The Flash Season 1 Episode 10 "Revenge of the Rogues" Review

The Ballad of 

Heat and Cold 

The wait is finally over, and the Scarlet Speedster has run back to our televisions. We last left Barry and his allies in the aftermath of the appearance of Firestorm, Barry revealing his feelings to Iris, and the Christmas attack of the " Man in Yellow." These events have caused Caitlin to continue to search for her “thought dead” fiance, Iris to reevaluate her relationship with Barry, and the Flash himself to train to take on "The Fastest Man Alive" in the form of his mother's killer. While this is going on, Leonard Snart has finally returned to Central City to take down The Scarlet Speedster. This time, however, he has brought an old partner, Mick Rory, and has given him a gun that turns the air to fire. That's right Weird Scientists! It's time for round two with The Rogues!

I could praise this episode up and down for almost everything and it still would not do the episode justice. The acting was phenomenal on all accounts. Barry's continuing arc with him growing into the hero he's destined to become continues, but we also see the human side of him. He doesn't know what to do, and two of his father figures (Harrison Wells and Joe West) are pushing the opposite messages on him. With the amount of pressure being put on him on all sides (a cop, a superhero, a best friend who just revealed his true feelings), I'm surprised he hasn't snapped. But I think the most memorable part regarding characters is the return of Wentworth Miller as Snart. When we first saw Miller's version of Snart, the criminal was just trying to get a handle on the new world he's stepped into. Now, not only did he show he now had his handle, but he was ready to use it to run the town. The thing that definitely stepped up the character though was to have the yang to his yin with him. Dominic Purcell did fantastically as the psychotic Mick Rory. Every moment he was on screen, I was afraid for the people's lives in the room. He was the perfect other side of the coin for Snart. While Miller brought the cold methodical planning, Purcell brought the heat! It was a great idea to have him team up with Miller again. Thanks to their run together on Prison Break, the pair’s chemistry was outstanding. It was very clear these two were having a blast playing these villains and I can't wait to see them again.

The story this week revolves around the Rogues returning and we are prepared to have a good old-fashioned throwdown. As one who comes from a non-comic family, my family members would probably ask, "How dangerous could a guy like Captain Cold and Heatwave be?" Answer: REALLY DANGEROUS! So dangerous that we have the tech man with a plan, Cisco(...I'll let him think of the nicknames) to create special versions of riot shields to block Cold's rays. I liked this miniature arc with Cisco because of the fact that it showed that Central City still has not forgiven Star Labs for the incident that started the series over a year ago. He has a nice speech that gave me a little hope towards the future of Central City. When the battle finally comes between the Flash and the Rogues, I was pumped to see all the action and effects put in. It made the fight feel like a comic book in the best way possible, especially with how the fight ended. There’s a surprise backup a lot of people probably wanted to see more of. I won't spoil it, but for me, it opens the doors to the future friendship between the two. We also get more on the whole FIRESTORM mystery before the showdown with the villains, and it makes me excited to see how Caitlin can fix her fiance. This subplot might come to a head in the episode called The Nuclear Man, but as of right now we don't know when it will be aired.

Final Verdict

This episode was the best episode to start the new year with. It might not have been the emotionally charged one like its Christmas predecessor, but this brought the action, drama, and most importantly the fun. I can't wait to see the Rogues come back, hopefully with more to the team. The character moments with Barry and his father figures, Cisco and the Police, and Caitlin in her hunt for FIRESTORM were well put together. I hope the Flash keeps on this roll of awesome they've been on especially since the show has been renewed for a second season.