The DC fans witnessed the finales of the two most popular CW superhero shows this week – Arrow and Flash. While Flash season 3 finale was along expected lines as it was bereft of any “shock n awe” moment, for once we thought that Flash show-makers grew the spine to kill off a major female character but somewhere deep down we knew that Flash can’t lose Iris West and it will be a happy ending. On the other hand, Arrow season 5 finale was perhaps the best episode in show’s history, maybe in CW history as well. It was a thrilling, edge-of-the-seat ride that never failed to give goose-bumps. It has injected new energy into the TV franchise which lost momentum after season 4 debacle. Well, it seems what Oliver Queen once said to Barry Allen is true, he said: “I don’t live in a city where villains have cute nicknames”. The Arrow finale made Flash look like an amateur superhero show meant for the uninitiated, whereas Arrow is a mature adult-superhero drama that has redeemed itself.
Here’re four things that Flash can learn from Arrow:
Embrace your roots:
The first season of “The Flash” is the best till now as it had all the ingredients that the fans asked for. But then the show drifted from its roots and took all the fandom for granted. Arrow has undergone a similar experience when the iconic villain like Damien Darhk was totally wasted, but it made an epic comeback in season 5 only because it embraced its roots.
Come out of your comfort zone:
Flash TV show has already lost its original spark and zing that it had, it seems overstretched and hackneyed in terms of narrative and style. Arrow, on the other hand, has successfully re-invented itself and brought its massive audience back into the fold.
Deal with the ‘Villain’ issues:
In Flash TV show, the villains carry too much emotional baggage which ultimately becomes the reason for their demise. For instance, Savitar wanted to be “Speed God” just because Team Flash abandoned him when he was young. In Arrow, Prometheus literally turned the world of Green Arrow upside down and broke him both physically and mentally.
Do something unexpected:
It’s understandable that Flash will have a speedster villain. Can we try something different ever? There are comic-book villains who have defeated Barry Allen without speed-powers. Arrow deliberately decided to do away with supernatural villains and instead chose a man like Chase who is out to avenge his father killed by Arrow in cold blood.
**Indian viewers catch the latest episodes of the Flash and Arrow on Colors Infinity and Colors Infinity HD.
