakes, character motivation, and every established storycrafting technique that grabs and keeps an audience engaged episode to episode. Consistency also costs nothing but costs everything if one screws it up. This show needed a visionary showrunner with the mettle of, say, Vince Gilligan or Eric Kripke, paired with a network that believes in them. Never liked Berlanti, but that's just me.

25:49 Whilst you are right in saying he is a badass, I think that what makes Barry such a good character in general is the fact that he cares In the animated series, he knew every person he saved by name, lived in an apartment with barely any furniture, he prioritised saving and helping people - even villains - over his own interests and any semblance of glory (Such as the Flash museum) And personally I don't think they did that iteration justice in the Arrowverse But I feel like they tried And ended up making him reliant on a lot of other characters which defeats the point of this dude with superspeed who turns out to be *just a random millennial with superspeed and a good heart saving a whole city all by himself*

I loved Barry as a forensic expert. I was expecting him to juggle his job and superhero duties. But like immediately he is a full time superhero.

No matter how cringey the show eventually got, watching the first season when it first came out is the most fun I've ever experienced watching tv

Barry revealing that he is the flash to his mom is easily the best scene in the whole show.

The power inconsistencies are also a thing in the comics. At one point it's stated that the reason the main Rogues (Captain Cold, Heatwave, Mirror Master, etc) are still around is because both they and Flash treat their battles almost like a game, and Flash is holding way back

"My name is Barry Allen, and I'm the Fastest man alive..." *Gets hit by everyone's attacks* lol

"Why did you kill my mother?" "Because I hate you." The Flash has 0 chance of ever becoming that good again

Seeing Jessica Parker Kennedy (Nora) acting like a child on The Flash was really weird after seeing her in Black Sails.

It's crazy that Arrow and The Flash were both better shows when the titular characters were basically working alone. The best parts of Arrow were usually the flashbacks, Oliver working on his own, or him talking about the island. The polygraph episode is still my favorite. The reveal of him lying about the island because the people there tortured him was such a good reveal. Barry working with a small team that is teaching him how to be a hero is good. And despite it being literally shown to us early on the reveal of Harrison Wells being Reverse Flash had some genuinely good writing. The team never questioned how Wells somehow knew so much about the speed force or how he knew how it felt to phase through a wall. Him talking about it was such a good nugget pointing to the reveal I wish that they kept us in the dark as much as the other characters were. So we could piece it together along with Barry.

I always hated how barrry is a way better character when he’s not in his own show

Its so frustrating because "run barry run" is a phrase that follows him throughout his life but OH MY GOD your only supposed to use it in critical moments not EVERY SINGLE TIME SOMEONE TALKS TOO HIM

As repetitive as “Run Barry, run” is, Tom Cavanagh absolutely kills it every time he delivers the line

Barry: “I’m the Flash.” Iris: “See that’s what you don’t get. You are not the Flash. We are.” Pretty much sums up every direction this CW show is going in

I swear every episode has "Barry let's talk" "Barry a moment" "Barry a word" it's just 💀

Season 1 was a quirky, yet oddly charming start to the series. Sure it had it’s flaws, but it’s episodic format and overarching story managed to pull me in. This was at a time I knew nothing about the Flash as a character and this show introduced me to Barry Allen for the first time. I was hooked on the first season and was eagerly anticipating the s2 premiere after the finale. However, you could detect the tonal shift by episode 2 of the second season and it never really recovered after that. I kept waiting and waiting through seasons 2 and 3 for it to return to the fun and quirky show that pulled me in, but it never did. I gave up watching regularly after season 3 and binged watched season 4 when it came out on Netflix. But after season 4 teased a return to it’s previous format but ultimately failed to deliver, I finally tuned out. It’s kinda sad thinking back on it.

Season 4 was my favorite because of the Thinker, his ability to think 40 years ahead makes him on of the best foils to the overpowered Flash you never know if anything that goes wrong for him is just part of an insanely long term plan. I loved the relationship he had with his wife in the show, especially the part where she discovered she had been mind wiped over and over stuck with me. Of course, the way they took him down was an asspull, there's no way this writing team could have managed otherwise.

Fun fact: there is a episode of this show in the brazillian-portuguese dub version that someone didn't edited the audio properly and, in the episode, we can hear the voice actor say "this dialogue is shit". The actor recorded the line, than trash talked the line right after and the guy who should cut the insult from the record, simply didn't cutted out.

