The Flash #38 - A Review

Trapped in the bowels of Iron Heights prison within a secret sanctuary The Rogues established, The Flash finds himself at the mercy of Captain Cold. Worse yet, Kid Flash is running into a deadly trap that Snart has set for the assassin Copperhead, who is fighting him for control of Central City's underworld. Thankfully, The Flash may have more friends than he suspects... yet more enemies than he knows.


Scott Kollins - who had a legendary run on The Flash alongside writer Geoff Johns - returns for an issue and it really is like old times. While Kollin's style, which is light on inks and sketchy in spots, may be an acquired taste for some, I personally find it a perfect match for the story at hand. Paired with the colors of Hi-Fi, Kollins' kinetic artwork looks fantastic.


Joshua Williamson's script brings the story to a thrilling and suitable conclusion, which raises more mysteries as well as what might be something of a plot hole. Still, I am content to let Williamson set the pace, having been faked out before by his skillful writing. On a side note, Flash fans would do well to check out this week's Batgirl And the Birds of Prey, which makes use of a plot point dropped in this issue's end.

The Final Analysis: 8 out of 10.

The Flash #17 - A Review

The Rogues just puled their greatest heist ever!  Naturally, The Flash quickly caught up with them as they were skipping town, but can he move fast enough to overcome Captain Cold's new and improved cold gun?  One which draws off the power of The Speed Force itself?!


The Flash #17 is a disappointing conclusion to what had been a promising return for The Rogues into the Rebirth universe.  The story here is predictable and nothing we haven't seen before. The only thing that makes it tolerable is Joshua Williamson's command of the characters and the fact that he writes great dialogue.

The artwork - provided by three artists this month - is similarly disjointed. I find Carmine Di Giandomerico's style disjointing at times but the general wild and untamed feel of it usually seems to fit The Flash on its own terms. Placed alongside more traditional artists as part of the same tale, however, it comes off as sloppy and scribbled-over.

The Flash #16 - A Review

The Rogues have divided and conquered, luring The Flash out of Central City just long enough for them all to rob multiple targets. Even The Fastest Man Alive can't be in six places at once! Can The Flash thwart his enemies' greatest heist ever?


The artwork is much stronger than its been in recent issues of The Flash. The uncharacteristic sloppiness that plagued Carmine Di Giandomenico's recent output is absent. Fittingly, there is a continual sense of motion to Di Giandomenico's work that well suits this issue's high-action story. Of particular note are the effects used to simulate the variety of energies involved from The Flash's lightning to the fire of Heatwave's gun.

Despite this issue being furiously-paced, Joshua Williamson's script also contains a number of brilliant character scenes. No matter how fast his stories moves, Williamson always gives his cast a chance to speak and the scenes of Barry trying to reason with his enemies and show them a better way are powerfully written.

The Flash #15 - A Review

The Rogues have been in hiding for quite a while, which can't mean anything good. The Flash uncovered plans indicating they went to the island of Corto Maltese to steal a golden statue of the god Mercury. Even though it isn't Central City, The Flash isn't about to let them get away with it but have the ol' gang learned some new tricks?


Joshua Williamson spins a masterful heist story, showing a strong grasp of the individual Rogues as characters. Unfortunately, the sloppiness that has plagued Carmine Di Giandomenico's pencils in recent issues continues to be a problem. It's infrequent enough not to distract from the story completely but this issue seems rushed rather than fast-paced.

The Flash #14 - A Review

Master thieves armed with fantastic tools and led by the formidable Captain Cold, The Rogues are the greatest enemies of law and order in The Flash's town, despite their occasionally playing the hero. Absent from Central City since before The Speed Force Storm that changed so much, finding where they're hiding has become Barry Allen's first priority now that things have calmed down somewhat. What he uncovers, however, is evidence of a heist to end all heists in another country, suggesting that The Rogue's Reformation was short-lived...


