The long-awaited seventh season of The Flash is finally here and fans anticipate thrilling storylines. The previous season took an emotional toll on the Arrowverse fandom; from the death of Oliver Queen to the destruction of the multiverse, and Iris' imprisonment in the Mirrowverse. To make matters worse, the Flash was on the brink of losing his speed for good and a major villain was still on the loose.
With so much up in the air, season 7 is certain to be one for the ages, especially if certain wild fan theories come true. The anticipation of the new season is also mixed with trepidation as some fans worry about the direction the show will take, how it will compare to previous seasons, and what can be done or avoided to make it count as one of the good ones.
10 Keep: Graphic Novel Format
The sixth season of The Flash had a new director who introduced the graphic novel format to the show and split the season into two halves. This meant that, instead of a season-long villain like The Thinker, Cicada, and all the major villains before them, the Flash would face two different major villains in one season.
Fans of the show agreed that this was a welcome change because having one villain for an entire season often got boring and redundant and left too much room for filler content in order for the show to reach a certain episode count. Season 6 had Bloodwork, who was defeated in the first half, and Mirror Master whose story arc was interrupted before it could properly wrap up. If season 7 sticks to this new format, it will make every minute of each episode action-packed with only necessary and essential storylines.
9 Avoid: Changing The Rules Of Science
Science plays a major role in The Flash, especially when it comes to explaining certain concepts related to speed, the many gadgets Team Flash uses, and things along those lines. However, even though science is based on facts, it's rarely ever consistent on the show.
The rules of time travel, for example, are always changing, and while perfection isn't a fair expectation in fiction, some consistency would be nice, just so everyone is on the same page at all times. It also makes understanding key concepts of the show easier.
8 Keep: Foreshadowing Future Villains & Events
Almost every season of The Flash has foreshadowed an upcoming villain or a major event. A few examples are The Thinker, Mirror Master, Barry's trial for murder, the Crisis on Infinite Earths, and to some extent, Godspeed. Fans are holding out hope that certain things that were foreshadowed may yet come true like the appearance of Red Death.
These clues that the show provides on what will happen in the future are fun to analyze and make up theories on, adding another lovable aspect to the show. And once they are fulfilled, it's always fun to look back and see how far off the theories were based on the clues provided.
7 Avoid: Not Giving New Characters Enough Screen Time
While it's understandable that the Flash would face different minor villains from time to time in between fighting the main villain of the season, adding more new characters on top of that is a bit much, especially if their stories aren't properly fleshed out.
A perfect example of this is season 6, where Team Flash gained some new members, which was great but also a little overwhelming, given everything else that was happening at the time. Luckily, the season 7 trailer showed some of the new characters introduced in season 6, like Sue Dearborn and Chester were coming back, meaning the audience will have more time to get to know them.
6 Keep: Arrowverse Crossovers
Every fan of the Arrowverse looks forward to the crossover episodes that have become an annual event, spanning across the shows like Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, and Batwoman. Although the crossovers take the protagonists of each show away from whatever conflict they're dealing with at the time, unlike filler episodes, these tend to introduce a bigger threat that's just as or more enthralling.
Whether it's Nazi Doppelgängers from Earth X or a crisis wiping out the multiverse, there's no doubt that crossovers are the best part of The Flash and the other Arrowverse shows. With Oliver Queen dead and Arrow complete, Arrowverse crossovers will not be the same. The introduction of Superman and Lois does offer some possibilities, especially since the titular characters have featured in previous crossovers.
5 Avoid: A Long Season
The Flash had 23 episodes in each season from season 1 to 4, then season 5 had 22 episodes, and season 6 had 19. The longer the season, the more drawn out the plots, leading to tiring storylines that most fans lost interest in by the time the finale rolled around.
A shorter season with fewer episodes forces the stories to be succinct and straight to the point. It also doesn't leave much room for filler content, unless the show wants to risk having to rush through certain storylines to fit everything in a few episodes.
4 Keep: Revamping Comic Book Lore
While the TV show uses some plot points and characters from the comic books as its source material, it exercises creative freedom with some of these and changes things up. This ranges from character revamps like Nora West-Allen (who replaced Dawn Allen from the comic books) and the introduction of completely new characters such as Harrison Wells.
While some fans would enjoy being ahead of the story by reading the comic books, the changes that the TV show makes render that difficult. Still, it provides a fresh take on the stories fans of the comic books know and love.
3 Avoid: Filler Episodes
As past seasons have shown, filler episodes don't always rank so high. Some examples are season 4's "Harry and the Harrisons" and season 3's "Duet." The former focused on Harry (Earth 2) interacting with some of his doppelgängers from other Earths and the latter had the Flash and Supergirl trapped in a musical world.
While the lighthearted humor offered by these filler episodes dispels the tension of the more serious ones, it also disrupts the momentum of the story.
2 Keep: More Emotional Episodes
One of the best emotional episodes of season 6, and perhaps the show as a whole, was "The Last Temptation Of Barry Allen Part 1." Unlike Barry's usual fights where he relies on his powers to defeat the villain, this episode called him to fight a psychological battle. It's an emotionally charged episode, complete with a struggle of choosing between right and wrong.
In some ways, it's relatable, which may be the reason why this episode resonated with many. Minus the monster offering immortality, Barry's struggle in this episode is one that many go through in their daily lives; trying to choose what's right even though the wrong thing feels easier.
1 Avoid: Bringing Thawne Back
Eobard Thawne is the thorn in Flash's side that just won't go away and fans both love and hate that about him. As the Flash's original rival, there's a lot of history between the two, which might explain why the show is reluctant to let him go for good. Thawne has found a way to come back almost every season, it's practically become a right of passage.
Honestly, if his ancestor stabbing himself to death to erase Thawne from existence couldn't keep him away, nothing else will. Season 6 was no exception as Thawne tried to take over Nash Well's body. The explanations for Thawne's returns get more complex every time, so it would be simpler to avoid having him back altogether. A different rival with the same kind of intensity would be a good replacement.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/3uNm58N
0 Comments