The Flash is generally the lightest superhero series on The CW. Sure, Barry Allen cries a lot and sad things have happened, but the show has rarely gone truly dark. Season 3 kicked off on a pretty high note with Barry enjoying a life with two parents. Unfortunately, the Flashpoint plot meant that the story got pretty heavy pretty quickly. Fortunately for Flash fans who dislike darkness, the show will take certain steps to lighten up as Season 3 moves forward. Star Grant Gustin had this to say about what to expect in post-Flashpoint episodes:
A lot of it's not even dialogue. A lot of it's just these relationships that are further developing. And Tom Cavanagh is playing a new version of Wells which has presented an opportunity for a lot of comedy, more so than in the past.
Given that Flashpoint seems to have reset some of the key relationships of the series, it's no wonder that we may be in for humor as characters rediscover each other's quirks. After all, we do know that Barry's attempt to fix the timeline will only be somewhat successful, and character dynamics could be seriously altered moving forward. While there's certainly tragedy in the idea that the West family may need to repair itself in the wake of Barry's timeline meddling, there could also be comedy in other relationships in the wake of Flashpoint.
Tom Cavanagh should certainly be able to bring the laughs as yet another version of Harrison Wells. I'm starting to believe that The Flash's ongoing secret mission is actually to find crazy new versions of the character to throw at Cavanagh. He has managed everything from sinister to silly so far. Personally, some of my favorite scenes of Season 2 featured the Earth-2 version of Wells showing no patience with some of Team Flash's especially ridiculous plans. I could watch any version of Wells grouchily banter with any version of Cisco all day.
Grant Gustin's assurance to IGN that The Flash will lighten up again should be reassuring to CW DC fans who rely on The Flash for their source of laughs. Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow can get pretty grim at times, and there's no saying how Supergirl will fit into the lineup until it makes its CW debut next week. If Barry Allen can learn his lesson about not messing with the timeline and manages to keep the tone of the show happy, Season 3 could be The Flash's most entertaining season to date.
The ratings for the Season 3 premiere weren't terribly promising, so we'll have to wait and see if more people start tuning in once it becomes clear that the show is moving past Flashpoint and getting back to some of its old tricks. Tune in to The CW on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET to see the latest episodes of The Flash, and don't forget to check out our fall TV premiere schedule to see when the rest of The CW's DC shows air.
