The Flash Episode Guide: Season 9, Episode 5 - The Mask of the Red Death, Part 2

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

Plot

With the Red Death and her Rogues laying waste to Central City, Barry and Iris come up with a plan to stop them but it will require Cecile and the Rogue Squad, who are unwilling to help Team Flash anymore. To save the day, The Flash must face his greatest failure.


Influences

Kingdom Come (The Red Death's method of protecting Central City borrows from the Bat Sentinels and the speed with which The Flash protects his hometown.)


Goofs

Allegra complains about The Rogue Squad not trying to save Chillblaine in the last episode. This would be fair, if Allegra weren't the one responsible for running Team Flash's teleport and controlling the evac that led to the team leaving him behind in the first place.

While it's a dick move on Barry's part that he never checked up on Grodd or Gorilla City, describing it as his greatest failure is a bit much. For that matter, how is the Crisis causing the Gorilla City gorillas to lose their sentience Barry's fault? (Okay, as the Paragon of Love he was responsible for remaking the universe, but still....)

Red Death says that Grodd is amplifying her telepathy. How did she get telepathic powers? Did she steal them from another hero the same way she copied Barry's speed?  If so, why didn't she use it before this episode when it might have been useful, like when she was talking to Iris West-Alllen and pretending to be the Ryan Wilder of Earth-Priime?

It never is confirmed that Red Death's Rogues were captured in this episode.

It never is explained just where Ryan Wilder has been all this time the Red Death was running around.

It also isn't explained how Ryan got to Central City or where she got an anti-speedster Batarang. (Perhaps Luke built one after discussing the problems Reverse-Flash caused with John Diggle? Or maybe he and Chester talk-shop off-camera? Or maybe he started building it after hearing about Red Death?)

Did Red Death kidnap Ryan to get her out of the way? If so, why didn't she just kill her outright or take all of her Batwoman gear to stop her from coming after her? Given her paranoia, wouldn't she be most afraid of the Batwoman of Earth-Prime becoming a threat to her?

This episode completely ignores the rules established in B112 which dictate that two doppelgangers cannot survive on the same Earth following Crisis on Infinite Earths. (It's possible the Negative Speed Force protects its users from this law in the same way it protects them from paradoxes. It may also not apply since Red Death says she comes from an alternate timeline rather than a parallel universe.)

Why is Iris so stunned by the revelation that she's pregnant? Haven't she and Barry planning for her pregnancy for the past few episodes?  Also, wouldn't that be the first thing she or Barry would think of if she were suddenly nauseous?


Performances

As cliché as they are now, Jesse L. Martin can still nail those inspiring Joe West speeches.

Artistry

The make-up for Murmur with her mask off is disturbing.


Technobabble

By boosting Cecile's empathic telemetry and superimposing it over a grid of the city map, Chester can hone in on whatever she senses.

ARGUS upgraded the satellite security system on the GCPD roof.

The device Murmur and Captain Boomerang install on the roof of the GCPD allow Red Death to be in multiple locations at once.

Chester detects multiple reservoirs of psychic energy, which are like individual manifestations of a single telepathic consciousness. 

Allegra's light powers give her X-Ray vision.

Barry claims psychic manifestations cannot hurt someone. However, he is reminded that Psych was able to make a projection of Savitar hurt him in 705.

Batwoman has an anti-speedster Batarang.

Chester reprograms the STAR Labs satellites to find Grodd's tribe.


Dialogue Triumphs

Joe: If there's one thing I'm sure of after all these years, it's you have a gift for bringing out the good in folks, no matter how bad they started out.
Barry: Well, if that's true, I learned it from you.
Joe: Maybe. Either way... I have run out of things that I need to teach you. Just like I don't need to protect Cecile anymore, considering how much her powers have grown. I should tell you, up until a couple of days ago, Cecile and I were talking about moving out of Central City to the country for good.
Barry: What?
Joe: It's okay. We decided to stay. And it's a good thing because the team needs her here.
Barry: We need you, too.
Joe: No, you don't. I'm not a cop anymore, and I'm not a meta, so what am I doing here?
Barry: Joe... no one is more important to this team... to this family... than you. I mean, think of all the heroes you've raised over the years. We couldn't do what we do if we didn't have you to teach us how. Inspiring people is your super power.
Joe: That's nice. But if it's my super power, it's yours, too, Barry. 'Cause you've inspired me. What I learned about being a parent is whatever seeds we've planted, we have to trust that they take root, no matter how dark things get. So you have faith in your way of being a hero. If you do that, you'll always find your way and those who follow you will, too.

Dialogue Disasters

Most of Javicia Leslie's dialogue as Red Death.

The Rogue Squad saying "It's a Wednesday" in unison and everyone laughing when Ryan Wilder asks if Central City is always like this. 


Continuity

As the episode opens, red Negative Speed Force Lightning is striking randomly around Central City.

The shipyard, Central City High School and City Hall are said to have been set on fire.

Murmur breaks into Captain Kramer's office and steals her pager for summoning The Flash.

Captain Kramer tries to copy Rainbow Raider's power and turns it against him and Fiddler. Somehow, Red Death is able to resist the effect. 

Barry is still depowered after using most of his speed to start up the Cosmic Treadmill.

Barry says they need to do something, but the Rogue Squad point out that they need a plan first.

Iris suggests they can use Cecile's powers to track Red Death's anger and hatred of Barry.

Red Death somehow senses Cecile looking for her, but not in time to stop her from figuring out she and the Rogues are at GCPD HQ.

Cecile also senses intense pain and fear from someone at the Red Death's base. She recognizes the person and informs Team Flash that Chillblaine is still alive.

Barry wants to rescue Chillblaine but the Rogue Squad refuse, saying they should take the fight to Red Death while they know where she is and saving the city is more important than rescuing one guy.

Khione offers to go rescue Chillblaine if nobody else will, but Barry refuses to risk her after losing Frost and Caitlin. 

The Rogues agree to help rescue Chillblaine, guilted into it by Khione's courage.

Cecile tells Joe that her powers are growing the more she uses them.

Cecile senses that Joe still feels uncomfortable about something.

Red Death left Chillblaine alive specifically to set a trap for Barry so she could drain the rest of his speed.

Red Death explains that her newfound psychic powers came from Gorilla Grodd, who is now connected to her.

Barry last saw Grodd in 613, where he was going to find Gorilla City and live with other intelligent gorillas like him. It turned out, however, that the Crisis caused the gorillas in Gorilla City to lose their sentience and they all became scattered across Earth-Prime.

Grodd agreed to amplify Red Death's telepathy in exchange for reuniting his tribe.

The Rogue Squad quit, saying there's no way they can beat Red Death and they want to spend what time they have left with their loved ones. 

Khione watches over Chillblaine but tells Iris that she feels useless. Iris says she feels that way sometimes too, but she eventually found her place on the team and she's sure Khione will figure it out someday.

Khione kisses Chillblaine and this seems to heal him.

Joe tells Barry you have to have faith in the people who follow you. This inspires Barry to try to talk to Grodd again.

Chester is able to track Grodd's telepathic signal.

Grodd is confirmed to be the most powerful telepath on Earth-Prime.

Barry persuades Grodd that he can help him save the formerly sentient gorillas.

Grodd restores Barry's speed with the energy Barry loaned him in 613.

The Rogue squad show up to help fight Red Death.

Batwoman shows up to help fight Red Death.

