Healed from horrendous hurt

There are some things that I write, and I enjoy every single moment of it.  Such as when I wrote a five-part blog series on “The Flash” this month, that was something I thoroughly enjoyed.  But there are times when I honestly wish I didn’t have to write about something; today’s blog’s falls into that second category.

Speaking of “The Flash” there was an exchange in season 3 that came to my mind, as I begin today.  (If you are tired of this subject matter, bear with me, as it sets up what I want to talk about.)  Barry is speaking to his friend, Felicity, about some of the changes that have occurred in his world.  In the midst of laying all this out, he speaks of how there is also someone who doesn’t like him very much.  Felicity says, “Well, that’s impossible; everybody likes Barry Allen.  You’re like pudding; everybody likes pudding.”

While I never thought of it in terms of Felicity’s analogy, I can relate to it.  Like Barry, I try to treat everyone around me with kindness and respect.  I remembered how, several years ago, a coworker said that they wanted to tease me about something.  But even though it would have all been innocuous and fun, they said because I was too nice, they decided against it.  Now, understand I’m certainly not opposed to some good-natured ribbing.  The point is, even if you are Mr. Nice Guy, even if you treat others around you with kindness, you will still have detractors.  That’s the case for Barry Allen, and for myself as well.

I’ll do you a favor and spare you the gory details, but not long ago, my kindness was responded to with hostile words, they deeply injured me like I haven’t been injured in decades.  The Bible says the tongue has the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21).  Words have incredible power, either to heal or hurt.  These particular words hurt me so deeply it felt like my heart had been stabbed with a knife.  I was left feeling like I’d been punched in the stomach repeatedly, trying to regain my breath and my equilibrium.

I had a choice to make: either let this deep hurt fester inside me, leaving me bitter and angry, or choose to practice the Bible’s proposed remedy: forgiveness.  I chose the latter.  Jesus, in the prayer He taught His disciples, said to pray: “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us” (Luke 11:4).  Colossians 3:13: “Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so also you must do.”  Ephesians 4 instructs, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (verse 32; italics mine for emphasis).

Why am I bringing this up?  Because it’s entirely possible you may be reading this and you too have been hurt deeply.  I want to help you.  From firsthand experience I can attest that healing from a deep hurt is absolutely possible, but it is only possible through the power of forgiveness.  That’s not to say that it’s easy.  When those emotions rose up in me, I had to continually remind myself over and over – and over – of my decision to forgive; that I considered the debt paid, that I left the matter to God for Him to avenge (Romans 12:19), and that the chapter was closed.  Eventually, my emotions began to follow my will.

Let me conclude with this.  I love Gordon Mote’s song “Mercy Walked in”.  In it, he likens his salvation to being in a courtroom, condemned and guilty.  However, “Mercy walked in and pleaded my case, called to the stand God’s saving grace; the blood was presented the covered my sin.  Forgiven when Mercy walked in.”  I’ve easily listened to this song a hundred times, and shed countless tears at the joy of my own salvation, forgiveness, and personal relationship with Jesus. 

The song ends there, but imagine something with me.  Suppose the person released from the courtroom – the one completely forgiven – is subsequently hurt by another person, and hurt very deeply.  What else could the response possibly be but to choose to forgive the offender?  After all, since “Mercy walked in” and forgave, whatever this person forgives will pale in comparison to what he has already been forgiven. 

Kevin   

Previously on "The Flash" (Part 5 - Finale)

Today, I will be wrapping up this series on my reflections on some of my favorite moments from the TV show “The Flash”.  As I said back in part 1, “The Flash” is actually a spin-off of “Arrow”.  “Arrow” featured the adventures of Oliver Queen/the Green Arrow, a character played excellently by Stephen Amell.  “Arrow” ran 8 seasons, and went on to have several other spin-off shows.  There was “Legends of Tomorrow”, “Supergirl”, and “Batwoman”.  Even Jefferson Pierce, the protagonist from the show “Black Lightning” appeared with Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen and the others a few times.  Someone dubbed this shared universe of shows the “Arrowverse” and the name stuck.  So the conclusion of “The Flash” truly marks the end of an era.