Grant Gustin is a fantastic Flash, but I've always noticed how they never let him fully utilize Barry's sense of humor in the show. He sometimes felt more like Barry when he guest starred on Arrow or Supergirl.

One point about Reverse Flash... Bringing him back, is probably the only true to the comic thing the writers did... Eobard is literally immortal in a way... He cannot be erased from the timeline, because he is crucial to the space continuum... If he is killed or destroyed or whatever, the universe will find a way to bring him back... He exists in all timelines and parallel universes simultaniously... He is literally unkillable or at least a version of him...

If I recall correctly, in the Injustice comics Flash is assertive enough to TURN HIS BACK ON SUPERMAN. I know that isn't the main timeline, and it takes several pretty horrible events, but it's such a ways from this Flash that needs everyone to hold his hand.

For me it's the repetitive, someone gets upset and leaves the room, and then the group looks at each other intensely and decides who is going to have the heart to heart. One person goes to talk to the upset person and then the issue is "resolved." Happens at least twice an episode.

Barry every single time: "I can't do it, I'm not fast enough" Supporting character every single time: "Run Barry... run"

As someone who was really into the show I agree when you say that season 3 was when things began to fall apart. I can’t really explain it but after they revealed who Savitar was it just felt dragged after that point and I just lost track of what was going on aside from the “fixed event” that was to happen.

Grant Gustin is the Flash for me as well. Season 1 is a fantastic season. As a big Flash fan of both Barry and Bart, it was so awesome to see Barry brought to life.

The moment flash got ruined was when iris said, "No Barry, we are The Flash" ...

I have a feeling Grant Gustin is extremely grateful for those episodes where he doesn't need to do anything. He (and most of the main cast) have probably settled into the Ackles/Padalecki 'paycheck' phase of their job, they know the show isn't good but it's paying for the mortgage.

My partner and I were fans of the show the first few seasons. (Except for Iris. I hated that character from the moment she appeared but that's another tangent lol) The thing that finally made us just give up was the inconsistent airing schedule. The show would air like 2 episodes then be "on break" for 2 weeks. Get another episode or two, then 2 more weeks without one. It was so hard to keep track of when the new episodes were actually on and we realized we didn't even really care to keep up. I honestly had no idea it had even made it to 7 seasons.

I really loved season 2, possibly more than season 1, i really enjoyed zoom and his character arc in the show because he was basically the dark version of barry, his mom died but unlike barry he had no one to go to which is why he's evil, he sort of lashed out against the world and lost the feeling to care about people until he meets Caitlin which makes him think that maybe he doesn't have to be alone but after she rejects becoming evil with him, all he cares about is being as powerful as he can be so he can destroy the world that took everything from him

I get so frustrated whenever the show uses "Run Barry, Run" as a way to get him motivated. It worked so well in the first season. The phrase has lost all the charm and "power" it had because the show just uses it so damn much!

I think the phrase “Run Barry, run.” worked well ONLY with the Reverse Flash. It was first a sort of encouraging phrase from him to Barry before he revealed he was the Reverse Flash, but then it became almost a way of mocking him and I loved that in Season 1. Buuuut now anyone says it sooooo…. Yeah

I'd say Savitars intro was great, him punking Barry didn't just actually look good but it was actual fighting too, instead of playing tag all over the city for three minutes without a single blow exchanged. And then things teetered off.

I so badly hated Iris in this show that it was the first time I had to struggle to separate the actor from the character. Normally, I just...can do that. But Patton's face being so inextricably linked to the character I most hated in that show for so long made it difficult. Just like Gustin is the Flash in a positive way, Patton is Iris in a negative way. And that shit with Nora and Thawne did not make it easier.

