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The Flash Recap And Review – Season 1, Episode 22: Rogue Air

By Nick Tylwalk

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I love the word penultimate, but this second-to-last episode of The Flash Season 1 might just be the ultimate, no prefix needed.

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The Reverse-Flash has been ahead of Barry Allen and his friends from the beginning, and his schemes have entangled just about everyone. When faced with some tough choices, will the Fastest Man Alive find help from his friends, his foes, or both? Let’s see what happens in “Rogue Air.”

Not-So-Fast Recap: Wells gets to do the voiceover tonight. He wonders that if you stop and think about everything meaningful in your life and how you’d feel if it was all taken away, whether you’d do anything necessary to get it back. It’s not a hypothetical question, as Wells is talking to the captured Eddie Thawne, and he vows that he will get back everything he’s lost.

Barry and Iris meet at Jitters for a depressing talk about the search for Eddie. Iris points out that the Flash hasn’t had any luck searching, but Barry promises he won’t let Reverse-Flash take anyone from her the way he took away Barry’s mom. And dad, kind of.

At least there’s news on the Wells front. Cisco has discovered a huge future battery of sorts that he thinks Reverse-Flash was using to power up and make himself even faster. Also, the particle accelerator seems to be reactivating, which can’t be good. Suddenly, the science buddies realize Wells has been in S.T.A.R. Labs all the time, and all I can think about is the scene from Scream: “It’s coming from inside the house!” Ahem.

Cisco tags along with Joe and Barry to investigate, bringing his orange soda with him. He figures that liquid always acts weird when Reverse-Flash is around, and sure enough, it rises out of his cup once they open the door to the accelerator. Reverse-Flash streaks through, and Barry takes off after him. Alas, Peek-A-Boo is also out of her cell, and she traps Cisco and Joe before attacking Caitlin, who had wandered down to check on everyone. She threatens to shoot Caitlin before getting knocked out from behind by Iris. Out on the streets, Barry almost manages to grab Reverse-Flash before the villain kicks it into high gear and speeds off.

Thanks to Iris, Caitlin is okay, and the group hears someone calling for help. It’s Eddie, of course, as he’s been held in the nether regions of S.T.A.R. Labs the whole time. As the others get him to safety, Iris finds something that’s been left behind: the engagement ring Eddie was going to give her.

A dehydrated Eddie recounts Wells’ claim that he is distant relative Eobard Thawne, just like in Cisco’s dream. He also describes what Wells was working on: a futuristic metal tube he called the key to getting back what was taken from him.

It doesn’t take long for Cisco to find said tube, but he explains that it’s beyond his understanding and appears that it will power the accelerator back on in 36 hours. There’s another problem too, as the prisoners in the Pipeline will be fried when that takes place. Barry says they’re going to have to move them, but Joe points out Iron Heights can’t handle metahumans. How about Lian Yu, the island from Arrow? Joe clearly doesn’t like moving the criminals from “one illegal black site to another,” but there aren’t any other real options.

Joe does have a role to play, and he asks the assistant D.A. if she can arrange a police escort for the transfer. Not only does she say no, she advises Joe to wash his hands of the whole thing as well. In the meantime, Barry finds out Oliver Queen is in Nanda Parbat, so he gets Lyla Diggle to pledge an A.R.G.U.S. plane to take the gang to the island. They just need to get the metas to Ferris Air, and while Joe voices his displeasure again, wondering if they’re any better than the people they fight, Barry says they only bend the rules to help people.

With nowhere else to turn, Barry tracks down Leonard Snart, a.k.a. Captain Cold. He decides to hear Barry out, and while he’s not immediately crazy about helping, he reconsiders when Barry explains that the prisoners would destroy Central City if they get free. Snart asks for something he writes down on a piece of paper, but Barry says it’s a non-starter, and it looks like the deal might fall apart.

How about Eddie Thawne? He’s trying to throw himself right back into his work, but Iris wants to talk about the engagement ring. Eddie admits that he’s changed his mind, and even explains why, telling Iris that Eobard showed him the future, where she marries Barry.

