The Flash
Fastest Man Alive
TV Flash files “Fastest Man Alive” as hour 2 of 184 in the TV Flash guide — The Flash (2014–2023) on The CW, season 1, episode 2, aired 2014-10-14, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S01E02: listed hour 2 of 184 in the The Flash guide, hour 2 of 23 in season 1. It aired 2014-10-14 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Pilot” (S01E01). Next is “Things You Can't Outrun” (S01E03).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
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. Wells, 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 metahuman named Danton Black, who can make multiples of himself. Meanwhile, Iris becomes even more intrigued by the "red streak."
Viewer FAQ
Where does Fastest Man Alive sit in the The Flash guide?
S01E02 is listed hour 2 of 184 — hour 2 of 23 in season 1, season 1 episode 2.
When did The Flash S01E02 air?
Fastest Man Alive aired 2014-10-14 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Do I need Arrow first?
It is the 2014 spinoff and the Arrowverse's bright counter-argument. Arrow context helps; Barry's STAR Labs family is built to welcome a first-time speedster fan.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Grant Gustin's Barry Allen is the Arrowverse's heart-on-sleeve counter-argument: superspeed, STAR Labs found family, Reverse-Flash timeline headaches. Villains of the week plus season-long speedster myth. Sincere broadcast heroics — the cheerful engine that made CW crossovers annual events and multiverse storytelling feel like Thursday-night sport.
The CW did not stagger this one. **2014** put Grant Gustin's Barry Allen on the Thursday ledger as the Arrowverse's heart-on-sleeve counter-argument, and the overnights showed up. Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, and Geoff Johns: forensic scientist gains superspeed, builds a found family of metahuman allies at STAR Labs — Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Carlos Valdes, Tom Cavanagh's Wells, Jesse L. Martin's Joe. Villains of the week plus season-long speedster myth. Reverse-Flash timeline headaches included.…
Filed against
- Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / The Flash
Grant Gustin's Barry Allen / The Flash was the Arrowverse's heart-on-sleeve counter-argument — superspeed, STAR Labs found family, Reverse-Flash timeline headaches, villains of the week plus season-long speedster myth. Sincere broadcast…
- Candice Patton as Iris West
Candice Patton played Iris West on The Flash — Grant Gustin's heart-on-sleeve Arrowverse counter-argument, STAR Labs found family, Reverse-Flash timeline headaches, villains of the week plus a season-long speedster myth. Sincere broadcast…
- Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow
Danielle Panabaker’s Caitlin Snow steadied The Flash as STAR Labs science with a pulse — Grant Gustin’s heart-on-sleeve Barry, villains of the week, Reverse-Flash timeline headaches. Arrowverse found family in a Cortex. TV Flash files her…
- Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon
Carlos Valdes played Cisco Ramon on The Flash — STAR Labs found-family engineer, vibe as a later superpower, the joke that kept Grant Gustin's sincere speedster hour from becoming only a frown in a suit. Villains of the week, timeline…
- Tom Cavanagh as Harrison Wells
Tom Cavanagh multiplied The Flash as Harrison Wells — STAR Labs found family, Reverse-Flash timeline headaches, superspeed sincerity as the Arrowverse's heart-on-sleeve counter-argument. Villains of the week plus season-long speedster…
- Jesse L. Martin as Joe West
Jesse L. Martin’s Ed Green is Law & Order as the partner who made the dun-dun feel like a city again — ripped-from-headlines modular television with a badge that photographed as heat, not paperwork. Dick Wolf’s empire runs on cast churn.…