This week, Captain Cold (sort of) returned, Oliver broke into prison, and the Waverider crew found themselves in a samurai movie.
The Flash: “The New Rogues” (Season 3, Episode 4)
I was looking forward to learning how The Flash would explain Captain Cold’s return after his death in Legends of Tomorrow. Was it because of Flashpoint? Do the writers simply not give a care? Neither! Because Snart technically wasn’t in it at all. Yep. He’s still dead. For now, anyway. Seeing Wentworth Miller back in any capacity is still a joy, and I guess keeping him dead (again, for now) preserves the emotion that drives the last two episodes of Legends’ first season. So…I was disappointed…but at the same time satisfied…if that makes sense.
On the topic of Rogues, Mirror Master was still a fun villain for this week, and it seems like, judging from the title, they’re grooming him and Top to be the new Cold and Heatwave-esque recurring foes of the series. If that’s the case, I hope they make the tow more threatening in the future. I mean, Mirror Master throws Barry into a mirror, and he gets out of it fairly quickly. What was the point of that, again (besides to show off a bit of Caitlin’s frost powers)? And what will Mirror Master do to stop Barry next time? Throw him into another mirror?
The real highlight of the week was the hunt for a replacement Wells. The team was right when they said things just aren’t the same when Wells isn’t around. The interview scene could’ve been an unfunny mess, but it turned out to be one of the series’ funniest scenes so far, thanks to Tom Cavanagh’s performances. I saw it as a meta nod to how Cavanagh had played three versions of Harrison up to that point, and so why not throw in four more? HR Wells from Earth-19 should be a fun new take on the character, but I’m going to miss Harry even though I’m sure he and Jessie will pop up again later.
Other Thoughts:
- While Barry’s in the mirror, the team can only hear him speaking in reverse. Cuz it’s a mirror. That’s a clever touch.
- We revisited the night of the particle accelerator explosion for umpteenth time. How can so many questionable acts take place in just one night? In one city? At the same time?
- So Wally and Jessie are a thing now? It’s about time. In all seriousness, I like seeing the two together.
- I see Caitlin’s slowly learning to let it go, let it go. She can’t hold it back anymore.
Rating: 7.7/10 Hells Wells
Next week, Caitlin visits her mom and Barry fights…the Cloverfield monster?
Arrow: “Penance” (Season 5, Episode 4)
I’m not sure what to say about “Penance.” Nothing about it stood out to me as exceptional or terrible. it was just…fine?
Ok, so I did enjoy the prison break bits. I thought they really showed off the strong, brotherly relationship between Oliver and Diggle, and it’s great to have Diggle back in the fold once again. Him being a fugitive is going to come back into play at some point, right? I think some mercenary type character will come after him, or he’ll head out to bring the military jerks who framed him to justice. Either seems likely.
Then there’s the subplot with the Recruits being pit against Tobias Church, which was also pretty good. It was nice to finally get to see them in action on their own. They took quite a beating, though. Curtis gets a knife in the back, Rene gets taken hostage. Team Arrow has some wounds to lick in the next week.
The flashbacks: also pretty solid. I’m liking the return to the dark and gritty stuff, and this week was no exceptions. Oliver straight up murders a dude. Snaps his neck. I’m hoping that next week we get to see him as a proper Bratva member. The past three weeks have been initiation. Also, finally getting to meet Kovar wouldn’t be bad either.
So, even though I didn’t find “Penance” particularly memorable, I still enjoyed it.
Other Thoughts:
- Remind me…what was the purpose of the prison guard’s obsession with the dumb ball…and Oliver stealing said dumb ball?
- It was, for some reason, so satisfying to see Oliver beat the snot out of the Recruits.
Rating: 7.5/10 dumb balls
Next week, it looks like Oliver is in some trouble…
Legends of Tomorrow: “Shogun” (Season 2, Episode 3)
My biggest problem with “Shogun” was its reuse of the “heroes must protect village from marauders” story. The show’s already done it before, so I was irked by their decision to do it again. Luckily, I can almost give this a pass because of the great character moments in the episode. Almost.
Every character got something meaningful, interesting or fun to do this week, which is fantastic. Nate discovered his powers. Ray lost his Atom suit, then helped destroy it. Amaya joined the crew and clashed with Mick. Stein and Jax explored an uncharted part of the Waverider, and Sara was just being an all-around badass. Of all of these, Ray’s arc was the best. It was a good way to wrap up his whole “Am I a hero without my suit” struggle. The destruction of the suit was a surprise, and I’m wondering how Ray will cope without it over the next few episodes. I say “few” because, come on, we all know he’s going to get it back at some point soon, right?
“Shogun” was also strong in the humour department this week, mostly thanks to those trusty Mick-liners (patent pending). From his enthusiasm about ninjas to “Konichiwa, scumbags,” it’s clear Mick’s becoming the comic relief of the series. That’s fine, but I hope the show doesn’t overdo it and take away whatever complexity was given to Heatwave last season. Nate’s “This is gonna be so much fun!” line after using his powers got a chuckle from me too.
Other Thoughts:
- What Barry said in that message to Rip is going to progressively drive me mad with every week we don’t find out. My guess it’s something to do with the Legion of Doom, or the upcoming Invasion crossover.
- Let’s be real: the Atom suit looked rad on the shogun. Especially with the samurai helmet.
- Man, there’s not much urgency among the crew, is there? “Oh, there’s this time traveller running around, helping Nazis, murdering people and just straight up messing with time. Also, Rip’s missing. Huh. Well, let’s just keep cruising through history, Vroom.”
Rating: 8.2/10 Yoda quotes
Next week, the Legends face off against Confederate zombies. Typical Mondays…
Prepare for several Shaun of the Dead references in my review next week.
Noah
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