This first issue of the Rogues Reloaded storyline is surprisingly slow-paced for a Flash comic. Joshua Williamson spends a little too long trying to establish the status quo of Central City.  While this may be a necessary evil given how much back-story there is regarding The Rogues, Iron Heights prison, the new Kid Flash and Barry's newfound romance with Iris West, this is still a case of telling rather than showing the story and we wind up hearing precious little about The Rogues in all of it. Hopefully the pace will quicken in upcoming issues.

Carmine Di Giandomenico is similarly off his game this time around. There is something inexplicably sloppy about the artwork in this issue, with several pages - particularly in the opening fight between The Flash and Papercut's gang - where the figures are disjointed and the inks muddy the artwork rather than enhancing it. The artwork doesn't look bad, as such, but it's a step-down from the usual level of quality for all involved.

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Five #21 - A Review

Laying low and trying to figure things out, Harley Quinn decides that she needs to work out some aggressive feelings. Unfortunately, for Billy Batson, she decides to do this by picking a fight with Shazam. Meanwhile, The Rogues - or what's left of them in the wake of Superman's Regime - gather to honor two of their fallen. And then The Flash shows up...


This is the best issue of Injustice in some time. Brian Buccellato's work on The Flash is beloved for many reasons but one of them was the way he wrote The Rogues. The scene in which The Flash confronts them shows a deep understanding of both Barry Allen and his various frenemies. The scenes with Harley Quinn are similarly strong and are sure to please long-time fans of the character, who don't like what's been done with ol' Harl since The New 52 started.


The art-team also delivers their A-game this month. Bruno Redondo has never looked better, managing the neat trick of making Harley look imposing despite the rather ridiculous costume she's adopted in the Injustice reality. Juan Albarran and Rex Lokus establish an effective aura of shadow throughout this issue, with the usually bright Captain Marvel frequently obscured darkness - a symbolic nod to how much darker the character has become in his support of the tyrant Superman.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 1, Episode 22 - Rogue Air

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.



Plot

With the man he knows as Harrison Wells on the loose, Barry Allen will need help in stopping The Reverse Flash. But first, he'll need to evacuate all the metahumans being held in The Pipeline before Wells reactivates the STAR Labs particle accelerator.  With the aid of the police denied Joe West and all of Barry's heroic allies AWOL, Barry will turn to the most unlikely of allies - Captain Cold!


Influences

Con-Air (the central plot involves a transport of dangerous criminals that goes amiss), numerous The Flash story-lines where The Flash and Captain Cold worked together to stop a bigger threat and The Brave And The Bold comics of The Silver Age (Arrow, Firestorm and The Flash team to fight The Reverse Flash).


Goofs

Given the problems they've had whenever one of them is left alone, leaving Caitlin in the lab alone while everyone else goes to find Wells in The Pipeline seems incredibly stupid and the only reason it seems to happen is to give Iris a chance to prove herself saving Caitlin from Peek-A-Boo later.

Ollie's presence in this episode doesn't seem to make any sense relative to the timeline in his own series.  How was able to escape from The League of Assassins just long enough to pick up some naninte-infused, speedster-neutralizing arrows from Ray Palmer and then make his way to Central City just long enough to help Barry out when he's been tightly held in Nanda Parbat for just over a month, making only one trip to the USA in that time?

For that matter, how long has Ray Palmer been working on speedster-neutralizing nanites?


Performances

Once again, Wentworth Miller steals the show as Captain Cold.

Peyton List, not to be outdone, plays the femme fatale expertly in playing with Cisco's emotions. She's almost certainly messing with him just to mess with him.  And yet, one can't help but wonder, as Cisco does, if maybe she's not totally messing with him?


Artistry

The opening scene, with The Reverse Flash's narration as we pan across the rest of the core cast is an effective opening. The images of Caitlin and Barry looking at photos of their lost loved ones as Eobard Thawne speaks of losing everything in a flash are particular effective.

The fight scenes in this episode - both the battle between with the escaping metahumans and the battle against The Reverse Flash at the end - and the special effects used during those fight scenes sets a new standard for superhero action on television.