Barry in the comics: *runs to library to learn construction then rebuilds a crumbling building, all within literal fractions of a second* CW Barry: *Runs Fast*

"You either die a Daredevil, or live long enough to see yourself turn into the flash"

If I recall correctly, the Caitlin/Killer Frost was explained that kinda makes sense coz we are presented with new information that just wasn't there in the first place. The main canon for them is that there had been Frost all along stagnant on Caitlin's head. So at the time where Caitlin was vulnerable or unsure this act up. It just so happens that it's also the time where Barry admits to doing the flashpoint. In my head it makes sense for Killer Frost, the repressed, stagnant tool in Caitlin's head would act up and use this to try and get what she wants which what happens when "she turns evil". Remember at this time Cailtin doesn't forget what she does as KF so my theory is Frost is heavily suggesting in her head to do this and that. I mean when there's voices in your head you'd think you're losing your mind and not that there's another entity inside you. When KF overrides their body, Caitlin probably steps aside and let the 'autopilot' do it's thing without again realizing that this autopilot is not an extension of her but a whole another person. By S4 where she finally realize that there's two whole person and physically manifests itself, Frost is not being subtle about it, Caitlin just don't get absently get autopiloted but get kicked out of the driver's seat hence why she doesn't remember it this time when it's Frost that's on the seat. When they finally knew about the truth about their existence and true origin, they try to get along moving on the same body, hence why at times the other is aware of what's happening even if they're not on the driver's seat. I imagine the stagnant would occasionally watch what the other is doing as opposed to the previous dynamic where they try to best each other to drive alone. The origin about their dad also gives way to the answer why dark matter wasn't detected in Caitlin that time on S2. It's coz her powers did not come from the particle accelerator dark matter. Like Cait's dad basically made a clone or potential clone to help with her illness, imagine like that storyline in my sister's keeper. Then there's the wonky science explanation how they cloned and separated Caitlin and Frost. So that's how we arrived here. I'm not saying it's oerfect but I think Caitlin/Frost thing kinda makes sense and not as bizarre as you made it seem. All I'm saying is the origin and the dynamics between Caitlin/Frost is the lesser issue to talk about than how the writers give Caitlin so much trauma where she then have an angsty response from and then the next episode it's okay and brushed aside and then they'd bring it back again. I mean, I understand that trauma kinda works that way but like they throw Caitlin a man to be infatuated with for the first few seasons then they break up then she gets emotional again bout her dead husband but she also would seem sincere when daying another man. Just like what they did with Iris and Eddie with "screw the future" which Eddie sacrificed his life for onky for Iris to move on with the man who he essentially saved by offing himself. It just that it made me root for westhawne and then we get the westallen bs where we are supposed to believe that they loved each other all along when Iris rejected and string along her technically not brother to be with Eddie and "screw the future". Smh

Tragic is the perfect word to describe this show. S1 and 2 was so promising I only wish it got better. I think that's what people miss when talking about the flash. We ALL had hope that s1 and 2 was setting the stage for the show to find it's footing and and then get really good but the creators went the opposite direction

Berry: „I can’t run“ Supporting character: „would you run for a Scooby snack?“ Berry: „say no more“

The inconsistency I found most hilarious is one episode where he is able to run to China and back in a few seconds, but in the next, he is unable to run across a large vestibule and back in time to prevent a villain from running out the door.

The problem with this flash is this... In order to have enough going on to fill a whole tv show, they couldnt just focus on one character. So they had to make a team. The only way a team will work is if the flash needs them. The only way for him to need them is for him to never evolve and shed the team, so he stuck in a constant "need help" state. The flash is constantly dealing with other dc characters in the comics, but they dont have the rights. So the show itself is what makes him a bad flash.

The biggest problem with the flash is it lost the light joking/camp tone that made it fun. Legends of Tomorrow has really taken on that mantle

Cisco, Caitlin and Barry were such a good trio in the beginning.

I haven’t watched any of the shows covered: Riverdale, Sabrina and Flash but watching Space Ninja break down why these shows didn’t work is weirdly entertaining

One main issue was the lack of presence of the flashs rouges gallery. It truly had some really good villains but the cw kinda forgot about them. Captain cold for example, would have made a terrific villain but he was caught up in another cw nightmare...

I will disagree on one point. The number of episodes is fine. You do NOT need a season-long arc in EVERY show. You can just have a show where things happen, then they move on. Having a 2-3 episode (or 3-4 episode) stories within a season would be fine. (Then have several single episode stories).

"Barry as a character is just running in circles" gets me every time.

I actually think that Iris could have worked really well if they leaned into the reporter thing more from the beginning. I only saw seasons 1 and 2 of Daredevil, but Karen Page always felt like what Iris should have been. A regular person who didn’t need powers or incredible combat training or genius intellect to go up against bad guys. Someone with street smarts, empathy and determination to uncover the truth and expose corruption. That would have given her a unique niche on Team Flash instead of forcing her into becoming the team leader (for some reason) or a speedster.

