I have a number of guilty pleasures, the largest of which are a late night pint of Ben and Jerry's, makeup decluttering videos on YouTube, and CW superhero shows.
"The Flash" and "Supergirl" have given me plenty of procrastination material with their twisting, turning plots, overuse of time travel, but overall strong acting and entertaining villains during the semester, ultimately serving as wonderful acts of escapism.
Why escapism and nothing more? The CW has been roasted on multiple accounts for being bad television, and I don't think the reviews are too far off the mark. You don't watch shows like "Riverdale" and "Arrow" because you're looking to gain some intellectual dinner conversation or a philosophical breakthrough. You watch them because you want to see some ridiculously beautiful people get put in bizarre situations and punch some poorly animated goons.
With "The Flash" and "Supergirl" serving as the two lighter shows in the station's lineup, one can observe some of the most intriguing flaws in their characters and writing, especially in the most current seasons.
Although both shows have featured "strong" female, POC, and queer characters, their storylines have often been disappointing and felt forced in order to "prove" some sort of representation breakthrough. The CW is working hard to move, to some slight degree, away from the angsty white male cookie cutter characters they've grown so famous for, and it shows.
This goal only seems to have been elevated by the nineteen allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior by showrunner Andrew Kreisberg, stories that emerged late last year as part of the Me Too movement. The stories of inappropriate contact and hostile work environments were all adamantly denied by the executive producer, who was suspended soon after the allegations took to the public sphere.
As more shows seek to earn the approval of younger audiences and concerned viewers upset at the perpetuation of weak writing and gender stereotypes, it feels like shows like "The Flash" and "Supergirl" seek to promote powerful women and redeem themselves in what has become acts of overcompensation.
Representation, unfortunately, does not solve all problems, especially poor writing.
While "Supergirl" creates an intimidating trio of "world killer" women that are racially diverse and enchanting on screen, a key source of sub-plot conflict is Danvers (Melissa Benoist) clashing with Imra (Amy Jackson) and Mon-El (Chris Wood) in a tiring love triangle.
Yes, Supergirl faces some thrilling female foes with some equally badass women at her side (Katie McGrath's Lena Luthor is the genius fighting her past we all want AND deserve), but at times the casting feels pandering, like the crumpled, month-late birthday card with a Cold Stone Creamery gift card inside.
"Supergirl"'s feminism is the opposite of "The Flash"'s— more saccharine than the shows' musical episodes. The mainly-female audience the show seeks to please already knows it's strong, they now just want to be able to watch television without having the fact forced down their throat.
"The Flash," on the other hand, faces the opposite issue. While this latest season sees an Iris West (Candice Patton) who proves she can lead Team Flash with bravery and vulnerability, her sub-plots of emotional distance with Barry (the eternally angsty Grant Gustin) are nothing short of cringe-worthy. As the couple embodying the notion of marriage for its audience, their lack of communication and Barry's hot-and-cold mood swings do not for an appealing relationship make.
Long gone, it seems, are the days where Barry didn't seem to rampantly take advantage of his whip-smart, kindhearted, fearless wife. As he tries to out-maneuver this season's main villain, he neglects the relationship that gives his overly angry, hurt, and scared performance some heart.
Combined with the awful relationship between The Thinker (Neil Sandilands) and The Mechanic (Kim Engelbrecht) that exists solely out of intimate partner violence and psychological manipulation, it seems like the relationships in "The Flash" are headed to a place darker than the always-catastrophic state of Central City.
While I'm not against unhealthy relationships being portrayed on TV, there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel for Engelbrecht's character, whose performance has me at a loss for words at nearly every episode. The turmoil she feels between what is right and what is loyal is a strong one, and I found myself rooting for her more than I was Team Flash, only to have her disappear with little — wait, no — return in sight.
While all shows have their flaws, the CW's seem to arrive in spades. Although it is clear they're trying to do right and learn from their systematic and past mistakes, they have mansions-worth of room to grow (I can't even begin to deconstruct the issues with having Nazis as the villains in their massive crossover event).
As the potato chip of television, it's hard to determine whether "The Flash" and "Supergirl" will break free of their angsty, abusive, or white feminist chains.