Flash Facts

The name of this episode is a nod to the movie Con-Air, which also centered upon the transport of a number of dangerous criminals gone awry.

Iris and Eddie's address is 203-2320 Western Ave, Central City USA, 74912.  No state is given and 74912 is not a valid zip code, though the 749 prefix of a zip code is reserved for central Oklahoma. This is far and away from the general location of Central City in the DC Universe, which is usually placed in western Missouri, on the border with Kansas.

Captain Cold addresses Barry as "The Scarlet Speedster". In the comics, this is one of the alliterative nicknames for The Flash, like how Batman is The Caped Crusader and Green Arrow is The Emerald Archer.

When Barry and Snart are talking at the Saints and Sinners bar, the song Cold as Ice by Foreigner is playing on the jukebox. It's a nice audio pun regarding Cold's powers but the song - a warning to someone who manipulates people and scorns honest emotion for material wealth that sooner or later they'll pay for their crimes - seems like a message Leonard Snart could stand to learn from.

When they arrive at the Ferris Air landing strip, Snart comments that he thought Ferris Air shut down. Barry confirms that they did, shortly after one of their test pilots disappeared.  This could be a reference to Hal Jordan - a test pilot for Ferris Air who went on to become the first Green Lantern from Earth.  In the comics, Jordan did briefly disappear after he was taken to the planet Oa for basic training.

In the fight with The Flash, The Arrow and Firestorm, The Reverse Flash wields a special ring that shoots his costume out of it, which he changes into at super-speed.  This is a nod to the classic Flash comics where Barry Allen kept his costume inside a special ring that allowed him to keep his costume close yet hidden where he could easily change into it at superspeed.


Technobabble

The Reverse Flash's wheelchair contains a futuristic batter that emits enough energy to power Central City. As best as Cisco can understand, The Reverse Flash was using this to power his speed and gain more power. This is why The Reverse Flash is faster than Barry Allen.

The "tube" that The Reverse Flash was working with in front of Eddie Thawne is a futurist power source that is, somehow, charging the STAR Labs particle accelerator despite not being visibly plugged into anything. Despite it being beyond his ability to manipulate, Cisco is able to guess that it will finish charging the accelerator in about 36 hours.

According to Cecila Horton, what STAR Labs has been doing with the metahuman criminals The Flash has been catching is unlawful imprisonment and attempting to move them in secret would constitute human trafficking. These are both very bad things.

Using the power source from The Reverse Flash's wheelchair and his uncle's shipping truck, Cisco is able to create an energy dampener. The back of the truck is flooded with so much energy it generates a transient pulse strong enough to disrupt a metahuman's powers.

The Arrow shoots The Reverse Flash with several arrows containing nanites programmed by Ray Palmer to deliver a high-frequency pulse that disables The Reverse Flash's speed powers.


Dialogue Triumphs

The Reverse Flash: I want you to take a moment and think about all the things that define your life. All the people you love. Your job. Your co-workers. Your home. And now imagine that one day, in a flash, all of that vanished. Would you simply accept your new life and move continue on? Or would you do whatever it takes to get back what was taken from you?  Because... I can assure you I will get everything that was taken... from me.

Joe: Let's say, hypothetically, I know a prison - of sorts - a place that can do what Iron Heights can't, where these metahumans, the bad ones, are being locked up.
Cecila: I'd be very concerned. Especially if, hypothetically, you had anything to do with it.

Joe: At what point do we become no different than the people we're fighting?
Barry: We are way different!
Joe: How?
Barry: We only break the rules to help people.