Batwoman has never been to Central City before.

ARGUS takes Red Death into custody.

Ryan Wilder is a fan of Iris' writing.

Joe decides to move himself and Jenna to the country, telling Cecile she can come be with them on the weekends.

Chillblaine comes to Joe's going away party, but tells Barry he still feels awkward, despite Barry insisting he's part of the family now.

Chester and Allegra kiss again in front of everyone.

Iris complains of feeling lightheaded, leading Khione to tell her that she is pregnant. When asked how she knows, she says she just knows.


Untelevised Adventures

Ryan Wilder gets to know Team Flash off-camera.

Ryan Wilder has a monthly brunch with Kara Danvers, Alex Danvers and Nia Nul. She invites Iris to come to the next one.


The Bottom Line

An easy contender for the worst episode of all time. The Grodd subplot comes out of nowhere and doesn't make any sense.  The new Rogues are completely forgotten partway through the episode. Nothing about Batwoman's appearance makes sense. 

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 9, Episode 4 - The Mask of the Red Death, Part 1

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

Plot

The Red Death launches an assault on Central City and The Flash, with a surprising goal in mind. The new Rogues have to help Team Flash keep the peace as an EMP cuts out all the power in town, as Joe and Cecile have a discussion about where their relationship is going.


Influences

Injustice: Gods Among Us (Red Death is more like the corrupted Superman of this story than the Red Death of the comics, being a hero who crossed the line to fascism to try and build a safer world.)


Goofs

Red Death refers to herself as the Red Death, even though it was apparently Goldface who gave her that name with no indication that was what she called herself.

Come to that, if she thinks she's a hero, why would she choose a name liked Red Death?

Barry calls Khione Caitlin in the final scene in STAR Labs. (This could be due to the stress of the moment, but it seems like a mistake and nobody corrects him.)

Artistry

It's a small detail, but all the Rogues are shown to use ASL when talking directly to Murmur.

Flash Facts

The episode title is a play on the Edgar Allan Poe story The Masque of the Red Death, which Goldface quoted in 903.

Jenna West appears on-camera for the first time since 612.

Rainbow Raider appears for the first time since Season 1. While he doesn't have his full array of powers from comics, he can now inspire fear as well as anger.

Chester evokes the name of Otis Boykin - the inventor of the electric resistor.

Many of Red Death's lines are taken directly from various Batman comics and adaptations.

Red Death's line "I am vengeance. I am the night." is taken from the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Nothing To Fear." "

Red Death's line about criminals being "a superstitious and cowardly lot" was first said in Detective Comics #33.

Red Death's line "Everybody's got their limits. I ignore mine." is from Batman #497.

 Red Death's line "You wanna get nuts? C'mon, let's get nuts!" is from the 1989 Batman movie.

Technobabble

The Cosmic Treadmill requires enough power to light up the Eastern Seaboard.

Barry and Chester plan to reprogram the STAR Labs satellites to scan for the Red Death's tachyon signature.

The Flash's cowl is boobytrapped to administer 50,000 volts to anyone who tries to remove it.

Even with their backup generators, STAR Labs can only operate at 20% power after the EMP.

Pied Piper uses a CB frequency 160 hertz to communicate with his team.

Pied Piper's Harmonic Frequency Tracer can be used to detect Flash's vibrational biometrics anywhere on Earth. Unfortunately, it won't work if The Flash's powers are blocked by meta-cuffs.

A Red Team is a group of journalists who try to pick apart a major story before it goes to print.

Chillblaine overloads the capacitors on the Cosmic Treadmill so it shorts out after The Flash charges it. Instead of opening a wormhole, it shoots all the lighting The Flash put into it at Red Death.


Dialogue Triumphs

Barry: Mark, you don't have to do this.
Chillblaine: If I want Frost back, I do.
Barry: What happens when she turns on that treadmill and busts a hole in the timeline? Or decides it's a lot easier to just kill you than help you bring Frost back?
Chillblaine: If I die, I die. Who would even care?
Barry: You are a part of Team Flash.
Chillblaine: No, I'm not... not anymore. Now I'm just another dirtbag who double-crossed you. Aren't I?
Barry: Mark! Before Frost was one of my best friends, she tried to kill me. People make mistakes. I was so desperate not to make the same mistakes I made with Thawne that I rushed into thinking the Red Death was the new Avatar. But, actually, she's a new threat, one I wasn't ready for, and now the whole world might have to pay for my mistake, and the only one that can help me out of this is you.
Chillblaine: Me? You've got the wrong guy. It's too late for me.
Barry: No, you're wrong. It's never too late for second chances. 


Dialogue Disasters

Red Death: You want to know who I am? I'm the last glimmer of crimson a killer sees before he draws his final breath. I am vengeance. I am the night. I am the Red Death


Continuity

As the episode opens, Chillblaine is assembling the Cosmic Treadmill 

Red Death says she will take care of the power source when Chillblaine asks how it is supposed to run.

Red Death leaves Chillblaine to recruit one more Rogue for their team.

At this point, Barry believes Red Death to be a man and the new Negative Speed Force avatar.

Barry theorizes Red Death may be a corrupted innocent, like Dr. Meena Dhawan from The Flash Season 8 finale, based on the fact that they could have killed him in 903 but did not.

Iris is sent Ryan Wilder's last GPS coordinates by Luke Fox.

Cecile finds out that Joe has been talking to a realtor without her knowledge.

Joe found a house with a big backyard in a good school district. Unfortunately, it's a two hour commute from Central City.

Chester talks with his podcast follower, WookieLover77, about Allegra.

The new Rogue Red Death recruited is revealed to be Roy Bivolo, aka Rainbow Raider, who last appeared 121.

Bivolo has upgraded his powers and can now cause fear by looking at people as well as anger. This allows him to paralyze The Flash, who becomes so scared he hyperventilates and passes out. 

The Red Death uses the Negative Speed Force to generate an EMP that knocks out power in Central City.

The Flash asks Bivolo why he's working with the New Rogues when he had previously only cared about money.  Bivolo says he wants payback for being locked in the STAR Labs pipeline for nine months.

All the Rogues are revealed to know ASL so they can communicate with Murmur.

Khione suggests calling in Barry's Rogues when the Team Flash comms are shorted out.

Red Death tells Barry that their real target is Iris.

Red Death, posing as Ryan Wilder, shows up at Barry and Iris apartment.

Red Death lies, telling Iris that she was driving into Central City when her car batter got fried and her arm was burned by the EMP  She also claims to have encountered the Red Death on Gotham City and to have been nearly been killed by them after they looted her utility belt.

Red Death claims that Luke Fox told her Team Flash was looking for her and that she drove from Gotham City to Central City in a day. When Iris questions this, she says her car goes fast.

The Red Death has the ability to control their armor remotely and is confirmed to be talking to Barry through an empty suit while simultaneously talking to Iris.

The Red Death reveals they kept Barry alive to use him as a power source for the Cosmic Treadmill, as only organic speed can charge it.

Red Death claims she is a big fan of Iris podcast.

Iris catches Red Death in a lie when she notices her distaste about the idea of Barry working with Rogues and says that attitude is understandable given Ryan's foster mother was killed by the Royal Flush Gang.  In truth, Ryan's mother was killed by the Wonderland Gang.

Iris also noticed that Red Death was familiar with the layout of her apartment, when the Ryan Wilder of Earth-Prime had never been in Barry and Iris' home before.

