Top 15 Highest Rated Flash Episodes Based on IMDB Scores
The Flash is one of my favorite TV shows of all time, it has some fantastic episodes and added a whole lot to the Arrowverse. Last month, I ranked the 15 highest rated Arrow episodes based on IMDB scores. Today we are talking about The Flash. Let’s get started!
15. Legends of Today (Season 2, Episode 8): In general I think season 2 is one of the stronger seasons. But episode 8 is one of the weaker episodes of that season, and it’s a shame because this is the crossover episode of the season. I just didn’t really care for this crossover event, I don’t find Vandal Savage to be a particular good villain, and Hawkgirl isn’t a very good character. And when they are the main focus of this crossover, it brings the entire crossover down. It is also fun to see Oliver and Barry team-up so it is a fun episode in that matter, and the interactions between Cisco and Felicity are as funny as always. So in general, this is easily the weakest episode on this list but it's fine.
14. Escape from Earth-2 (Season 2, Episode 14): In my opinion, the top 14 are like B+ and above. So even though this is 14 on this list, it’s still very good. And this was a great second part to the Earth-2 story line in the middle of the season. It’s nice to see Barry interacting with Harry’s daughter, Jesse and them figuring out how to escape from Zoom. The mystery of who the man under the iron mask is developed and gets more and more interesting. Seeing the Earth-2 version of Barry with Cisco, Harry, Earth-2 Iris, and Killer Frost is funny. Because Earth-2 Barry is the opposite of who the regular Barry is. So there are a number of very solid things in this episode, and I can see why it has such a high score.
13. The Trap (Season 1, Episode 20): This episode came out in the final streak of season 1 where from episode 19-23 it was just fantastic episodes. And really moved the rivalry between Barry and Thawne forward. The final monologue given by Thawne toward the end of the episode where Thawne sets a trap toward Barry is great. And there are a number of twists and turns all through-out the episode. The episode opens up with Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin exploring the Time Vault and meeting Gideon. The ending where we learn about Eddie’s connection to Thawne is great. So once again, this is an episode that has a lot of great things about it.
12. Invasion! (Season 3, Episode 8): I find the Invasion! crossover to be a good but not great Arrowverse crossover. And I find this episode to be the best episode of that crossover. It’s a lot fun to see all 4 shows come together and interact. And a lot of funny moments are brought by that especially when they all meet Supergirl. There are some cool fight scenes especially at the end where Oliver and Barry have to fight the heroes after they are mind-controlled by the aliens. Where this one gets held back is this episode also focuses on the plot line for season 3. And I wish they didn’t have that, and focused 100% on the crossover event.
11. Flash vs Arrow (Season 1, Episode 8): The very first crossover episode in the entire Arrowverse. And a pretty solid episode of the season, show, and Arrowverse in general. Now this episode is much more Flash based than Arrow based, but I don’t think that hurt this episode the way it hurt the previous episode that I just talked about. Because this was a simple story with cameos from Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle. So it didn’t bug me, getting to see Barry get mind controlled and Oliver have to defeat Barry is fun to see. In general, this was a very fun crossover episode of The Flash. And I also dug the villain of the episode, Rainbow Raider. It doesn’t pop as much as some of the other crossover episodes, but not all of them have to.
10. Flash Back (Season 2, Episode 17): Like I said, I think season 2 is one of the stronger seasons of the show. And this is a great episode from that season. I like episodes when they go back in time to another episode and relive that episode. And this is the best example of that. It makes sense that Barry feels like he needs to go back in time and get help from Thawne to get faster to beat zoom. The scene where Barry and Thawne are in the Time Vault, and Thawne reveals that he knows that Barry is from the future. All of it is great stuff and that makes it a great episode of season 2 and the show in general.
9. The Race of His Life (Season 2, Episode 23): Another great episode from season 2, and the season finale is one of the best finales of the show. The episode opens up with such a sad death and Barry’s revenge toward Zoom is at its peak in this episode. It leads to a final confrontation between Barry and Zoom that is very satisfying and I like the way it’s done, where it’s more of a race rather than a full out speedster fight. But I think the final 10 minutes of the episode are great, we finally get to see who Zoom’s prisoner in the Iron Mask is, and I like that reveal. And the cliffhanger for this season is Barry creating Flashpoint, setting up season 3.
8. Welcome to Earth-2 (Season 2, Episode 13): As I’m writing about this episode, I just realized how many episodes from season 2 are on this list. And I found this to just be a super fun episode and I’ve always loved this episode. It’s just super entertaining to see Barry, Cisco, and Harry explore Earth-2, and there are some nice cameos in this episode. Getting to see a fully evil Killer Frost teaming-up with Ronnie’s doppelganger Deathstorm, it’s a duo that I wish they did on Earth-1. The stuff with Jay on Earth-1 isn’t the best, it’s good but it’s not great. And there is some cool action in the episode.