Barry: I need your help with a problem.
Snart: Must be pretty desperate to come asking for my assistance, but I'll bite.  What do you need?
Barry: Help transporting some people out of the city.
Snart: How many?
Barry: Five. Five very bad, very angry people who have powers.
Snart: Powers, hmmm?  So you want me to, what, freeze the problem? Protect you from them if anything goes wrong?  First rule of business - always protect yourself. I'm not going to help usher your enemies out of town.
Barry: Hey, they're not just my enemies.  They're yours too.
Snart: I doubt it.
Barry:  They will destroy Central City!
Snart: It's not my problem.
Barry: You said that you love it here! That this is your home!
Snart: I do. And it is.
Barry: Well, guess what? These people get loose, there won't be a city to love anymore. You won't be able to rob anyone if everyone is dead.
Snart: (pauses to consider) It's a compelling argument. But if I'm going to help you out, I'll need something in return.
(Snart begins writing something on a cocktail napkin) 
Barry: Like what?
Snart: This.
(Barry reads the napkin and snorts in disbelief)
Barry: No.  This is impossible. I can't do that.
Snart: Then I can't help you.
Barry: There has to be... Snart, there has to be something you want that I can get!
(Snart inhales deeply)
Snart: Let me think about it.

Joe:What is going on with you? You working with that killer? This isn't who you are!
Barry: Who I am is the guy who's not fast enough to stop Wells! He - he hasn't been one step ahead of us, Joe! He's been 1000!  I can't catch him! I can't beat him! But what I can do is save those people down there. Wells turned them into what they are and I'm pretty sure he doesn't care if they live or die. I do.

Lisa: Hey Cisco.
Cisco: Oh, hey... Captain Cold's evil sister.
Lisa: Awwww.... You're not still mad at me, are you? I really did enjoy kissing you.
(Caitlin spins around in her chair)
Caitlin: You kissed her?!
Cisco: Under duress. Calm down.
Lisa: I've - I've thought a lot about you.
Cisco: Have you really? (pause) Well, stop!  Because this?  Right here? (pointing to himself) It ain't gonna happen.
Lisa: (pouting as she leans in) A girl can hope.
(Lisa walks away as Cisco just stares straight ahead and Caitlin gives him a death glare)
Cisco: Really not enjoying being one of the good guys this week.  REALLY not!

The Mist: If I had my powers right now, I'd gas you all out of existence!
Deathbolt: (laughs)  And then you'd be standing in a container with four corpses. What would that get you?
The Mist: Peace and quiet.

Captain Cold (holding his gun on Weather Wizard and Rainbow Raider) How about we call tonight a tie?
(Rainbow Raider's eyes start to glow as Golden Glider walks up and points her gun to his head) 
Golden Glider: I'd power down if you don't want me to melt your face.
(Rainbow Raider sighs and his eyes go back to normal)
Captain Cold: Let's all go our separate ways.  My name is Leonard Snart.
Weather Wizard; I know who you are.
Captain Cold: Always pleased to meet a fan. Just remember who it was that made sure you didn't get thrown on that plane bound for nowhere.
Weather Wizard: You're just letting us go? (nods to Deathbolt's body) Why'd you shoot that guy?
Captain Cold: He owed me money.
Weather Wizard; Mmm. (pauses and looks at Cold) What?  You want a thank you?
Captain Cold: Who doesn't like a 'thank you'?
Rainbow Raider: (pause) Thank you?
Captain Cold: (cheerfully) YOU are so very welcome!

The Flash: You sabotaged the truck, didn't you?! Why did you let them escape?!
Captain Cold: Because now they all owe me. And something tells me they'll be a lot more use to me as part of my Rogues than rotting away in the North China sea.
The Flash: You gave me your word!
Captain Cold: (chuckles) It's true, I did. But here's the thing. I'm a criminal. And a liar. And I hurt people. And I rob them. What did you expect me to do? Not be what I am? I saw an opportunity to turn things to my advantage. And I did. Who you're really mad at is yourself. This is on you, Barry.
The Flash: Then why don't you just kill me?
Captain Cold: (shrugs) Well, I guess you owe me one now, too.  Good luck with (waves his hand around) all of this. I'm actually really excited to see how it all turns out.