Red Death claims that, in her timeline, Iris West-Allen was her best friend and The Flash became the world's biggest villain. She also says she lied because she knew Iris well enough to know that she'd need to build a rapport first, because she wouldn't believe her if she had just said "I am your best friend in another timeline."

Red Death also claims that there was no Batman in her world, that she was adopted by Thomas and Martha Wayne just a few days after she was born and that it was she who saw them gunned down in Crime Alley as a child.

Red Death claims she protected her Gotham City for 10 years as Batwoman, fighting villains like Hush, Simon Hurt and her own brother.

Red Death began studying the technology her enemies used and then began studying the technology of her allies in a group called The League. (Presumably The Justice League.)

Red Death created her own Artificial Speed Force to imitate The Flash, knowing that with his powers she could put criminals behind bars before they could even think of committing a crime. She claims she was so successful in stopping crime that The Flash became jealous, freed his Rogues from Iron Heights, and turned them into an army that tore apart Gotham trying to get to her.

Red Death tried to hide in the Speed Force, but was rejected and kicked into the Earth-Prime timeline. She needs the Cosmic Treadmill to return home, so she can stop her Flash from destroying her world. She claims that she needs Iris to help her do this because the Iris of her timeline is dead and she's the only one who could talk him into surrendering. 

Joe tells Cecile that he wants to move so that Jenna doesn't have to grow up knowing the hardship that Iris, Barry and Wally did.

Red Death tells Iris that she accidentally killed Iris' doppelganger in her timeline

Iris points out all the holes in Red Death's story, like how she claims her Flash was jealous of her, but she was the one who created an artificial Speed Force to imitate him.

Cecile uses her powers to save Jenna from the breaking windows as a Negative Speed Force storm rages across Central City.

Pied Piper is able to detect Barry by Route 119 once he is put on the Cosmic Treadmill.

Allegra uses her teleportation clouds from Nash to take The Rogue Squad to Red Death's hideout.

Chillblaine betrays Red Death and rigs the Cosmic Treadmill to explode.

The Rogue Squad rescue Barry and Iris, but leave Chillblaine behind as they escape.

Allegra tries to talk to Chester about their relationship but he says it should probably wait until after the crisis is over.

Cecile considers that Joe might be right, but after Jenna draws a picture of Cecile saving her, Joe decides they should stay in Central City because it would send a bad message if he made Cecile stop being the hero she is.

Red Death swears revenge on The Flash, promising to destroy his world since he won't let her go back to her own.


Untelevised Adventures

Red Death describes her world and how she became Red Death.



The Fridge Factor

Averted with Iris, for once, as she manages to see through Red Death's lies and tricks her into revealing her real plans.

The Bottom Line

A bit of a disappointment compared to the build up. Most of the cast is on stand-by while the episode focuses on the cat-and-mouse game between Iris and Red Death. This would be fine, except Javicia Leslie hams it up to show how crazy Red Death is when it would be much more effective for her to be cool, controlled and more like the Superman of Injustice her character imitates.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 9, Episode 2 - Hear No Evil

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

Plot

As Team Flash argue about how to address the fate of Caitlin and Frost, Pied Piper comes to STAR Labs seeking help fighting a new version of The Fiddler.

Influences

Dark Knights: Metal (presence of The Red Death)


Goofs

Joe's sudden fears about Cecile putting herself at risk because of her increased powers seem illogical, given she's already putting herself at risk as a metahuman defense attorney. Also, he doesn't seem to have similar fears about both his sons who have speed powers or his reporter daughter who has been repeatedly kidnapped and taken out of reality because of various supervillains. 

When Pied Piper mentions being attacked by someone called The Fiddler, Iris makes reference to Izzy Bowin and says they were friends the last time they met. Iris apparently forgot that Izzy Bowin was killed by The Thinker shortly after they met, so this Fiddler can't be her. (It's possible that Izzy was one of the lucky metahumans resurrected after Crisis on Infinite Earths.)


Performances

Grant Gustin seems to be channeling Stephen Amell in the scene where he lays down the law with Chillblaine.

Danielle Panabaker makes Kihone into an instantly engaging character.


Artistry

The use of rainfall and storm effects in the background of this episode is fantastic


Flash Facts

Pied Piper's nightclub is called the Krakatoa Club. This is a reference to the loudest sound in recorded history, which was the 1883 eruption of a volcano on the Indonesia island of Krakatoa. The eruption was heard almost 3000 miles away and is estimated to have been nearly 310 decibels at ground zero. To put that in perspective, 200 decibels is lethal to humans and sounds measuring 150 decibels can rupture eardrums. 

This episode introduces a new version of The Fiddler. Much like the new Captain Boomerang, this Fiddler is a convicted criminal who seems to have been empowered by The Red Death. Her real name is Andrea Wozzeck and she seems to be a metahuman with sonic control powers, which she can focus through a specialized violin. Her fine control is such that she can trap people in a state out of phase with reality or cause a person to develop a arrhythmic heartbeat that will slowly kill them.

The Fiddler traps the employees of Pied Piper's nightclub out of phase with reality. This is similar to a stunt from The Flash comics where The Fiddler, joining forces with The Thinker and The Shade, caused Keystone City to become trapped in a pocket dimension. 

Technobabble

Chillblaine says the CRC was supposed to unzip Frost's neural DNA from Caitlin and isolate her brain patterns. Unfortunately, a power fluctuation caused the process to malfunction. 

The new Fiddler is armed with a teleporter, similar to the one used by Captain Boomerang.

When the CRC fails in STAR Labs, Chester detects tachyon feedback when the neural conductive readouts start surging.

A sonic cuff in STAR Labs' medical bay is able to stabilize the heart arrhythmia that the Fiddler instilled in Pied Piper. 

Chester runs a full diagnostic on the CRC. He determines that neural DNA could never unlock Frost's consciousness. He says the only way Chillblaine's plan would work is to use endogenous neural imprints, creating a literal map of Caitlin's mind.

Hartley boosts the efficiency of his Pied Piper gauntlets by 400% while planning how to fight The Fiddler.

Barry says that Dr. Thomas Snow's notes reveal that he tried to create a Caitlin 2.0 that wound be immune to ALS, but instead he created a daughter with two mixed consciousnesses Reversing the process would kill one of the two consciousnesses. . 

Rather than killing Hartley's employees, The Fiddler traps them in a vibrational phase. This is apparently painful and described as a fate worse than death.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Barry has a seat opposite Chillblaine at a table in his favorite bar.)
Chillblaine: You're wasting your time.
Barry: And you screwed up, Mark. Badly. 
Chillblaine: (grunts) Yeah.
Barry: I know why you did it.
Chillblaine: (amused) Okay. No, go ahead. Enlighten me.
Barry: Because you love Frost. With all your heart. And you still do. Sometimes when we love someone like that we do the wrong things for the right reasons.
(There is a long pause as Barry considers his next words.)
Barry: I know I have.
Chillblaine: (skeptical) Please.
(There is another long pause.)
Chillblaine: Are you saying you're not mad at me?
Barry: No, I am. But I understand why you lied. But there's something you need to understand now too: how we operate. You are part of this team now. And that means we have your back. But you need to have ours. Which also means no more going rogue.
(Chillblaine sighs, clearly skeptical.)
Barry: Mark.. if you lest us in... we work together... we can do the impossible. But we have to stick togehter. 

