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The Flash: The New Rogues

"I've become Oliver."

When two new metas hit town searching for a baddie-on-baddie with Leonard Snart, Barry has to juggle saving lives with training a young speedster and an Iris seemingly gone mad in a fun episode.

Do you make out with your freshest and bestest in front of your family? I don't. It's weird. Especially not horizontally on the couch. But when Barry hears Joe pull up and uses his speed to clean up and appear innocent to an obviously unconvinced and bothered detective, something is piqued in Iris, and she wants Barry and Joe to discuss the weird swirling noises. Joe is understandably grossed out, and there's some weird psychological thing I don't get where Barry admits the problem is him. It reminded me a lot of Season One Iris. It also made me realize - am I right - the last time Barry was here was with Patty in Season Two. Is this the same couch he was on with Linda in Season One as well? Dude, spray that couch.

To be fair I loved Joe throughout this, I just got weirded out by that part storyline. Much better for me was the young awkward liking between Jesse and Wally - maybe because they are younger, and the cheesy relationship dialogue seems more natural. This show does better with friendships than with relationships sometimes. Did anyone expect Jesse to give Wally speed when they kissed?

I love the training scenes between Barry and Jesse, and yes, Barry is like a much more cheerful, colorful Oliver who smiles and I guess not like Oliver at all except for the mentoring role. So yeah. They're mentors. I'm going to be sad when Jesse leaves - she came a long way in this episode, and Barry taught her one of his true hero skills - not running fast for a long time, but his ability to keep going no matter how much he's been knocked down.

Likewise I liked the dynamic between Wells, Caitlin and Cisco. I too feel Wells is an important part of the team. I'm not sure about Hipster Stoner Wells, but I loved the whole mad-science-where-is-Walter-from-Fringe feel about that discussion. I mean, they pulled it off straight, but it could have so easily been:

Caitlin: We missed having you on the team. And now you're leaving.
Wells: Nothing is complete without me.
Cisco: We need a Wells.
Wells: There are other Wells. We should plumb for Wellses.
Cisco: Yes, we can find other Wellses in other Universes.
Caitlin: You can use your power to pull one out.
Wells: Let's do it. Let's get another Wells. Then you won't be alone!
             (Mad rush to lab and general alarums)

Wait, that's kinda what happened, and it was awesome and insane genius and totally comic book and wouldn't work in any other format. Although, one moral quibble: after everything that's happened with Time and Space, does nobody really go, wait, could it be wrong to permanently move someone from one world to another? The previews of various Wellses, from weirdo cowhand Wells to mime Wells, were just so over the top people will either love it or hate it: I went with it. Surrender, Dorothy.

Also awesome for me were the Mirror Master and Top. I'm surprised we haven't seen Rosalind in Central City before this, but she's been in jail; the Mirror Master has been trapped in a mirror since the particle accelerator explosion turned them both into metas. Both former partners or henchmen of Leonard Snart looking for revenge and finding much much more. I miss Wentworth Miller, but I thought Grey Damon as Scudder/Mirror Master helped continue the tradition of ubersexy Flash male villains. From the first scene his powers had me in their grip - his hand reaching out of the mirror to grab someone's throat just got the heart beating. Top isn't quite as awesome - she basically showed her intense command of criminally self-indulgent lounging around - but her powers of vertigo are fascinating.

You'll always be the roguest Rogue to me, Wentworth.
I was also personally fascinated with the explanation of Mirror Master's powers. Einsten-Rosen bridges are fascinations of mine, and this show required an interesting leap - the idea that one could create wormholes between reflections. Interestingly, there is something in actual science about the relationship between mirrors and wormholes - but so far as I've been able to read, only moving mirrors. Of course, technically, any mirror is moving as the Universe is expanding and we're rotating around a bunch of stuff, Universe-wise. Not the point of the episode, but beautiful effects here. I even liked the whole weird thing with Barry trapped in the mirror. Did anyone expect Iris to kiss him and get him out? The final trap for Mirror Master worked for me - but I hope this team comes back.

