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FLASH SPOILER Review: Episode 1×22- “Rogue Air”

 

The Flash (1×22) – “Rogue
Air”
Written by: Aaron and Todd Helbing
Directed by: Douglas Aarniokoski             
This week opens from the point of view of Dr. Wells/Eobard
Thawne as he asks the questions: “How would you feel if you lost everything
you ever knew?” and “What would you sacrifice to get it
back?”  It turns out he’s still down
in his bunker with Eddie and asking those questions of him.  He then promises his ancestor that he will
get everything he lost back.
Barry meets Iris at Jitters and she shows him the two
thousand return address labels she and Eddie have recently received and he
reassures her that he will bring Eddie back to her safely.  Eobard took his mother but he won’t let him
take someone from her.  He’s then called
away by Cisco.
 At STAR Labs, Cisco asks a very important question, why did
Eobard use a wheelchair?  While the
others agree that it is to help him hide in plain sight and while Cisco
initially agreed he inspected the chair and found some sort of futuristic
battery.  He believes that Eobard used
the device to syphon off Speed Force and regain his powers.
They are interrupted by an alarm emanating from The
Pipeline.  Joe Cisco and Barry head down
into the Pipeline to investigate and they’re attacked by Eobard.  While Barry races after him, Joe and Cisco
learn that Eobard has let Peek-a-boo out of her cell.  She makes quick work of Joe and Cisco and
almost shoots Caitlin before she’s waylaid by Iris.  Meanwhile, Barry chases after Eobard but just
when it seems he’s going to catch him the other speedster finds another gear.
Back in the Pipeline, Caitlin and Iris get Cisco and Joe out
and secure the prisoners when Joe hears someone calling for help.  He follows the noise and they find Eddie down
in the bunker.  While the others are
helping Eddie, Iris finds the engagement ring he’d been about to give her.
Barry returns to find the others helping Eddie start to
recover.  Joe asks why Eobard took Eddie
and he tells them that the man said they were related and tells them his real
name, confirming Cisco’s dreams of the previous timeline.  He also tells them about the device Eobard
was working on.  Iris takes Eddie home
while Cisco’s equipment starts to sound an alarm.
Cisco investigates and finds Eobard’s device but when Barry
tells him to disable it that the technology of the device is way beyond
him.  He then tells them that if he’s
guessing right the accelerator will power up in about thirty-six hours.
Later, Caitlin and Cisco discuss how the accelerator
powering up will affect their prisoners in the Pipeline and Cisco states it
will kill them all.  She is adamant that
they get them out of there and while Joe doesn’t like them operating a secret
illegal prison there doesn’t seem to be an alternative.  Barry then brings up the ARGUS prison on Lian
Yu. 
While Barry goes to call Oliver, he tasks Cisco and Caitlin
with figuring out a transfer method and Joe with clearing them a path.  Joe obliquely asks the DA for help and she
warns him that he could end up in jail with them if something goes wrong but
she’s grudgingly willing to help him. 
Barry finds Joe and explains that ARGUS will move them to Lian Yu if he
can get them to a Ferris Air field outside the city.  Joe then asks how they’re any different from
the other metas and Barry says it’s because they break the law to help people.
Barry then visits a dive bar and talks to Leonard Snart aka
Captain Cold.  He asks for the thief’s
help moving the prisoner.  Cold scoffs at
the request but Barry points out that these prisoners will destroy the city if he
doesn’t help meaning Cold won’t be able to keep robbing them. 
Snart agrees for a price but Barry isn’t willing to do it.  He leaves Barry to stew on that for a
while.  The next morning Iris finds Eddie
and shows him the ring.  When she asks
him why he’s no longer willing to propose he explains that Eobard showed him
the future and she marries Barry.
Back at STAR Labs, Joe is livid but Barry says they are out
of options for help and running out of time. 
Before Joe can argue him out of it Snart arrives with a new
proposal.  He’s wants every bit of
evidence ever collected on him as well as his criminal record and even his
identity completely erased.  Barry agrees.
Joe pulls Barry into another room and tells him he can’t
agree but Barry says he can and he will. 
They are out of time and ideas and he will do anything to protect the
city from the metas they’ve captured because he’s not fast enough to stop
Eobard.  Whether it’s running or
thinking, Eobard has him completely outclassed and he won’t let people die as a
result.
Barry breaks into the police station and gathers all the
physical evidence while uploading a computer virus to attack Snarts digital