Snow: You're not a killer. I can tell.
Hartley: You don't know me!
Snow: Actually, and I can say this quite truthfully, I think I know you better than I know myself.
Hartley: I used to be a meta-criminal. A Rogue, as they say. I used to hurt people all the time. And I enjoyed it.
Snow: What changed you?
Hartley: (frustrated) Oh, Roderick, okay?  (pauses) Roderick.
Snow: You changed to keep him safe. That's beautiful. But that's not real change, is it?  Deciding to change for the person you love doesn't mean you've decided who you want to be. That's a choice you still have to make for yourself.

Continuity

This episode picks up where 901 ended, with the rest of Team Flash joining Barry in answering Caitlin's distress call.

The woman who looks like Caitlin with blue streaks in her hair introduces herself as Snow. She says that despite her appearance, she is a blank slate with no memories or powers.

Chillblaine makes reference to Barry destroying Caitlin's lab in 816.

Chillblaine explains that Snow was born of Caitlin's sacrificing herself to try and bring back Frost in 819 and that Caitlin is now dead.  Thankfully, he has a plan that will bring her and Frost back to life.

Chillblaine says he can bring Frost and Caitlin back if he's loaned a steady power source. 

Team Flash agrees to help, though Barry seems reluctant.

When the rest of Team Flash leave them alone, Snow asks Chillblaine how she did, revealing there is some kind of deception in play. While Snow is unsure about what they are doing, Chillblaine reassures her this is what Caitlin would want.

Allegra and Chester agree to discuss their kiss from 901 later, once Frost and Caitlin are fine.

Joe tells Cecile that he does not want her on the front line as a superhero. This is the main reason he wants to move from Central City. 

Hartley Rathaway (aka Pied Piper) and his boyfriend Roderick last appeared in 618.

Hartley and Roderick are revealed to now be running a dance club called the Krakatoa Club. It is located at the corner of Park and Second in downtown Central City.

Hartley is attacked outside his club by a woman armed with a high-tech violin, who calls herself The Fiddler.

Barry pulls Snow out of the CRC when it starts failing.

Snow says that the CRC hurt her.

Snow accidentally lets it slip that Chillblaine 's plan was to bring back Frost and Caitlin rather than just Caitlin.

Chillblaine defends his decision to lie to Team Flash by pointing out that Barry destroyed Caitlin's lab when he learned about her plan to resurrect Frost.

An intruder alert in the med lab informs Team Flash of Hartley breaking into STAR Labs, seeking treatment for the arrhythmia he developed after being attacked by The Fiddler.

Hartley confirms that The Fiddler who attacked him is not Izzy Bowin from 414.

The new Fiddler is confirmed to be working for Red Death. She is throttled for failing to complete her mission in attacking Pied Piper and is told that if she fails a second time she will die.

Barry tracks down Chillblaine at O’Shaughnessy Pub, getting drunk.

Barry says he will help Chillblaine resurrect Caitlin and Frost, but he will need to be completely honest to him and the rest of the team from now on.  Chillblaine agrees, albeit reluctantly. 

Chester and Chilblaine work on repeiaring the CRC while Barry gets Dr. Thomas Snow's notes about how he created Frost while trying to cure Caitlin's ALS.

Snow meets Hartley while he is upgrading his Pied Piper gauntlets. She confirms that she does not have Caitlin's medical knowledge or Frost's ice powers.

Snow realizes that Hartley is worried about Roderick being hurt by The Fiddler.

Snow believes killing is wrong and that deciding to change for someone doesn't really make you change.

Hartley says Central City is the metahuman violence capital of the world.

Barry determines that there is no way to bring back Frost and Caitlin - only one of them can survive.

Team Flash put it to a vote as to which Snow sister they should bring back. 

Chillblaine, unsurprisingly, votes for Frost, saying that Caitlin wanted to give her life to save Frost.

Allegra votes for Frost, presumably because she was closer to her than Caitlin.

Chester votes for Caitlin, saying that after his experiences with Deathstorm in 809 have convinced him that no good can come of trying to bring the dead back and that, given the choice, Caitlin is only mostly dead.

Iris votes for Frost, later telling Barry that she never really got to know Frost when she was alive, having not really given her a chance to reform and be part of Team Flash.

Barry says he needs more time to think, but Chillblaine says he'll only wait eight hours before making another attempt at bringing Frost back.

Barry admits he was mistaken to destroy Caitlin's lab in  816, saying the last thing he said to Caitlin was "I'm sorry" but that he wasn't.

Cecile speaks with Snow about how she is feeling, after discovering that she cannot read her emotions or mind. She is apparently the first person Cecile's powers didn't work on.

Snow loves rain and nature because she feels connected to all living things yet disconnected at the same time.  She says that  everything in nature has a purpose and she hopes to find a purpose of her own.

Cecile says that something about Snow seems inherently friendly and she is not scared of her, despite being unable to read her mind and emotions. 

Snow says that she is cure of only two things. First, whoever she is she likes herself. Second, she doesn't want to go back into the CRC.

Barry and Iris tell Snow that they are going to let her decide if Frost or Caitlin should come back, based on the logic that Dr. Thomas Snow didn't try to force his daughter to decide which personality would be dominant and they can't make that choice either. Only Snow can.

Hartley leaves STAR Labs to confront The Fiddler after she returns to the Krakatoa Club.

The Flash easily takes out The Fiddler and destroys her Fiddler. It is then that she reveals that, like Izzy Bowin, the instrument only focuses her powers. She is still able to attack him and Hartley with a sonic scream.

The Flash stops Hartley from killing The Fiddler and reveals that his employees and boyfriends are trapped out-of-phase with reality.

With Flash's help, Hartley uses his gauntlets to save all the people Fiddler phased. This also cures Hartley's heart problem.

The Fiddler steals Hartley's gauntlets after Captain Boomerang stuns the crowd with a trick boomerang that seems to put them out of phase with the rest of the room. They teleport away together.

The Fiddler is identified as an ex-con named  Andrea Wozzeck.

Snow decides that she wants to be her own person and refusing to go back into the CRC.

Hartley uses his powers (and a sonic scream) to destroy the CRC, saying he just helped a new friend when Chillblaine asks if he knows what he did.

Chillblaine swears revenge on Pied Piper and leaves STAR Labs, furious.

Snow decides to take the name Khione - the Greek snow goddess Dr. Thomas Snow references in his notes in 405.

Barry and Iris decide to take a trip to go see Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park.

The team go out and dance at the Krakatoa Club.

Allegra asks Chester to dance with her.

In the final scene, Captain Boomerang and The Fiddler construct some sort of device that seems to stabilize Red Death.

Red Death says that The Flash disgraced them, but they will have revenge.

Location

O’Shaughnessy Pub on the south side of Keystone City.

Untelevised Adventures

Chillblaine's interactions with Khione before she contacted Barry are undescribed.

Barry meets with Dr. Carla Tannhauser to get access to Dr. Thomas Snow's notes.


The Bottom Line

An incredibly disjointed episode. There's a lot of good moments here, but there's surprisingly little unifying the two storylines, apart from Snow/Khione pestering Pied Piper and inspiring his becoming a real hero. The Piper and Chillblaine plots are otherwise unconnected and the brilliant moments are outweighed by the bits where the rest of the ensemble gets in the way of the story. It also doesn't help that the new Fiddler is barely developed as a character or a threat.

