The Flash (Goodwinverse TV series)
| The Flash | |
|---|---|
| File:The Flash Goodwinverse TV series poster.jpg Promotional poster | |
| Genre | |
| Based on | |
| Developed by | Freddie Goodwin |
| Showrunners |
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| Starring | |
| Composers | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 9 |
| No. of episodes | 100 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer | Ryan Kessler |
| Cinematography |
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| Editors |
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| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 42–62 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Vesper+ |
| Release | October 2, 2026 – November 22, 2034 |
| Related | |
The Flash is an American superhero television series developed by Freddie Goodwin for Vesper+. Based on the DC Comics character the Flash, it is the third television series in the Goodwinverse, following Superboy and Nightingale. The series follows Barry Allen, a Central City crime-scene investigator who gains superhuman speed and becomes the superhero known as the Flash, while confronting speedster enemies, altered timelines, public memory, metahuman crime, and the long-term consequences of saving people faster than institutions can respond.
The series stars Dacre Montgomery as Barry Allen / the Flash, with Kiersey Clemons, Delroy Lindo, Rahul Kohli, Maya Hawke, Jessica Henwick, Lakeith Stanfield, Sophie Thatcher, Giancarlo Esposito, William Fichtner, Tati Gabrielle, Paddy Considine, and Regé-Jean Page appearing across the series. The supporting cast portrays journalists, police officers, scientists, speedsters, Rogues, public officials, and metahuman victims whose lives are shaped by Central City's repeated crises. The series combines superhero action with science-fiction mythology, emotional drama, time-travel consequences, and public testimony.
The Flash premiered on Vesper+ on October 2, 2026. The first six seasons were showrun by Goodwin and consisted of eight episodes each, using tightly serialized arcs involving Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash, Zoom, Cobalt Blue, the Rogues, Grodd, Godspeed, and other speed-related threats. The seventh season introduced Eric Wallace as showrunner and expanded the series to 22 episodes, shifting the show toward a broader and more traditional superhero television format. The eighth season introduced "Graphic Novel" arcs, dividing its 22 episodes into three major storylines and two interludes. The ninth and final season returned to an eight-episode format after budget changes, removed the Graphic Novel structure, and concluded Barry's story with his retirement from full-time hero work and Avery Ho becoming Central City's active Flash.
The series received generally positive reviews from critics across its run. Praise was directed toward Montgomery's performance, the emotional Barry and Iris storyline, the early seasons' serialized structure, the third season's deeper storytelling, the showrunner change in the seventh season, Avery Ho's rise as the Flash, and the final season's smaller but focused conclusion. Criticism was directed at the fourth season's overcrowded villain roster, pacing issues in the 22-episode seasons, the density of the Graphic Novel structure, and the reduced budget of the final season. Retrospective commentary has described The Flash as one of the central early pillars of the Goodwinverse, bridging the personal coming-of-age stakes of Superboy with the larger public-memory and consequence-driven storytelling later explored in Iron Man and Doomsday.
Premise[edit | edit source]
The Flash is set primarily in Central City and follows Barry Allen, a forensic investigator whose life is changed after an experimental energy event grants him superhuman speed. After using his powers to prevent several disasters, Barry becomes known publicly as the Flash. While the early seasons focus on Barry learning to become a hero, the series increasingly examines the consequences of speed, time travel, erased histories, public dependency, and the difficulty of documenting events that only a few people remember.
The first season follows Barry's emergence as the Flash and his confrontation with Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash, a speedster whose knowledge of Barry's future turns the season into both an origin story and a warning. Barry builds a support system around Iris West, Joe West, Cisco Ramon, Caitlin Snow, Linda Park, and Eddie Thawne, while Central City begins to understand that metahuman incidents cannot be treated as ordinary crime.
The second season expands the speedster mythology through Zoom and introduces the danger of alternate outcomes, doubles, and public trauma created by battles that most people do not fully understand. Barry becomes more confident as a hero but more vulnerable to the idea that speed gives him the right to correct pain before others can process it.