Joe is explaining for like the 100th time about how getting Snart involved wasn’t smart when he walks in. Captain Cold has finally figured out what he wants in return for his aid. It’s not much, just every record of his existence expunged. To Joe’s bewilderment, Barry agrees, and as the Flash, he erases all CCPD, FBI and A.R.G.U.S. records on Snart. Lisa Snart shoots the physical records with her gold gun, so that’s that.

Turns out Lisa doesn’t know who Flash really is, because her big brother is a man of his word and hasn’t told anyone it’s Barry. Some weird flirting goes down between Lisa and Cisco. Awkward.

Cisco comes to the rescue again, as he’s turned one of his uncle’s refrigerated truck into a power-dampening transport. All they need is someone with a Class A CDL license, and wouldn’t you know, Lisa has one of those. They gas the prisoners to knock them out and load them up, with Flash clearing the roads ahead of them and Captain Cold riding shotgun on a motorcycle.

Meanwhile, the metahumans aren’t exactly playing nice with each other, and even without his weather powers, Mark Mardon is looking for a fight. As they arrive at Ferris Air, Lisa asks Cisco for a code name and gets … Golden Glider, naturally.

The plane is coming in, but something’s gone wrong. Cisco frantically shouts about the power dampening field failing, and the bad guys have their abilities back. Weather Wizard knocks the plane out of the air with a lightning bolt, and you know what’s coming next: SUPER FIGHT! Peek-A-Boo flees, but the others enter battle. Flash neutralizes the Mist but is struck by Weather Wizard’s lightning, though right when Deathbolt is about to finish off the Flash, Cold shoots him with his cold gun.

Cold tells Weather Wizard and Rainbow Raider that they are free to go, after they say thank you, anyway. When a still groggy Flash asks why, Snart explains that the other villains would be more use to him as part of his Rogues, especially since they now owe him a favor. So does Flash, he figures, since Cold didn’t just kill him. Before he leaves, Cold wishes Flash good luck with “all of this” and says he’s excited to see how it all turns out.

Later, Barry tells Joe that he was right, and that he tried to do things the way Oliver would and ended up getting played by Snart as a result. Joe talks about the difference between Flash and the Arrow and asks Barry not to walk on the dark side again, to which he agrees. Alas, their conversation ends when the accelerator comes online.

There’s still one other thread to tie up, and it’s Iris going to confront Eddie. She doesn’t believe in destiny, and she wants to prove to Eddie that he’s the man she loves. But Eddie makes it sound like it’s over between them, saying that he’s always known about her feelings for Barry, but that he hoped he could love her enough to change things.

Wells arrives at S.T.A.R. Labs to do … whatever it is he’s doing. Joe and the science pals try talking Barry out of confronting him, but he rushes off. Wells/Thawne states that he’s only ever done what he needed to do, and that Barry can’t beat him. Not alone, maybe, but how about with Firestorm and Arrow by his side? Wells says this is going to be fun, and he activates his costume from his ring before rushing into battle.

And it’s one hell of a fight. Reverse-Flash knocks Firestorm several blocks away, and Flash has to break off to save him. Amid the commotion, Arrow shoots Reverse-Flash with an arrow filled with nanites invented by Ray Palmer that drain his speed. That gives Oliver a chance to fight him at normal speed, and he wins that easily.

It’s only temporary, though, and just when Reverse-Flash gets his powers back and looks to kill the Arrow, Flash returns. The speedsters battle onto the roof, but Firestorm is waiting, and he blasts Wells off the roof, falling and landing on a car roof. Arrow shoots him full of what I assume are tranq arrows, and it’s over. They’ve won. Flash thanks his friends, and Oliver says he might need a favor in return. “Wherever, whenever,” Barry says, almost in disbelief that it’s over.

Of course, there’s one episode left …

Favorite Moment: When waiting for the A.R.G.U.S. plane, someone mentions hearing that Ferris Air had been shut down. Flash says that it was, after one of the company’s test pilots went missing. You know what that means: Green Lantern, baby!

Final Thought: Awesome from beginning to end.The best Captain Cold moment to date, the Rogues set in motion for real, the great battle with Reverse-Flash along with the Amell brothers … what wasn’t to like?

Next: Previously, on The Flash: Grodd Lives recap and review

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