The Flash Season 6 Part 1 Review
Major Spoilers are included in this season review. Please read with caution.
The Flash season 6 hit Netflix on May 20, 2020, which meant I could finally binge-watch the season on my own time. Due to the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event, this season was structured differently from previous seasons. Season 6 was broken into two parts similar to a graphic novel, according to the showrunners. This review will tackle the first part of season 6, known as the “Pre-Crisis Arc”. At least, that’s I’m calling it. My review on the second half will come once I finish watching the rest of the season.
This arc consisted of eight episodes, and centered around Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and the build-up to his eventual disappearance during Crisis. After season 5 ended with his future daughter—Nora West-Allen (Jessica Parker Kennedy)—being erased from the timeline, the ripple effect also caused the Crisis’ date to move from 2024 to 2019. This was quite the rework the show needed to compensate for their lackluster seasons in the past.
The Flash’s latest season—at least in the first part—never went too dark like season 3 or too goofy or lighthearted like in seasons 4 and 5. Instead, the writing was tighter—for the most part anyway—regarding Barry Allen and Iris West-Allen (Candice Patton) after they lost their future daughter. I had particular issues with the other supporting characters, but having only eight episodes for the “Pre-Crisis Arc” prevented them from running the storylines too astray. In fact, Cisco (Carlos Valdes) and Ralph (Hartley Sawyer) were given their own centric episodes during this arc to help them process Barry’s eventual death and their future roles as team leader and heroic protector of Central City respectively.
The main antagonist for the “Pre-Crisis Arc” was a doctor—and an old friend of Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker)—named Ramsey Rosso (Sendhil Ramamurthy). At the start of the season, Ramsey had recently lost his mother to cancer, which brought him back into Caitlin’s life for a cure. He had contracted the cancer himself and was desperate for help from STAR Labs. This lead him down the path of becoming a villain, which was refreshing compared to how most villains were already full-blown evil at the start of their seasons. We actually saw how he gradually lost himself in madness, becoming the villain known as Bloodwork.
During the “Pre-Crisis Arc”, Ramsey’s character journey paralleled Barry’s struggles to accept and deal with his Crisis fate, as the villain was desperate to live selfishly while the hero was trying to find peace with his unchangeable destiny by preparing his loved ones to live in a world without The Flash.
The two-part mid-season finale—"The Last Temptation of Barry Allen”—before the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover really drove and resolve the major storylines and themes that were introduced this season. There were a few stories that will carry over to the second half of the season—like Ralph’s search for a missing Sue Dearborn—but this arc effectively worked in time for the crossover.
Overall, I would consider The Flash’s “Pre-Crisis Arc” a success. I didn’t particularly enjoy the whole “Killer Frost / Caitlin” personality spit dynamic, Cecile’s story about being a metahuman lawyer, Joe West’s lack of presence during the season, or the new characters—Allegra, Kamila, and Chester—hogging up space meant only for main characters. However, it didn’t break or ruin the “Pre-Crisis Arc” for me. I would recommend giving The Flash a try or another chance based on my viewing of this arc.
Thanks for reading! I’ll see y’all later for my part 2 review on the “Post-Crisis Arc”.