This week is dedicated to the superheroes. With premieres from Arrow and The Flash, and our first positive review of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in practically forever, most of the TV scenes that we loved were the stuff geek dreams are made of. Here are our picks for the week of October 5, 2014.
1. The Flash: A hero is born
In the midst of the chaos, Barry is struck by lightning, and put into a nine-month coma.
Upon awakening, Barry quickly realizes that not only has he gained a killer set of abs, but he now has the ability to run faster than any man alive. With the help of scientists Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) and Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes) as well as Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh), the inventor of the disastrous Particle Accelerator who has been left paralyzed by the accident, Barry must realize his potential and emerge as the hero he was destined to become. And it couldn’t have happened at a more perfect time since the city is being terrorized by Clyde Mardon, a criminal who—in the wake of the particle accelerator explosion—now has the ability to control the weather (hello, Weather Wizard Rozeman (Read the full review here.)
2. Bob’s Burgers: Epic musical mashup
Through all the arguing, it is somehow decided that the best compromise is for the two plays to join forces in the episode’s titular mashup. And, as you’d expect, it’s incredibly funny stuff, with Tess McGill falling in love with Hans Gruber, and a closing number that looks towards a “tower somewhere up above…where dreams don’t die hard.”—Robert Ham (Read the full review here.)
3. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: WTSimmons?!
Cut to what is going down in my book as one of the most well-executed reveals in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. history. Our long lost Simmons returns to the show—in non-hallucination form—with an upbeat musical montage featuring a 60 s style British pop song (It’s “God Help the Girl” by Belle and Sebastian, in case you were wondering). She seems happy and ready to take on the world as she goes about her morning routine, and reports for work at her new research job. She has a pretty typical interaction with her borderline obnoxious supervisor, but the shot that follows is where we see some real brilliance. In a camera push following obnoxious boss’s exit, our generic research lab is revealed to be… wait for it… a Hydra research lab! The giant Hydra insignia painted on the lab wall tells us pretty much everything we need to know. We’ve lost Simmons to Hydra. She’s gone. Forever condemned to the darkness. Corrupted! Why? WHY?—Katherine Siegel (Read the full review here.)
4. Arrow: Sister heroes
Just as it looks like things couldn’t get much worse for our heroes, Laurel meets with Sara for a bit of sisterly bonding. No sooner has Laurel walked away, however, than a mysterious figure shoots the Canary full of arrows, sending her falling off the building and to her death. As a devastated Laurel cradles her dead sister in her arms, we slam to black.
And shit just got real again… —Mark Rozeman (Read the full review here.)
5. Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Missed opportunities
How do you give Joe Lo Truglio cornrows without according the entire cast of Brooklyn Nine-Nine ample opportunity for joint ridicule? If the entire squad can spend a protracted opening segment making fun of the Sarge for making the grown-up choice to get a vasectomy, then why can’t they also get together to squeeze off a full clip of puns and potshots at Boyle’s new ‘do? This is such a huge missed opportunity that “Chocolate Milk” forfeits a few decimals as soon as everyone’s favorite sadsack detective reveals his Jamakeover, but the rest of the episode is so strong that the point reduction feels as petty as Captain Holt’s feud with Madeline Wuntch.—Andy Crump (Read the full review here.)
The new week starts with tonight’s shows! Tweet us if something epic happens!
Shannon M. Houston is Assistant TV Editor at Paste, and a New York-based freelance writer with probably more babies than you. You can follow her on Twitter.