Season 8 thoughts I left off with season 7; on to season 8.  I could go on and on with examples of why I think season 8 is quite good.  I could discuss the episode of just as Barry’s late dad’s – Henry Allen – birthday rolls around, a man is wrongfully accused of a violent crime; no one but Barry believes he is innocent.  He saw it in the man’s eyes, as he had in his dad’s years earlier.  Barry uses his keen CSI mind to solve the case, and exonerate the man.  Or I could detail the events that led to (spoiler alert!) the shocking death of one of Team Flash’s own.  I really should describe the epic two-part season finale; but suffice to say, Barry ultimately defeated Tom Cavanagh’s Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash in a gripping and satisfying way.

But it’s the five-part season premiere from season 8 – titled “Armageddon” – that sets the stage for this fine season.  A being from the future named Despero (portrayed superbly by Tony Curran) tells Barry that he has seen how, in the year 2031, future Barry went mad and ushered in chaos and destruction, that is Armageddon.  This mysterious figure warns that if he sees this tendency in the Flash, he will end him.  Stunning negative event after stunning negative event subsequently occurs; it all makes even Barry himself start to believe the prophecy.  As it turned out, it was all Eobard Thawne, in a brilliant, manipulative plan to make Barry doubt his own sanity.  He travels to 2031 to see the coming Armageddon for himself, and the full scope of Thawne’s plan.  It takes a whole episode to untangle it all. 

In the concluding episode of the Armageddon saga, Despero warns Team Flash that Eobard Thawne should not be permitted to live.  Some on the team agree with him.  They all grapple with what the right thing to do is.  This was compelling as it reminded me of the “why doesn’t Batman kill the Joker” question.  Ever the hero, even after all the pain and suffering Thawne caused, Barry chooses to save Eobard Thawne’s life, by taking away his speed.  It’s the noble choice.  But of course, doing so sets up their next confrontation, which occurs in the two-part season finale.  I came across this quote from Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A; he once stated, “Each person’s destiny is not a matter of chance, it’s a matter of choice.”

Season 9 thoughts I should mention for the record that I haven’t seen any episodes of the 9th season yet, but I am very much looking forward to seeing this final chapter.  I came across an intriguing article that highlighted the guest stars that will apparently return again in season 9 (the article I’m referring to can be found at this link.  I couldn’t possibly name them all here, but the names Tom Cavanagh and Matt Letscher in particular caught my eye.  Candidly, after witnessing the epic story in the season 8 finale, I confess I was surprised to learn of Cavanagh’s Thawne returning.  But, first of all, the writers didn’t know at the time whether there would even be a season 9.  And second, how could you conclude the show without Eobard Thawne?  He is the main villain of the entire series. 

As for Matt Letscher, he played a prominent villain periodically throughout the series.  In season 8, he appeared yet again.  He was portraying the same character as always, but he was actually a good guy.  Thanks to multiple existences of this character in the multiverse (and the love of a good woman) there was a version of him where he was good and decent.  This story was another example of a good story in season 8.  So it’s interesting Letscher will be returning as well.  Assuming he will play the same character again, I wonder if he will be the good version of the character or the villainous one.

In conclusion, I don’t know what season 9 will look like, but ultimately Barry Allen’s heroic legacy will endure.  Is Barry perfect?  Hardly.  He’s not perfect, just as the writing for the show hasn’t been perfect.  Even so, I thought of Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen when I read this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson; “The purpose of life is not to be happy.  It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well” (quoted by Tim Tebow in his book “Shaken”).  May those words be descriptive of you and me both.

Kevin

Previously on "The Flash" (Part 4 - of 5)

Last time, I stated that I was going to finish off this blog series on “The Flash”.  But I want to give adequate coverage to the seventh season of this show; I think it will be this one and then one more.  Season 7 is something of a mixed bag.  I’ve decided to organize my thoughts in this way: the good, the bizarre, the changes, and the takeaways.

#1: The good Season 7 had good moments.  One of my favorite moments was when a memorable villain from season 3 – Abra Kadabra – returned.  He intended to destroy all of Central City.  Ultimately, Barry stopped him, and he did so without even throwing a single punch.  As Chester said (the new guy, a little more on him in a moment), “Barry doesn’t need big fists; he’s got a big heart.”  Barry had confessed to Abra that he had lost someone in Crisis as well; he lost his friend Oliver Queen.  Oliver had made the ultimate sacrifice in the epic crossover event the year before.  Barry had gotten through to Abra.  It was an amazing moment: Abra Kadabra, a once hated enemy, was a friend now.

