Season 1 (The Flash)

Season 1
Information
Original network	The CW
Original run	October 7, 2014 – May 19, 2015
Time slot	Tuesdays at 8:00 pm
Number of episodes	23
Chronology
Followed by	Season 2

"I don't think that bolt of lighting struck you, Barry. I think it chose you."

"I’m just not sure I'm like you, Oliver. I don't know if I can be some vigilante."
"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."

—Barry Allen and Oliver Queen^[src]

The first season of The Flash premiered on October 7, 2014 on The CW and concluded on May 19, 2015. The season consisted of 23 episodes.

Synopsis

Barry Allen was 11 years old when his mother was killed in a bizarre and terrifying incident and his father was falsely convicted of the murder. With his life changed forever by the tragedy, Barry was taken in and raised by Detective Joe West, the father of Barry's best friend, Iris. Now, over 14 years later, Barry has become a brilliant, driven and endearingly geeky CSI investigator, whose determination to uncover the truth about his mother's strange death leads him to follow up on every unexplained urban legend and scientific advancement that comes along. Barry's latest obsession is a cutting edge particle accelerator, created by visionary physicist Harrison Wells and his S.T.A.R. Labs team, who claim that this invention will bring about unimaginable advancements in power and medicine. However, something goes horribly wrong during the public unveiling, and when the devastating explosion causes a freak storm, many lives are lost and Barry is struck by lightning. After nine months in a coma, Barry awakens to find his life has changed once again - the accident has given him the power of super speed, granting him the ability to move through Central City like an unseen guardian angel. Though initially excited by his newfound powers, Barry is shocked to discover he is not the only "meta-human" who was created in the wake of the accelerator explosion - and not everyone is using their new powers for good. In the months since the accident, the city has seen a sharp increase in missing people, unexplained deaths and other strange phenomena. Barry now has a renewed purpose - using his gift of speed to protect the innocent, while never giving up on his quest to solve his mother's murder and clear his father's name. For now, only a few close friends and associates know that Barry is literally the fastest man alive, but it won't be long before the world learns what Barry Allen has become, The Flash.[src]

Cast

Main cast

• Grant Gustin as Barry Allen/The Flash and Hannibal Bates/Everyman
• Candice Patton as Iris West and Hannibal Bates/Everyman
• Danielle Panabaker as Dr. Caitlin Snow, Hannibal Bates/Everyman, and Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost
• Rick Cosnett as Detective Eddie Thawne and Hannibal Bates/Everyman
• Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon
• Tom Cavanagh as Dr. Harrison Wells
• Jesse L. Martin as Detective Joe West

Recurring cast

• John Wesley Shipp as Dr. Henry Allen
• Michelle Harrison as Nora Allen
• Logan Williams as Young Barry Allen
• Malese Jow as Linda Park
• Chad Rook as Clyde Mardon
• Patrick Sabongui as Captain David Singh
• Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/The Arrow
• Robbie Amell as Ronnie Raymond/Firestorm
• Anthony Carrigan as Kyle Nimbus/The Mist
• Wentworth Miller as Leonard Snart/Captain Cold
• Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak
• Clancy Brown as General Wade Eiling
• Greg Finley as Tony Woodward Girder
• Paul Anthony as Roy G. Bivolo/Rainbow Raider
• Victor Garber as Professor Martin Stein/Firestorm
• Amanda Pays as Dr. Tina McGee
• Dominic Purcell as Mick Rory/Heat Wave
• Peyton List as Lisa Snart/Golden Glider
• Roger Howarth as Mason Bridge
• Andy Mientus as Hartley Rathaway/Pied Piper
• Britne Oldford as Shawna Baez/Peek-a-Boo
• Liam McIntyre as Mark Mardon/Weather Wizard
• Matt Letscher as Professor Eobard Thawne/Reverse-Flash
• Danielle Nicolet as District Attorney Cecile Horton