18:35 _"But then season 4 completely ignores that."_ This is a big recurring issue. A season ends in some way. Then the very startof the next season just says "nah". This happens a lot in movie series that haven't been fully planned out as well. Instead of developing the stuff they've already set up, they just throw it away and make up something new. It's as if they don't know how to write longer spanning stories.

-Mr. Wells, what's your favourite drink? -Rum, Barry, Rum!

Season trailer: Barry outrunning a galaxy-level threat. Season content: Iris's dad pregnancy scare while meeting the in-laws with his too-young girlfriend.

I didn’t mind sticking with Flash thru 6 seasons but when they defeated Eva in the finale by CONVINCING HER TO STOP I was done 😂😂😂😂

My take on Iris is that they really shouldn't have had her be both Barry's adopted sister and love interest. Ignoring the Alabama vibes, if you can call them that, she doesn't have a clear relationship to Barry, and him basically falling in love with the person that he's been raised with is it really good indicator of how much they didn't know what to do with her. Have Iris be a person who Barry is introduced to through some other way, such as being a reporter chasing down the same case that he's working, and have him build up relationship with her that is predicated first on their mutual respect for each other's capabilities, and then you'll have an interesting arc and love interest. However, when you have him just be in love with her because pseudosibling weird reasons, you have a character where you don't have a lot of room for them to grow

The scene were Iris gets angry at Barry cause he sent Nora back to the Future without telling her just pissed me the fuck off at Iris. She getting angry at him for telling his daughter from the future to literally fuck off for working with the PERSON WHO MURDERED HIS MOTHER was the last straw and I already had enough of Iris as a character

I agree. the thing that killed the show for me was when suddenly EVERY SINGLE ONE of the side characters had powers

This is full of painful truths as a longtime Arrowverse fan. My nostalgic love for the series makes me want to argue your points, but they're all true. I can barely stand the show anymore.

@FriendlySpace This IS a video I have NEVER forgotten. Simply because you hit it on the nail PERFECTLY and echo so many truths about modern TV and movie writing, I've felt about for a long time. And sadly, about the Flash and Arrow. Since this video was uploaded your spot on wisdom has been proven right in so many movies and TV shows since. CW was once a fantastic place for comic book fans and created a superb TV universe. Their "Crisis" event was a true treat for fans because they bought back a lot of universes and actors from the past. CW actually beat MCU to the multi verse by many years as well as proving these characters CAN work in the same screen together. But, as shown in this video, somewhere along the way CW started to become lazy and it's CLEAR even the actors on The Flash and Arrow started to look either bored or aware they were being served with substandard material. You can even tell it on their faces or body language. SURELY it's not rocket science to realise that adding new characters constantly will choke and damage main characters? When it was literally up to 9 characters made up of main and supporting characters the show had balance. It flowed and paced well. The audience ARE NOT STUPID. And their patience isn't limitless. Hollywood clearly looks down on us. Tragic because, as the Flash and Arrow showed, when you have the audience on your side, it creates a result where we're winners. Worst of all? CW betrayed the great actors who worked so hard to start the CW universe from the start. David

I just love all of your videos so much, thank you pour ton travail :)

I feel like the CW's motto is: "You Either Die A Hero, Or You Live Long Enough To See Yourself Become The Villain" because they refuse to cancel shows even when everyone that once love them, thinks they are awful

the biggest issue with the series is that they didn't bother being consistent with the Flash's actual power. 90% of the villains on the show wouldn't be able to hold a candle to him.

I think batwoman is the only show that can get away with the “team” aspect, because the Bat family is such an integral part of the bat universe

I loved Tom Cavanaugh in season 2, snarky Wells was everything.

what’s painful is that Grant is *so* good. he just has that look and emotion and snark that is all Barry Allen. I can’t imagine someone else doing what he does, and now he’s wasted in this show, and it’ll take ages until someone tries their hand on this kind of Flash story again, and it won’t be him. I like Flash in JL (the Zack Snider version) just fine, but there’s something about Grant that is perfect for this

I feel bad for Candace Patton, it's not her fault the writers fucked her character up and now everyone hates her character. Candace deserves better. I pray she leaves this show, and gets better roles.

