Some Thoughts on The Flash – Armageddon

I’ve been a bit behind in my TV watching since September. But with many shows going on their winter hiatuses, I’m starting to catch up. I just watched the five-part Flash – Armageddon. I had some thoughts. For no good reason, I thought I’d share them.

First, I enjoyed the event. Flash has had a little trouble finding its voice the past couple seasons. It’s still mostly enjoyable, but with lots of cast changes (some planned and some unplanned), it’s been uneven. Armageddon struck a good balance with the drama, sci-fi, and light-heartedness. Hopefully this is a sign that the new Team Flash is finding its footing.

Next, this was a crossover event. We got to see Black Lightning, Ray Palmer (I’ve missed Ray-Ray. He was my favorite Legend.), Nora Dahrk, Damien Dahrk, Mia Queen, Alex Danvers, and Batwoman. Crossovers are always fun. Just seeing the characters out of context is nice. As much as the Arrowverse is all one, each show has its own tone and style. These let the actors play the characters a little differently.

Two things didn’t work for me. One was the fact that Eobard Thawne was wearing his Harrison Wells face. Given that he had successfully killed Barry as a kid in the reverse-flashpoint, why would he have ever taken Wells’ identity? The other was the switch from Despero trying to save the world to him being a deposed tyrant trying to regain some glory. It’s not that that’s a bad idea, it was just so underdeveloped I felt like it would have been better off on the cutting room floor.

The most interesting thing about the event, for me, was the idea of Thawne becoming the Flash and living Barry’s life. He was the city’s hero. Iris fell in love with him. Team Flash was loyal to him. That means that our Flash’s arch nemesis committed a classic supervillain bad deed, killing a young Barry Allen, but then proceeded to live the next twenty years as a good person. Not that you can make up for the cold-blooded murder of a child, but every indication is that Thawne as Flash was an actual hero. That’s interesting to me.

What show should I catch up on next?

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