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Taking a Second Look at “Jay Garrick”

Every Tuesday we get one episode closer to the end of season 3 of The Flash and while this season has been as fantastic as the others, I keep coming back to season 2. I have watched it on Netflix more then a couple times, mostly because it is just easy to watch before bed. I love to re watch a series, it is so interesting to see the foreshadowing that the writers leave here and there. During season one of the Flash we discovered very early that some how Harrison Wells was the Reverse Flash, it was confusing we didn’t quiet understand how or who he really was for some time. While it was very confusing at least we knew which characters motivations were in question. Season two took a similar path, which I am sure some anticipated but I like to stay in the moment so I was surprised when Zoom took off his mask and revealed himself to be “Jay Garrick”.

Taking a Second Look at "Jay Garrick"

While the writers did a fantastic job as always, who I am most impressed with on a second viewing of season two is Teddy Sears. Watching the first half of season two  the first time around I wasn’t the most impressed with Jay, he sort of fell flat to me and his reactions to everything seemed so over the top. When I watch an actor in a role it is always a little disappointing when you see the actor acting, it felt very stage performance like to me. Don’t get me wrong, Jay was endearing and insightful, he just seemed like the cardboard cut out of a real character.

Taking a Second Look at "Jay Garrick"

When it was announced that they would be adding Jay Garrick to the cast of season two, as a comic book fan I was so excited. An older wiser Flash to teach our baby Flash some life lessons, which lets be honest Barry really needed. The big reveal after “Escape from Earth Two” truly upset me as a comic reader. How could Jay Garrick be Zoom?! Jay is the epitome of  a wholesome American hero, the Golden Age Flash. After the reveal that all the while he hadn’t Jay at all but Hunter Zolomon I was first a little upset I didn’t see that coming considering the whole Harrison Wells thing from season one but later after more deliberation I was seriously happy, that the best of the good guys didn’t turn out to be a bad guy. It was in the following episodes where you saw Teddy Sears really shine. Once he assumes his role as Hunter/Zoom you got to see how good of an actor he truly is. He played a psychopath terrifyingly well, the character was truly menacing and got so much joy out of the terrible deeds he did. While the last several episodes of season two were so well acted on everyone’s parts once it was over I felt the need to start it again.  I found the things I thought were terribly boring about Jay the first time through are what made me impressed with Teddy Sears the second time around. He seemed like a stage actor because he was, as a person with the mental conditions one must have to be a serial killer he had to fake his reactions to all the silly team flash antics throughout the beginning of the season.

Taking a Second Look at "Jay Garrick"

The moral of this story is A. Teddy Sears’ performance gets better every time you watch season two, I promise. B. Never judge a show until the season is done and over with! The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8pm Eastern, if you havn’t yet please check out our weekly review here.

 

 

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