32:40 my mind just screamed skip as soon as that iris and Barry talking scene came up its just instinct by now

I still remember watching the season one finale and being in tears when Barry had to let his mom die, I stopped watching midway through season 4 and I’m kinda happy I did. Watching these characters become cardboard cutouts and cliches was too much.

I also wanna know how they wrote “Run, Barry, Run.” 30,000 times and nobody said “Dude, shut up.”

Narrator: "How many times can you have an episode go exactly the same way?" Supernatural writers: "300 episodes"

I agree with you 100%, I couldn’t put my finger on it but to me I couldn’t find out why, but it became a chore sometimes watching the episodes and I gave up a lot earlier I would say after season 2 and then came back and forth, catching episodes here and there, and just reading up on the flash. For me, I think the big thing was also Wally West wasn’t cast properly. I’m used to the strawberry blonde, geeky prankster, and I could just never really get across the way CW went with casting. Wally West, or just wasn’t true to the comic.

Honestly glad the actress for patty spivot left to play a character on the boys. She was great in that role

The worst thing about Iris is that she grew up with Barry together and has seen him work through his grief closer than anybody, so her calling Barry insensitive for not trusting his mother's killer makes absolutely no sense at all. That scene ruined her character beyond redemption for me and the showrunners keep putting her at the forefront and make her the sole reason for any of Barry's actions which is pathetic.

"I'm Barry Allen, and I'm the fastest man alive." The plot of the episode for the 17th time: **Barry isn't fast enough.**

I just googled it and it turns out the Flash has 9 seasons. the 9th season airing in 2023. idk why I thought I stopped watching during season 6 or 7, because I definitely stopped before the season that introduced Godspeed(season 5). at least season 9 is the final one, so time to watch the 4 part finale to see how it ended.

30:03 Do you think that the second “run” is necessary for Barry to start running? Like, if someone say “run, Barry!!” He would just stand still waiting for that second “run” 😂

Barry: Fights villian Barry: *looses* Barry: " I'm not fast enough" *goes to the hallway* Some random team flash member: " I'll go talk to him" Barry: * Sits on the floor and ponders life choices* Some random team flash member: " The power of love will help you, you are unique. Now run Barry, RUN!!" Barry * Goes Mach 23455468900986424" *Theme song plays in the background" Barry: *Beats the villian* Team Flash: "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyy, you did it barry." Barry: No, WE did it ( i just summarized an entire episode)

I like how many times you pointed out that it's not the actors that are doing a bad job, it's the writing. Which is 100% true, Grant Gustin is THE Flash, and the fact that we can all see that despite the shit writing just proves how amazingly well he fits the character. Just imagine what he could do with some actual good writing. I dropped off after season 5, and it's just heartbreaking to see how far the show has fallen. Really hope they manage to pull something coherant together by the finale.

55:34 Came back here to say that the live action powerpuff girls is officially CANCELLED! Thank god 😂

when i hear lupin , money heist and the good place have lower budget im flabbergasted, even stranger things s1 like whatttt

Flash went downhill when Wells became just a guest star but I get it, his back was hurting from carrying the show

The Flash show describes my life perfectly: peaked in the first stage and has now devolved into a series of cringey and boring events ever since

Videos like this are so gratifying because it's such a relief to quit a show in frustration and then see years later that I was right to abandon hope and cut my losses 🙌🏽

Great video as always!

Its really hard to write the Flash, because his speed should solve pretty much everything within a few minutes of the intro. So his speed varies tremendously not just from episode to episode but from scene to scene. He can either dodge bullets, or cannot dodge a punch, depending on what the writer wants to do.

I love how in elseworlds Oliver queen says “I don’t think you can go over 9 hours without getting a sappy motivational speech” so this means the writers know what’s going on but just don’t care

Caitlyn should have become a full on villain and could have made an entire season revolving around Killer Frost and trying to save Caitlyn and bring her back. Now that would have been cool and interesting. Seeing Barry wrestle against a foe who is actually a friend. Instead, I feel like they tried to do too many things with her character in smaller arcs.

I remember when I was younger when me and my family would huddle around the TV to watch The Flash. After season four my family stopped watching the show. The show ended in season four for me. Whenever I think of the Flash I will always think of Grant Gustin