The Flash - Episode 4 - Going Rogue - "How can something so cold be so hot?" *UPDATED*

We move on in this episode from less memorable foes to the main stage of Flash villainy. It's time for some Snart.

As the episode introduces us to Leonard Snart we quickly see he's a worthy foe of the caliber you usually get in an action movie. He's in the middle of catching himself an armored car full of...what?

Well it seems to be a rather famous diamond.

No Leo. You can't swim through a
door.

He has it all planned out finely. Catch the truck, grab the guards, and freeze the back door, so it's easy to smash through.

A point by point plan, with nothing missed.

"...How dare you!"

Well, he missed one thing.


The Flash.


In the middle of the job, Barry races in, knocks Snart's men down, and catches Snart as he exits the truck.

But one of his men shot a guard, which distracts Barry.

So as Barry gets the wounded guard to a hospital, Snart leads him team out of danger.

Snart is pissed about what happen. His guys are scared. The blur of red has been seen all over the city. It's stopping crimes. Some criminals are getting nervous about operating.

But Snart isn't one to accept an unknown. He looks at footage of the Flash, and decides that he's clearly a human. He's also someone concerned for the well being of bystanders.

Snart also wasn't keen to shoot. His guy shot the guard against his rules. (Shooting cops and guards gets more people chasing you.)

Man! Episode isn't even over and a torrent is out.

He decides he needs to up his game. But some of his team want out, so he kills dissent.

For the effort to change how he approaches crime, he looks to a man who is selling some stolen goods. Weapons of an exotic nature.

"I need something that'll go with this new parka I've bought."

The man has a collection of weapons, including a fancy flamethrower.

But another one catches his eye. A white flame gun. It generates immense cold. It even comes with a pair of cool goggles to protect your eyes.

"Originally this was sold with the NES. But the government had it banned."

Snart approves of this one. He then kills the seller, so no one knows he has the weapons, or which ones, or...No witnesses, okay?

Now Snart gets back to tracking down that diamond.

Of interest to comic fans, this is the Kahndaq Diamond. Kahndaq is the homeland of Black Adam, antihero/villain and foe of Shazam (Captain Marvel). In more recent comic history he overthrew it's tyrant and become it's ruler and protector again. (And, yes, it's name is quite similar to a province of Iran.). It was partially a stand in for Saddam Hussein's Iraq. (DC has a few stand in countries in Africa, the Middle East,and Asia for heroes to tussle with.)

Snart scopes out the diamand, and it's security.

...It's no Pink Panther Diamond.

But, seeing as Barry saw him, Joe West is keeping an eye out for him. And when the museum notes a guy going for repeated viewings of the diamond, it's only a matter of time.


But Snart's got his cold gun.

Joe chases him, and gets to see first hand the new toy Snart is using.

But Barry gets him out of the way juts in time.

"And in runs the Flash for the..."

Just not fast enough to avoid a glancing blow for the blast.

"...son of a..."

Flash is knocked down, and he's got an icy pain in his side. But he's up fast, and racing to keep Snart off balance. Snart tries to figure out the Flash, shooting after him.

He then starts shooting at people, so the Flash has to race towards his blasts. The Flash moves people out of the way.

Then Snart fires at a guard approaching him. Barry tries to get to the man, but finds that he can't get passed the cold blast.

And the man is struck and killed.

Snart flees.

But this isn't over for him. He waits until night, and strikes again. He finally has his stone.

"Yeah...This feels right."

He also gets a new coat, to finish his classic look. It's a nice slow shift by Snart to find his true calling in the realm of crime.

After the cold gun is used, STAR Labs realizes that the weapon was stolen from them, along with other items.

"Yeah,but will the green dot go away to?"

Barry isn't thrilled to learn the truth that the weapon was a STAR Labs design. Nor that Cisco built it, to potentially stop him. It was done during the time Barry was still in a coma.

But Barry feels hurt, per the story arc of the episode. Granted the fact that there's a weapon built to counteract his speed (the colder things are, the slower things run) is not something to be happy about. Plus it got a man killed.

And this is the first loss that Barry has had. He's been able to get to places just after a murder, but no one has killed someone while he's in the room. This is a blow to him.

"Don't make me retcon you."

Wells isn't happy either. He's pissed that Cisco went and built a weapon that could harm Barry. He ominously warns Cisco about ever doing it again.


We also get a crossov...visit from Barry's friend from Starling City. Felicity Smoak. She's the tech expert/hacker for the Arrow, on Arrow. Barry first appeared on Arrow, as did Caitlin and Cisco. Now Felicity is visiting Central City.

She's stopped by to check on Barry, seeing as she never called to tell her he got out of his coma.

"This is your court ordered visit from Arrow. Have you been superheroing?
Have you got a support team? Do you have your snazzy costume done?"

But it gives Barry someone new to hang out with. And it gives Iris a chance to try and hook him up with someone.

"Why have you written, 'Date her! Date her now!!!, on here?"

People do love to try and bring nerds together to breed.

But, no. The two of them agree that they are both in love with other people.

"We'll always have the next crossover."

Still, Snart isn't done. Once he has the diamond, he tries to take a train out of town. But the Flash is trying to stop that.

But Snart has a plan. He fires at the train's floor. The effect reaches through and seizes up the gears of the train car.

Snart leaps out, and watches...

...as the train derails...

...and the Flash goes to work.

He races through and pulls people out.

But the effort taxes Barry, and Snart hits him.

"Argh! I think you hit me in the nads!"

He thanks the Flash for what he's done. He's challenged him. He's forced him to up his game.

Then the science team comes in, and threatens Snart with a fake cold cannon.

"This will blow your head off...or replace Central City with a crater. 50/50."

Cisco even calls Snart Captain Cold.

Snart seems to enjoy all of this. It's silly. And Snart has no real need to kill anyone here. The Flash is down. Cisco is bluffing.

So he just walks away, with the diamond. (And I wonder if he might like the challenge that the Flash now offers him.)

"Oh, man. If Captain Cold looks back, maybe he really likes me!"

But Snart/Captain Cold isn't done.

He can win some fights with the Flash, handle the cops, but it's too small. He wants to think bigger.

So he needs a new crew. A crew of Rogues.

Central City may want to watch out for a Heat Wave.


Fun episode. It brings in Captain Cold. It further ties Arrow into this series. And, it means we are soon to see the Rogues emerge on the show.

The show is establishing itself well.

___________
UPDATED:

I also wanted to mention that they've cast Linda Park for the show. She'll be a young woman that Iris connects with as she looks into the mysterious red blur in town. As you may remember I noted her appearance in the pilot of the show. But they've recast now, with a younger woman.

It makes me wonder if they are just having some fun with characters, or have another plan. Maybe Wally West will be a far older nephew? Or, maybe he'll be made a cousin of Iris. I can only hope.

We also have had Jason Rusch cast. Rusch is tied Ronnie Raymond (appearing last episode) and the superhero Firestorm,

The DC hero roster is starting to grow. (Not to mention the growing Rogue roster.)