‘The Flash’ Returns In Predictable Fashion

It is very difficult to run a superhero show for nearly a decade. Characters become stale. Plots become rehashed. And unfortunately, expectations have to be lowered. Such a show will try to find new ways to redo old storylines with new characters. And that’s exactly what The Flash‘s first episode of 2022 accomplishes. Fortunately though, it’s still a pretty fun ride.

The story pushes the Flash (Grant Gustin) and the show’s typical main characters aside to focus on Impulse (Jordan Fisher) and XS (Jessica Parker Kennedy) as they try to undo changes they accidentally made to the timeline. If it sounds like a familiar plot, that’s because it is. There have been plenty of instances of the Flash screwing up the timeline and having to fix things, which usually results in him accepting the best possible worst outcome. So you can imagine how this episode will probably play out.

But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun along the way. While XS has had plenty of screen time in the past, Impulse is a fairly recent addition to the show. So it was nice to see the two of them interacting as siblings trying to fix their blunder. It’s also a great opportunity for Impulse to build his character as he inevitably compares himself to his successful superhero father.

It’s not an incredibly riveting episode, though — especially as the Arrowverse continues to confuse its history of the Royal Flush Gang — but it’s a decent enough start to the second half of the season. There have been few hints as to where the storyline of the season will go from here beyond a missing hairbrush. And with The Flash being hit-or-miss in recent seasons, I’m certainly crossing my fingers that they figure out a way to breathe some fresh life into the new episodes to come.

The Flash airs Wednesdays on The CW.