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 #37 - A Review

There's a new crime boss in Central City and his war with the usurper Copperhead is running The Flash ragged. Barry Allen is busy too, following the trail of a murderer in Iron Heights Prison while trying to stay under the radar of Warden Wolfe and Captain Singh. Unfortunately, an old enemy is about to stop The Flash cold...


Scott McDaniel takes over the art duties for this issue and it's hard to think of an artist better suited for The Flash. McDaniel's work on Nightwing is still fondly remembered, due to his kinetic style which showed every step of Dick Grayson in motion as he executed his acrobatic maneuvers. One would think that would work just as well in depicting Barry Allen in motion.

Unfortunately, McDaniel's work here is far from his best. Many panels appear sloppy and slap-dash and McDaniel's sense of storytelling seems to have left him. Far too many panels are cluttered and the heavy inks of Mick Gray cause some of the details to be lost in the tight quarters. Not even Hi-Fi's fantastic colors can save the book's visuals.

It's a shame because Joshua Williamson's writing continues to be the best aspect of the book. Hopefully Williamson will find an artist who can match him in quality soon. I may soon get tired of suffering through mediocre artwork for the sake of a good story.

The Final Analysis: 5 out of 10. Great story. Cluttered artwork.

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.

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Five #10 - A Review

Disaster strikes The Rogues!  Superman was hot on their trail and now they're under attack by something... bizarre. And with Mirror Master out-cold and no back-up on the way, this could be the end for Batman's latest allies.


Brian Buccellato writes a good action scene. And this issue is, for the most part, one good action scene. Yet there are still plenty of the touching, more dramatic moments that have made this series so enjoyable as well as a gut-punch of an ending.


The art team exceeds their usual high standard this week. Bruno Redondo is as skillful at staging high-octane action scenes as Brian Buccellato is at writing them. The inks by Juan Albarran perfectly enhance the original pencils. And the colors by Rex Lokus are all well-chosen.

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Five #9 - A Review

Under Batman's command, The Rogues Gallery orchestrate a coordinated attack on multiple Regime bases simultaneously. This does little to soothe the temper of Superman, who is already angry due to delays in the construction of a new super-prison and the loss of the drugs needed to enhance his army of Super-Soldiers. Despite this, things are looking bleak for The Resistance, though they may have just found the most unexpected of allies...


It's always a treat when Brian Buccellato writes The Rogues Gallery and this issue proves no exception to that truism. I'm curious as to the absence of Captain Cold but I'm certain he's being saved for something special later on. I would like to see more of this world's version of The Trickster, however, who seems to be cut from the same mold as the TV series' Joker-Lite - a characterization I've never been fond of but find preferable in this case to the idea of James Jesse selling out his fellow Rogues.


The artwork this week is competently done but not as fine as usual. Tom Derenick's pencils seem rushed in some places and Juan Albarran's inks seem a little too heavy at times. The colors by Rex Lokus are as fine as ever and the artwork doesn't look bad - just not quite up to the usual standard.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 2, Episode 9 - Running To Stand Still

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




Plot

The Weather Wizard returns to break Captain Cold and The Trickster out of Iron Heights and The Flash will run himself ragged trying to stop them from wreaking havoc on The Holidays. Meanwhile, Iris and Joe West prepare themselves to meet Wally West - the son and brother they never knew they had.


Influences

Too many The Flash comics involving The Rogues Gallery teaming up to count.


Goofs

Apparently Joe still hasn't explained Harrison Wells' being alive to Patty and she hasn't asked any further questions since she shot Harry last week in 208.

Even for comic-book science, the magnets explanation for how sending one bomb through a breach can attract the rest of the bombs in the city like it is totally ludicrous.

For that matter, what happened to the idea that only speedsters and the people they carry can travel through the breaches?


Performances

Jesse L. Martin's reaction to being told about Joe's long-lost son is one of the best bits of acting he's done on the show. And that's saying something giving how generally amazing he is!


Artistry

The opening with Zoom chasing Wells is nice and suspenseful, grabbing your attention immediately.

The dreidel scene is one of the most unsettling in the show's history.

The scene of Barry jumping onto a moving helicopter blade while chasing Weather Wizard looks amazing.


Flash Facts

The Flash toy that Iris picks up while shopping is an actual Flash action figure based on the TV show.

Wally West is a familiar character to long-time fans of The Flash comics.  Indeed, for comic fans of a certain age, he's more familiar than Barry Allen!  Originally the nephew of Iris West, Wally gained super-speed powers after an incident which replicated the accident that gave Barry Allen his powers. Wally went on to partner with Barry as Kid Flash and went on to take over his mentor's title after Barry's death in Crisis on Infinite Earths.

This hasn't changed in the New 52 universe, save that Wally is of mixed heritage (half African, half White) is now a juvenile delinquent Iris hoped Barry might be able to positively influence.  Wally has yet to become Kid Flash in the current Flash comic but a future version of him, who adopted the name of The Flash, showed up to help Barry during one fight.

The DCTVU version of Wally West is Joe West's son and Iris West's brother, raised apart from them after Joe's wife left him.

The music that plays when we first see The Trickster sounds a little bit like The Joker theme from Batman: The Animated Series. Mark Hamill, who plays The Trickster, was also the voice of The Joker on Batman: The Animated Series.

The Mister Jiggle Wiggle doll is made by Okumara Toys. This is a nod to Hiro Okumara - aka Toyman. Not to be confused with the Superman villain, this Toyman was a hero - a Japanese child prodigy who used his fortune and gift for electronics to fight crime with a variety of robots. Most of these robots featured designs inspired by Hiro's favorite anime and manga.

Weather Wizard is now able to fly, as in the comic books.


Technobabble

Jay Garrick suggests that they could inject an unstable neutrino burst into the individual breaches and they might seal on their own.

There was an unexpected drop in barometric pressure as Weather Wizard came back into town.

Most weather phenomona are marked by changes in electrical charge and pressure in the atmosphere. Cisco theorizes they can locate Weather Wizard by mapping those changes. He further postulates that they can remove all the electricity from his immediate surroundings the same way that a lighting rod draws in electrical energy to one spot.

Cisco is able to detect the atmospheric pressure dropping 200 hectopascals when Weather Wizard begins using his powers in Central City Square.

Cisco says that Weather Wizard is able to fly by using his powers to alter the air pressure around him to create pockets of updraft .  Harry says he's just able to fly.

Cisco is able to track down one of The Trickster's bombs by cross-referencing credit card statements, toll-road usage and families with children under ten.

Magnets of opposite poles attract one another. Harry says that by changing the dimensional frequency of one of Trickster's bombs before sending it through a breach, it will drag all the rest of the bombs with it. They use a STAR Labs drone to deliver the bomb through a breach a quarter-mile over Central City.


Dialogue Triumphs

Caitlin: It means a lot.
Jay: What does?
Caitlin: You looking after Barry. He's... been through a lot the last few weeks.
Jay: Well, Barry's not the only person here I want to keep safe...
Cisco: Oh dear Lord, just kiss already!

(The doors to Iron Heights are blow inward by a strong wind and the snow begins to blow into the building. Enter Weather Wizard.)
Weather Wizard: Let it snow!

Patty: I'm sorry. I don't have time to bring you up to speed.
Barry: (to himself) That's ironic.

