**Spoilers for The Flash Season 3 so don't read on if you're not up to date**
Let's start off by looking at what didn't work in season 3. One of the biggest problems was the big reveal. It was long winded, confusing and generally didn't land with the effect they wanted it to when it was revealed that the big baddie Savitar was in fact an evil version of Barry. The simple reason for this was that the season had already shown 'good Barry' in a negative light stemming from the decisions he made to save his mum and trigger flashpoint. So in a way, there was no good VS evil Barry because they were both bad. It was too predictable. Pitting a more happy, morally strong Barry against Savitar would have had a greater effect as audiences would be shocked and horrified to find out the golden hearted hero was unexpectedly actually the villain. Another problem was the time travel. We get it, The Flash can time travel and that's cool but when you're changing the timeline every few eps, it just gets frustrating, tiring and confusing. Can you actually explain the in and outs of how Savitar exists? Me neither.
A more minor problem with the shows third season was its lack of focus on previously introduced characters such as Jesse and Wally. There was so much more potential to develop those characters but one ended up half leaving the show and the other was used as a gimmicky side piece. The focus on Barry's relationship with Iris took centre stage for the whole season to provide motive and heart to the finale, but this was ultimately damaged by Barry's character arc this season. Barry was not a relatable character who seemed to never learn from his mistakes and seemed incapable of doing much of anything by himself. In turn this lead to audiences caring for Iris more than Barry which meant that Barry having to enter the speed force at the end of the season wasn't emotional and actually just felt like the right thing. The season didn't begin strongly, maintain well or end with interest for the next season.
Fear not Flash fans! There seems to be hope for the Scarlett Speedsters' fourth season. Descriptions of the new season were released at comic con last week along with a new trailer for episode 4X01 which you can watch here!. In summary of the most important details that were announced, the producers of the show have explained that the season will start with a six month time jump from the finale. They explained that when Barry eventually comes out of the speed force, he will be a changed hero with a strong sense of morality and a personality more in line with that of season 1 and 2's Barry Allen. HELL YEAH!.. no more emo Barry with the weird fringe.
Season 4 needs to remember what show it is. A dark and brooding hero works for Arrow because it's a dark show and it's roots are grounded in tragedy, git and survival. The roots of The Flash are portrayed through hope, fun and bright colours amongst the heartaches. Barry isn't Oliver and nor should he try to be. The show shouldn't let Caitlin and Cisco do all the thinking for Barry. Back in season one, the show told us that Barry is a funny, awkward nerdy 25 year old who beams out hope to everyone around him. Barry needs to make quick, good decisions for himself when taking down the bad guy of the week and really demonstrate that he is The Flash and he deserves that title. They shouldn't make Barry treat every villain as the big villain. Season 1 and 2 Barry humoured fans with quippy one liners that mock the bad guys that The Flash knows he can take down. This was practically absent in season 3.
Character development is a major key! Wally West is in dire need of the spotlight. Keynan Lonsdale's performance as the Kid Flash last season was great and he gave us the cocky fun speedster we missed. However, there just simply wasn't enough of him. They pushed the character well early on but dropped him as the season progressed. This season should truly show Wally becoming a hero of his own good enough to make a proper name for himself. To do this, they're gonna need to give him the limelight for more than just a couple of episodes. With DC's new show 'Titans' in development with no Wally West in the teams line up yet, theres a perfect opportunity for This season of The Flash to get him to a point where he's good enough to join the new show and fight alongside comic all stars such as Nightwing.
I was scrolling through Instagram the other day and found this awesome DCEU fan account @DCEU_forever. They post awesome edits, memes and new posters for upcoming DCEU movies as they are released! If you love DC comics and/or the DCEU it's definitely an account you are going to want to follow! Don't be afraid to interact on the posts, like, comment, and share your thoughts. You can find the instagram page here! Spread the comic love!
Season 3 Review.
Let's start off by looking at what didn't work in season 3. One of the biggest problems was the big reveal. It was long winded, confusing and generally didn't land with the effect they wanted it to when it was revealed that the big baddie Savitar was in fact an evil version of Barry. The simple reason for this was that the season had already shown 'good Barry' in a negative light stemming from the decisions he made to save his mum and trigger flashpoint. So in a way, there was no good VS evil Barry because they were both bad. It was too predictable. Pitting a more happy, morally strong Barry against Savitar would have had a greater effect as audiences would be shocked and horrified to find out the golden hearted hero was unexpectedly actually the villain. Another problem was the time travel. We get it, The Flash can time travel and that's cool but when you're changing the timeline every few eps, it just gets frustrating, tiring and confusing. Can you actually explain the in and outs of how Savitar exists? Me neither. 
