THE FLASH 01×22: Rogue Air
Each week Panelteers Chris and Ali sit down and chat about the CW’s newest superhero series, The Flash! At this point in the season, everyone’s dirty laundry is just wafting in the breeze: Barry’s secret identity, Eddie’s proposal plans, Ali’s curling pants, Chris’ gym socks. We’re sharing a lot of things, is what’s happening. Maybe we should just recap…
Chris: This week it’s CON AIR!!! I mean… ROGUE AIR!!! But still. Pretty exciting.
Ali: Chris, I have a lot of Captain Cold feelings. Like, A LOT. Mostly of the AROOOOGA persuasion.
Chris: Let’s start there. I want to hear this.
Ali: I think it’s been well-established here that I am a fan of Mr. Snart on this show. There’s something about the way that Wentworth Miller just relishes inhabiting the character and the icey drawl he uses to deliver his lines, particularly the cold puns and when he says stuff like “Well, well, well. If it isn’t the Scarlet Speedster”. I’m only human, Chris. I melt into a puddle when in the presence of such cold hotness.
So cold he’s hot
Chris: I think we can all get behind a bad guy who is so dedicated to his shtick that he makes sure the jukebox is playing “Cold As Ice” while he and his arch-nemesis have a little meeting.
Ali: Can we talk about the dive/Goth bar Cold is hanging out in for a second? The exterior looks like a rundown road-side dive called Saints and Sinners, but the inside is some ex-cathedral looking goth club. Did they need to recycle a Vampire Diaries set? Who hangs out in this place? Where does it exist? Clearly, it’s only Snart because the place is totally empty.
Chris: We all know my secret wish for this show is for it to cross over with the gang from Mystic Falls. But hey, it’s not like the Notorious Captain Cold can just go hang out at Jitters. I like to think Snart owns and operates that place just so he has a place to… chill.
Ali: Wokka wokka wokka. But seriously. Shouldn’t Cold be at a diner listening to police scanners? Or hanging out at Checkers? These are the thoughts that plague me. Back to the episode!!
Chris: Cold kinda is most of this episode for me. That, and Golden Glider getting all up in Cisco’s grill. This little exchange is easily in my top 5 things this show has done so far.
Lisa: “I’ve thought a lot about you.”
Cisco: “Have you really? Well stop. Cuz this right here: it ain’t gonna happen.”
Lisa: “A girl can hope.”
Cisco: “Really not enjoying being one of the good guys this week.”
This was for us. Right?
Ali: Their relationship was a big source of frustration for me because I want to believe that Lisa honestly does have a thing for Cisco (because, let’s be real, who wouldn’t) but she’s always manipulating him. And it makes me so mad because Cisco can get it!
Chris: I’m having fun with it because he’s adorable when he gets all frustrated. Plus, it’s a thing they can take either way. Maybe she’s screwing with him now, but eventually she’ll realize she’s kinda into him.
Ali: How could she not be?! I mean, Cisco is objectively The Best. Well. Felicity is but she’s in a different city/on a different show.
Chris: There can be two bests. I’m pretty sure that’s how that word works.
Ali: I feel like one of my grammar teachers is crying right now. Oh well! We’ve got a show to talk about and super villains to transport! Was it just me or did this week’s plot seem… not great.
Chris: Yeah. We’re at a weird crossroads here. They kinda had to address how bad an idea the Pipeline is, both on a plot level and on a human rights level. I’m not really sure why shipping them all to a nightmare island in the middle of nowhere is actually better than being in the Pipeline… but sure. At least Joe seemed to agree with us.
Ali: I am glad this is the end of the Pipeline, but it almost seemed like a more terrible thing that the Pipeline. They gassed the prisoners, Chris. Aside from that being terrifying on many levels, they gassed a guy who turns into gas. WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS OK?!
Chris: They also didn’t bind them in any way. Team Science is good at a lot of things. Planning is not one of them.
Ali: I have always been more than willing to “just go with it”. But this episode was stretching it a lot.
Chris: I’m glad we’re kind of on the same page. We tend to give this show the benefit of the doubt, maybe even when it doesn’t really deserve it. It’s tough with this episode. I had a good time while I was watching it, but it falls apart the instant you apply any sort of logic to it.
Ali: Not to be a Debbie Downer, but the other thing that drove me nuts about this episode was the resolution of Eddie and Iris’ relationship. Because COME ON. We finally get to see Iris with some agency and she chooses Eddie. She knows everything about Barry know and she still chooses to be with Eddie. And for no reason other than the writers said so, Eddie tells her she’s in love with Barry and he’s out. Iris has this great line about “I make my own destiny” and the show’s like, NOPE! We’ll handle this for you. *head desk*
We could’ve had it alllllllll
Chris: I’m with you on this one too. Going into this, I was kind of hoping they might subvert our expectations for Eddie and have him double down on being an awesome guy instead of starting down the Road to Villainy. But nope. Can’t even get a “I don’t care what the future has in store. I can change it” from him. Like, fine if he gives up on it later but at least let the poor guy take a swing at it.
