Heroic actor of the week: Candice Patton

In the first of our Heroic Actor Of The Week column, we take a look at how Candice Patton stole the show in the Season 6 premiere of The Flash.

Welcome to the first of our new weekly column, Heroic Actor Of The Week, in which we look at one (or more) of the best performances to take place on superhero television in the past week. And what better week to kick it off than this one?

For anyone unaware, this was a huge week for comic book-inspired television, as the majority of The CW’s superheroes made their return to screens after a summer hiatus, as The Flash, Supergirl and Black Lightning returned for their respective sixth, fifth and third seasons, while Batwoman also debuted on that same network and, over on DC Universe, Superboy made his debut on Titans.

While the biggest talking point on The CW was undoubtedly Batwoman‘s arrival, it was its second-longest-running show The Flash that produced the week’s most unforgettable performance.

Candice Patton – The Flash

Yes, it was the leading lady of the Scarlet Speedster’s TV show that really won our hearts this week with her emotional performance in the season premiere as the grieving Iris West-Allen. Though Patton is always a force to be reckoned with on The Flash, her work in “Into The Void” was among the best she’s ever delivered, simply because of how emotive it was.

But it wasn’t just the emotional aspects for Patton who, through her rather reserved turn in the first half of the episode (as Iris attempted to retrieve an item from the garbage heap and then casually lied about why she was there), was effective in both intriguing and confounding us as viewers, as she successfully managed to leave us asking questions about Iris’ unusual behavior.

More from Arrowverse

• The 9 best (and 8 worst) Arrowverse characters
• 27 best fighters in the Arrowverse, ranked
• All 8 Black Canary actresses ranked from worst to best
• 11 things nobody wants to admit about the Arrowverse
• The 7 best (and 6 worst) Arrowverse villains

That said, when the episode passed its midway point, that’s when she really made us all sit up and take notice. As Iris opened up to Cecile, she revealed that the reason behind her actions was all down to her desperate search for the jacket that Nora would one day need to become XS, and that she almost felt guilty for wanting to grieve when she knew she’d meet a different version of her daughter one day.

An unexpectedly emotional moment for a halfway point, it was Patton’s performance that really sold this one. It wasn’t over-the-top or in-your-face. No, it was subtle, gentle and well-timed, as though she had been building up to it throughout the episode (which she was). And the same could be said for her performance later in the episode, with the equally impressive Grant Gustin, as she and Barry promised each other they’d get through this together.

With every crack in her voice, or tear that slowly escaped from her eyes, the Flash vet effortlessly made us feel exactly what Iris was going through as a grieving mother and that, more than anything, allowed this season premiere to shine.

Without question, one of her finest performances yet.

The Flash returns to The CW on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 8:00 p.m. Who do you think will steal the show next week? Let us know in the comments below!