Weather Wizard: I didn't break either of you out because I was looking to make new friends.
Trickster: That is not the holiday spirit, Marky-Mark! Christmas is a time for togetherness! And what says togetherness more than mass graves, hmmmm?
Captain Cold: So why DID you break us out?
Weather Wizard: Well, I owed you one. And this guy? (motions to Trickster) He's just crazy! It's a complement.
(Trickster nods in acknowledgement.)
Weather Wizard: And we all want the same thing.
Captain Cold: Fashion advice?
Weather Wizard: To see The Flash dead!
Trickster: Well, that was more of a New Years' Resolution, but hey - I'm flexible!

Barry: Why are you here, Snart?
Captain Cold: I got the Noel spirit. Wanted to give you a little gift. Mardon broke Jesse and me out to kill you. Jesse's on board, of course. He's shaking with excitement. Me? I'm going to pass.
Iris: Why? You grow a conscience?
Captain Cold: Mardon wants revenge. Jesse wants chaos. I'm just not... invested like they are.
Iris: You mean there's no money in it for you!
Captain Cold: I was never much for non-profit work.
Barry: If you're not in with them, then tell me where they are.
Captain Cold: Nah. Consider me more of a Secret Santa. Besides, you and your friends love to solve a good mystery.
Barry: You are full of it, Snart! I think my friends and I saved your sister's life and you just can't stand to owe me a marker. I hate to break it to you, but that - that right there is called Honor.
Captain Cold: Go on. Make your pitch. I can see you're dying to.
Barry: Help me stop them.
Captain Cold: Sorry. I'm not interested in being a hero.
Barry: Well... (laughs) ...you're doing a pretty lousy job of being a villain this week.
Captain Cold: Merry Christmas, Barry.

Trickster: We can't let Christmas hog all of the holiday fun!  Happy Hanukkah! (singing) Oh, Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel... I made you out of C-4! Ho ho ho!

The Flash: You know even if you get this guy that wronged you, that doesn't always make things better.
Patty: It has to be better than this!

(The Flash runs up to the top of the building where Weather Wizard is looking down on the square)
Weather Wizard: Oh. Glad to see you!  Maybe you can help me?
The Flash: Help get back to a jail cell?  It'd be my pleasure, Mark.
Weather Wizard: No. No. See, I'm trying to decide if I should kill everybody down there with a deadly hail storm or - little trickier - with acid rain! What do you think?
The Flash: (sarcastically) Ah. Let me think ... umm... how about neither?  Do you see this wand here? Guess what?
(Suddenly, Weather Wizard spreads his arms and tumbles backward off the ledge of the building.  Barry walks to the edge and looks down... to see Weather Wizard flying off!)
The Flash: Umm... guys?  (voice cracking) He's flying!

(The Flash looks at a present next to his feet)
The Flash: What is this?
Weather Wizard: That is a box with a bomb in it.
Trickster: Yup. I've handed out about 100 of them today. It feels so good to give.
Weather Wizard: You see, right now there are 100 random children who have each taken home a box just like that one. And are shoving it under their Christmas tree. There's no way for you to get to all of them. Even if you knew where to look.
The Flash: Oh, no. Please don't do this.
Weather Wizard: What? Me? Kill 100 families? (chuckling) No. That's up to you. I'm happy just to take your life. So this is how it's going to be. You will stand there and let me end you. Very publically. And very painfully. And I'll let everybody live. But if I see even a little flicker of electricity on you? Casket makers in this town are going to have a very merry Christmas. So, Flash - what's it going to be?
(The Flash wordlessly hands over The Weather Wand to Weather Wizard)

(Harry knocks on the door of a suburban home. A small boy answers it.)
Harry: Your toys? Give them to me.
Boy: Mom?!


Dialogue Disasters

Cisco: How do you like the magnets, bitch?


Continuity

Iris refers to Eddie Thawne's death in 123.

Joe's watch was a gift from his father. He said that one day he would give it to his son. At the episode's end, he gives it to Barry.

Barry refers to Eobard Thawne's message to him about never really being happy from 201.

Iris tells Barry what she learned from Francine in 204 about having a brother.

They celebrate Christmas on Earth 2.They also have a tradition of hanging mistletoe and kissing underneath it.

Weather Wizard was last seen in 122.

Captain Cold was last seen in 203.

The Trickster was last seen in 117.

We're reminded that Weather Wizard killed Patty's father - a fact that we learned in 202.

Weather Wizard refers to The Flash's defeat at the hands of Zoom in 206.

Barry tells Cisco about the Weather Wand that he build in the alternate time-line in 115 to negate Weather Wizard's powers.

Earth 2 also has the movie The Godfather, complete with a reference to sleeping with the fishes.  According to Harry, all Earths have The Godfather.

Francine named her and Joe's son Wallace. This was the name she and Joe agreed upon for a son, when the first had Iris.

Captain Cold modified his cold gun to explode if he lets go of his grip on the handle.

According to Jay Garrick, there is no Trickster on Earth 2.

There are, however, Mister Jiggle Wiggle dolls on both Earth 1 and Earth 2.  Harry bought one for his daughter Jessie when she was six.  Patty's father also bought one for her when she was young.

Barry is able to achieve limited levitation by spinning his wrists fast enough to create focused tornadoes that allow him to achieve lift-off.

Patty reveals that she blames herself for her father's death, as she skipped work to goof off with her friends on the day that her father had to drop off the deposits for his store at the same time Mark Mardon was robbing their bank.

Harry refers to how they sent Grodd away using a breach in 207.

Patty traps The Flash to the ground using one of the guns Cisco designed back in 201.

Caitlin and Jay finally share a kiss.

Barry and Patty are now officially a couple.

Wally West introduces himself to Joe and Iris.

Harry figures out that Zoom is trying to push Barry to become faster before stealing his speed. He agrees to help Zoom do this in exchange for his daughter Jessie being spared.


The Bottom Line

A solid episode and a heck of a Christmas story. The Wally West reveal is somewhat understated as is the revelation of Harry's treachery. And I personally would have liked to have seen The Trickster return in a solo-story rather than sharing the stage. Still, one can't argue with results. And it's nice to not have any major cliff-hangers to fret over for a month.

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.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 1, Episode 10 - Revenge Of The Rogues

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


Plot

In the wake of The Reverse-Flash's attack, Barry has become obsessed with becoming faster and taken Dr. Well's lead on focusing on a strict training regiment. If nothing else, it's taking his mind off of Iris moving out of her dad's house and in with Eddie Thawne. Unfortunately, Leonard Snart has become increasingly bold in trying to lure The Flash out of hiding. And with his new partner - arsonist Mick Rory - Captain Cold is hoping to expose The Flash to the world at large before giving the Scarlet Speedster a bad case of "freeze or burn".


Influences

The Flash #140 (first team-up of Captain Cold and Heatwave) and The Flash comics of Geoff Johns.  The title itself seems to have been inspired by a Final Crisis tie-in - Rogue's Revenge.


Goofs

Barry's sudden leap that FIRESTORM is an acronym is somewhat contrived.

One wonders why the cops on the scene don't try shooting Captain Cold and Heatwave while they're distracted and looking up at The Flash as he runs along the sides of the surrounding buildings.

Granting that Barry's costume is a modified fire-fighter's suit and that his speed makes him resistant to the effects of Captain Cold's freeze ray, it still seems unlikely that Barry could endure what is meant to be absolute zero AND absolute hot for as long as he does with no adverse effects.