Barry: I've seen the way that Oliver does things. And he's not afraid to just do whatever it takes to get what he needs and I thought I could do that too. I thought I could just use Snart but instead he used me.
Joe: You're not The Arrow, Barry. That's not the kind of hero you are.
Barry: What kind am I?
Joe: The kind that cares about whether or not those criminals lived or died. I mean, whatever Mardon, Nimbus and Shawna did, they're human beings. And you knew letting Wells use them as pawns was wrong. You know the difference between right and wrong and you weren't willing to blurr the lines between the two. That's the kind of man you are. And that's what makes you different than The Arrow. So please, no more walks on the dark side. Agreed?
Barry: (laughs softly) Yeah.


Continuity

Iris and Eddie's address is 203-2320 Western Ave, Central City USA, 74912.

Cisco points out that liquid levitates whenever something involving The Reverse Flash is nearby. He specifically cites Barry's aquarium when he was a kid (101), Wells' champagne glass on the night of the particle accelerator explosion (103) and Captain Lance's coffee right before they found Harrison Wells' body (119).  It happens again in this episode, with his orange soda as they open The Pipeline.

As the episode opens, only five metahumans are contained in The Pipeline.  They are Kyle Nimbus (103), Roy G. Bivolo (108), Shawna Baez (112), Mark Mardon (115) and Jake Simmons (A319). AKA The Mist, Rainbow Raider, Peek-A-Boo, Weather Wizard and Deathbolt.

Joe discovers Eddie Thawne under The Pipeline.  As he's helping him out, Iris discovers the ring Eddie was going to use to propose to her when he was kidnapped.

Eddie tells the rest of the core cast that The Reverse Flash told him his real name was Eobard Thawne and that they were related.  Cisco confirms that Eboard Thawne is the name that Dr. Wells gave him in his dream/vision of the alternate time-line in 120.

Barry refers to Lian Yu - the island where Oliver Queen was stranded for several years, where ARGUS built a secret prison.  This is where they sent Captain Boomerang after the events of A308 and where The Arrow keeps his worst enemies, including Deathstroke.

Joe speaks to Central City's District Attorney Cecile Horton, last seen in 119, about the possibility of police support for transporting hypothetical metahuman criminals. She refuses to consider the possibility and advises Joe, if he's involved in such a thing, to get out now.

Joe notes that Captain Singh, last seen in 120, is on his honeymoon.

Barry is able to secure an ARGUS plane after a phone call to Lyla Diggle, whom he met in A308.

Barry says that he couldn't get a hold of Oliver, who is in someplace called Nanda Parbat. This is the home of The League of Assassins and Oliver has made several trips there over the course of Season 3 of Arrow.  At the time of this episode, Oliver is in the middle of playing at being the heir of Ra's Al Ghul.

Barry finds Len Snart hanging out a bar called Saints And Sinners.

Eddie, when pressed on his aborted proposal, confessed to Iris that The Reverse Flash showed him the future and that she was married to Barry.

20 hours pass between when Cisco discovers the device charging the particle accelerator and when Snart shows up at STAR Labs.

Snart agrees to help Barry in exchange for having all records of his existence erased, both physical and electronic.

Lisa Snart makes her first appearance since 116.

Snart reveals he has kept his word about keeping Barry's secret identity a secret from his associates, including his own sister.

Cisco has an uncle who owns a refrigerated shipping truck and uses it to deliver frozen food.

Lisa Snart has a Class A commercial driver's license.

Weather Wizard recognizes The Mist and notes that he was supposed to have been executed, as revealed in 103.

Ferris Air is said to have shut down after one of their test pilots disappeared.

Cisco gives Lisa Snart a code name - Golden Glider.

Barry is able to stop The Mist by using his hands to generate a whirlwind that contains The Mist until he solidifies.  This is similar to the trick Barry learned to create a vacuum to put out an apartment fire in 120.

Peek-A-Boo escapes at the first opportunity, not taking part in the fight.

Rainbow Raider uses his powers on Caitlin, making her attack Cisco, forcing Joe to stop shooting at him to focus on stopping her.

The Mist runs off after The Flash becomes distracted, dodging Deathbolt's eye beams.

