Throughout the first season and a half of CW’s The Flash, Grant Gustin has received both positive and negative criticism in regards to his portrayal of beloved superhero Barry Allen. For many, Grant Gustin was not what they had pictures when they imagined Barry Allen running around his city.

However, Grant Gustin has respectively ignored the negative comments and has strived to portray his character as best as he possibly could. He has played a variety of characters within just one, nailing both the lighthearted and the heavier, more emotional scenes that follow the superhero around. For us, he has become one of our favourite superheroes.

Here are four times Grant Gustin killed his role as Barry Allen:

Season 1, Episode 15: Moving On

While this scene might seem insignificant to many fans of the show, it’s one of my personal favourites and one of Grant’s personal (albeit small) performances. Trying to move on from someone you love while they’re standing right in front of you is difficult, and Grant Gustin portrays this brilliantly. The scene begins with Barry and Linda on a date in a bowling alley, but are interrupted mid kiss by Iris West, Barry’s best friend and the woman he’s been in love with since a young age. Iris is also on a date with her boyfriend, Eddie Thawne, and things turn awfully awkward when Barry and Iris seem to forget that they’re not dating each other. Grant’s acting in this scene is phenomenal, highlighting how important the small things are and getting across the heavier, more emotional side of Barry while also keeping his lighthearted side that everyone loves.

Barry Finds Out Harrison Well Killed His Mother

There isn’t a specific episode for this as the storyline runs through a few episodes, continuing even after Harrison Well is exposed. Grant’s acting throughout this storyline is fantastic, and no one can fault him for anything he does while portraying a betrayed and hurt Barry Allen. This storyline is heavier than the lighthearted storylines The Flash is adored for and not only Grant, but the entire cast don’t put a foot wrong. Grant has expressed that those scenes were hard to film and he gets that across brilliantly even just with his body language.

Season 2, Episode 1: The Aftermath of Barry’s Time Travelling:

Season 2 opens on a lighter note than season 1 ended, but it quickly flashbacks to how season 1 ended. The flashback shows Ronnie and Dr. Stein running into the black hole in an attempt to stop it and we quickly learn that while Dr. Stein survived, Ronnie did not. As a result, Barry now works by himself to avoid anyone else getting hurt and he has little to no contact with his team and friends. He blames himself for everything, taking the weight of the world on his shoulders and Grant worked hard to get this across on screen. His acting in this episode is once again phenomenal and he doesn’t waver from the more emotional side of Barry Allen that the writers obviously wanted us to see in these few scenes. These scenes tell us that sometimes you have to put yourself last to protect your friends, even when they don’t want you to.

Season 2, Episode 5: The Team Meets Earth-2 Harrison Wells:

Season one’s recurring storyline is Barry chasing the man who killed his mother and eventually destroying Harrison Wells (Eobard Thawne). Season two incorporates superheroes and villains from Earth-2 and this episode sees Earth-2 Harrison Wells appear in Earth-1. Trusting someone who has an association with someone you betrayed you is the most difficult thing to do, but Barry puts his feelings aside in order to save other people. Grant once again portrays this just right, showing us that you have to put your feelings aside for the greater good sometimes.

While there are other moments that stood out for us, these four are my personal favourites due to the messages they send and the way Grant gets them across.

Season 2 of The Flash continues on The CW on Tuesday at 8/7c. What are your favourite moments from The Flash? Leave a comment below or tweet us @CelebMix.

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