The third season explores dead timelines, Cobalt Blue, and the emotional cost of Barry's attempts to repair the past. It is one of the show's most consequential seasons and establishes several of the public-memory themes later carried into Iris West's testimony work. Barry learns that changing time can create moral debts that survive even when the world forgets the original event.
The fourth season adapts a broader Rogues storyline and introduces more comic villains into the Goodwinverse version of Central City. The season is intentionally more crowded and pulpy than the third, though it received a more mixed response from critics and viewers. Maya Hawke's Caitlin Snow is reduced to a guest role in this period, marking a shift in the supporting ensemble.
The fifth season returns to a more focused traditional villain from the comics, emphasizing Barry's relationship with public responsibility and the idea that some enemies do not need multiverse-scale power to destroy trust. The sixth season continues the eight-episode format and includes only characters who appear within its episodes, with the cast divided more carefully between main, recurring, and guest roles.
The seventh season introduces a new showrunner, a 22-episode order, and a different rhythm for the series. The show becomes more episodic while retaining serialized arcs, moving closer to traditional superhero television. The eighth season formalizes the "Graphic Novel" structure, dividing its 22 episodes into three separate arcs and two interludes. The ninth season removes that structure and uses a more direct final arc built around mortality, violence, and Barry's decision to step away from full-time hero work.
The series ends with Barry stepping away from full-time hero work. Avery Ho becomes Central City's active Flash, Iris preserves Central City's testimony archive, and Barry's experience with crisis timelines later becomes essential in Doomsday, where Doctor Doom uses Speed Force records as part of his argument that heroism repeatedly produces catastrophe.
Cast and characters[edit | edit source]
- Dacre Montgomery as Barry Allen / the Flash: A Central City forensic investigator who gains superhuman speed and becomes the Flash. Barry begins as an earnest, grief-driven hero and gradually becomes a veteran figure whose greatest struggle is learning when not to use speed to control outcomes.
- Kiersey Clemons as Iris West: A journalist whose relationship with Barry becomes one of the emotional centers of the series. Iris develops Central City's testimony archive and becomes one of the Goodwinverse's major voices on public memory and accountability.
- Delroy Lindo as Joe West: A veteran police officer and father figure whose grounded sense of justice helps Barry understand the difference between rescue and authority. Joe frequently challenges the team when speed-based solutions bypass ordinary human process.
- Rahul Kohli as Cisco Ramon / Vibe: A brilliant engineer and metahuman researcher who helps Barry understand his powers. Cisco brings humor, technical skill, and emotional intelligence to Team Flash, though his later role changes as the show expands.
- Maya Hawke as Caitlin Snow: A scientist and medical specialist connected to Central City's metahuman research. Caitlin plays a major role in the early seasons before shifting into a guest role during the fourth season and later seasons.
- Jessica Henwick as Linda Park: A journalist and investigator whose reporting becomes increasingly important as Central City attempts to document metahuman crises and the public consequences of speedster activity.
- Lakeith Stanfield as Eddie Thawne: A police detective connected to the Thawne legacy and Barry's early life as the Flash. Eddie's choices and family history become especially important to the Reverse-Flash and Cobalt Blue storylines.
- Sophie Thatcher as Avery Ho / the Flash: A science prodigy and later speedster whose role grows across the series. Avery becomes Central City's active Flash after Barry retires from full-time hero work.
- Giancarlo Esposito as Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash: A speedster from Barry's future and one of his defining enemies. Thawne's manipulation of time and identity creates several of the show's foundational conflicts.
- William Fichtner as Leonard Snart / Captain Cold: A strategic criminal and member of the Rogues whose intelligence and restraint make him a recurring threat and occasional uneasy ally.
- Tati Gabrielle as Lisa Snart / Golden Glider: A member of the Rogues and Leonard Snart's sister, whose criminal skill and shifting loyalties complicate Central City's villain landscape.
- Paddy Considine as Malcolm Thawne / Cobalt Blue: A major antagonist whose storyline explores dead timelines, stolen identity, and the emotional violence of being erased from history.