Without warning, they were suddenly interrupted by a monstrous beast, eventually named “Fuerza” (I’m told that’s Spanish for “strength”); really it’s just because “She-Hulk” was taken.  This massive beast grabs Barry, Abra tries to help, but the behemoth kills Abra Kadabra.  “Fuerza” eventually runs off, leaving Barry not only to heal, but to mourn the loss of Abra, who died an ally and a hero.

Secondly, I enjoyed the Godspeed storyline in season 7.  Godspeed A.K.A. August Heart is a speedster from the future, who mysteriously showed up in 2019, or season 6.  But Team Flash just kept encountering numerous Godspeed clones, not Godspeed himself.  This storyline continued in season 7.  I found the Godspeed clone saga intriguing.  It eventually even morphs into a compelling Godspeed Civil War, where one faction of clones wars against the other.  Finally, near the end of the season, they find August Heart, but he had amnesia.  The actor who played Heart/Godspeed in season 7 was Karan Oberoi.  He was absolutely riveting in this role.

#2: The bizarre While season 7 had good aspects, there were also bizarre moments.  I could give several examples, but let me give just this one.  As I explained last time, Barry and Iris mourned the loss of their daughter, Nora West-Allen in the finale of season 5.  This grief storyline continued in season 6, and even into season 7.  But then, all of the sudden, there was Nora in all of her glory (played once again by Jessica Parker Kennedy) to help fight the Godspeed clones.  Presumably, because the audience was as thoroughly confused as I was, Nora had to quickly make a reference to “the other Nora”; the one who had been lost at the end of season 5.  The decision to bring this character back – even if it was Nora 2.0, so to speak – seemed like a lazy decision by the writers.  Let me explain.

In season 5, when Nora met Eobard Thawne for the first time, he correctly deduces that she was Barry’s daughter, and but then incorrectly refers to her as Dawn.  Thawne is the smartest guy in the room; it was an odd mistake you wouldn’t think he’d make.  I did some research; it turns out that Dawn Allen was an Easter egg.  In the comics, Barry and Iris’ children were Dawn and her twin brother Don.  So after having the emotionally gripping loss of Nora in season 5, why not be more creative; upon meeting Barry’s daughter in season 7, why not actually have her be Dawn Allen this time?  Instead, we are just introduced to a second Nora who is exactly like “the other Nora” in every way.  Once again, this seemed lazy.

#3: The changes Team Flash looked different in this season; Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes), a character who appeared in every season since season 1, left the team.  While Chester P. Runk (Brandon McKnight) performs well in his absence, it still felt weird to be without Cisco.

Tom Cavanagh’s presence was significantly diminished too.  After Harrison “Nash” Wells nobly sacrificed himself (a great moment from a story that deserves a full blog), the original Harrison Wells arrived to help Team Flash.  For some reason, he had the ability to travel through time – I’m not too sure why, but I digress.  After his aid, he departed.  Then we were left to wonder if that was going to be it for Tom Cavanagh on the show.  Even his Eobard Thawne hadn’t appeared for a while; once again, it just felt strange to have a Team Flash without Cavanagh. 

Furthermore, Ralph Dibny left Central City with his girlfriend, Sue Dearbon, to travel the world and face new adventures together.  This scene was to provide closure for the character; in real life, the actor who played Ralph, Hartley Sawyer, was fired for derogatory, offensive, and controversial statements, made in the vein of humor, in 2012 and 2014. 

#4: The takeaways I read Hartley Sawyer’s controversial words.  They were problematic and wrong.  I have two takeaways: first off, this is a good reminder that a life marked by virtue and integrity is a blessing.  Proverbs says, “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches” (22:1).  Further, a good name, a good reputation, is fragile.  All it takes is one bad decision for it to go up in smoke.  Then all you can do is rebuild, and move forward.