The Flash is eventually brought down after being struck by lightning, aimed by The Weather Wizard, while dodging Deathbolt's attacks.  This shows that The Flash is not immune to the effects of electricity not generated by his own powers.

Deathbolt is killed by Captain Cold.

Weather Wizard knows of Leonard Snart by reputation but didn't know Deathbolt.

Weather Wizard and Rainbow Raider escape after Captain Cold lets them go.  Captain Cold and Golden Glider are also at large.

Cisco is able to use "the light thingy" from 108 to cure Caitlin after she's possessed by The Rainbow Raider.

Oliver Queen is wearing his garb from his time as Al Sah-him of The League of Assassins.

According to The Reverse Flash, recorded history says that Oliver Queen lives to be 86 years old.

Once the Revese Flash is downed, Oliver Queen tells Barry he might need a favor.  Barry agrees to it, wherever and whenever.


The Fridge Factor

Eddie dumping Iris by telling her that everyone (i.e. Barry, Joe and himself) knows she really loves Barry REALLY doesn't come off well.  Like all the men in her life know her feelings better than she does?!  Granting that Iris does assert her right to determine her own destiny, Eddie still comes off as dismissive of her protests that the can fight the future.


The Bottom Line

Easily the most action-packed episode of the series in terms of pure superheroics so far. The only real weak point is the Iris/Eddie scenes, but only because they're a distraction from the meat of the episode. I personally have misgivings about Captain Cold ditching his thieves' code of honor in this episode but the twist is handled well enough I can forgive it simply because they've perfectly captured Len Snart as the consummate professional whose ultimate rule is Look Out For #1.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 1, Episode 16 - Rogue Time

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

Plot

Having run fast enough to travel back in time one day and having replaced his past self, Barry is able to stop Weather Wizard's plans for revenge on Joe West before they can even begin.  Dr. Wells warns Barry that trying to change the past could only create a worse future, but Barry doesn't care. Not when he now knows for certain that Iris shares his feelings and he has a chance of winning her heart.

Unfortunately, while Barry may have broken multiple laws of physics, Murphy's Law still works. And without an excuse to ditch his brother's birthday party, Cisco may be heading down a road that will see him dead at the hands of Captain Cold and Heatwave.


Influences

Countless Flash comics about the perils of time travel and altering the timeline, The Butterfly Effect and the Back To The Future movies.


Goofs

Wells finds security camera footage of Cisco getting into a car with Lisa Snart, but notes that the licence plate is iced over.  How is that possible when Captain Cold didn't have his ice gun back at that point and Central City appears to be in the middle of spring?


Performances

Once again Wentworth Miller steals the show as Captain Cold.

We don't see much of Peyton List as Lisa Snart but what screen time she has provides a fun, flirty counterpoint to her cool and controlled brother.

Carlos Valdes has been getting a lot more serious material over the past few episodes.  He's proven that Cisco is more than mere comic relief.

Again, Tom Cavangh kills with a speech about fatherhood that is such a wicked and yet oddly touching bookend to last week's speech, made all the more screwed up by the fact that now we're fairly certain he DOES mean it... in spite of everything he's done.


Artistry

The scene in which Barry and Captain Cold negotiate is very well shot, with both figures' faces hidden in shadow as everything is revealed between them.  


Flash Facts

Dante Ramon is the name of Cisco Ramon's older brother in the comics.

In the comics, Lisa Snart (aka The Golden Glider) was Leonard Snart's younger sister. Lisa shared her brother's love of the cold and became a world-class ice skater. She also dated her brother's fellow Rogue, The Top, who coached her spinning making her an even better skater. After The Top went mad and died as a result of his plan to blow up Central City, Lisa swore revenge on The Flash and decided to go into the villain business herself.

As The Golden Glider, Lisa used a number of gadgets to try and kill The Flash. Chief among them were a pair of special skates, based on her brother's technology, that generated their own ice, allowing her to skate on any surface and even create ice paths in midair by freezing the ambient moisture.

