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The Flash Review – Season 1, Episode 10: Revenge of the Rogues

By Nick Tylwalk

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The Flash is back! It was a long winter break, mostly because the first half of this season was so good. We’re thinking things aren’t going to slow down now, not with the Reverse-Flash still out there and both new and returning threats rearing their heads.

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Speaking of some returning threats, tonight’s episode is called “Revenge of the Rogues,” and both Captain Cold and new running buddy Heat Wave are going to be popping up. Is Flash up to the challenge of stopping whatever they’ve got planned? Let’s find out!

Not-So-Fast Recap: “My name is Barry Allen, and I am not the fastest man alive!” That’s different. Barry says the title now belongs to the man who killed his mother — but not for long.

The S.T.A.R. Labs crew is pushing him to test the limits of his speed with a missile-firing drone. I guess the particle accelerator mishap didn’t cancel all of the lab’s government contracts? Barry asks for the drone to be bumped up even more, despite Caitlin Snow’s concern, and he shows off a new trick by catching and hurling a missile in mid-air. Cisco Ramon mentions the continuing threat of the Reverse-Flash, and though Caitlin doesn’t like that name, Cisco says it makes sense: yellow suit, red lightning, evil … the opposite of Barry. Harrison Wells does like the name. You would, Wells! The doctor shoots down a drone test with lasers, though.

Captain Cold and Heat Wave are also in town, breaking into a collection of super expensive cars. Leonard Snart wants to wait for the Flash, while his pal Mick Rory is confused about why they aren’t taking anything. When it becomes clear the cops will beat Flash to the scene, Cold convinces his partner to pack up and leave, promising it will all make sense soon.

The cops are puzzled about the non-theft as well, and Barry discovers the steel door of the garage shattered like glass because it was frozen. Joe West realizes immediately what that means, and Barry thinks it must have been a trap for his costumed alter ego.

At the Rogues’ hideout, Rory asks Snart for an explanation. He explains that there is a $25 million piece of modern art on its way back to Central City from Paris. By the way, it’s called “Fire and Ice.” Cute, that.

Simultaneously, at S.T.A.R. Labs, Wells is questioning whether Flash should give Snart the fight he seems to want. After all, the last time they tangled, there was a train full of people the Flash was lucky to get clear. Harrison says Cisco has some ideas on how to protect the police, and they will work with the cops to bring in Snart. The focus should be on training to get faster, because the Reverse-Flash should be the priority.

What about Iris West? She’s reminding Eddie Thawne that she’s moving in with him in three days. Barry stops by just in time to see their PDA, and Iris reassures her boyfriend that she’s not having second thoughts. That leaves a moment for Barry and Joe to talk, with the former explaining to the latter that he’s not going to fight Cold. It’s a question of priorities.

Back at the West house, Iris’ stuff is mostly packed up. She finds an old backpack that belongs to Barry with some comics inside. Joe asks what’s going on between them after Iris leaves, and under some prodding, Barry admits that he told Iris about his true feelings for her.

Cisco goes to the police station, where he encounters a fairly hostile audience, including one officer who mentions how S.T.A.R. Labs “nuked the city.” He wins them over with a demo of a shield with a built-in heating element. Joe confronts Harrison, who echoes Barry’s “priorities” line that gives West confirmation that the doctor helped convince Barry of his current stance regarding Cold.

As for Barry, he finds Caitlin looking up mentions of “Firestorm,” since that’s one of the last things Ronnie Raymond said to her before flying off (literally). Barry tells her about telling Iris, and they come to the realization that it was actually an acronym: as in F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M.

(Aside: Really DC showrunners? Must we turn everything into acronyms?)

An 800-page report is no sweat for a man who can speed read at amazing speeds, and Barry discovers the project is about transmutation (yes!), and that local grad student Jason Rusch helped write it.

Snart and Rory make their move, snatching the art right after the private jet transporting it lands. The shields work like a charm against Cold’s gun, but they didn’t know about Heat Wave, and the villains defeat the cops and get away. Barry learns about the battle at the station, where he’s immediately regretful of his decision not to get involved.