However, secondly, I wholeheartedly believe in forgiveness and second changes.  I also read Hartley’s apology; he stated that he is “ashamed and disappointed in myself for my ignorance back then” and that he “regrets [the words] deeply”.  Apparently, like his TV counterpart Ralph, Hartley had grown.  He went on to write: “I want to be very clear: this is not reflective of what I think, or who I am now.  Years ago, thanks to friends and experiences who helped me to open my eyes, I began my journey into becoming a more responsible adult – in terms of what I say, what I do, and beyond.”  (You can find the article I’m quoting from at this link)

In conclusion, I have a dream: for Hartley Sawyer to make a surprise appearance as Ralph one last time in season 9.  After all, who among us said something 5 years ago, 7 years ago, that we wish we had not?  Regardless, Ralph Dibny’s influence and selfless character remains with me, even to this day, and I’m grateful for that.

Kevin

Previously on "The Flash" (Part 3 - Legacy)

I’ve been looking at moments from “The Flash” in celebration of the long run this show has had.  For today, I want to bring up three characters, and then present a takeaway. 

Character #1: Ralph Season 4 was a solid season with a very formidable villain, but the best part of the year was the introduction of a character named Ralph Dibny.  When we first meet Ralph, he is unethical, bitter, and selfish.  He obtains the superhuman power to stretch, contort, and elongate his body; he eventually is dubbed Elongated Man.  Barry takes Ralph under his wing.  Ralph’s transformation is amazing to behold; it’s not that long before he becomes brave, noble, and selfless. 

By season 5, Ralph Dibny is a trusted member of Team Flash.  So much so, that by season 6, when Barry believes he is fated to die (I will touch on that storyline in more detail in a moment), to prepare for this event, Barry says, “Central City has to be ready for a world without The Flash and Elongated Man should be its sole protector once I’m gone.”  They set up what Ralph believes to be routine deposition, but it’s actually a press conference to present Ralph as the main hero for the city.  At the press conference, Ralph gives a marvelous speech, and promises to “defend Central City with my dying breath.”

So what?  Ralph Dibny is one of my favorite characters on “The Flash”.  I think one reason why is because he is an example of how anyone, no matter selfish or sinful, can change.  Better stated: as a Christian, I believe that God can come into a person’s life and revolutionize them from the inside-out.  The Bible says anyone who is in Christ is a new creation, old things have passed away; all things are new (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

Character #2: Nora Nora West-Allen is the daughter of Barry and Iris who travelled from the future to meet the father that she didn’t get the chance to know in her time (as future Barry had vanished in an ominous event called Crisis).  Eventually the secret comes out that it was Eobard Thawne, in 2049, who had taught Nora how to travel back in time in the first place.  Thawne was condemned to die and claimed that wanted to do some good; he stated that he wanted to help Nora and Team Flash neutralize Cicada, a vicious killer that future Flash never caught.

But it was Ralph Dibny who solved the case: Thawne had been manipulating Nora every step of the way.  It was all a devious plan to ensure that he escapes his prison in the future.  When Nora learned the truth, she blamed herself.  She asks her father how she can fix it.  “I don’t know if you can, Nora.”  Barry said.  “You made a mistake…sometimes in life, all we can do is live with the consequences.  So what you have to ask yourself is what kind of hero are you going to be?  One who takes a do-over after every mistake, or one who lives with it and moves forward.”

In the exciting season 5 finale, Nora’s hand begins to sparkle and fade; Thawne explains that a new timeline is setting in, and it is erasing Nora from existence.  Ultimately, Nora chooses to let the timeline fully solidify.  “Sometimes all you can do is live with the consequences,” she says.  Thawne gets away.  Nora fades out of existence.  She had saved countless lives, at the cost of her own. 

So what?  In a message she had recorded in the event of her death, she said, in part, “I always wanted to be a hero.”  She proved herself to be one, but she had to make hard choices to do so.  In his book, “Fight for integrity” Dr. Russ Frase, Jr. writes, “Heroes encourage us, strengthen us, and motivate us…heroism is an ideal that raises our standards and our eyes to something that is higher than ourselves, pushing us to live a life of valor, of principle, of integrity” (page 37).  That’s certainly what both Ralph and Nora do for me.  But there’s one more…

Character #3: That other Barry Season 6 of “The Flash” is one of my favorite seasons.  A mysterious, seemingly all-knowing character, known as The Monitor, forecasts to Barry and Iris: “In order for billions to survive this coming Crisis, the Flash must die.”  In the end, Barry and Iris agree that Barry must sacrifice himself, when the time comes.  Everyone who loves Barry mourns this development.  It’s emotionally gripping.  I wish I could go on and on with each episode to build the tension, as this was a storyline that took 9 episodes before there was a resolution.  But let me cut to the chase.