In The New 52 universe, Lisa Snart somehow gained the power to astral project her spirit whilst her body lay in a coma. This astral form could move at fantastic speeds, phase through solid matter, fly and also controlled a number of deadly tendrils. Calling herself Glider, she reformed The Rogues and set them after The Flash.

The gun Cisco makes Lisa seems similar to the signature weapon of the Flash/Green Lantern villain Goldface a.k.a. scientist Keith Kenyon. Kenyon developed a formula that gave him golden skin and increased his strength. He also wore gold-platted armor and utilized a gun that covered objects with liquid gold. He eventually reformed and became an honest union leader in Central City.

Captain Cold says that he learned how to put his gun together and take it apart. This is a reference to the original comics where Leonard Snart, despite lacking the technical know-how to build his cold gun in the first place, did have the knowledge needed to assemble, disassemble and repair it with the proper parts.

The agreement Captain Cold and Barry make regarding how they will proceed mirrors the code of conduct Captain Cold created for The Rogues Gallery in the comics.  Chief among these rules are an avoidance of lethal force except in cases of self-defense, not robbing anyone who can't afford the loss and a promise not to go after the friends and family of superheroes and law-enforcement officials.


Technobabble

Wells describes what Barry has done by rupturing the time continuum as "temporal reversion".  He describes time as a fragile construct and says that an deviation could result in a cataclysm.

Wells theorizes that Barry's emotions, circumstances and cortisol levels could influence whether or not he can time-travel when he runs at the appropriate speed. Barry further suggests that his adrenaline levels might be a factor.

Captain Cold is able to alter the intensity of his cold gun. He zaps Dante Ramon with a blast that causes first-degree frostbite.  At that point, the fingers can still be saved with proper treatment. Without it, they require amputation.

Caitlin explains away Barry's behavior to Iris and Eddie as Lightning Pscychosis. The symptoms include mood swings, sudden outbursts of affection and other lapses in judgement. She says it's a very uncommon neurological condition and kerauno-medicine is just now starting to study it. This is, of course, total BS.


Dialogue Triumphs

Wells: Whatever tragedy you think you've just averted, time will find a way to replace it. And trust me, Barry, the next one could be much worse!

Cisco: These are nice things.
Lisa: Oh, we're just squatting.
Cisco: We?
Lisa: Yeah. Me and my brother.
Cold: Hello, Cisco. What exactly are your intentions with my sister?
Cisco: Oh come on! (sighs) I should have known better! I am not that lucky!  (beat) Please don't kill me for kissing your sister.
Cold: You kissed him?
Lisa: You're not dad, Lenny.
Cold: I know. Dad's in jail. Sterling role model.
Cisco: What do you want, Snart?
Cold: Guns. Hot and cold, to be precise.
Cisco: There is no way I'm making weapons for you!  Never again!
Cold: Mick?
(Heatwave brings in a bound and gagged Dante Ramon)
Cold: I know I would do everything in my power to protect my family. The question is... will you?

Cold: My sister needs a weapon. Something that suits her personality.
Lisa: Make me something pretty and toxic. Like me. How about something with gold?

Barry: I screwed with Time and now Time is screwing with me!

Wells: You only traveled back in time one day. What if you traveled back decades?  Centuries? Imagine the havoc you could wreak.
Barry: But.. I will have the opportunity to travel back in time in the near future and save my mom. Are you saying I shouldn't?
Wells: I'm saying how many more people could die if your mother lives?

Wells: Making a choice between two people you love - that is the hardest dilemma you will ever face.
Cisco: Well, you won't have to worry about me making the wrong decision again.
Wells: All you proved today, Mr. Ramon, is that you are human. All you proved today is that you love your brother. And the reason that we all want you to stay is that we love you too. Now, I am not a parent. But, in many ways, you have shown me what it is like to have a son.

