“The Flash” Review: Episode 1×04 – “Going Rogue”

That first fight between Captain Cold and The Flash, Felicity's peppy visit, and Cisco's character development

A few too many "cool"/"cold" references in dialogue

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Acting

Plot

B+

Writing

Character

A-

C+

BOTTOM LINE:

With a debut like this, we can't wait for Captain Cold to make a comeback and stir up even more trouble!

Total Score

B-

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An Old Friend, A New Villain, And One Tricked-Out Vacuum Cleaner Are All That’s Needed To Bring The Team Together

On this week’s The Flash, DC fan-favourite super villain ‘Captain Cold’ gets his origin story played out. Barry first encounters Leonard Snart with some other criminals during an armed robbery. Leonard needs to step his game up if he’s going to take down an opponent as fast as Barry, so he gets his hands on a stolen “cold gun” developed by Cisco in secret at S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry and the entire team get some guidance from Felicity, who has come to visit after learning of Barry’s special power. Felicity doesn’t just have advice about running a successful superhero team, she’s offering up some love advice for Barry, too. Speaking of Iris, she’s trying to mend the relationship with her father, who is still cross after learning of her dating Eddie. What does Felicity bring to this still-forming team? How does Barry handle his most brilliant opponent yet? Let’s discuss.

Sunshine’s In Town

Felicity fans rejoiced as Emily Bett Rickards dropped in to Central City to check in on Barry after learning of his super-speed abilities. After seeing how rough of a go she’s been having back in Starling City, it seemed fitting for her to get away and get refreshed. There was an extra lightness to Felicity’s energy, particularly with all the zingy one-liners and even the banter she shared with Barry. Writers Geoff Johns & Kai Yu Wu jam-packed comedic material in and Emily Bett Rickards handled all of it like a champion. This was also the first introduction Felicity and Iris had with one another and they hit it off exceedingly well. We couldn’t be happier because given the flirtation Felicity has had with Barry and Barry’s unrequited love for Iris, the stereotypical way that these two would have handled meeting each other would have included cattiness and snark. Instead, these two gushed separately to Barry about how the other was so “beautiful” and “nice.” This not only gave greater character insight to these two ladies but it sets a better example for impressionable viewers.

“I wanna see it… and by ‘it,’ I mean your speed, in case you thought I was talking about something else, which I was not.” ~ Felicity Smoak

All of the one-on-one scenes with Felicity and Barry flowed beautifully. Iris has always been his best friend but now Barry has secrets he is guarding from her, secrets that he is able to share with Felicity. Felicity can offer up advice on superhero teamwork, something she does for everyone on Team Flash, but she is also able to immediately able to deduce Barry’s feelings for Iris. Not just because of her powers of observation but because she can relate. The final scene in which Barry ran to meet Felicity on her train nicely wrapped things up between the two. There’s a feeling of closure provided as they acknowledge all that they have in common, including a bit of an attraction, but that their hearts both lie with others. Barry’s kiss may have been a goodbye to the pursuit of anything romantic with Felicity but the door was left wide open for Barry and Felicity to make visits to each other’s cities. Despite this only being the fourth episode, The Flash has done well with its crossovers with Arrow, never making them feel forced or pandering, so we look forward to seeing more of these two groups intermingle with one another and maintain that connection.

Too Cool For School

Leonard Snart is first shown as being part of a group of criminals partaking in an armed robbery. When The Flash arrives and undermines their work, Leonard keeps his focus on Barry to take in everything he sees. We learn that Leonard wasn’t simply a member of the team, he was the mastermind. Every part of that robbery had been carefully planned and calculated, but superhuman abilities were not a part of his equation. So to remedy this hiccup, he gets his hands on some stolen weapons from S.T.A.R. Labs, including a “cold gun” designed by Cisco (which come with a pair of protective eyewear, that are unsurprisingly stylish). Leonard Snart proved more dynamic than your average super villain because of the level of his brilliance. He is meticulous and thorough in the planning and execution of his schemes, making him Barry’s most formidable opponent to date. Through just a few encounters with Barry, he is able to deduce Barry’s need to save people as being one of his most defining characteristics and in turn uses it against him. Wentworth Miller was everything we hoped this character would be: smooth, slick, and oh so cunning.

“If you wanted to get away, you should have taken something faster than a train.” ~ Barry Allen
“That’s if I wanted to get away. I’ve seen your weakness, at the armoured car then at the theatre. See while you’re busy saving everybody, I’ll be saving myself.” ~ Leonard Snart/Captain Cold

The VFX team has been doing a great job with Barry’s speed and the fights he engages in but tonight took all of that to a whole other level. There was a lot more slowing down so as to show us what Barry is doing while everyone else appears to almost be at a stand still and it was interesting to see this new aspect of Barry’s abilities. The scale of what Barry and Leonard were doing in battle often felt like that of a proper blockbuster. As Leonard slid across the top of a taxi, we knew we were in for a treat. This first major showdown between Barry and Leonard gave just the right amount of slow-motion, not just for the practical purpose of building suspense as Barry raced against a speeding ice beam headed for an innocent but also for the added flair of making Wentworth Miller look even more chic. The shot that orbited around Leonard was just one example of how well the direction made good use of the space in the building, keeping everything open. But perhaps most impressive of all was that last piece of action where Barry had to fight against the ticking clock so as to get all the passengers out of a train as it is flying off the rails and through the air. Leonard got away and immediately began preparing for his next face-off with Barry, and we’ll be waiting eagerly to see him back with a certain hot partner-in-crime…

Let’s Get Creative

Finally, Cisco was given more material to work with so he could get some development going. That cold gun Leonard started wreaking havoc with wasn’t just a weapon from S.T.A.R. Lab, but a weapon Cisco developed. He did this all in secret, something Dr. Wells was furious about, and Barry is left feeling betrayed that this weapon was designed to potentially take him down. It’s all very logical, as Caitlin points out that the reactor they’re all in was created to do good but a malfunction had devastating results. Barry is understanding of this but simply doesn’t like that the secret was kept after all the work they’ve done and the friendships they’ve formed. This was written well and exemplified the maturity these characters have, even when in an argument.