Ultimately, Team Flash meets up with the Flash from Earth-90 (a clever inside-joke as this is John Wesley Shipp, who played Barry/Flash in the 1990 TV show, reprising his role here).  They realize that this is the moment that they had been preparing for: Flash needed to vanish in Crisis to save billions of lives.  Grant Gustin’s Flash steps up, ready to sacrifice himself, but John Wesley Shipp’s Flash volunteers.  “The Monitor said the Flash needed to die,” he begins.  “He never said which one.”  “Let me do this,” he implores, “Let me save you all.”  Reluctantly, Grant’s Flash agrees. 

As John’s Flash heroically sacrifices himself, the theme song from his show plays in the background.  That 1990 Flash TV show was my first introduction to the Barry Allen version on the Flash.  So I confess I cry every try I see this moment.  Kristin Parrish, in her book, “No cape required” writes, “How blessed we are that our hero is a real one who had such compassion for us sinners that He took on our sins and died for us on the cross so that we can experience everlasting life.”  Amen belongs here!

Next time, I plan to wrap this Flash series up.  So stay tuned!

Kevin

Previously on "The Flash" (Part 2 - Hero)

The 5th season of the TV show “The Flash” was a good season.  Not only did it have a formidable big bad – the vicious Cicada; not only did it have Barry Allen and Iris meet their adult daughter from the future, Nora West-Allen played by Jessica Parker Kennedy (by the way, I plan to talk about Nora in more detail in another post).  Further, there was an intriguing passing reference to Red Death.  At the time, I didn’t have any idea who or what that meant.  But having done some research, I now know that this is a powerful villain who will appear in season 9 of “The Flash”. 

In addition to all of this, season 5 had a good celebratory 100th episode for the show.  In the episode, Barry and Nora travel back in time to obtain various items to create a power-dampening tool to neutralize Cicada.  While it was a good plot point for the story, it was also a way for the audience to re-live moments from previous seasons of the show.  I’ve decided to follow the time travel sequence they took from that 100th episode here.  Barry and Nora first travelled to 2017, or the 3rd season of the show. 

Season 3 had my favorite villain of the entire series – the memorable Savitar.  Savitar is a speedster, who wore a silver exosuit (a suit of armor that makes Tony Stark’s Iron-Man suit look small by comparison).  Barry, with his speed powers, manages to force the man wearing the Savitar suit out and pilot it himself.  Barry looms over the man, now without his armor (Savitar’s identity was a mystery for a large portion of season 3; I dare not reveal it here).  He begs Barry to just kill him.  Barry refuses, and manages to destroy the Savitar suit forever.  And then Barry says, “I’ll never let the pain, the darkness, determine who I am.”

Let me stop here for an application point.  Barry’s declaration to never let the pain change him is inspiring.  This man has endured loss upon loss, and yet he never loses his optimism, hope, selflessness, and character.  Don’t get me wrong: Barry is far from perfect, season 3 has noticeable examples of this.  But he stays on the path of heroism and light.  Similarly, we all know loss and pain.  I certainly do.  Furthermore, like Barry, I am not perfect.  But even so, I still want to let my light shine before others; let them see good works from me and glorify my Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:16). 

Next, Barry and Nora travelled back to an event from the second season of the show.  This season was particularly noteworthy; it introduced staples in the series such as a plurality of universes, or the multiverse (Tom Cavanagh played several versions of Harrison Wells; in this season he was “Harry” Wells).  They revisited when Barry had selflessly chosen to give his powers to the big bad of that season – the monstrous Zoom – to save the life of Wally West.  Interestingly, Harry used his brilliant mind to effectively re-create the event that gave Barry his powers before to obtain them again.  This showcases that it’s Barry and his friends working together; often called “Team Flash”.

You say, “That’s nice and all, but I’m not a superhero who can give his powers away for a friend.  What’s the takeaway?”  One of the things I love most about superheroes, and in particular for today, Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen/the Flash is his heart to serve others, not promote himself.  Kristin Parrish in her fine book “No cape required” sums it up well:

“As we go about our lives, we often forget that we are to be living sacrifices daily for Christ.  What does that mean?  We must be willing to forget ourselves and commit to doing Christ’s will in our lives.  We are to love others as He first loved us, freely sacrificing our time and energy – even when we don’t feel like it.”

