The Flash (2014) - Season 3 (DVD)

Even though the fourth season has already finished airing in the USA, I've recently, with the help of the DVD set, had a season three marathon. I'm not going to lie: I'm a huge fan of The Flash! My love for this show is so great, that I've even named my youngest dog Grant. Nonetheless, I didn't have the chance to look at season three before now, and I thought it was about time to change that. Despite my enthusiasm I tried to be as neutral as possible whilst reviewing this season. Even the best shows will at some point reach their peak and then head into a downwards spiral. Without claiming that The Flash is one of the best shows out there, I was wondering if the show had already reached its peak and if there was still enough of a story to offer more.

This time there isn't just one, but two crossover episodes.

Season three revolves around Flashpoint, a world created by Barry Allen (Grant Gustin, Glee) when he saved his mother in the past at the end of the previous season. At first sight it appears as if this was a good decision and Barry leads a happy life with his parents in this new timeline. Nonetheless, the situation isn't as good as Barry previously thought it was and he eventually decides to revert his decision. But is this even possible, or has Barry changed his entire life due to this one decision? The answer to this question is quickly given by the arrival of two new villains. The dangerous speedster known as Savitar and his right-hand man Doctor Alchemy. Together they will prove to be formidable opponents for Barry and his team. The alter egos of Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon, Killer Frost and Vibe, will be seen once again, but in a whole different way this time. And even the previously presumed dead Leonard Snart, also known as Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller, Prison Break), and Earth-3 Flash Jay Garrick (John Wesley Shipp, Teen Wolf) make appearances.



This time there isn't just one, but two crossover episodes. The first one uses nearly all currently ongoing CW superhero shows: Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow (no Black Lightning). In this four-part crossover, an alien invasion serves as the main plot and makes sure that all the viewers can enjoy an absolute mega cast who are all able to show us their unique characteristics and skills. The second crossover features the cast of The Flash and Supergirl in a musical themed episode. This is the kind of theme that one person likes and the other person dislikes. I'm part of the first group and thus I really enjoyed pretty much everything the new enemy, Music Meister (Darren Criss, Glee), brought. The DVD box has a lot of extras, including 'behind the scenes' footage. This footage proves that Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-girlfriend) has co-written the duet between Barry and Kara (Melissa Benoist), and that the solo song of Barry has been written by Oscar winners Benji Pasek and Justin Paul, both of whom had written songs for the renowned film 'La La Land'. The box set also features some extra information on the episodes where Grodd and his gorilla city were shown, including the fun fact that only 4 gorillas were created and then cloned to create the gorilla army.

I've enjoyed the new storylines, can't stop playing 'Runnin Home To You' on Spotify and I can't wait to watch the fourth season.

Next to the constant struggles between the Flash and his enemies, there is also room for love this season. After the kiss at the end of season 2, Barry and Iris (Candice Patton) arrive at a new point in their relationship, but Flashpoint quickly turns this into a mess as well. Even Dr. Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) and his daughter Jesse Quick (Violett Beane, The Leftovers) are part of the cast, despite them having moved back to Earth-2. The cast also includes Iris's brother Wally and their dad Joe, who falls into a bit of a romance himself. Two important new characters are those of Jessica Camacho (Sleepy Hollow) as bounty hunter Gypsy and the British Tom Felton who portrays CSI Julian Albert, who makes the lives of the cast a bit more special, of one in particular. Multiple referrals to his role of Draco in the Harry Potter film series provide us with excellent jokes and the CGI is the proverbial icing on the cake.

After all this praise, I unfortunately do have to end on a bit of a critical note. The beginning of the season was a bit predictable. For a moment I was afraid that the entire season would be, but after the first crossover episode I was certain that it was going to be a good season. The Dutch subtitles weren't that great, with too literal translations, resulting in an entirely different meaning. But I don't really have any more complaints, apart from those few things. Of course I understand that The Flash is something that only a select target audience can enjoy and that a lot of viewers will be a lot less positive about this show. But for me, this season was a great success. I've enjoyed the new storylines, can't stop playing 'Runnin Home To You' on Spotify and I can't wait to watch the fourth season.