“I couldn’t shoot if I wanted to. This is actually the S.T.A.R. lab’s vacuum cleaner, with a lot of LEDs.” ~ Cisco Ramon

Cisco has to redeem himself following this screw-up and we were so happy with how this all played out because up until now, Cisco was mostly the happy-go-lucky jokester. His energy and enthusiasm is infectious but we wanted to see more depth from him so he could offer more than just comedic relief and this was a nice start to his character’s journey. We’ve seen how Cisco has a knack for coming up with names for these super humans (he came up with “The Mist” last week) and once again, he’s the one to come up with the name: “Captain Cold.” One of our favourite moments (admittedly, we had several) of this episode was when Cisco was threatening Leonard with the super-cold-gun and referred to him as “Captain Cold.” Leonard stops to take in that name and smiles. Of course he’s taken with the name because 1) It’s an awesome name and 2) Clearly he’s a bit of a narcissist so why wouldn’t he like a fancy name? We saw this as not only Cisco’s newfound bravery being what made Captain Cold back off (for now) but him being charmed enough to leave in peace. Cisco helped to save the day in a manner true to his character. That super-cold-gun was nothing but a vacuum cleaner and some LEDs so his quick, out-of-the-box thinking was also crucial to Team Flash’s victory. We hope Cisco never loses his charm and humour but will welcome more of this growth and development.

FINAL VERDICT

There were many things set up and hinted at for future plot points, such as every other thing that came out of Dr. Wells’ mouth. Dr. Wells’ anger got the better of him in his treatment of Cisco, and it made us wonder if he’s starting to lose a grip on his calm facade. He also mentioned “foreseeing” great things for Felicity. Perhaps this is referring to something that’ll happen in the eventual crossover (yes, another one, and we’re just as excited for it) between Arrow and The Flash. Dr. Wells was so harsh on Cisco that it was one mean word away from being an outright threat. Writers Geoff Johns & Kai Yu Wu did well in continuing to build the suspense and mystery for us to know what Dr. Wells’ plans are for Barry, though we doubt that they’re anything good. Director Glen Winter did excellent work with all the action between Barry and Captain Cold and the VFX team continued to deliver quality effects that are incredible to watch without overshadowing the plot of the episode. We’re still left wanting more of Iris, though, as Candice Patton has such vibrancy when she is on screen but her online pursuit of the streak was only briefly mentioned while her romantic and familial life took precedence yet again. We’re also still waiting for some hints of where boyfriend Eddie Thawne is headed. Something feels slightly off about him and perhaps this is being done deliberately, since “Eddie Thawne” in the comics is the civilian name of “Reverse Flash” (this is Barry’s arch nemesis in the comics, so…) But the most exciting set-up of all for us came at the very end of the episode when Captain Cold met with Mick Rory (“Heat Wave”) to begin plotting their villainous collaboration and offer up the heat gun. We don’t actually get to see Mick’s face but the voiceover was done by the actor who will be playing him, Dominic Purcell. We let out a squeal of delight at having this kick-off the Prison Break reunion for Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell. Though last week offered up a Killer Frost/Firestorm tease, this is the fire & ice duo we’re most excited for!

Questions, Comments, Concerns…

Joe’s face when Eddie won’t stop talking! xD
Wentworth Miller! I’m positively giddy!
Love that Iris and Felicity have nothing but love for each other. Cattiness between girls is so 2004.
Barry looking around like he’s about to get Punked. 😀
Felicity that’s not what we were thinking but now we know what type of mind you have… 😉
Gawd, Iris, we’re not a two, Iris, just love me already, Iris! <– Basically what Barry just said.
Hot damn, Felicity! That dress!
Dear small child’s parents, do a better job teaching your child not to take gum from strangers!
Clearly that museum worker has no faith in the appeal of the exhibit.
Barry looks like he just got punched in the gut. #Jealousy
Oh no, that car slide was too hot. *fans self* Ironic since it’s Captain Cold. #HardyHarHar
Felicity, YOU WOULD bring up Oliver and that salmon ladder. xD
Caitlin! Stop trying to stifle Cisco’s creativity! #CaptainCold #SuperNames #KeepThemComing
HE IS SO EXCITED TO BE CALLED CAPTAIN COLD I CAN’T BREATHE
THE #PRISONBREAK BROTHERS ARE BACK TOGETHER I CAN’T STOP YELLING

Item Reviewed

“The Flash” Review: Episode 1×04 – “Going Rogue”

Author

Jenevia Kagawa Darcy

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About the Author

Jenevia Kagawa Darcy

Full-time student, part-time writer, part-time Youtuber. Particularly fond of Jane Austen, Hayao Miyazaki, Marvel, fantasy/sci-fi, and conventions. Aiming to challenge content creators to put forth better depictions and representation for minorities.