- Regé-Jean Page as August Heart / Godspeed: A speedster whose obsession with speed, destiny, and superiority drives one of the show's later major arcs.
- Courtney B. Vance as Henry Allen: Barry's father and a recurring emotional presence whose past and relationship with Barry shape several early storylines.
- Thandiwe Newton as Nora Allen: Barry's mother, whose death and memory remain central to his origin and his later decisions involving time.
- Riz Ahmed as Hartley Rathaway: A sonic technology expert and recurring metahuman threat whose relationship with Team Flash shifts over time.
- Dev Patel as Alex Singh / Superboy: A hero from Superboy whose appearances link Barry's story to the wider Goodwinverse and its first public superhero legacy.
Episodes[edit | edit source]
| Series | Season | Episodes | Originally released | Showrunner | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||||
| The Flash | 1 | 8 | October 2, 2026 | November 20, 2026 | Freddie Goodwin | |
| 2 | 8 | October 1, 2027 | November 19, 2027 | Freddie Goodwin | ||
| 3 | 8 | October 6, 2028 | November 24, 2028 | Freddie Goodwin | ||
| 4 | 8 | October 5, 2029 | November 23, 2029 | Freddie Goodwin | ||
| 5 | 8 | October 4, 2030 | November 22, 2030 | Freddie Goodwin | ||
| 6 | 8 | October 3, 2031 | November 21, 2031 | Freddie Goodwin | ||
| 7 | 22 | October 7, 2032 | May 17, 2033 | Eric Wallace | ||
| 8 | 22 | October 6, 2033 | May 15, 2034 | Eric Wallace | ||
| 9 | 8 | October 4, 2034 | November 22, 2034 | Eric Wallace | ||
Production[edit | edit source]
Development[edit | edit source]
Vesper+ began developing The Flash after Superboy established the Goodwinverse and Nightingale expanded the franchise into a darker political-thriller space. Freddie Goodwin developed the series as the franchise's first major science-fiction superhero drama, using Barry Allen to explore speed, grief, public memory, and the consequences of time manipulation. Goodwin wanted the series to feel more mythological than Superboy while still remaining grounded in character, testimony, and civic consequence.
The project was ordered with an eight-episode first season, continuing the early Goodwinverse preference for short serialized seasons. Goodwin served as showrunner for the first six seasons. The initial plan was for each season to function as a focused chapter in Barry's life, with each antagonist reflecting a different danger of speed: obsession, fear, control, erased history, superiority, and destiny. The first season centered on Reverse-Flash, while later seasons expanded into Zoom, Cobalt Blue, the Rogues, Grodd, Godspeed, and other speed-related threats.
The series was renewed consistently across its early run due to strong viewership and positive critical response. By the sixth season, Vesper+ began considering a format shift to make the show a broader year-round anchor for the Goodwinverse. Eric Wallace was hired as showrunner beginning with the seventh season, and the series expanded from eight episodes to 22 episodes. The change altered the pacing, tone, and structure of the show, adding more episodic stories, wider supporting-character arcs, and a more traditional superhero television rhythm.
The eighth season introduced the "Graphic Novel" structure, dividing the season into three major arcs and two interludes. Wallace described the format as a way to preserve the momentum of serialized storytelling within a 22-episode order. The ninth season removed the Graphic Novel structure after budget changes and was developed as a shorter final season. The final season was designed to bring the show back to focused storytelling while acknowledging the consequences of its longer middle era.
Writing[edit | edit source]
The writing of The Flash centers on the idea that speed is not simply a power but a temptation. Barry can reach emergencies before anyone else, but he can also outrun conversation, grief, consequence, and public process. The series repeatedly asks whether a hero who can act faster than everyone else can still respect the slower work of truth, mourning, law, and repair.
The early seasons are built around grief and identity. Reverse-Flash forces Barry to confront the way his origin has been manipulated. Zoom challenges Barry's fear of being powerless. Cobalt Blue turns erased history and dead timelines into emotional violence. The Rogues season broadens the show by introducing villains who are not all speedsters, though the season's crowded structure received mixed reactions.
