There’s much to enjoy in this fast-paced, jam-packed episode of The Flash…
What a blast this episode was. While I’ve enjoyed the last three, this felt like the first episode in a while to really get the balance between all the elements just right. There was a lot to deal with in ‘The New Rogues’ and impressively no subplot or character arc felt crowbarred in or unfinished. It felt like an episode of season one, in the best possible way.
First up, two classic comic book villains in Mirror Master and the Top finally got their due on the show, portrayed as the metahuman answer to Bonnie and Clyde. It’s hard to argue that they were all that well characterized but their presence did mean a welcome return for Leonard Snart! It was nice to see him on the show again, even if it was just for a couple of quick cameos in flashback/hologram form.
In the hero corner, Jesse Quick got to go out on the field this week – and promptly took a bit of tumble in a fight with the Top. This rookie mistake felt more belieavable than the instant control of her super speed that we saw last week, and overall it was just a fun novelty for the Flash to have a sidekick for a change. Jesse and Wally’s romance also came to a head in a couple of sweet scenes. Their lingering feelings for each other surely mean that the new speedster hero of Earth-2 won’t stay away from Earth-1 for two long.
Yes, Harry and Jesse have already returned to their Earth no sooner than they left it. Thankfully, though, the STAR Labs gang have got a replacement Harrison Wells in the bag. Tom Cavanagh getting to play a new version of his character every year has become a welcome tradition and it should be interesting to get to know this hipster Harrison from Earth-19. From what I’ve seen of him in interviews, this one seems to be based off Cavanagh himself, with his wacky sense of humour. But can the gang really trust him? And, more importantly, will he have as fun a dynamic with Cisco as Harry did?
Meanwhile, Barry and Iris’ romance developed to the next stage, as they had to address the awkward issue of kissing around Joe, who’s basically dad to both of them (they’re a weird couple). Again, this resulted in some funny material, but I can’t shake the feeling that things aren’t going to stay sunny for WestAllen.
And, last but not least, Caitlin’s cold powers increased this week – and they are starting to have a physical effect on her. I’m still not sure which direction they will go down with this one. Will she use her abilities for good? Or will she truly become Killer Frost? I might not know about that, but I do know that The Flash season three is definitely heating up.
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Fandom Factory 