Ali: I feel like Eddie knows better than to let Thawne-Wells get to him. I mean, he knows first hand that Wells is always trying to manipulate the situation, so I don’t know how he doesn’t see that he’s being played. I get that Eddie’s shaken. But Iris makes it abundantly clear that Eddie is the one she wants to be with. I just don’t understand how, after fighting for her all season, he just lets her go. I dunno. Maybe this was the Bizarro episode where nothing makes sense. There’s always one in a season.
Chris: I was actually convinced until we finally saw Thawne-Wells at the end that he had done the body-switcheroo thing with Eddie. (Yes, I know that would goof up the timestream, but they would have found a way around it.) Iris finally getting to make her own calls and then having it thrown back in her face… I got a very big 1 step forward and 2 steps back vibe from this episode.
Chris: Should we talk a bit about the superhero team-up at the end of this? Did it feel kinda… pointless? It’s not very special when we’re doing it every three weeks, right?
Ali: It did feel a bit forced. And rushed. This is something that should have been built up to and it wasn’t. I mean, this should be THE showdown between the Flash and Reverse Flash. Instead it’s an anti-climactic 5 minute fight sequence. I mean, I loved the way they worked together and played off each other’s powers. But this should be your big season finale fight. I’m not sure why they just threw it at the end of an episode like this. Also where was Ray?!
Super BFF
Chris: For some reason, I was convinced this was the season finale the entire time, so I was very much thrown for a loop by the ending. Ray not showing up is weird… unless there’s more stuff going on in Arrow that I don’t know about (so I guess Oliver’s an Assassin King or whatever now.) Firestorm kinda just flew in. And then floated around a bit. It was just weird. I think the big takeaway, whether or not it ever comes up again, is that Oliver has a weapon that can neutralize Barry. I know they’re supposed to be TV Superman and Batman but I’m not sure I can take these two going through a Dark Knight Returns scenario.
Ali: DO. NOT. WANT. I can barely stand Ollie’s Batman-ness on Arrow. I will not stand for it on The Flash. And seriously. I don’t know how anyone is friends with Batman. Why would you want to be friends with someone who has elaborate strategies for killing you “if he needs to”?!
Chris: Wait… you don’t have that for me? That’s not just a normal thing friends do?
Ali: Chris, the only possible circumstance I can think of for needing to kill you is if you’re bitten by a zombie. And then, I’m really just doing you a favor so you don’t come back and try to eat people’s brains.
Chris: Before we get ourselves into an Afterlife with Archie scenario, can I just say that it is bananas that Wells can fight Ollie for more than 2 seconds without his speed. How? What? Why? In What World?
Ali: The crazy-ass world that was this week’s episode. Lightning Round?
Chris: I loved that the Snarts lovingly referred to each other as “Jerk” and “Trainwreck.” It’s a slightly classier and sassier version of the Supernatural thing.
Ali: Hahahaha! I didn’t think of it like that but you’re TOTALLY RIGHT! I love it! I also love that Lisa has a commercial truck license. I’m assuming it’s so she can pose as the armored truck driver for bank heists. Because she’s awesome like that.
Chris: I want Lisa to slowly become the most interesting character on the show with this super deep and rich backstory that we only get glances of. The truck license thing killed me.
Ali: “We can’t all be doctors.” I really hope we get more of the Golden Glider.
Chris: Ali. Flash Ring. FLASH RING.
Ali: AAAAAH! I can’t believe I almost forgot that!! IT WAS SO PERFECT!! Like, he punches his fist out and WOOSH and the costume hovers for a second and then another WOOSH. IT WAS TOTALLY WICKED!!!!
VWOOOSH!
Chris: Okay you do one because otherwise I’m just gonna end up doing like 5 in a row.
Ali: Cold said “my Rogues.” That was a thing he actually said. THE ROGUES ARE TOTALLY A THING AND I LOVE IT.
Chris: I usually think I’m impervious to “he just said the thing I know” style nostalgia but.. he said “my rogues” and I just about fell over. I’m so excited for next season. They’ve spent this first season building up a ton of stuff (while actually delivering on stuff at the same time) and it’s gonna be a hoot when they really go all in on it.
Ali: This show is SO GREAT!
Chris: You know a show is good when we just spent hundreds of words talking about how this episode was narratively dumb as rocks but we still had a great time watching it. I can’t tell if it’s the show’s charm or the speed it moves at (or a perfect mix of both) that makes me overlook a lot of its flaws, but it works.
Ali: It’s because it’s true love, Chris. We love it even when there are things we don’t like.
(Screen grabs from flashfans.org, bad photoshop by Ali)
__________________________
Do you talk all things comics on Tumblr? Follow us over there for all our comics Tumbling.