Performances

As in 104, Wentworth Miller steals the show as Captain Cold. But Dominic Purcell holds his own as Heatwave. Carlos Valdes is given a rare chance to stretch his wings beyond being simple comic relief and proves capable of delivering a number of touching speeches sans technobabble.


Artistry

Geoff Johns and Kai Yu Wu deliver a mostly solid script. The exception to this is the scenes centering upon our titular Rogues, which are straight-from-the-comics perfect.

The special effects for this episode are top notch.


Flash Facts

Captain Cold's new partner in crime is a pyromaniac arsonist by the name of Mick Rory.  In the comics, this was indeed the name of the man who became the villain Heatwave.  Both characters are experienced arsonists who suffer from pyromania.

On the show, Snart gifts Rory the STAR Labs flame gun.  In the comics, Rory was an independent super-villain who built his own flame-thrower before joining The Rogues.

As on the show, it was Captain Cold who brought Heatwave into the gang of super-criminals known as The Rogues.

As on the show, Captain Cold and Heatwave don't really like each other much, with Cold disapproving of Heatwave's mania regarding fire and Heatwave disliking Cold's cool, business-like manner. Still, the two work together recognizing the benefits their partnership has to offer.

Iris has a stuffed turtle toy named McSnurtle the Turtle. This is a reference to a rather obscure funny animals comic character about a super-powered turtle - The Terrific Whatzit - who dressed in a costume based on the design of Golden Age Flash Jay Garrick.

Barry had a red and yellow backpack as a kid, which matches his costume as The Flash.

Barry is revealed to have collected comic books as a kid.  In the Silver Age Flash comics, Barry Allen was also a comic collector.

The rich couple who bought the painting Fire and Ice are named Osgood and Rachel Rathaway. They make mention of no longer having a son. This is a reference to Hartley Rathaway who eventually become the super-villain The Pied Piper.

The reason for The Rathaways disowning their son is probably due to Hartley being gay.  The Pied Piper was one of the first openly gay characters in American superhero comics.

In trying to discover what happened to her fiance, Ronnie, Caitlin seeks out a man named Jason Rusch. In the comics, Jason Rusch was one of the people who became a host for the Firestorm Matrix.  Originally, he absorbed the powers of the original Firestorm when Ronnie Raymond died.  In the New 52 reality, Rusch is a brilliant science-minded high-school student who become forcibly bonded to football team captain Ronnie Raymond to form the hero Firestorm.

Jason Rusch co-wrote the 800 page paper about F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. with Dr. Martin Stein. In the comics, Dr. Martin Stein was a physicist who - after being caught in a nuclear accident - joined together with high-school student Ronnie Raymond to create the matter-manipulating hero Firestorm. In the New 52 reality, Stein was the scientist whose work was responsible for merging Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch together to become Firestorm.

Mention is made of Hudson University being the college where Rusch and Stein worked on the F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. project.  In the comics, Hudson University was the college that employed Dr. Stein when he became one-half of the Firstorm matrix.

Captain Cold tells The Flash to meet him at the corner of Porter and Main. This is likely a reference to comics artist Howard Porter, who worked on The Flash with writer Geoff Johns.

Leonard Snart's "sis" who helps him and Mick Rory escape at the end of the episode is Lisa Snart.  In the comics, Leonard Snart's younger sister became a super-villain called The Golden Glider.


Technobabble

The remnants of the door to the vintage car warehouse that Captain Cold and Heatwave broke into indicates that the door had zero viscoelasticity when it hit the ground- i.e. steel shattered like glass.

Cisco and Dr. Well coat the ballistic shields used by CCPD's SWAT teams with a compacted heating ribbon designed to repel temperature attacks - particularly Absolute Zero temperatures like those generated by Captain Cold's freeze ray.

S.C.U.B.A. is an acronym for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.

F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. is an acronym for Fusion Ignition Research Experiment & Science of Transmutation RNA & Molecular Structures.

Transmutation is the process of altering the structure of an element by unzipping its atoms and rebuilding it to create an entirely new element.

Heatwave's gun generates Absolute Hot (aka Planck Temperature) the same way Captain Cold's freeze ray generates Absolute Cold.

Cisco is able to find where Caitlin is being held captive through a combination of analyzing traffic-stop cameras to track Cold's vehicle and then figuring out which warehouse has the heat turned on.


Dialogue Triumphs

Dr. Wells: Look, Barry.  Cisco and I will work with Joe and the police to devise a way to catch Cold. Yes, I said it, Cisco. As soon as it came out of my mouth, I heard it.

Barry: I told Iris.
Joe: You told Iris you're The Flash?
Barry: Oh, no.  No, no, no, no. Sorry, no.  I told her how I felt about her.
Joe: Oh God.
Barry: Mmm-hmm.
Joe: What did she say?
Barry: Well... still moving in with Eddie, isn't she?

(After being asked why the police should trust STAR Labs' tech to protect them)
Cisco: You're right. You're right. You shouldn't trust us. What happened a year ago - that was out fault. And we can't change the past. As much as we wish we could. But tomorrow is a different story. Tomorrow is a different thing. We just want the chance to make things better.

Heatwave: (to a group of cops) Why do they call you people The Heat?!  I'M THE HEAT!

Cold: Give me one reason I don't kill you right now.
Heatwave: It's gonna be hard to find someone else to listen to your winning speeches.
Cold: You lost it out there. Just like the last job. You lost focus. Became obsessed.
Heatwave: I'm obsessed?  What about you? You're usually counting the seconds. Got the whole planned out.  Dotting T's. Crossing  I's. But all you care about now is The Flash.

Wells: (To Barry) I hope we're not enemies.

Dr. Wells: So, potentially, these two guns could cancel each other out.
Cisco: Yeah. But to do that you'd have to make them cross streams.
Barry: You mean like Ghostbusters?
Cisco: That film was surprisingly scientifically accurate!
Dr. Wells: And really quite funny.


Continuity

Barry is now fast enough that he can outrun a heat-seeking missile, grab a hold of it, and throw it before it explodes. Dr. Wells notes his reaction to stimuli while moving at super-speed has improved dramatically over the past month.

Cisco officially dubs "the man in the yellow suit" The Reverse Flash, pointing out the man named himself in 109.

The painting that Captain Cold and Heatwave steal is named, appropriately enough, Fire and Ice.

Cisco reminds everyone that he built Captain Cold's gun, as we discovered in 104.

Jason Rusch mentions having just gotten hired at Mercury Labs, last seen in 109.

Either Leonard Snart or Mick Rory is capable of hacking a television broadcast signal.

At the episode's end, Cisco reclaims the Freeze and Heat rays on behalf of STAR Labs.

Though nothing definite is said about abandoning the Anti-Flash squad Eddie Thawne formed two episodes earlier, it is made clear that many of the cops have a positive opinion of The Flash.

The existence of The Flash is outed to the public of Central City.

Iris moves out of Joe's house as Barry decides to move back in.


The Bottom Line

The episode is a little slow to start and some moments of the final battle are a little goofy, even allowing for the fact that Flash comics in general tend to be a bit silly.  Nevertheless, its an enjoyable episode made more enjoyable by all the cliches that are blown apart as the story proceeds. No cops living in fear of our hero. No secretive war to save a city that doesn't know he exists. The Flash is out in the spotlight and a friend to all, as he should be.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Blackest Night: Flash #1

GOOD THING: I'm not going to go with an easy answer like "Johns and Kolins working together again on a Flash story" or even "a Rogues-centered adventure in the spirit of Rogue's Revenge". No. Instead I'm going to point out how utterly awesome it is that Captain Cold gets the entire team to agree to doing something heroic and stupid on the grounds that if the zombies are going to be coming for you sooner or later, you might as well make it sooner.

