Braden Ottley

Maham Khwaja

Film and Culture 1070

21 March 2017

Midterm Analysis Paper

For my film analysis paper, I chose to evaluate the diversity of the TV show The Flash.

The show is about the DC super hero called The Flash, and how he operates in the city, the

problems he and his friends face trying to control the out break of powered people that have been

released into the city. The show itself does not directly deal with diversity, but it does in the way

I think it should be done; indirectly. I will explain more about that later on, but for now I will

explain the characters in the show, also

sometimes called the team, which will make it

easier to show how The Flash is good at dealing

with diversity.

The main character is called Barry

Allen, he is the main character, and the

speedster known as The Flash, and is played by

Grant Gustin shown in figure 1. Figure 1: Barry Allen/The Flash

Iris West. She is a reporter who tries to get to the story that others would choose to avoid,

the stories that would tend to stir up dirt and reveal corruption and crime. She is played by

Candice Patten, and is dating Barry Allen in the show. She is shown in figure 2.
 Joe West is the father to Iris West. He

is a detective and a leader at the police

department. He is a single father, as his wife

left him due to a drug problem. He is a caring

father, and very protective of his family and

his friends. He is played by Jesse L. Martin, Figure 2: Iris West

and is seen in figure 3.

Wally West is the long lost son of Joe West,

who become known by his father and sister after

his mothers death. He is also a speedster known as

Kid Flash. He is black and played by Keiynan

Figure 3: Joe West Lonsdale, and is seen in figure 4.

Jesse Wells is sometimes a member of

the team. She is from another earth. She is a

speedster named Jesse Quick, she is dating

Wally West, and is played by Violett Beane. She

is in figure 5.
Figure 4: Wally West/Kid Flash
Cisco Ramon is a member of the team.

He is a genius scientist and who has powers that can help the team solve problems from time to

time. He is played by Carlos Valdes, and is seen in figure 6.

Caitlin Snow is a scientist who is also a member of the team. She uses her skills and

knowledge to help build new technology the team needs, as well as coming up with ideas on how
 to help catch and stop the bad guys. She has

powers that threaten to make her turn into

someone she is not, and is in a constant battle

to make sure she never becomes that person.

Caitlin Snow is played by Danielle Panabaker,

and is seen in figure 7.

Figure 5: Jesse Wells/Jesse Quick
I think that The Flash is a great example of

what a show should do about diversity. I dont think

that every show needs to be about race, I think that

would just contribute to the problem. I think that shows

should be more like The Flash, not about diversity, it is

just there. I dont think that diversity is about 50%

blacks and 50% whites, plus that would leave other

Figure 6: Cisco Ramon races out. If

that was your goal, you would aways be missing out

on some race and you could never give everyone a

well rounded important character. What The Flash

does is just happen to have diversity, but it is never

directly mentioned. In a perfect world, diversity Figure 7: Caitlin Snow

would not be talked about, it wouldnt even be noticed. This reminds me of a phrase I say a lot,

Fake it till you make it. That applies here, they are in a fictional world, so why not make it a

fictional world where people are not judging one another by their race.
 Another important addition to diversity is not just black or white, it is females that are

known for their minds, rather than their bodies. This is what the producers have done with

Caitlin Snow. She is not in the show because she is pretty, she is not a part of the team because

she is pretty. She is part of the team because she is smart, and has the talents and skills needed to

be useful. She is not a token character, she is actually needed and important to the team. In my

mind diversity is not just about the color of your skin, but also your gender and sexual

orientation. Another important female character is Jesse Wells, who is a super hero, and helps to

show that women are just as good at being heroes as the men are. It also shows that women can

be helpful with their physical strength, rather then just emotional support as stereotypes can

suggest.

Another important addition to the team is Wally West. You can name a very large number

of white super heroes, but when you try to name a hero of color, you might get one or two. That

is why it is important to show people that people of color can be, and are helpful members of

society. That they can be successful, and that they can achieve their goals, just like everybody

else. People of color are no different than anyone else, and adding Kid Flash to the team helps to

show that through example.

In conclusion I think that The Flash is a good show to look to for diversity because it has

diversity, but is not directly trying to spread the message of diversity. It is also good because it is

setting the example in a show that will appeal to a different audience than if the focus was just

centered around the issue of diversity. It is leading by example and showing that you can have a

successful diverse show that can appeal to a wider audience.