The Flash season 3, episode 4, “The New Rogues,” introduced a highly anticipated Flash Rogue: Mirror Master.
I confess, I’m a bit underwhelmed with this episode. There was nothing, I would say, inherently wrong with it. But it didn’t feel quite as strong as some of the other standalone episodes. And perhaps that’s because the return of Wentworth Miller as Captain Cold was being hyped up, yet he ended up being in less than five minutes of the episode — in flashback and as a hologram.
Those following Legends of Tomorrow know that Leonard Snart died a hero in the penultimate episode of season 1, sacrificing himself to stop the corrupt Time Lords. That being said, there would have had to have been a damn good explanation for why Snart would be alive and back in Central City months after his apparent demise, so not actually being present makes sense in a narrative sense.
As a fan of that character and his arc, however, I confess to hoping he would be alive despite appearances. I’ve been dying to see Barry’s reaction to finding out Snart had, as he predicted, become a hero. So, my hindered enjoyment of this episode is definitely affected by that perspective.
I’m also a bit disappointed that such a major foe of The Flash in the comics came across as a one-off villain. Mirror Master is another of The Rogues who regularly causes problems for The Flash. Nothing says he won’t find his way out of Iron Heights in the future to cause Barry trouble, but I didn’t get the impression he was being treated as a character likely to recur; with Leonard Snart’s introduction, his continued presence was telegraphed but Mirror Master felt more meta-of-the-week.
That being said, the presence of Mirror Master and his sidekick/girlfriend, Top, made room for Jesse to suit up and help Barry in the field as she continued her speedster training. She had a rough first outing, but that’s pretty common for budding superheroes; Barry wasn’t exactly perfect in his first few times in the suit, after all. She made up for it in her rematch against Top, proving herself worthy to stand on her own two feet on Earth-2.
If Harry really wanted Jesse to be fully trained as a hero before returning to Earth-2, he probably should have been willing to stay on Earth-1 for a few more episodes. One mission does not a fully-trained speedster make. There’s undoubtedly more Barry could teach her — and some things I’m sure Barry could learn from her.
Meanwhile, Harry suggests Caitlin and Cisco look for another of his doppelgangers to come fill the void his absence will leave. With Cisco’s vibing powers, they send a riddle cryptograph into the multiverse for the other Earths’ Wells to solve and report back. They get four responses but nix the first three.
Harry doesn’t like the fourth option — and neither do I, to be honest — but Caitlin and Cisco do, so they bring him to Earth-1 to be the newest incarnation of Tom Cavanagh in S.T.A.R. Labs. He’s annoyingly upbeat and awkward in a way that the versions of Wells we’ve met so far haven’t been. It isn’t right, I tell you! It makes the hairs on the back of my neck raise, so I’m going to be wary whenever he’s on screen.
With the new Wells in place, Harry and Jesse return to Earth-2. Come back soon, please!
Also worrisome is Caitlin, who uses her powers to get Barry out of the mirror he’s been trapped in. No one sees her do it, but when she gets home, she freezes the water in her shower, her lips turn blue and she gets a white streak in her hair, a la Rogue. Oops, that’s Marvel. Killer Frost had blonde hair, so it seems likely that using the ice powers drains the color from the user’s hair for some reason.
Caitlin cuts the streak out, but I continue wondering why she’s keeping these powers a secret. I’m sure she’s concerned about Killer Frost, having come face to face with her doppelganger last season, but just because she’s manifesting the same powers doesn’t mean she’s going to be evil. After all, Cisco met his evil doppelganger as well but doesn’t seem to be turning into Reverb.
Considering how worried she seems to be, it would make sense to turn to the people best equipped to help her! It doesn’t hurt that these people love her and would do anything to protect her. It feels like unnecessary secrecy, a common theme in the Arrow-verse shows.
Speaking of unnecessary secrecy, this episode also deals with Barry feeling uncomfortable being affectionate with Iris around Joe — which is awkward since Barry lives in Joe’s house. Iris isn’t putting up with this so directly confronts both Barry and Joe about the situation. Barry eventually admits that he’s worried about having everything he wants, that being successful is scary because you have something to lose.
This is interesting since Eobard Thawne left that video for Barry, saying that he could never be happy. That taunt must still in the back of Barry’s mind, even if he isn’t consciously thinking about it. But Iris is amazing and will be a great support system for Barry. At the end of the episode, Barry decides to get his own place and Joe pretends to kick Barry out — which is funny since he was the one who encouraged Barry to move back home in season 1.
Watch a promo for the next episode