Episodes

#	Episode name	Directed by	Story by	Teleplay by	Original airdate
1	"Pilot"	David Nutter	Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg & Geoff Johns		October 7, 2014
Barry Allen was 11 years old when his mother was killed in a bizarre and terrifying incident and his father was falsely convicted of the murder. With his life changed forever by the tragedy, Barry was taken in and raised by Detective Joe West, the father of Barry's best friend, Iris. Now, Barry has become a brilliant, driven and endearingly geeky CSI investigator, whose determination to uncover the truth about his mother's strange death leads him to follow up on every unexplained urban legend and scientific advancement that comes along. Barry's latest obsession is a cutting edge particle accelerator, created by visionary physicist Harrison Wells and his S.T.A.R. Labs team members, Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon, who claim that this invention will bring about unimaginable advancements in power and medicine. However, something goes horribly wrong during the public unveiling, and when the devastating explosion causes a freak storm, many lives are lost and Barry is struck by lightning. After nine months in a coma, Barry awakens to find his life has changed once again – the accident has given him the power of super speed. Thrilled with his new powers, Barry learns how to control them with the help of Dr. Wells and his team. However, keeping his secret from his best friend Iris is proving to be harder than he thought, especially when Joe's new partner, Eddie Thawne, catches her eye. When another meta-human attacks the city, it's time to put Barry's new powers, and himself, to the test.
2	"Fastest Man Alive"	David Nutter	Greg Berlanti & Andrew Kreisberg	Andrew Kreisberg & Geoff Johns	October 14, 2014
Barry escorts Iris to a university gathering honoring scientist Simon Stagg. When six gunmen storm the event, Barry changes into The Flash and tries to stop them. While he does save a man's life, he passes out before he can capture the robbers, which frustrates him. As Dr. Harrison, Caitlin and Cisco scramble to find out what's wrong with Barry, Joe comes down hard on Barry for taking the law into his own hands and risking his life. Barry realizes that it wasn't six gunmen but a meta-human named Danton Black, who can make multiples of himself. Meanwhile, Iris becomes even more intrigued by the "red streak".
3	"Things You Can't Outrun"	Jesse Warn	Alison Schapker & Grainne Godfree		October 21, 2014
As Barry and the team at S.T.A.R. Labs work to capture Kyle Nimbus, a.k.a. The Mist, a dangerous new meta-human with toxic gas powers, they revisit the painful night the particle accelerator exploded and killed Caitlin's fiancé, Ronnie. Meanwhile, Joe decides to finally visit Henry in jail after all these years, but things take a dangerous turn when Kyle shows up looking to punish Joe for arresting him years ago. Meanwhile, Iris and Eddie continue to hide their relationship from Joe.
4	"Going Rogue"	Glen Winter	Geoff Johns & Kai Yu Wu		October 28, 2014
The Flash stops a robbery but the culprits get away after shooting a guard, and The Flash chooses to save the man instead of following the criminals. Joe shows Barry a book of suspects and Barry identifies Leonard Snart as the leader of the group. Snart revises his plan to steal the Kahndaq Dynasty Diamond and gets a boost when he gets his hands on a stolen "cold gun", which could kill The Flash. Dr. Wells is furious when he finds out that Cisco built the cold gun without telling anyone and now it's missing. Meanwhile, Iris is getting the silent treatment from Joe because of her relationship with Eddie. Finally, The Flash and Captain Cold have an epic confrontation.
5	"Plastique"	Dermott Downs	Aaron Helbing, Todd Helbing & Brooke Eikmeier		November 11, 2014