It turns out a bullet fired by the police has damaged Heat Wave’s gun, but he’s able to repair it quickly since Captain Cold drilled him about learning every detail about how it worked. The villains have a short standoff, with Mick upset about how they could just leave with the painting. Snart urges him to think bigger, saying that they can turn Central City into a place they can take and do whatever they want. It’s a convincing enough speech to get Heat Wave to torch the artwork as Cold explains that Flash has partners too.

Caitlin arranges a meeting with Jason, who clearly doesn’t want to talk about F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. He explains his paranoia is justified, as Professor Martin Stein, who was leading the research, has disappeared after butting heads with the university funding the work, and the army subsequently confiscated all their equipment. Leaving the meeting, Caitlin is kidnapped by the two Rogues after Cold freezes her car.

Almost every line Harrison speaks is now laced with irony, including one about how he hopes they aren’t enemies. Barry replies that he’s an adult and makes his own decisions, and while he once would have paid for Wells’ autograph, he’s happy they are now … “Partners?” “I was going to say friends.” Harrison says Barry pushes him to be better too. Like I said, irony. Cisco enters with his revelation of the day, which is that the guns would cancel each other out if the streams are crossed. Yes, like Ghostbusters.

It isn’t long before Barry finds out about Caitlin, and Eddie gets the goods on Mick Rory. Snart is busy appearing on TV, outing the Flash to the public and threatening to kill Caitlin if the Scarlet Speedster doesn’t appear for a showdown that night.

Mick creeps out Caitlin with his pyromania and his explanation that he didn’t get his third-degree burns repaired because the fire revealed who he really is. Yeah, this guy is a nut job. Snart calls him away for the confrontation, but not before they booby trap the chair Caitlin is in.

Joe asks Barry is he’s ready for everyone to know the Flash exists. He speeds to the designated place, where Cold asks him if he wants to die by the flame or the frost. No answer is forthcoming, and the battle is on!

It goes poorly for our hero early on, with Cold icing up the road and Heat Wave blowing up a car. Joe and Cisco are able to locate Caitlin in the meantime, barely saving her from getting blown up by the bomb under her chair. Meanwhile, Eddie is worried about the super-fight, and he does something brave but dumb, running out to shield the Flash when the Rogues have a bead on him.

Flash speeds Thawne to safety and checks in with Wells. Speed isn’t the answer, so maybe … going slower is?

Flash actually allows the villains to hit him with their respective beams from opposite sides, trusting his suit to keep him safe for a second. Then he speeds away, leaving Cold and Heat Wave shooting directly at each other. The beams are crossed, and total protonic reversal occurs, or something like that. Flash stops Cold before he can get to his gun again, and when Snart says he was beaten this time, Flash vows there won’t be a next time.

The cops cheer as the two Rogues are apprehended, though Eddie declines any credit and gives it all to the Flash. The cold and heat guns are turned over to Cisco for safe keeping, and even the stern captain thanks Ramon for helping his men.

At the West household, Iris is ready to go. Joe leaves her alone with Barry, who claims he can see into the future, and that he envisions Iris and Eddie happy together and everything back to normal between the two of them. Barry and Joe console each other, eventually deciding that Barry really could just move back in (“I’m a Millennial, that is what we do.”), and in a flash, West has a roommate to make up for his daughter being gone.

Now for the always interesting final scene: Mick chastises Leonard in the back of the truck on the way to Iron Heights. Even at this juncture, Snart advises his friend to relax. A disturbance stops the truck, and Snart says it’s still going according to the plan. The back doors open, at which point Snart simply says, “Hey sis!”

Favorite moment: The mid-air missile catch was the best effects shot of the week. As far as the plot, I cheered the loudest for the fact that F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. involved transmuting elements. That makes me hopeful that Firestorm will eventually learn that powerful ability as well. It was nice to get our first, very brief glimpse of Victor Garber as Professor Stein too.

Final thought: I know Cisco really came through in the clutch this week, but was it really a good idea to give him the guns considering he lost the cold gun in the first place?

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