Heroic actor of the week (5/3): Andy Mientus

In this week’s returning edition of Heroic Actor of The Week, we look at how Andy Mientus’ return to The Flash reinvigorated the show and gave Pied Piper the redemption arc he deserved.

With everything happening in the world right now, the entire TV landscape has been uncertain for a number of weeks. As a result, our weekly Heroic Actor of the Week column took a hiatus while The CW attempted to reshuffle its schedule and figure out when to air the remaining episodes of its comic book programming The Flash, Supergirl, Batwoman, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Riverdale.

However, with most shows heading towards their impromptu finales – and this being the first week that all of said shows aired on our screens again – Heroic Actor of the Week is back. And what a week to return, as we saw a number of powerful performances from the likes of Flash headliner Grant Gustin, Legends‘ Caity Lotz and Batwoman‘s Rachel Skartsten.

That said, the one performance that stood this week didn’t come from one of the Arrowverse regulars; no, it came from a returning familiar face – one that fans were thrilled to see back.

Andy Mientus – The Flash

It had been a heck of a long time (too long) since we’d seen Andy Mientus show up on The Flash when he resurfaced unexpectedly in an episode earlier in the season. Now a villain once more and affected by the Post-Crisis world, it was great to see Hartley Rathaway no doubt, but it was an appearance that felt like it didn’t really do justice to the talented performer or his engaging character. “Pay The Piper”, on the other hand, did just that.

The colorful Hartley Rathaway has always had a ton of untapped potential, but it had never truly been explored before – at least not after his fun introduction back in Season 1. The Season 2 rewriting of the timeline – in which he subsequently became a hero – was great, but it robbed fans of the chance to actually see Pied Piper’s redemption.

The decision to reverse Hartley’s initial redemption and give him a love interest in Roderick Smith didn’t just allow the writers to really do him justice, it allowed Andy Mientus to dive into the role in a much deeper capacity than he had been able to before and that ultimately produced an electric performance.

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With the spotlight firmly placed on him, the Broadway veteran wasted little time showing viewers what he was capable of, turning in a performance that was every bit as layered as it was animated. Yes, Hartley’s sassy comebacks and vicious insults were even more delicious than before, but it was Mientus’ portrayal of the character nuances that really stood out.

In all honesty, we barely knew Hartley (outside of his Pied Piper persona) and now, thanks to Mientus (and some damn good character development), it feels like we’ve known him for those past couple of years that he hasn’t been on-screen. Moreover, the actor highlighted both Hartley’s affection for Roderick and his heartbreak and guilt over what happened to him in such an endearingly authentic way, ensuring that we felt every emotion the character was going through.

If we learned anything from “Pay The Piper”, it’s that Hartley Rathaway deserves a permanent slot on Team Flash. The character is easily the best (re)introduction on the show in a very long time, and he possesses a unique dynamic with each Team Flash member that doesn’t come off as derivative or cliché. And it’s all down to the effortless on-screen chemistry that Mientus shares with Grant Gustin, Carlos Valdes (Cisco) and Tom Cavanagh (Wells).

Ever since that dynamic first made its presence felt early on in the show’s run, it was clear that Hartley would have made a great permanent addition to the team. The history is there and it’s just waiting to write itself. And that, along with how well the episode kicked off his story, is why Mientus should be promoted to a series regular for Season 7.

It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally time to Pay The Piper. Make it happen, CW!

The Flash will air its season 6 finale on The CW this Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. ET. Come back next week to find out who the next Heroic Actor of The Week will be – and check out previous winners here.