A more minor problem with the shows third season was its lack of focus on previously introduced characters such as Jesse and Wally. There was so much more potential to develop those characters but one ended up half leaving the show and the other was used as a gimmicky side piece. The focus on Barry's relationship with Iris took centre stage for the whole season to provide motive and heart to the finale, but this was ultimately damaged by Barry's character arc this season. Barry was not a relatable character who seemed to never learn from his mistakes and seemed incapable of doing much of anything by himself. In turn this lead to audiences caring for Iris more than Barry which meant that Barry having to enter the speed force at the end of the season wasn't emotional and actually just felt like the right thing. The season didn't begin strongly, maintain well or end with interest for the next season.
Season 4 Preview.
Fear not Flash fans! There seems to be hope for the Scarlett Speedsters' fourth season. Descriptions of the new season were released at comic con last week along with a new trailer for episode 4X01 which you can watch here!. In summary of the most important details that were announced, the producers of the show have explained that the season will start with a six month time jump from the finale. They explained that when Barry eventually comes out of the speed force, he will be a changed hero with a strong sense of morality and a personality more in line with that of season 1 and 2's Barry Allen. HELL YEAH!.. no more emo Barry with the weird fringe.
Along with Barry's changed personality, the producers say that time travel will be very limited this season in an attempt to keep the timeline more simple and linear and just less confusing. Ok so a new Barry and less time travel, what else? The villain won't be a speedster! Hallelujah! The big bad will be 'The Thinker', a super intelligent meta human who wants to correct what he thinks is wrong with the world with his mass brain power. Hopefully a more intelligent villain will challenge Barry in a way he's never been challenged before. Maybe Barry will be forced to think more for himself than he's had to in season 3. If we're really lucky, maybe we'll get a finale that doesn't end in a race. To top it all off, Barry will be getting a new suit amongst his emergence from the speed force! The suit looks close to the version we saw Barry wear in 2024.
What they should and shouldn't do.
Season 4 needs to remember what show it is. A dark and brooding hero works for Arrow because it's a dark show and it's roots are grounded in tragedy, git and survival. The roots of The Flash are portrayed through hope, fun and bright colours amongst the heartaches. Barry isn't Oliver and nor should he try to be. The show shouldn't let Caitlin and Cisco do all the thinking for Barry. Back in season one, the show told us that Barry is a funny, awkward nerdy 25 year old who beams out hope to everyone around him. Barry needs to make quick, good decisions for himself when taking down the bad guy of the week and really demonstrate that he is The Flash and he deserves that title. They shouldn't make Barry treat every villain as the big villain. Season 1 and 2 Barry humoured fans with quippy one liners that mock the bad guys that The Flash knows he can take down. This was practically absent in season 3. 
Character development is a major key! Wally West is in dire need of the spotlight. Keynan Lonsdale's performance as the Kid Flash last season was great and he gave us the cocky fun speedster we missed. However, there just simply wasn't enough of him. They pushed the character well early on but dropped him as the season progressed. This season should truly show Wally becoming a hero of his own good enough to make a proper name for himself. To do this, they're gonna need to give him the limelight for more than just a couple of episodes. With DC's new show 'Titans' in development with no Wally West in the teams line up yet, theres a perfect opportunity for This season of The Flash to get him to a point where he's good enough to join the new show and fight alongside comic all stars such as Nightwing. 
I was scrolling through Instagram the other day and found this awesome DCEU fan account @DCEU_forever. They post awesome edits, memes and new posters for upcoming DCEU movies as they are released! If you love DC comics and/or the DCEU it's definitely an account you are going to want to follow! Don't be afraid to interact on the posts, like, comment, and share your thoughts. You can find the instagram page here! Spread the comic love!
So that's all for this week! What did you think of season 3 and what are you excited or worried about for season 4? Let me know by commenting below or tweeting me @Akash_Sond. If you haven't already, click the follow button at the top right of the screen or subscribe by email in the box just below that. Hope you enjoyed the read and come back next weekend for my next post!
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