THE SEASON:

As entertaining, well written and acted as any superhero movie in multiplexes this year, The Flash: The Complete First Season is another winner from DC Comics and The CW. One of the few major superheroes without a feature-length movie, The Flash instead receives 23 excellent, hour-long television episodes. Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) works as a forensic investigator for the Central City Police Department, alongside Detective Joe West (Jesse L. Martin), the man who raised Barry after his father was jailed for killing his mother. Barry pines for West's daughter, Iris (Candice Patton), but remains squarely in the friend zone. Local scientist Dr. Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) activates a giant particle collider but it implodes, sending a storm cloud of energy across Central City. This energy destroys Harrison's S.T.A.R. Labs and catches an unsuspecting Barry at home. He ends up in a nine-month coma, but, when he awakens, he can move faster - much, much faster. Barry joins Wells as he works to understand what happened to Barry's body, and Barry begins fighting crime across Central City. He is soon dubbed "The Flash" and attracts the attention of local criminals, many of whom were also unnaturally effected by the rogue energy.

The Flash is an upbeat, quickly paced hour of television, and the writers do a remarkable job introducing interesting characters and villains. The show's two biggest assets are Gustin and Martin, who make for an effective if unconventional team. Barry at first hides his abilities from Joe, but is forced to reveal his identity when Iris is threatened. The Flash has deep meaning for Barry and Joe: The night Barry's mom (Michelle Harrison) was murdered there was a super-fast man in a yellow suit in the room. Barry knows his dad, Henry Allen (John Wesley Shipp), is innocent, but was never able to prove it. Even Joe thought Henry was guilty until Barry reveals his gift. Exonerating Henry Allen is a recurring plot point, and the show integrates it nicely with the immediate, weekly villain action. Most of the villains are "metahumans" like Barry, and some, like Wentworth Miller's Captain Cold and Dominic Purcell's Heat Wave, return in multiple episodes.

While this show piggybacks on the success of Arrow, you don't have to be caught up on that show to enjoy The Flash. There are several crossover episodes, and Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) join Barry in Central City to fight crime, much to Queen's chagrin. I haven't seen Arrow, but this collaboration piqued my interest. Alongside good-natured Gustin are Danielle Panabaker and Carlos Valdes, playing S.T.A.R. Labs employees Dr. Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon, respectively. Rick Cosnett plays Eddie Thawne, a new CCPD officer who begins dating Iris. The Flash integrates a lot of elements - romance, comedy, action, science fiction - into one show, and it does so without overloading the circuits. Barry and Iris's friendship/unrequited love could have been an annoying distraction from the action, but it ends up as quite the opposite. This is due, again, to Gustin and Patton, who have great chemistry.

The first season throws a lot at you, and ends with some key questions unanswered. Barry has a lot on his plate: the woes of a young professional, a turbulent love life, and a tremendous responsibility to serve the citizens of Central City. The show's endearing characters and upbeat tone make for great entertainment, and I was hooked from the first episode to the twenty-third. The production design is theatrical quality, the effects are impressive, and the show is consistently well edited and acted. An unrelated film is coming in 2018, but I am more than happy to rejoin this cast for Season Two on the small screen. The Flash is a quality hour of television, and is more than just another superhero adventure.

THE BLU-RAY:

PICTURE:

Each episode receives a sparkling 1.78:1/1080p/AVC-encoded transfer. Each image is polished, sharp and highly detailed, with excellent delineation and color saturation. Skin tones are natural and black levels are generally strong, though the digitally sourced transfers occasionally exhibit banding and motion blur in quick pans. The intricate sets sparkle, and the depth in outdoor shots is impressive. There is very little to criticize here.

SOUND:

The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks are immersive, with theatrical-quality surround effects and sound panning. Dialogue is consistently clear and without distortion, whether delivered from the center channel or directionally. Fidelity and range are both excellent. Quiet character moments are as perfect as larger action sequences, where the subwoofer rumbles to life. Ambient effects are frequent and nicely resolved, and the show's musical score is nicely delivered. Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital mixes are available, too, as are English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.

PACKAGING AND EXTRAS:

The Flash: The Complete First Season arrives from Warner Brothers on four, 50GB Blu-ray discs. The multi-hinged case includes a leaflet with episode descriptions and a code to redeem an UltraViolet HD digital copy of the season. The case fits into a shiny outer slipbox. The discs are red, and Warner's familiar, boring menus are used.

A number of extras are included: On Disc One you get a Commentary by Executive Producers Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg and DC Comics' Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns for the pilot episode, as well as Deleted Scenes (5:15 total/HD). There are more Deleted Scenes (9:37 total/HD) on Disc Two. Disc Three includes Behind the Story: The Trickster Returns! (8:39/HD), about the original series, and more Deleted Scenes (8:01 total/HD). Disc Four has even more Deleted Scenes (13:31 total/HD) and The Fastest Man Alive (30:39/HD), a neat history of the character. You also get Creating the Blur: The VFX of The Flash (26:25/HD); The Chemistry of Emily and Grant (4:20/HD); DC Comics Night at Comic-Con 2014 (29:31/HD); and a Gag Reel (8:24/HD).

FINAL THOUGHTS:

This first season of The Flash comes Highly Recommended! Grant Gustin is great as Barry Allen, a nice guy tasked with unexpected superhuman powers. The supporting cast is strong and writing consistently good in this upbeat, exciting series. As entertaining as any superhero movie this year, The Flash offers great production design, involving drama and exhilarating action. The Blu-ray set offers strong A/V specs and some nice bonus features at a reasonable price.

William lives in Burlington, North Carolina, and looks forward to a Friday-afternoon matinee.