7. The Man in the Yellow Suit (Season 1, Episode 9): The very first mid-season finale of The Flash, is one of the best mid-season finales of the show. And this is the first episode where we really see Reverse-Flash, the previous 8 episodes mentioned him and teased him. But this episode we see Barry and Reverse-Flash fight in the football field, and it’s satisfying. The season up to this point was building to their first fight scene. The scene where they trap Reverse-Flash in STAR Labs is great and intense. And the identity of the Reverse-Flash is revealed, and it’s a great reveal. Put all of the pieces together and you get a fantastic episode.
6. What’s Past is Prologue (Season 5, Episode 8): This was the 100th episode of the show, and it’s truly one of the best episodes of the show. It’s not as big and epic as Arrow’s 100th episode, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The idea of Barry and Nora having to travel back in time to get some things to help defeat Cicada in the present, is a great idea. Seeing Thawne, Zoom, and other characters back is pretty fun. And we learn more about Nora in this episode, and start acting weird when they meet with Thawne. And it ends with it being revealed that Nora is working with Thawne, setting up the rest of the season. So an episode that is a great 100th episode but is also very important to the season as a whole.
5. Out of Time (Season 1, Episode 15): This is the highest rated episode of the show, and I think is a pretty fantastic episode with some fantastic moments. I think this is the best that Weather Wizard has ever been and his mission is to get revenge on Joe for killing his brother, it really works and makes sense. Barry time travels toward the end of this episode and it’s the first time that he does that. And he saved the city but he did go back in time and it was really cool to see. The little moment between Barry and Iris is a great moment between the two of them. This was an episode that has a great story and fantastic moments, so it’s easily one of the best episodes of the show and the season 1.
4. Fast Enough (Season 1, Episode 23): A fantastic season finale to season 1, that perfectly ends the season 1 story line. The previous 22 episodes were building to that final confrontation between Barry and Thawne, and this is the payoff of all of that. The final fight between the two of them is great, and it’s one of the best speedster action scenes of the show. The death at the end of the show, it’s very emotional but it makes sense with what is going on in this season. But I think the best moment from this episode is when Barry travels back in time to see Nora, and that whole sequence. And when he does that he starts to see flashes of Barry in jail, Killer Frost, and other things that are cool to see.
3. Elseworlds: Part 1 (Season 5, Episode 9): The Elseworlds crossover event is my personal favorite Arrowverse crossover, and this is my favorite crossover episode and my favorite episode from that crossover. This might be the most fun episode on this list, getting to see Oliver and Barry do a Freaky Friday type situation is great. And this is some of Stephen Amell and Grant Gustin’s funniest stuff in the Arrowverse. The scene where they met Clark Kent is pretty funny, and Oliver being jealous of how big Clark is. So an episode that has some great and funny moments, and is one of my favorite episodes of the entire show and my favorite episode from season 5.
2. Enter Zoom (Season 2, Episode 6): This was just a fantastic episode in the early parts of season 2. Normally, the first 9 episodes are weaker and the seasons get really good in the middle and the end of the season. But this episode is one of the best episodes of the show. If The Man in the Yellow Suit was where we finally got to see Reverse-Flash in action, this is the episode where we get to see Zoom in action. I think the best fight scene of the show is that fight between Barry and Zoom, and it shows how big and dangerous of a threat Zoom is. It’s a nice follow-up to episode 5 (which is another great episode), and it has the pieces that make for a fantastic episode.
1. Infantino Street (Season 3, Episode 22): This is one of the most underrated episodes of the show, meaning that not a lot of people talk about. Most likely because season 3 is commonly known as one of the weaker seasons of the show. But I think this is a perfect episode of the show, and it is my favorite episode from season 3. I love Wentworth Miller as Snart, so whenever he shows up in episodes I think it’s a great episode. The story with Barry teaming up with Snart to break into ARGUS before Savitar kills Iris is great. But this episode has a ticking clock, where you know that if they don’t succeed at their mission fast enough, then Iris could die. S it's an episode that has a fantastic guest star, story, and tension to it. So easily, this is one of my favorite episodes of the show.
There you have it, my ranking of the 15 highest rated Flash episodes based on IMDB scores. What do you think of my ranking? And what is your favorite episode of The Flash? Also, in May I dropped my ranking of the 15 highest rated Arrow episodes, and in July and August I plan on doing this for Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow. Thanks for reading!
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