BAD THING: The opening scenes with Barry recapping how he is alive again spoil the ending of the as-of-yet unreleased Flash: Rebirth #6. Bit of a downer, especially since these scenes - which also describe Barry's actions through Blackest Night so far - only seem to be included for Flash fans who haven't been reading Blackest Night until now.



The Final Verdict: Despite a big whopping spoiler for the end of Flash: Rebirth, a must read for any and all fans of The Rogues and The Flash. Just wait for Flash:Rebirth #6 before you open this one up.

Fast Thoughts - The Week of 10/15/08

Picked up quite a few IDW titles special this week. Let's see if I regret it...



COMIC FOUNDRY MAGAZINE #4 - Quite a lot to appreciate and quite a lot I could care less about. Your typical issue of Comic Foundry, in other words; something for everyone and that's what makes it the best magazine about comic books on the market.

If you're like me and you don't want to read an article about Mark Millar's begging and pleading for a chance to write a Superman movie, you can go on to read Tony Harris talking about his moving on to creator-owned projects only (unless something REALLY good comes up). If you could care less about an exclusive preview of Greg Rucka's latest project, there's a Gail Simone interview. Don't much care what Jimmy Palmiotti's office looks like? Take a gander at some TP reviews which tell you about a more obscure title you should check out if you enjoyed a more famous one. (Like Walking Dead? Check out Wasteland). And, of course, there's a lot of articles on politics and superheroes.


CONAN THE CIMMERIAN #4 - A half-way decent cover this time. I can't believe it's Frank Cho though - there's no unclothen bootylicious wenches! As for the comic itself, it's the same as before - a lot of Conan grandpa flashbacks and precious little Conan action. Still a good read, but enough is enough!


DOCTOR WHO: THE FORGOTTEN #2 - Second Doctor and Third Doctor flashbacks this time. Thankfully, these take up the better part of the issue so the Martha-taint is relatively minor. Lots of fun fan-fic ideas here, such as the 2nd Doctor using the recorder he played for fun as a weapon... and the 3rd Doctor fights greyhound men from outer-space (funny if you know that The Brigadeer's call-sign was Greyhound One) behind the wheel of Bessie. Good Whoish fun.


FABLES #77 - Lots of goodness here as always, which is to be expected. What wasn't expected, however, was a parody of Fritz Leiber's fantasy heroes Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser... here presented as "Freddy and Mouse".


FINAL CRISIS: ROGUES' REVENGE #3 - A perfect and wonderful comic... up until the very end when we find out that not only is Barry Allen coming back, but that he's going to be going after The Rogues - who just want to be left alone at this point - with a vengeance. Which is a real shame because this series spelled out - in no uncertain terms - why The Flash has the best villainous characters of any hero in comics.

Spider-Man may have a more varied Rogues Gallery. Batman may have a scarier one. But for pure complex characterization, nobody can touch The Rogues - the guys who go out of their way to bring to justice (albeit rough justice) the villain who actively was trying to kill Bart Allen.


GHOSTBUSTERS: THE OTHER SIDE #1 - This comic reads just like an episode of the old cartoon series... after J. Michael Straczynski quit in disgust. The only things missing are a cutsey, dancing Slimer, thank goodness. But everything else - including the hokey jokes - is intact.

Seriously - you can hear the second-rate Dave Coulier impression of Bill Murray as you read the precious few pages that Venkman is in.

Here's the story in a nut-shell; The Ghostbusters crash a meeting of ghostly gangsters only to have Peter get possessed and forced out of his body. Dragging their catatonic comrade back to base, the rest of the team determine that the lights are on but nobody is home - body is alive but soulless. Eventually they figure out that Peter is in Purgatory only to be gun-downed by tommy-gun wielding poltergeists, who got approval from the heads of the ghost Mafia (including the ghosts of Lucky Luciano, Bugsy Malone and Meyer Lansky) to put out a hit on The Ghostbusters.

The plot, such as it is, shows just why The Ghostbusters mythology has always equated ghosts to monsters and never chose to explore the serious issues regarding the nature of The Afterlife and rarely dealt with the ghosts of re-world figures. Ignoring the touchy religious and spiritual issues regarding the details of how the afterlife is structured, it's just creepy to consider that lost souls are being prevented from going to Heaven, Nirvana or wherever by a bunch of scientists out to make a buck on supernatural pest control. This issue also neatly sidesteps the issues as to just what ghostly gangsters steal and how they hurt their rivals... issues that have never stood up in the purely comedic rules of physics that back The Ghostbusters universe.

Avoid like the plague, children. Wait for the video game and a Ramis/Ackroyd written story.


GRANT MORRISON'S DOCTOR WHO #1 - If you like Grant Morrison, you should pick this up. If you like Doctor Who, you should pick this up. If you, like me, like both, you really should pick this up. And if you don't see the beauty of a comic that features a shape-shifting alien penguin as The Doctor's sidekick... well, why are you reading comics?

Fast Thoughts - The Week of 8/27/08

AMBUSH BUG: YEAR NONE #2 - Should I even bother trying to review this title? I mean, you either hate Ambush Bug or you love it. Trying to describe the plot is pointless - there isn't one. And some of the items covered here - such as The Amber Butane Corps - are so obscure you can't even find articles about them! And it wouldn't be much fun for me to just run down a list of obscure references. Must leave Jess Nevins some work, after all. Anyway... this is a very silly book. If you like silly books, you will probably like it.


FINAL CRISIS: ROGUES REVENGE #2 - The thing I like best about Geoff Johns writing is the way he can take some of the sillier or more confusing aspects of the DCU and explain them away, simply and easily, with a throwaway sentence.

Case in point: even by the standards of super-villains, The Rogues dress funny. What's even more maddening is that they have a professional tailor who caters exclusively to the villain crowds. With just a few quick notes and one page of action, Johns explains that The Rogues go to Paul Gambi - not for his sense of style - but his practicality in design.

Yes, a blue fur eskimo suit with skier-sunglasses doesn't look very menacing... but when you're like Captain Cold and your powers involve generating Absolute Zero levels of cold and enough snow to cause permanent snow-blindness... well, suddenly a fur suit and eye-protection make a whole lot of sense. So does an insulated, water-proof costume for a weather manipulator. And so does Heatwave's bulky, ugly fire-proof suit - which proves to be the deciding factor in his battle against another fire-starter who didn't think to protect himself form his own flames.

We also get an explanation for why arch-baddie Libra should care about The Flash villains not wanting to join his gang. It's not the usual "no one refuses Doom!" shtick. No, he practically notes that The Flashes - with their ability to strike unseen and time-travel - are the biggest threat to his plans and that it is very important that he have people with extensive experience fighting Speedsters and winning most of the time on his team.

A very entertaining read. If you like stories told from the bad guys' point of view, this is a good book to pick-up.


JACK OF FABLES #25 - The 4th Wall as a narrator. Babe the Blue Ox as a friendly pirate. Jack actually proving to be every bit the ladies' man and hero he thinks he is. All this, and more hot librarian sex! It's everything you could want in a comedic Vertigo title. Well, everything I could want anyway...