The fifth and sixth seasons narrow the focus again, using more traditional comic villains while maintaining the show's concern with public responsibility. Godspeed's arc explores speed as superiority and destiny, while later stories examine how Central City remembers crises that Barry prevents before most people understand them.
The seventh season's longer format required the writers to balance weekly storytelling with serialized arcs. Wallace's era places more emphasis on Team Flash, Central City's civic life, and the burden of being a symbol over many years. The eighth season's Graphic Novel structure allowed the writers to separate major storylines while preserving long-form character development. The ninth season removes that structure and uses a more direct final arc built around mortality, violence, and Barry's decision to step away from full-time hero work.
Iris West's testimony archive becomes one of the show's most important recurring ideas. The archive allows the series to preserve stories that time travel, speed events, and crisis resets might otherwise erase. This concept later influences the Goodwinverse's wider use of testimony, records, archives, and public memory, especially in Iron Man and Doomsday.
Casting[edit | edit source]
Dacre Montgomery was cast as Barry Allen / the Flash after the producers searched for an actor who could portray earnestness, grief, humor, intensity, and the growing exhaustion of a long-term hero. Goodwin said Montgomery's Barry needed to feel heroic without seeming naturally comfortable with mythic status. His performance became one of the show's defining elements.
Kiersey Clemons was cast as Iris West, whose role expanded significantly as the series developed. Iris was written not merely as Barry's romantic partner but as the person most committed to preserving the truth of events that speed and time travel threaten to erase. Delroy Lindo joined as Joe West, providing the series with one of its strongest grounded voices. Rahul Kohli, Maya Hawke, Jessica Henwick, and Lakeith Stanfield completed the early Team Flash ensemble.
Giancarlo Esposito was cast as Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash, bringing a controlled, intellectual menace to Barry's first major enemy. Paddy Considine joined later as Malcolm Thawne / Cobalt Blue, while Regé-Jean Page portrayed August Heart / Godspeed. William Fichtner and Tati Gabrielle appeared as Leonard Snart and Lisa Snart, representing the Rogues side of the show's villain world. Sophie Thatcher's Avery Ho gradually became one of the show's most important later characters and ultimately inherited the active Flash role after Barry's retirement.
Several actors from other Goodwinverse series appeared in recurring or guest roles, including Dev Patel as Alex Singh / Superboy and Anya Chalotra as Evelyn Ward / Nightingale. These appearances connected the series to the wider franchise without turning early seasons into crossover events.
Filming[edit | edit source]
Principal photography for the first season began in 2026 and took place primarily in Vancouver, British Columbia. The production used city streets, police facilities, laboratories, public plazas, and industrial spaces to create Central City. The early seasons used a relatively controlled production scale, concentrating visual resources on speed sequences, laboratory sets, and major episode climaxes.
The visual style of the Goodwin era emphasizes contrast between ordinary civic spaces and the impossible physics of speed. Barry's powers are often introduced through small disruptions before becoming full action sequences: papers lifting, lights flickering, rain slowing, glass trembling, or voices stretching into distortion. The series uses this language to make speed feel both beautiful and dangerous.
The Wallace era expanded the show's visual and production scale due to the 22-episode format. More recurring sets were added, including expanded S.T.A.R. Labs areas, Iris's testimony archive, Central City public offices, and several villain-specific environments. The longer seasons required more efficient production methods, with some episodes using contained locations or character-focused stories to preserve budget for larger arc installments.
The ninth season used a smaller budget than the seventh and eighth seasons. Directors leaned into night photography, contained action, archive spaces, and emotionally driven set pieces instead of constant large-scale speed battles. Wallace described the final season as "less about running farther and more about knowing when to stop."
