When I saw that not only was Captain Cold going to make his first appearance in this week’s episode of The Flash, but that Felicity Smoak was going to be in Central City, I was really excited for “Going Rogue.” But I walked away feeling like this was a mediocre episode. Captain Cold was an awesome villain, and surely will continue to be, but the rest of the story line fell a little flat.
There could be a number of reasons about why this episode felt like it didn’t have enough umph, but Felicity actually summed it up quite well. She told Barry that her group in Starling City didn’t come together overnight and that it took awhile for the trust to be built among the heroes there. It suddenly dawned on me that Barry’s group at S.T.A.R. Labs don’t have a lot of depth. Harrison is mysterious, but unbeknownst to Barry, Caitlin has a bit of a cold heart, and Cisco is the lovable goof. We had a glimpse into Caitlin and Cisco last week, but I still feel like we could get more. It also does seem a little strange that for someone who works for the police department, Barry is so trusting of all three of them. This week they seemed to be filler, and for the group that is supposed to help Barry be the best he can be, they should not be treated as filler.
And is it just me or is there too much emphasis on Iris and Eddie when it seems to be going nowhere. The beginning of the series made it seem like Eddie was about to Single White Female Barry. That story line seems to have dropped and now its all about how often we can see Iris and Eddie kiss, or how their relationship upsets Joe West. I am hopeful that little hint about Eddie not knowing what the freaking Millennium Falcon (who doesn’t know that?!) was during the trivia night scene will bloom into a deeper story for Eddie Thawne. Especially if he really is supposed to be Reverse Flash.
It was hard to tell who was supposed to be taking center stage in this episode, Felicity Smoak or Leonard Snart. As much as I love Felicity, her appearance was a distraction. The Flash has a large cast, many of them we don’t know very well yet, and this week, only four episodes in, Felicity swoops in and takes all the attention away from characters I am interested in getting to know. Felicity comes in to check on her “friend” Barry after he wakes from his coma, but otherwise there wasn’t a lot of story going on. Barry showed off for her, a lot. She wore an array of hot dresses, a lot. And the whole build up was for a kiss at the end, which if you are keeping up with Arrow, was a bit confusing. It felt like the writers were trying to say “Hey Felicity and Barry belong together, but that will never happen. They will kiss to appease fans, but nothing will come of this other than a few crossovers with some quirky lines of dialogue.” I guess I felt gypped because Felicity is an amazing character, and she had some really cute lines in this episode, but she cannot carry both shows. It became even more obvious to me that The Flash needs a strong female to be the “Felicity” and Iris nor Caitlin are able to do that.
Despite my disappointment with the rest of the episode, I was extremely impressed with Captain Cold. Wentworth Miller is no stranger to the small screen and pulled off the character with ease. Captain Cold is smart, calculating, and ruthless. What’s not to love? He is the first baddie we have met that doesn’t have meta human abilities, which makes him just a little bit scarier. I particularly loved his scene when he talks about how far away police are from each bank and how no one could have gotten to the crime scene so quickly. He clearly is better than the Central City Police Department (minus Joe West) at thinking about who could be saving so many people. And realizing that Barry can’t not saving people and then derailing the train was brilliant. The end was exciting because Captain Cold is starting to assemble The Rogues, what the episode was named after. It looks like Heat Wave will be just the beginning for the group that Barry Allen will have to battle. I love a good bad guy, and I have a feeling Miller’s Captain Cold will be one for the books.
And this:
- Barry tests his abilities on his day off by playing ping-pong, timed chess and Operation. Best. Day. Ever.
- Harrison Wells is a dick for no reason. (ok, maybe there is a reason)
- Cisco made the cold gun (its a freeze ray, people). Maybe we should be focusing more on his capabilities because that is pretty badass.
- Barry finally thought that calling himself The Flash was a good idea.
- The show still doesn’t take itself too seriously *cough Gotham cough*. The exchange between Barry and Iris about telling her about police work was fas and fun, and what other shows need to do.
- Barry’s shoes finally caught on fire.
- Felicity referenced Arrow on his salmon ladder, because, yes please.
- Cisco really won the day by using a vacuum. I only hope my Dyson can win my day.
Hush Comics gives “Going Rogue” a B-, for relying on the cuteness of Felicity to pull the story, lack of depth in any of the main characters, but for Wentworth Miller making a freeze ray look so deliciously evil.
Easter Egg Hunt:
Things will be warming up in Central City: As mentioned before, the end scene shows Captain Cold recruiting a man named Mick to join his cause. Mick can be assumed to be Mick Rory, aka Heat Wave, one of the main Rogues and nemesis of The Flash. In addition, he is played by Dominic Purcell, who was Wentworth Miller’s co-star on Prison Break.
Ooooo, Shiny!: The diamond that Captain Cold was trying to steal was the Kahndaq Dynasty Diamond. Kahndaq happens to be where Black Adam is from.
Diggle: Ok, Diggle wasn’t in this episode, but his old security firm was. The armored vehicle holding the Kahndaq Dynasty Diamond was a Blackhawk Squad Security car.
Street names always matter!: Crime always happens at a cross street. This week was 4th and Kolins, a nod to The Flash artist Scott Kolins.
Night at the Museum: The curator who calls the police about Leonard Snart being at the museum was wearing a name tag that read “Dexter Myles.” Mr. Myles happens to be the man who opens the Flash Museum.
All pictures belong to The CW and DC Entertainment. The are credited to Cate Cameron.
Hush Comics 