records.  He takes the physical evidence
to Snart and tells him it’s done and Lisa arrives to destroy the boxes.
The Snarts gather with Team Flash at STAR Labs to discuss
the plan before the meeting deteriorates into posturing.  Cisco then shows the group his plan; he’s
taken a refrigerated truck and modified it with Eobard’s wheelchair device to
create a dampening field that will disrupt the powers of anyone in the
trailer.  However, they need someone who
can drive the truck but Lisa tells them she has experience driving commercially.  They gas the prisoners and put them inside then
make their way to Ferris Air.
Inside the trailer, the prisoners wake up and begin to fight
amongst themselves just as the convoy arrives at the air field.  However, just as the plane is making its
approach the dampening field fails. 
Mardon creates storms that crashes the plane and then the prisoners
break out of the trailer and start to fight Team Flash.
Mardon and Deathbolt stagger their attacks in such a way
that Barry is taken out but before Deathbolt can finish the Flash, Snart blasts
him with the cold gun.  He then explains
to them that he arranged for them to break out in the hopes of them causing
chaos that will distract the Flash from him and in the hopes that they might
work with him in the future.  The metas
grudgingly agree then make their escapes.
Snart talks to Barry and admits that he orchestrated everything
for his own purposes.  He also kept them
from killing Barry for his own purposes. 
He and Lisa then escape while Cisco helps Barry recover.
Back at STAR Labs, Barry and Joe discuss what happened.  Barry explains that after all the times he’s
watched Oliver damn the consequences to get the job done he thought he could do
it too.  Joe says that’s not the kind of
man Barry is that he doesn’t compromise his morals as easily as Oliver and shouldn’t
try.
Another alarm interrupts them; the accelerator is on-line
and powering up.
Iris and Eddie meet up at the Police Station.  She tries to convince Eddie not to end their
relationship but he is tired of having a relationship with three people in
it. 
Eobard shows up outside STAR Labs and Barry goes out to confront
him.  As the pair postures; Firestorm and
the Arrow arrive to back Barry up. 
Eobard uses his ring to suit up and the fight begins.  Eobard begins to get the upper hand by
overpowering Barry and creating a windstorm that blows Firestorm away.  While he’s distracted, Oliver hits him with
an arrow designed by Ray Palmer to take away the Reverse Flash’s power.  It works for a while but Eobard disables the
nanites.  Barry arrives and they chase up
the building, this time Barry is the distraction for Firestorm and he knocks
the Reverse Flash off the roof and Oliver hits him with another nanite
arrow.  This leaves Reverse Flash
unconscious and the heroes victorious.
Barry has one thing to say: “I got you.”
This week almost seemed like two episodes, both of them
team-up.  On the surface, the first
episode was a fun little team-up with Captain Cold and the newly dubbed
“Golden Glider.”  But really,
it was more of an exploration of the differences in philosophy between the two
types of heroes in the CW-Verse and the merits of each.  Barry tries things Oliver’s way but it
doesn’t work for him, not because of a personal failing but because that’s not
who he is.
The second episode is a bit surprising, because quite
frankly: this was the confrontation we’ve been building for all season.  It even had the promised big team-up with the
three biggest heroes of the CW-Verse (Don’t kid yourself ATOM) yet still it’s
clearly not the climax the producers have in mind.
As for the episode itself, seeing Barry take up leadership
of the team.  He’s been the point-man
sure, but really Eobard’s been calling the shots all season.  It also help to have Joe chaffing at Barry’s
leadership since it forced Barry to makes his stand even more firmly.
The Snarts were fun and as always skirting the edge of going
over the top.  (Even going over the line
with the jukebox) But it continues to work for the character of Captain Cold.  Seeing the prisoners was something like a best of season one
montage and at the same time allowing the audience to see how far Barry’s
come.   
This was a solid episode that sets
an interesting stage for the season finale.

Three Things We
Learned This Week:
1)     
The Ferris Air Field was shut down after a test
pilot disappeared.
2)     
Leonard Snart is particularly adept at outmaneuvering
Barry Allen.
3)     
Iris is now aware of her (potential?) future marriage
to Barry.
Three Questions:
1)     
“Cold as Ice?” Really?
2)     
Does Eobard need the Particle Accelerator and if
so, what for?
3)     
What will Eddie do now?

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