Visual effects[edit | edit source]
The visual effects of The Flash focus heavily on speed, time distortion, lightning, alternate timelines, and crisis-space imagery. The first season establishes Barry's lightning as a warm red-gold energy that becomes more visually complex as he learns to control his powers. Reverse-Flash's lightning is colder and more unstable, creating a visual contrast between Barry's emotional speed and Thawne's predatory control.
Later seasons expand the speed language through Zoom, Cobalt Blue, Godspeed, Avery Ho, and crisis probabilities. Each speedster receives a distinct movement profile and color language. Barry's speed is fluid and emotional, Zoom's is violent and predatory, Cobalt Blue's is fractured and memory-linked, Godspeed's is precise and superior, and Avery's is fast but analytical.
The Graphic Novel structure of season eight allowed the effects team to create distinct visual styles for each arc. The final season uses fewer large-scale effects but focuses on sharper, more lethal speed imagery. The reduced budget is used to emphasize danger, impact, and consequence rather than spectacle.
Speed Force sequences were among the show's most recognizable visual elements. These sequences often appear as abstract spaces of memory, light, sound, and temporal fracture rather than literal locations. The Speed Force record system later becomes important in Doomsday, where Doctor Doom extracts crisis probabilities to build part of the Doomsday Engine.
Music[edit | edit source]
Blake Neely and Hildur Guðnadóttir composed the score for The Flash. The main theme combines fast strings, rising brass, electronic pulses, and a recurring emotional motif connected to Barry's grief and hope. Neely said the theme was designed to sound like forward motion that is always carrying memory behind it.
Each major speedster antagonist receives a distinct musical identity. Reverse-Flash's theme is built around sharp electronic pulses and reversed rhythmic patterns. Zoom's theme uses heavier percussion and darker strings. Cobalt Blue's theme incorporates mournful choir and broken music-box textures. Godspeed's theme is more synthetic and symmetrical, reflecting the character's obsession with superiority and order.
Iris West's testimony theme becomes increasingly important across the series. It begins as a quiet piano motif and later expands into one of the show's main emotional themes. Avery Ho receives her own Flash motif in the later seasons, which gradually takes over some of Barry's heroic instrumentation while remaining lighter and more uncertain.
Release[edit | edit source]
The Flash premiered on Vesper+ on October 2, 2026, with episodes released weekly. The first six seasons each consisted of eight episodes and aired annually between 2026 and 2031. The seventh season premiered on October 7, 2032, and marked the show's expansion to 22 episodes, airing weekly until May 17, 2033. The eighth season premiered on October 6, 2033, used the Graphic Novel structure, and concluded on May 15, 2034. The ninth and final season premiered on October 4, 2034, and concluded on November 22, 2034.
Reception[edit | edit source]
Critical response[edit | edit source]
The Flash received generally positive reviews across its run. The first season was praised for its emotional origin story, Montgomery's performance, Clemons's Iris West, and Esposito's Reverse-Flash. Critics described it as a confident expansion of the Goodwinverse that felt larger and more mythological than Superboy without losing the franchise's interest in consequence.
The second season received positive reviews for deepening the speedster mythology, though some critics felt it repeated parts of the first season's structure. The third season was widely praised for its deeper storytelling, Cobalt Blue arc, dead timelines, and emotional treatment of erased histories. It is often regarded as one of the strongest seasons of the series.
The fourth season received mixed reviews. Critics praised the ambition of adapting more comic villains and expanding the Rogues side of Central City, but many felt the season was overcrowded and less focused. The fifth and sixth seasons were considered improvements, returning to more traditional central antagonists while keeping the emotional consequences of previous seasons intact.
The seventh season divided viewers due to the showrunner change and shift to 22 episodes. Some critics appreciated the broader scope, team focus, and more traditional superhero tone, while others missed the density and discipline of the eight-episode Goodwin seasons. The eighth season's Graphic Novel structure received a more positive response for helping organize the longer format, though some critics still felt the season was too busy. The ninth season received positive reviews as a smaller and darker final chapter, with praise for Barry's retirement, Avery becoming the active Flash, and the removal of the Graphic Novel format.