We end with Joe barely tolerating the smoochiness of Barry and Iris, Wally given an even greater taste for speed by Jesse, two new Rogues in our gallery. Harry - the only Harry - leaves, with a warning about an unsuspected power and a half clipped off final shout of NEVER PUSH THIS BUTTON which we never get to finish which will undoubtedly wind up being very very important. Oh, and Barry's moving out into his own apartment, because dude, he grown.

Flashes of Comprehension

Joe and Cicely formed the third relationship in this episode, and sadly, we didn't really get to go as far into this one as I wanted. I think Joe seriously needs to date. I also think if he ever dates, it'll be a Xander-from-Buffy thing, where he's constantly winding up with metas. Or people who talk science talk.

Who is Doctor Alchemy? He didn't appear in this episode, but a reader brought up the question last week, and I'm wondering about it. Is it Julian, the other newbie in the series? Or someone else we haven't met yet? I still wonder if we'll ever see Eddie again, or Eobard Thawne.

Wally kind of had a sucky episode today. Jury's still out on if he's going to get his own powers.

Cisco is really growing in power this season. Love his ability to just warp through different dimensions.

At one point Wells mentions Evan McCulloch. A Google search showed that this was a Mirror Master in the comics too, just not ours.

This didn't fit in the review, but wow, it's like the more Caitlin uses her powers the more they grow! Loved the hair scene, though my husband thought it was dumb - "Why doesn't she just dye?"

Flashes of Wit

Barry: I've just been thinking that maybe for all of us that I should probably get my own place.
Iris: Really?
Barry: Yeah. What do you think?
Iris: I say yes.
Joe: I thought you'd never leave.
Barry: Seriously?
Iris: Dad.
Joe: Look, Bar, come on. I'm gonna miss you, but damn. You grown. About time.
Barry: I can't tell if I'm leaving or if I'm getting kicked out.

Overall

Wouldn't mind seeing the metas again and looking forward to seeing what Hipster Wells does with the team. Another episode continuing a strong season, albeit with a romance I'm not yet totally convinced by. Four out of five alternaWellses!

6 comments:

  1. Loved this episode. The alterna-Wellses made me laugh and it was so nice to see Snart again! I think the smooching thing was more about getting comfortable with the idea of Barry and Iris as a couple than anything more specific.

    I was thinking about hair dye, too. And lipstick. :)

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  2. I thought the hair thing was hilarious. Of course dying it makes more sense but it's just not as comedically satisfying. :)

    I loved seeing Snart back even though he was just a hologram and flashback.

    Iris's insistence that Joe and Barry be totally normal about their dating is just...like...okay they're basically brother and sister. Seriously. How can she not see how weird that is? And for Joe it must be crazy. Two people who both call him "dad" are making out on his couch. Even if there wasn't the whole quasi-incestuous angle, I agree that it's realistic (and acceptable) for Barry to feel awkward. Iris pushing him felt kind of gross. WHY CAN'T THEY THINK OF ANYTHING TO DO WITH IRIS?! (sorry that's a whole different rant)

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  3. Was it just me, or when they were auditioning for a new Wells, was Earth-2 Wells appearing to have second thoughts about leaving?

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  4. They need to find a way out of the Barry and Iris romance. It is not right. They did grow up as brother and sister... and it's gross. Making it even worse is that these two actors do not have this kind of chemistry together. It's a distraction... and not a good one.

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  5. I am tired of the cliche storylines. Was it really necessary to go the predictable route and have something between Jesse and Wally? CAN A SINGLE CHARACTER EVER REMAIN FREE OF A FREAKING LOVE INTEREST? It was forced, just like the gross almost incest-y vibes of Barry and Iris are gross. He literally called her dad his dad two seconds after they'd finished making out. I don't know why the show writers keep adamantly pushing at this stupid romance.

    Anyway, Hipster Wells was the best thing about this episode, I'll never complain again as long as he's on my screen. The villains this time were awful and looked like some kind of B-rated movie version of Harley Quinn and the Joker.

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