"When it comes to hacking, I'm the fastest woman alive."
This week's episode of The Flash tries to add a little more drama, but not even a semi-grumpy Barry Allen can prevent this show from being a whole lot of fun. While Arrow opens by talking about a hellish island, The Flash's opening puts a smile on your face and follows through with a funny scene (totally not a jab at Arrow -- just pointing out the difference).
Yes, this episode introduces Captain Cold, but let's talk about Felicity first. Emily Bett Rickards fits right in in Central City. Oliver Queen technically needs her talents for his crime fighting, but Felicity is such a good addition to this happier and more lighthearted series. Not only is the dynamic with Grant Gustin amazingly adorable (I'm sure the ending with be polarizing, but we'll get to that in a bit), but her charming personality and wit plays off of the other characters so well. After seeing them interact, you can't help but wonder why he still has his heart set on Iris. It's almost frustrating at one point, actually. However, the final sequence between the two does a blunt and effective job addressing this relationship. I'm sure many of you will react with something like, "What?! Why don't they at least try?!" It's an understandable feeling, but I felt the approach was humanizing. It does seemingly contradict the conclusion between Arrow and Felicity in their own show just a bit, but even with that in mind, you can't really help who you love, can you? Additionally, she's needed back in Starling City. Without her skills, Oliver's mission wouldn't be nearly as effective. They recognize they care for one another, but even though it seems to defy all logic, their hearts are still dedicated to someone else. It may seem like a bummer, but it ends on a happy note and I'd say it leaves them better than ever -- as great friends with the tension removed. Oh, and Felicity's nerd rage comment was priceless. That's undoubtedly a jab at negative comments about Arrow (or maybe even Olicity?). It's too bad she has to head back to Arrow. But hey, Ray Palmer can't be the only one lightening the mood over there.
In the last review, I said it might be in Jesse L. Martin's contract that he needs to make a "cry face" at least once per episode. Well, it's looking like that may be true, because he did it again and it still gets to me. That dude really knows how to pull empathy from you. Luckily, the handling of the relationship drama involving his daughter wasn't as prevalent or heavy-handed as the last time, so it didn't interfere with the bigger picture and it wasn't completely ignored, either. It struck a nice balance and enhanced the Barry/Felicity arc. Also, someone needs to give Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes) a hug after this episode. The dude's been nothing but sweet, so it's tough seeing him get reprimanded not once, but twice! The bit with Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) was a nice reminder of his true nature -- and maybe even made Cisco a little curious about him -- but the escalation with Barry felt a little abrupt. Yes, I understand Barry's dealing with a death, but the continued tension felt a bit forced. It wasn't over the top and it helped the episode's theme, but it still came off as a bit sudden and slightly out-of-character for Barry. Yeah, he blew up at Detective West in a previous episode, but I felt like that was also a "well, that escalated quickly" kind of moment. Still, it's a pretty minor complaint. And speaking of Cisco, who else was really hoping he'd save the day with some kind of vibrational gun?
The train sequence looked terrific and was totally exciting. Watching Barry run through the streets or test his powers in S.T.A.R. Labs is consistently amusing, but it's a real treat when we see him really push his limits to save the day. It's a perfect way to follow-up what happened back at the Museum, too. There, he wasn't fast enough and couldn't save everyone. Here, he faced a seemingly impossible scenario and overcame the odds.
I wasn't a huge fan of last week's cliffhanger, but this week's? Pure fan service! This scene certainly took advantage of the episode's title. It's great they broke the "villain is killed or incarcerated" formula and the way things ended between Captain Cold and Flash's crew was really funny. Now we just have to wait and see how long it'll take for Leonard Snart to build his team.
My biggest complaint about "Going Rogue" is that it seems to downplay Flash for the sake of the story. The opening sequence shows how effective he is at multitasking, but then he can't stop a few goons getting on motorcycles before bringing an injured guy to the hospital. Yes, I understand time is of the essence and that man has been shot, but before that encounter, we saw how much Barry can accomplish in a matter of mere seconds. You'd think he could knock those dudes out and then pick up the injured guy in a few seconds at most, you know? The first encounter between Flash and Captain Cold justifies why it was difficult for him -- credit where it's due -- but the final one could have been resolved so swiftly. Even if Barry's a little slower, he still could have ran the few feet up to Captain Cold and punched or even disarmed the villain before Cold could have aimed his gun. Even when Barry's slower, that wasn't a difficult distance for him to cover. For me, that's going to be one of the biggest obstacles this show will face. If you show off Barry's jaw-dropping abilities in more lighthearted moments, it's tough not to wonder why he can't do that when he needs to.
Minor gripe: Cold puns work in a comic, but it feels a little off coming from this more serious and darker take on the character, and they were a little too frequent in the episode. Also, given this is one of Geoff Johns' favorite villains, it was a little surprising to see Captain Cold being more violent. I'm not an expert on the Rogue, but I've always been under the impression he has a code and tries to avoid killing. Here, he begins by saying he has a policy against hurting officers (because it draws additional attention), but then he has no gripe killing a teammate or another guy just so he doesn't have to pay for the gun. Please feel free to scream at me in the comments if I'm completely wrong on that one. Even though it seems like a departure, Wentworth Miller is easily the best villain yet and has the most charisma. The other villains felt bland and like they were just there to show off some cool powers (so not an intentional pun). With Snart, you can tell there's way more depth, personality and potential there. One more very minor gripe: Did anyone else notice Barry and Felicity had different outfits when they left the park and then arrived at S.T.A.R. Labs? It seemed like they were going straight to the Lab from the park, right?
"Going Rogue" has some enjoyable special effects and bringing Felicity to Central City adds so many more charming and comedic moments. Frequent puns and downplaying Barry's abilities aside, this was still an incredibly entertaining episode which focused on the challenges Barry faces as both a hero and a person. Even when dealing with death and anger, there's still an overwhelming sense of happiness and optimism in this show and that makes it such a good time. The Flash is a ton of fun and continues to keep me smiling.