The Flash is back, and the latest episode, “Going Rogue,” was jam packed with everything you could ever want in a superhero tv show. It had a great villain in Captain Cold, a nice guest star with Felicity and more emotional episode from open to close. The script may not have been flipped per se, but they changed the formula just enough to give us a fresh new episode of The Flash.
Ah, villains. Thus far, the villains in The Flash have been decent, but none of them were given enough time, or posed much of a threat for The Flash and his team. The team over at S.T.A.R. Labs would think about what to do for about two seconds and quickly dispatch the villain. Not so fast against Captain Cold.
Captain Cold, played by Wentworth Miller (Prison Break), was the first villain to show some form of intelligence. Compared to the other villains in previous episodes, he uses his brains and his weapons, albeit stolen from S.T.A.R. Labs, to match wits with Barry. He’s clearly not a throwaway villain, as can obviously be seen by his ability to live through this episode. Captain Cold started out the episode by attempting a robbery of an armored truck, but Allen was in hot pursuit. Captain Cold shot a police officer before speeding away. Barry, having shown his internal fight to save everyone, decided to save the officer rather than go after Captain Cold.
I always love seeing the internal fight over Barry Allen’s conscious. He does everything he can to save people in need but knows that it’s not possible in every instance, as can be seen later in the episode.
Captain Cold’s next heist was planned to come face to face with Barry Allen to test out his newest weapon, a freeze gun. The gun was actually made by S.T.A.R. Labs own, Cisco. He made it because he didn’t know exactly what Barry would become after the explosion. This development lead to the greatest rift between the team, something that was nice to see. It would prove that not everything is perfect in S.T.A.R. Labs and brought on a human aspect to the show. Luckily, Felicity is there to relate her hardships with the Arrow and that it takes time for the team to come together.
Captain Cold’s newest weapon supercools anything it hits and that includes the fastest man alive. While not freezing him in place, if he’s hit, it acts as an intense frost burn. While Barry was able to avoid most of the damage, Captain Cold knew exactly where to hit Barry the hardest. He tested Barry’s speed by firing it at a cop. Barry wasn’t able to make it in time, and the cop died, right in front of Barry.
The following scene would be the most impactful of the season thus far. Barry laments the death and states that he must go faster, pushing his body to the limit. Once again, Felicity is there to level out Barry’s emotions. Felicity’s role in the show, and her interactions with Barry, were wonderful. From Barry showing off his powers in the city to their “double-date†with Iris and Eddie, she played her role perfectly.
The final encounter with Captain Cold was, once again, a trap for Barry. Worst of all, through the frustrations with his team, he turned off his communicating device, or as the title states, he went rogue. Captain Cold lured Barry to a train and derailed it forcing Barry to try to save everyone. With some nifty special speed effects, he did, although he ended up face to face with Captain Cold and the freeze gun. Luckily, the team tracked Barry, even though he turned his communicator off, and saved the day. After a final embrace between Barry and Felicity, we get one final scene. The episode doesn’t close with Dr. Wells as the rest of the season had, which was a nice change of pace, and was very much needed to break up the formulaic feel of the show.
At the end of the episode, Captain Cold is showing off a gun to a character just offscreen. The gun appears to do something with fire. Captain Cold presumably recruits his newest partner, Heat Wave. Are you as ready for a Prison Break reunion as I am?
The Verdict
The Flash continues its meteoric start with the best episode of the season. The villains are beginning to come into their own, and Grant Gustin is showing up his great acting chops with a gamut of emotions. The easter eggs are just as prevalent as you’d imagine but not so heavy-handed that they become distracting. The Flash is by far the best superhero show on TV, and I don’t see anything coming close to it any time soon.
+ Felicity was perfect in her role
+ Barry and his team at S.T.A.R. Labs were shown to have some friction finally
+ That moment between Barry and Felicity
+ Wentworth Miller is a perfect Captain Cold
+ Ending scene leading to a Prison Break reunion