To conclude for today, in one of the last scenes from the celebratory 100th episode, there is a touching, bittersweet scene.  Barry and Nora travel back to the night when Barry’s mother, Nora, would soon be brutally murdered (and the life of Barry’s father, Henry, would be changed forever too; sadly, Henry would be killed by Zoom in season 2).  From afar they watch Barry’s parents on the porch, blissfully unaware of what is about to happen to them.  Nora asks, “Do you ever think about stopping what’s about to happen?”  Barry nods, “Every day.” 

To be continued (next time: I want to look at a memorable character that was introduced in season 4, one who became a fan-favorite)!

Kevin

Previously on "The Flash" (Part 1 - Origins)

Last month, I stated that the TV show “The Flash” has entered its 9th and final season.  I wanted to take some time to share some of my favorite moments over these years.  Rest assured, I’m not going to belabor this by making this 9 blogs or something.  But I do want to highlight the heroism not just of Barry Allen – alias The Flash – but several figures in this show as well.  I don’t know how many installments this project will take, but this is part 1.

It actually all began in the TV show “Arrow” starring Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow.  It was in the 2nd season of that show where Oliver met Barry Allen played by Grant Gustin.  While Barry did not have his powers at that point, he was able – quite brilliantly – to save Oliver from the brink of death after he was poisoned.  When Barry left to return to Central City, he had left a mask for Oliver, to better conceal his secret identity as the Green Arrow.  The following year, 2014, the first (but not last) “Arrow” spin-off was born; “The Flash” starring Grant Gustin as Barry Allen. 

It was in the first season that we were introduced to the character who ended up being the main villain of the entire series – Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash.  Thawne was actually a scientist from the twenty-second century.  Eventually, we learn that it was Thawne who, out of vindictiveness, traveled back in time and murdered Barry’s mother, when he was a child.  But by doing so, Thawne lost the ability to travel through time.  He was marooned in the past.  In season 1’s finale, Thawne presented Barry an offer to go back to the past and save his mother from ever dying in the first place.  However, to do so would give Thawne the opportunity to escape justice by going back to the future. 

Ultimately, Barry refuses and prevents Thawne from returning to the future; Eobard Thawne is so enraged by this that he fully intends to kill Barry and all his loved ones.  But Eddie Thawne, one of Eobard Thawne’s ancestors, was there.  Eddie did some quick thinking: he chose to sacrifice himself, by shooting himself in the heart, to save everyone’s life.  This noble gesture erased Eobard from existence, as if he was never even born.  Eddie’s heroic act is one of the great moments from season 1.  I always tear up when Eddie, in his last moments, says to Iris (who he intended on marrying): “I got to be the hero after all…that’s all I ever wanted to be; your hero.”

This poignant moment was marred a bit: Eobard Thawne actually returned again and again (and again), even up to season 8.  How did Thawne always come back, when he probably shouldn’t have?  Thawne would usually just say, “Time travel is so weird.”  But, the bottom line is, Thawne is to Barry what Joker is to Batman – the main villain in a long line of a rogue’s gallery.  He’s too good a villain not to continually plague Barry.  So I had to take the time to inscribe the noble sacrifice of Eddie Thawne.  Well done Eddie, well done.

In conclusion, perhaps you are wanting to ask, “I know it’s a TV show that’s been on a long time, but why are you devoting so much time to this?”  When the superhero genre is done correctly, the superhero inspires the viewer; Barry Allen/The Flash has inspired me for eight years, going on nine.  In the pilot episode of “The Flash” not long after Barry’s life is changed forever when he gets his powers, he seeks his friend, Oliver Queen for help. 

“I’m just not sure I’m like you, Oliver,” Barry says.  “I don’t know if I can be some vigilante.”  Oliver’s words of response are priceless: “You can be better.  Because you can inspire people in a way that I never could.  Watching over your city like a guardian angel; making a difference; saving people in a flash.”  As he prepared to leave, Oliver added, “Take your own advice: wear a mask.”  While Oliver was being modest regarding his own heroism, his point can’t be disputed.  But, it’s not just Barry; incredible heroism has abounded over these years on this show.  Next time, I hope to tackle more highlights.

To be continued!

Kevin