After a bomb goes off downtown, the army, led by General Eiling, rolls in and takes over the case, much to Joe's surprise. Suspicious, Joe tells Barry that he and his friends at S.T.A.R. Labs should look into the army's involvement. Wells informs the team that Eiling was experimenting on his men to turn them into super soldiers. Cisco confirms one of Eiling's soldiers, Bette Sans Souci, was at the bomb site. The Flash tracks her down and realizes that she's not setting off the bombs, she is a meta-human who can blow things up just by touching them. Meanwhile, when Joe learns Iris is writing about "the streak", he tells Barry to make her stop. Barry realizes Iris won't listen to him so he decides to have The Flash pay her a visit.
6	"The Flash is Born"	Millicent Shelton	Jaime Paglia & Chris Rafferty		November 18, 2014
The Flash faces a new meta-human named Tony, who can turn himself into girded steel at will. While Dr. Wells and Caitlin are concerned about Barry's safety, Cisco comes up with a plan to take Tony down. Meanwhile, Iris's blog on The Flash gets her into trouble, and Eddie witnesses Tony's abilities firsthand and begins to ask questions that Joe doesn't want answered. Joe asks Dr. Wells to help him solve Nora Allen's murder.
7	"Power Outage"	Larry Shaw	Alison Schapker & Grainne Godfree		November 25, 2014
The Flash goes up against Farooq aka Blackout, a meta-human who can harness electricity. During their battle, Farooq zaps The Flash and siphons all his electricity, leaving The Flash without his speed. Dr. Wells, Caitlin and Cisco work to reverse the effects on Barry, but their efforts are disrupted when Farooq comes banging on S.T.A.R. Labs' doors in search of Wells, who he blames for his accident. Without Barry's powers to protect them, the group must figure out a way to save themselves from the meta-human. Meanwhile, Tockman manages a coup inside the Central City police department and takes several people hostage, including Joe and Iris. While Iris is sure The Flash will save them, Eddie has a trick up his sleeve.
8	"Flash vs. Arrow"	Glen Winter	Greg Berlanti & Andrew Kreisberg	Ben Sokolowski & Brooke Eikmeier	December 2, 2014
Barry is thrilled when Oliver, Felicity and Diggle come to Central City to investigate a case involving a deadly boomerang. Excited about teaming up with his friend, Barry asks Oliver if he'd like to help him stop Roy Bivolo, the meta-human Barry is currently tracking. Bivolo causes people to lose control of their emotions and has been using that skill to rob banks. Unfortunately, the superhero partnership doesn't go as smoothly as Barry expected. When Oliver tells Barry he still has a lot to learn, Barry sets out to prove him wrong by attempting to stop Bivolo alone. However, when Bivolo infects Barry and sets him on a rage rampage, everyone is in danger, and the only one who can stop him is the Arrow. Meanwhile, Iris is furious when Eddie tries to get a task force to stop The Flash, Joe and Dr. Wells agree the Arrow is a bad influence on Barry, and Caitlin and Cisco deal with a new team in S.T.A.R. Labs.
9	"The Man in the Yellow Suit"	Ralph Hemecker	Todd Helbing & Aaron Helbing		December 9, 2014
Barry finds himself face-to-face with his nemesis, the man in the yellow suit, a.k.a. Reverse Flash, who killed his mother. Barry is frustrated when the Reverse Flash escapes, but Dr. Wells and Cisco come up with a plan to trap him. All they need is bait, so they turn to Dr. Tina McGee (guest star Amanda Pays) from Mercury Labs to help. Meanwhile, it's Christmas at The West household and Iris is in full holiday cheer. Eddie gives her a surprising gift but also leaves her with a question that could change her life. Joe joins the search for the man in yellow and ends up in the crossfire. Caitlin finds Ronnie.
10	"Revenge of the Rogues"	Nick Copus	Geoff Johns & Kai Yu Wu		January 20, 2015
Leonard Snart AKA Captain Cold returns to Central City with a new hotheaded partner in tow – Mick Rory AKA Heat Wave. The duo plan to steal a multimillion-dollar painting, but Cold has another agenda while in town – to set a trap for The Flash. Snart and Mick kidnap someone close to The Flash and threaten to kill them unless The Flash shows up for a battle of fire and ice. Barry tells Joe he isn't sure he should take on Snart again after the casualties that happened the last time they fought. Meanwhile, Barry asks Dr. Wells, Caitlin and Cisco to help him double his training efforts so he's ready for the Reverse Flash when he returns to Central City. Iris deals with the aftermath of Barry's confession, and Cisco makes the CCPD a new shield.