Template:Television critical response
Audience response[edit | edit source]
Audience response was generally positive, though divided by era. Many viewers favored the shorter Goodwin seasons for their tight structure, while others appreciated the broader scope and comic-book energy of the Wallace years. The third season became a fan favorite, while the fourth season was frequently criticized for overcrowding and uneven villain usage.
The seventh season's showrunner change was heavily discussed by fans. Some viewers enjoyed the more traditional 22-episode format, while others felt the show lost some of its earlier intensity. The eighth season's Graphic Novel approach was seen as an improvement by many fans, though the final season's shorter structure was widely praised for restoring focus.
Avery Ho's rise as the active Flash received a positive response, especially in the final season. Barry's retirement from full-time hero work was generally viewed as earned rather than abrupt. His later return in Doomsday reinforced the idea that he remained important without undoing the ending of his own series.
Accolades[edit | edit source]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Saturn Awards | Best Superhero Television Series | The Flash | Nominated |
| Saturn Awards | Best Actor in a Television Series | Dacre Montgomery | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series | Kiersey Clemons | Nominated | |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Season or a Movie | The Flash | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | Best Superhero Series | The Flash | Nominated | |
| 2029 | Saturn Awards | Best Superhero Television Series | The Flash | Won |
| Saturn Awards | Best Actor in a Television Series | Dacre Montgomery | Won | |
| Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series | Paddy Considine | Nominated | |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series | "Central City vs. The Reverse Flash" | Nominated | |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Best Original Score in a TV Show/Limited Series | Blake Neely and Hildur Guðnadóttir | Nominated | |
| 2034 | Saturn Awards | Best Superhero Television Series | The Flash | Nominated |
| Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series | Sophie Thatcher | Nominated | |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Season or a Movie | The Flash | Nominated | |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program | "Central City 2158" | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | Best Superhero Series | The Flash | Nominated |
Connections to the Goodwinverse[edit | edit source]
The Flash is the third television series in the Goodwinverse and one of its central pillars. It expands the franchise's mythology from metahuman emergence and street-level trauma into time, speed, erased histories, public memory, and crisis probability. Barry Allen appears in connection with Superboy before leading his own series, while several Flash concepts later influence Iron Man and Doomsday.
The series connects to Superboy through Alex Singh's early heroic legacy and through shared themes of public accountability. Barry's interactions with Alex help define the difference between inherited symbol and chosen responsibility. The series connects to Nightingale through public testimony, trauma documentation, and the way city-level institutions respond to metahuman crises. It connects to Iron Man through later Goodwinverse references to public archives, crisis records, and the ethics of acting faster than democratic oversight can process.
In Doomsday, Doctor Doom uses Speed Force testimony and crisis data as part of the Doomsday Engine. Barry and Avery both play major roles in the miniseries, with Barry's experience helping interpret crisis timelines and Avery representing Central City's future as the active Flash. Their participation allows the crossover to respect Barry's retirement while showing that his knowledge remains essential.
Legacy[edit | edit source]
The Flash is widely regarded as one of the defining Goodwinverse series. Its early seasons helped prove that the franchise could sustain multiple long-running heroes after Superboy, while its later seasons demonstrated the risks and benefits of format changes within a shared universe. The show introduced many of the Goodwinverse's most important ideas about public memory, testimony, erased timelines, and the moral consequences of acting before the world can consent.
Barry Allen's arc from young hero to retired mentor became one of the franchise's most complete long-form stories. Avery Ho's inheritance of the Flash role was also noted as a major legacy handoff that avoided simply replacing Barry while still giving Central City a future. Iris West's testimony archive became one of the most important recurring institutions in the Goodwinverse and influenced later stories involving the Archive, Mephisto, and Doctor Doom.
Retrospective rankings often place the third season among the best seasons in the Goodwinverse. The fourth season is usually ranked lower due to its crowded structure, while the final season is frequently praised for ending the series with focus and restraint. The show remains important to the franchise's identity because it bridges youthful hero mythology, civic accountability, and the larger crisis language used in later crossover storytelling.
Notes[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
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