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Barry Allen is back, and once again, he’s fighting another speedster, in The Flash: The Complete Third Season. If that sounds a little catty, which in fairness it does, it’s because season three of the hit CW series may be the weakest, because the show seems to be going through the motions, and instead of sticking with the more interesting plot of Flashpoint, decides to go back and use another Speedster villain, this time in a man named Savitor, and his eerie puppet master, Alchemy.
The truth is, the season starts off really strong with the Flashpoint storyline, but only spends all of two episodes dealing with the fact that Barry tried to change the timeline, and created this new parallel universe. It’s clearly something that’s ripe for mining, but the show isn’t that interested in going there, which is incredibly frustrating. There’s so much potential in alternate timelines, and time travel in general, and while yes, there are ripples the rest of the season, it’s not enough to make it feel like anything but a missed opportunity for the show. Especially to go right back into using another Speedster as the big bad. This is the third season that’s used that trope, and it’s become tiresome.
Thankfully, even for the weakness of the overall season’s plot arc, it doesn’t make Grant Gustin any less fun to watch as Barry Allen, which is clearly the show’s biggest accomplishment. Gustin really makes Barry fun and memorable, and makes even the weakest episodes watchable. His supporting cast is still strong as well, though it continues to feel like Candice Patton’s Iris gets the short end of the stick as far as character arcs go. Here’s hoping that things pick up in season four.
Now WB is bringing home The Flash: The Complete Third Season to blu-ray and DVD, featuring the entire season of the series, as well as a bunch of special features. But before we get to the special features, fans of the series may want to make note that much like Arrow: The Complete Fifth Season, Legends of Tomorrow: The Complete Second Season, and Supergirl: The Complete Second Season, The Flash: The Complete Third Season only features the episode’s within the show’s flagship series, meaning none of the outside crossover episodes are on the discs. This makes for frustrating viewing, as The Flash is part of a four way crossover event, as well as a two part crossover event with Supergirl, and you’re only getting one part of these bigger stories. For fans, that’s not a good thing, and makes for a frustrating viewing experience. Warner Home Video may want to think twice about splitting the story arcs that way in future seasons.
As for the special features, there’s quite a few, and they’re as follows:
- Disc One:
–Villain Schoo: The Flash Rogues (HD 7:42)
–Deleted Scene:
The New Rogues (HD 1:13) - Disc Two:
–Allied: The Invasion Complex (HD 9:48)
–Deleted Scenes:
Invasion! (HD 00:54)
The Present (HD 00:32)
Borrowing Problems From the Future (HD 1:15) -
Disc Three:
–Rise of Gorilla City (HD 9:08)
–The Flash: Hitting the Fast Note (HD 4:08)
–The Flash: I’m Your Super Friend (HD 2:43)
–Harmony in a Flash (HD 15:34)
–Synchronicity in a Flash (HD 20:59)
–Deleted Scenes:
The Wrath of Savitar (HD 1:31)
Duet (HD 2:40) -
Disc Four:
–The Flash: 2016 Comic-Con Panel (HD 29:50)
–A Flash in Time: Time Travel in the Flash Universe (HD 21:47)
–A Conversation with Andrew Kreisberg and Kevin Smith (HD 3:55)
–Gag Reel (HD 4:04)
–Deleted Scenes:
I Know Who You Are (HD 1:35)
Finish Line (HD 2:46)
The Flash: The Complete Third Season is a step down in quality from the first two seasons, but it’s still not a bad watch. It just doesn’t live up to the potential of the story arcs it sets forward, which is a bummer. Still, for fans of the series and the character, this is worth a pick up. But again, be aware you won’t be getting the entirety of the story arcs unfortunately, which was not a great move by Warner Home Video. Hopefully this will be rectified in later season sets. For fans, this set is still a no brainer to pick up, and comes recommended.