11	"The Sound and the Fury"	John Showalter	Alison Schapker & Brooke Eikmeier		January 27, 2015
Dr. Wells' former protégée, Hartley Rathaway, returns to seek revenge on his mentor after being affected by the particle accelerator explosion. Now able to manipulate sound waves, the brilliant Rathaway is a dangerous threat to both Wells and The Flash. Meanwhile, Iris is thrilled when she's hired by the Central City Picture News as their newest cub reporter. Unfortunately, her editor pairs her with a veteran reporter, Mason Bridge, who wants nothing to do with her. Cisco recalls his first day on the job at S.T.A.R. Labs when he met Hartley and Caitlin. Joe asks Eddie for a favor but asks him to keep it a secret from Barry.
12	"Crazy for You"	Rob Hardy	Aaron Helbing & Todd Helbing		February 3, 2015
Caitlin decides that she and Barry need to move on from Ronnie and Iris and find new loves so she takes him for a night out at the local karaoke bar. Caitlin doesn't have any luck making a love connection but Barry meets Linda Park, a sports reporter for the Central City Picture News, and asks her out on a date. When Barry tells Iris he has a date, Iris is surprised by her reaction. Meanwhile, Cisco considers Hartley's dangerous offer and the team searches for Shawna, a meta-human with teleportation powers, who just busted her boyfriend Clay out of Iron Heights. When Henry snoops around in an attempt to help Joe and Barry solve the crime, he ends up in the infirmary after getting roughed up by inmates.
13	"The Nuclear Man"	Glen Winter	Andrew Kreisberg & Katherine Walczak		February 10, 2015
After Ronnie attacks a physicist, Barry and the team realize they need to go after Caitlin's fiancé who is now a dangerous meta-human. They deduce the best way to track Ronnie is to find Dr. Martin Stein who was working on a project called F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M.. Barry struggles to balance his duties as The Flash and his relationship with Linda Park, and Joe enlists Cisco's help to reinvestigate the murder of Nora Allen. General Eiling returns to Central City.
14	"Fallout"	Steve Surjik	Keto Shimizu & Ben Sokolowski		February 17, 2015
After the nuclear explosion separates Ronnie Raymond and Dr. Stein, Barry and the team believe both men are safe. Caitlin is thrilled to have her fiancé back and prepares to resume their life together while Dr. Stein returns to his wife. However, when General Eiling targets Firestorm, Ronnie and Dr. Stein must decide if they are safer together or apart. Meanwhile, Mason Bridge tells Iris West that there is something secretive going on at S.T.A.R. Labs and Dr. Stein gives Barry some important information about time travel.
15	"Out of Time"	Thor Freudenthal	Todd Helbing & Aaron Helbing		March 17, 2015
Mark Mardon aka The Weather Wizard appears in Central City intent on avenging his brother Clyde's death, and sets his sights on Joe, who shot Clyde. When Mardon attacks Joe and Barry, Barry is able to super-speed them to safety but Mardon gets away. Barry warns Joe not to go after a meta-human alone but Joe doesn't listen and ends up in grave danger. Meanwhile, Cisco looks into the night the team captured the Reverse Flash and realizes something doesn't add up and begins to wonder whether Joe was right about Dr. Wells. Barry and Linda Park end up on an awkward double date with Eddie and Iris.
16	"Rogue Time"	John Behring	Grainne Godfree	Brooke Eikmeier & Kai Yu Wu	March 24, 2015
The Flash learns that Captain Cold and Heat Wave have returned to Central City. This time Snart has brought along his baby sister Lisa to help wreak havoc on the city.
17	"Tricksters"	Ralph Hemecker	Andrew Kreisberg		March 31, 2015
