The Flash Review: 1x10 'Revenge of the Rogues'

Don't let the promo lighting fool you. They look pretty cool in this garb. Expect many more temperature puns

Oh, Flash, how I've missed you so. You haven't even begun to fathom how much I've missed this show *cut to video of me rocking back and forth in front of my laptop* I reviewed most of my TV stuff over at gottawatchit.com and you should definitely check out the rest of that site too. You can find my reviews for the first half of The Flash's first season here. Now let's get into one of the best Flash episodes yet.

SPOILERS BELOW

Damn, this show is fun. From the outset, we're reintroduced to a new world of the DC TV universe. People are becoming aware of metahumans and superpowered weaponry. This is the brave new world of superhero TV. Secrets are coming out in the open. No more kiddin' around.

Barry is still recuperating from his defeat at the hands of Reverse Flash and you feel his struggle. This isn't just one of the only people to beat him, this was the man who killed his mother. Barry obviously isn't going to stop training anytime soon. But there is still one other person who bested Barry...

Captain Cold is back and he's camping it up. Not Schumacher Batman status but there was some pure comic book vibes going on tonight. Snart's old partner, Mick Rory (Dominic Purcell, Wentworth Miller's old Prison Break partner), didn't ease up on the silliness either. But that's what made this episode so much fun. We've had our first superhero team-up with 'Flash vs Arrow' and 'The Brave and the Bold'. 'Revenge of the Rogues' wasn't on par with those insanely entertaining hours of TV. It was almost there.

The Captain Cold/Heat Wave character interactions were almost as fun to watch as the fight scenes were. The Flash doesn't get its credit for the way characters knock back and forth against each other. Obviously it won't win any Emmy's though maybe if it maintains this type of quality, we should knock out other candidates (remember that time The Newsroom was nominated?). The methodology of Snart vs the pure chaos of Rory made for some good buddy banter. They argue but you see why they work so well together. With the coming addition of Snart's sister, also known as the Golden Glider, I expect the Rogues to become a staple nemesis to Barry Allen and Starling City.

Interviewer: So, Heat Wave, how does your super gun make you feel?
Heat Wave: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcCYx5oFz3g

On the Team Flash side of things, it's not hard to look at the events of the series through the eyes of a character like Cisco. There is an optimistic outlook to the action but the stakes still matter. What a delight it was to see Cisco and STAR labs interact with the police force, only strengthens the idea that these worlds will be colliding much more in the future. There is no way this fallout doesn't spill out into the Arrow side of things.

The final showdown was straight out of Superman II with cars being tossed in the street and heroes and villains exchanging blows (or death rays, as it were). As all of Central City were beholden to a showdown akin to a classic western, the waves of change were felt over Arrow/Flash universes. Again, not the best fight the show has ever done but another highpoint of a show that continually impresses with its barrage of action scenes.

On a smaller note, Caitlin's search for Ronnie/Firestorm is picking up "steam" *dodges trashcan for making shitty pun* and I was convinced for a second that she lost her legs in that mini-explosion. Can you imagine if that took her down a dark and ominous path? You might say it would be... Killer Frost. She's Killer Frost in the comics.

So all in all, a warm (and cold) welcome back from my favorite superhero show around. In further news of crazy villains I never thought I'd see onscreen, Pied Piper is coming to Central City next week. Game on.

PS. good thing Barry has backups