Aside from Barry, which character did you connect the most to in Season 1 in terms of character development and overall story arc?
Andy Behbakht: This one is really tough, because I all love them for different reasons and these cast members are all so talented because they are all so likable. To me, though, I connected really well with Cisco and Iris for a number of reasons. Cisco, who is one of my new favorite comic characters since I got into Vibe in the New 52, represents people like me so well on both the ethnicity and fanboy side of it all. While I may not be Hispanic, I do appreciate the fact that I can finally tune in every week to a TV show where I can see someone with my skin color represent me while also being an ambassador for all of us fanboys and fangirls. If I were in Cisco’s shoes, I would probably geek out for Laurel as much as he did.
Iris is very special to me because I think she is strong, well-written female character. I do see some of the issues that people have had with her, but I don’t see it as problematic as some do. I feel that it’s easy to follow her and understand where she is coming from. For example, when she learned Barry’s secret and that everyone had kept it from her, she had every right to be upset with them, and all the points she made were so valid and spot on. I’m also just in love with the great acting abilities that Candice Patton possesses and how strong her dynamic is with Grant Gustin. So, like I said, I feel that you can connect to pretty much all the characters on the show, but Cisco and Iris are people that I can connect with themost.
Jasef Wisener: In terms of character development and story arc, I would probably say that Tom Cavanaugh’s Harrison Wells resonated with me the most. Plenty of shows do a good job at building up a villain’s story over the course of a season, but the writers truly succeeded in making audiences sympathetic to the plight of a despicable character. It would be wrong of me to not also mention Jesse Martin’s Joe West here. While his actual story arc was nothing special, Martin brought a weight to the character that managed to lift the show anytime it struggled.
Nick Hogan: This one is a tough call, because I related to so many of them throughout the season in different arcs and episodes. For me, it’s going to have to be Cisco. I’m certainly not as quirky or hilarious, but he has this nerdiness to him that I totally relate to. When he found out that Laurel was Black Canary, and he said “I love you,” that’s exactly how I would’ve reacted. He can be serious, and he’s a major part of the team, but his sense of fun just calls out to me.
Laura Schinner: Since I’ve already talked about how much I love Cisco, I’m going to go a different direction with this question and say that I connected the most to Eddie. He’s a man that will do anything to protect those that he loves, and while he may not have super speed like Barry, he’s remarkable, maybe even a hero, in other ways. Like me, Eddie is ruled in a lot of ways by logic, unwilling to believe at first that there is a speedster running around the city saving people. When he is forced to face the reality of the situation, he struggles with it and even momentarily lashes out before realizing the good The Flash is doing. But Eddie is just as much ruled by emotion as he is by logic, be it his love for Iris or his desire to keep the city safe. He spent the end of the season coming to terms with the fact that he is ordinary, with Thawne telling him that he never does anything truly important with his life. When it came down to it, though, he was willing to sacrifice his life to save the city and those he loves. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest decision (there are other body parts he could have shot to ensure Thawne was never born), but in the heat of the moment, he did what he felt he needed to to save everyone else. Eddie may not have superpowers, but he is just as much a hero as Barry is.
Randy Dankievitch: Harrison Wells, and it’s not even close. Harrison Wells is such a deliciously tragic figure, one who operates on two completely different planes for the entire season – and the show never, ever loses the balance between the good and bad in Eobard Thawne. Driven by hatred, yet inspired by heroism, Eobard’s presence as Season 1’s central antagonist is an impressive, impressive feat. Harrison Wells is the most empathetic antagonist I’ve seen since Benjamin Linus emerged from The Others on Lost. A man displaced by time and driven by rage, Harrison’s guidance of Barry ends up being the thing that defeats him; that irony is a wonderful summation of Eobard’s journey through time, the season finale representing the culmination of an important journey Eobard took as Barry’s mentor.
Araceli Aviles: I would say Caitlin Snow would probably be one of the most relatable characters in terms of overall growth. Besides Barry, Caitlin’s life had the most upheaval following the particle accelerator explosion. After losing Ronnie and basically her whole career, Caitlin lost herself. Working with the STAR Labs team and helping Barry gave her purpose again. She even learned to allow herself moments of happiness again, even before Ronnie came back into her life. Everyone knows that Barry had to learn to rely on his team, but that was also a struggle for Caitlin, one she was able to fight through. She’s the most relatable character because she knows what it means to be young and lost, and to unexpectedly find your way again.
Tiffany Chang: My favorite character would have to be Dr. Harrison Wells, because I love that he can go back and forth between mentor and villain. However, I feel that I can connect with Cisco in a way because he’s like the proverbial black sheep of the family, aside from the fact that he has an awesome job at STAR Labs, and like him, I also watch way too many movies for my own good.
Blaise Hopkins: This is definitely a tough answer, but I have to go with Dr. Wells a.k.a. Eobard Thawne. The writers did a great job of planting little details into the character to shroud his identity. The incorporation of Eddie was also a smart thing to do to further cover up the trail. Throughout the season, we saw Wells’ character have to create the man he despised the most, and I think the character progression of Wells was fantastic. We watch him start out as a nice guy but watch him get darker and darker every episode until we finally hear his real name and watch him kill Cisco. On top of this, Tom Cavanagh was phenomenal from an acting standpoint and gave the character real depth and life. I’m happy that he is going to return for Season 2, and it will be extremely interesting to see how the timeline shakes out. Will he be back as the real Dr. Wells or was Eobard not actually deleted from time?
Chris King: Joe West. Always Joe West. Joe provided so many terrific moments throughout The Flash‘s first season, and his relationship with Barry was, by far, the strongest dynamic on the show. Whether Jesse L. Martin was making me laugh (usually because he was laughing) or nearing tears, it was his portrayal of Joe and the strong writing for the character that made him stand out among the others.
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