A copycat killer who goes by the name "The Trickster" starts setting off bombs in Central City. In order to stop the villain, Barry and Joe meet with the original Trickster, a criminal mastermind named James Jesse, who has been imprisoned for 20 years. Things quickly go from bad to worse when the Tricksters unite and take Henry Allen prisoner. Meanwhile, Iris asks Eddie for help with a case, and flashbacks show how Harrison Wells came up with the idea for the particle accelerator.
18	"All Star Team Up"	Kevin Tancharoen	Grainne Godfree & Kai Yu Wu		April 14, 2015
Barry is surprised when Felicity Smoak arrives from Starling City along with her boyfriend, Ray Palmer, who flies in as the Atom. They've come to visit S.T.A.R. Labs as Ray needs help with his suit. Their timing turns out to be fortuitous because it's all hands on deck after a meta human named Brie Larvan unleashes hundreds of robotic bees to attack and kill her former co-workers, including Dr. Tina McGee. A group dinner with Barry, Felicity, Ray, Iris and Eddie turns into a disaster.
19	"Who is Harrison Wells?"	Wendey Stanzler	Ray Utarnachitt & Cortney Norris		April 21, 2015
Joe and Cisco head to Starling City to continue their investigation of Dr. Wells. While in town, the duo enlists the help of Captain Lance, and Cisco meets the Black Canary, who asks him for a favor. Meanwhile, back in Central City, Barry races to catch a meta-human named Hannibal Bates who can transform himself into every person he touches – which includes Eddie, Iris, Caitlin and even The Flash.
20	"The Trap"	Steve Shill	Alison Schapker & Brooke Eikmeier		April 28, 2015
Barry, Caitlin, Cisco and Joe set a trap for Wells. Cisco uses himself as prey which puts him in grave danger. Meanwhile, Eddie makes a decision regarding Iris, which leaves Joe a bit unsettled.
21	"Grodd Lives"	Dermott Downs	Grainne Godfree & Kai Yu Wu		May 5, 2015
Barry must deal with the Reverse-Flash and his latest threat to a member of the group. To make matter worse, Dr. Wells unleashes Grodd on the city in order to distract Barry and the team. Joe, Barry and Cisco head down into the sewers to catch Grodd but the gorilla quickly gets the upper hand after he kidnaps Joe. Iris and Barry have a heart to heart talk.
22	"Rogue Air"	Doug Aarniokoski	Aaron Helbing & Todd Helbing		May 12, 2015
As Wells once again gets the upper hand on the S.T.A.R. Labs team, Barry realizes he needs to make a big move and reaches out to an old foe, Captain Cold, for help. Joe and Caitlin warn Barry that Cold can't be trusted. True to form, Cold has his own agenda that involves the meta-humans trapped in the containment cells. As things seem to be going from bad to worse, The Flash gets reinforcements – Arrow and Firestorm.
23	"Fast Enough"	Dermott Downs	Greg Berlanti & Andrew Kreisberg	Gabrielle Stanton & Andrew Kreisberg	May 19, 2015
Wells presents Barry with a life-changing choice. Dr. Martin Stein and Ronnie Raymond return to help the S.T.A.R. Labs team with this final fight.

Trivia

• This was the only season of The Flash to feature Rick Cosnett (Eddie Thawne) as a series regular.
• Throughout the first half of the season, the main cast was interviewed about what they thought of the show in the interview series Chasing Lightning.

Home media release

Main article: The Flash: The Complete First Season

A boxset of the first season, titled The Flash: The Complete First Season, was released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 22, 2015. It contains additional features, deleted scenes, a gag reel, audio commentaries and the "A Night of DC Entertainment" panel from the San Diego Comic-Con International 2014.

DVD boxset

Blu-ray boxset

Gallery

Title cards

Main title card

Variant title card for "Flash vs. Arrow"

Variant title card for "Fast Enough"

Promotional images

Coming to CW poster

San Diego Comic-Con 2014 poster

"Is he fast enough to change time?"

"Discover what makes a hero"

"He searched for the impossible; Then he became it."

"A light in the darkness"

Fan screening of the 2-part crossover with Arrow

"Lightning didn't strike him. It chose him."

"Try to keep up"

February sweeps

February sweeps

February sweeps

Superhero Fight Club

Character portraits