Barry: I know Cisco told you who I am.
Cold: Can't really blame the kid for giving you up. You or his brother?  C'mon!  I put him in a tight spot.  Same kind I got you in right now. Can't really stop me now that I know who you are.
Barry: I could speed you to my own private prison where you'll never see the light of day.
Cold: You could. But then I won't be around to stop my own private uplink that will broadcast your identity to the world. So, the million dollar question - what to do with me now, Barry Allen?
Barry: I won't let you keep stealing whatever you want, whenever you feel like it. It needs to end!
Cold: Can't do that. It's what I do.
Barry: Then find a new line of work!
Cold: Don't want to.
Barry: Why's that?
Cold: The same reason you keep running after guys like me. The adrenaline. The thrill of the chase. I love this game. And I'm very good at it.
Barry: Then go play it somewhere else! Leave Central City!
Cold: Can't do that either. I love it here. (inhales deeply as if savoring the air) This city is my home.
Barry: You've seen what I can do. You know that I can stop you. You want to keep pushing your luck?  Go for it! But from here on out, no one else dies. If you're as good as you say you are, you don't have to kill anyone to get what you want.
Cold: ...that's true.
Barry: And if you...or anyone in your... rogues gallery... goes near any of my friends or family again... I don't care who you tell my identity to. I'm putting you away.
Cold: I guess your secret's safe... Flash.  For now.
(Barry starts to put his cowl back on)
Cold: Oh, I don't suppose you'd give me a ride back to town, would you?
(Barry runs off, leaving Cold in the middle of the woods)
Cold: (scoffs) The Rogues. Cute.

Reverse Flash: (To Mason Bridge) You really were onto the story of the century. Well, this century anyway.


Continuity

According to Gideon, Barry's actions do not change the future that Wells is watching.

As a result of Barry's actions, numerous events from the previous episode change.

Barry already knows all about the evidence at the scene of the coroner's murder.

Barry captures Mark Mardon and locks him up in The Pipeline before he can start stalking Joe West.

Captain Singh is no longer hospitalized.

Without the excuse of staying at work to track Mardon, Cisco goes to his brother's birthday party with Caitlin.

Barry breaks up with Linda Park.

Barry interrupts Mason Bridge before he can ask Iris to investigate Harrison Wells and the people who work at STAR Labs.  As such, he doesn't learn who Barry is, his connection to Wells and they never have the conversation that originally makes Barry suspicious of Wells.

Barry makes a coffee date with Iris.

Extremely depressed following the party, Cisco goes out for a drink with Barry.

Cisco meets Lisa Snart, who takes him back to her brother's hideout.

Cisco remakes the cold and heat guns for Captain Cold and Heatwave. He also makes a gun for Lisa Snart, that seems to coat objects with gold.

Barry manages to drive a wedge between himself and Iris at their "date", professing his love again and creeping her out once again.

Captaiin Cold robs the Santini crime family's casino.

Eddie Thawne punches Barry at the scene of Snart's latest robbery, because of what he said to Iris.

Dante confesses to Cisco that his high school girlfriend - Melinda Tores - had a crush on Cisco and that he told her that Cisco wanted to be a priest so that he could peruse her himself, because he was jealous of Cisco and his intelligence.

Cisco reveals The Flash's secret identity to Captain Cold.

Joe West has a conversation with Iris, telling her about the fight between Barry and Eddie and telling her she has to settle things between them, no matter what her feelings are.

Because he was held hostage by Cold, Cisco never stumbles across the secret hologram projector and his conversation alone with Dr. Wells - while similar - is much more touching and does not end with Cisco's death.

Caitlin smooths things over with Iris and Eddie, explaining Barry's odd behavior as a rare condition caused by being struck by lightning.

Mason Bridge is killed by Harrison Wells and declared "missing" by the local police.

Barry is now suspicious of Wells, following Bridge's disappearance.  He tells Joe West that he now believes he was right about everything regarding Wells.


The Bottom Line

An amazing episode that has left me hungry for a The Wire-style spin-off focusing on The Rogues. Time travel stories are a tricky thing at the best of times but the script handles the science well enough even as everything we thought we knew last week changes.  The guest stars are all wonderful and the final scene between Barry and Snart may be my personal favorite moment of the show so far.