Dissecting 'The Flash' Trailer

With currently over three-million hits on Youtube, "The Flash" trailer (see above)  is already popular and making its rounds. My guess is that you've seen the five-minute long footage by now. But perhaps you blinked just a little too fast and missed some frames of speedy magic. This frame-by-frame analysis is for newbies to the DC universe as well as fans of "Arrow." Anyone who grew up with "Flash" comics, your knowledge by far surpasses mine, and be sure to share your thoughts on The CW's "The Flash" in the comments below!

We first learn that Barry Allen grew up always being a little late, not fast enough to outrun bullies. And it's his mom, Nora, who gives Barry a pep talk. And then we get a glimpse of the man who killed her. "I saw what looked like a ball of lightning. Inside the lightning there was a man. He killed my mom."

Barry was searching for this "thing" (pictured above) on "Arrow" -- the person that he saw murder his mother. One of Barry's biggest villains in the DC comics is Professor Zoom (aka Reverse Flash). Could this be the big bad of the season?

"Everyone you work with thinks you're a weirdo." Now that's just mean. Barry's an outcast, even at his workplace. How sad.

But the one person who happens to be on his side is his best friend: Iris West. In the photo above, she's the only one looking over at Barry. After doing a little snooping, she's his love interest in the comics, much like Laurel Lance is the love interest to Oliver Queen in "Arrow." Laurel and Oliver have a very hot-and-cold relationship, landing mostly on cold, so it'll be interesting to see if Barry and Iris unite early on or diverge from the comics.

Now onto S.T.A.R. Labs...

Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon are two genius engineers at S.T.A.R. Labs, and they're one of the few who know Barry's secret identity. Bonus points for Caitlin for being so adorably geeky in one frame.

"Lightning gave me abs."

Barry now has abs! When "Arrow" first premiered, all anyone could talk about were Stephen Amell's impeccable, almost unreal, abs (me included), so this could be a little shout-out to the Green Arrow superstar.

Barry not only has super speed (and abs), but he can heal just as quickly.

"It's healed, in 3 hours."

Now three people know about Barry's new abilities, including that guy sitting in the wheelchair (see picture below): Harrison Wells. He's a huge part of S.T.A.R. Labs and has taken a special interest in Barry's super speed.

"How does it fit?"
"It's a little snug."

In case you blinked, this is how fast Barry ran...

That's still not faster than a speeding bullet. For any curious minds, a speeding bullet can travel up to 1400 MPH.

Much like "Smallville" -- "The Flash" is taking on superhumans (who they've called meta-humans), not just trained assassins like "Arrow." It's a whole new playing field, and here's how most of these meta-humans were created...

Harrison: "Dimensional barrier ruptured, releasing unknown energies into our world, anti-matter, dark energy, x-elements--"
Barry: "Those are all theoretical."
Harrison: "And how theoretical are you?"

"The Flash" takes place in Central City, but midway into the extended trailer, we see a little glimpse of the city sign.

Starling City is home to Oliver Queen, so it's most likely another shout-out to the "Arrow" franchise. They're probably fighting on the outskirts of Central City, not in Starling City. Don't you think?

S.T.A.R. Labs is under construction...

And Barry is now being called "Red Streak" much like Oliver was referred to as "The Hood" for a while.

Lastly and probably the biggest shocker to me, Oliver Queen knows about Barry's powers, the same way that Barry knows about Oliver's.

They're just chit-chatting on top of a roof, talking about superhero stuff that superheroes do.

Barry: "What if I'm not a hero? What if I'm just some guy who was struck by lightning."
Oliver: "I don't think that bolt of lightning struck you, Barry. I think it chose you. Because you can inspire people, watching over your city like a guardian angel, making a difference, saving people, in a flash."

And just like that, we learn that Oliver is the one to rename Barry from "Red Streak" to "The Flash." Pretty sweet, right?

Just from five minutes, I think it's safe to say this is going to be a super speedy success. Or at least, a very entertaining ride. "The Flash" airs Fall 2014 at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays. Will you be watching?

-- Becca Ritchie