The Flash - Recap: Too Cold To Hold

The story largely centers on the compromised trust between Barry (Grant Gustin) and Cisco (Carlos Valdes), as Cisco reveals he created a "cold gun" to stop Barry's abilities if he ever went rogue. Of course, Cisco built it before he knew the kind of man Barry actually was, and so it was an honest mistake on his part, an attempt at forming the contingency plan no one else had the good sense to formulate. But, as we all know now, Barry is a perfectly upstanding citizen, so Cisco creating a gun to stop him ultimately comes across as an alarmist reaction on his part. Barry is offended that Cisco doesn't trust him, and Cisco tries desperately to show that he was only thinking of the well-being of his team, and of Central City at large. Both sides have a good point, which is part of why this conflict is as compelling as it is. Barry is still learning how to be a superhero, and it's a role that will be a thousand times harder if he feels he can't trust the people he's working with. It's necessary for us to see this point in Barry's development, since the faith his team has in him has been somewhat implicit since Day One. But to learn that their faith and trust in him hasn't always been a given? That forces Barry to confront what it really means to have these powers. Good intentions are one thing, but trust has to be earned. It can't be implicit, no matter how good of a person you are.

Credit: The CW

One of the best things about this conflict is that it's embedded in a pretty fantastic Case of the Week. Wentworth Miller is a blast as Leonard Snart a.k.a. Captain Cold, a villain who wouldn't give a second thought to putting a bullet in one of his own men, or blasting innocent bystanders with his Cold Gun to escape The Flash. Snart is characterized by Miller's calculated delivery, as every word that comes out of Snart's mouth feels like it's the result of long, careful consideration. It's a terrific portrayal that makes me glad this won't be the last we see of him. And making Cisco indirectly responsible for his origin -- since it's Cisco's gun that Snart gets his hands on -- gives the story more of a feeling of interconnectedness. The crime and the character-building side stories aren't separate this week, they're directly linked. And this pays dividends, since this episode gives us Barry's first significant failure as a superhero: due to having his response time slowed by the Cold Gun, Barry is unable to save an innocent theater employee. This tragedy further widens the gap between Barry and Cisco, as he declares that poor man's death to be something they'll all have to live with.

Credit: The CW

But we know Barry will come back around on Cisco, it's only a matter of how. Naturally, Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards, dropping by from Arrow) is a big factor. She encourages Barry to recognize that building a cohesive team doesn't happen overnight, and that he needs to put his faith in the people who are putting their faith in him. And it's a speech that resonates with Barry, and helps him see forgiveness. Granted, it's not just Felicity who helps him recognize that Cisco is a good guy: both Cisco and Kaitlyn (Danielle Panabaker) rescue Barry from Snart after he's left incapacitated by the Cold Gun (following an awesome climax in which Barry rescues passengers from a crashing train, in what is pretty much the show's best visual effects sequence yet). Barry forgives Cisco, and the band is back together! It's kind of a succinct story, but it effectively conveys the message of mutual trust that pervades the episode. It also serves as a bit of a contrast to Snart and his crew, since Snart's men hardly had any faith in him, and did Snart himself never seemed all that trusting of them either. No honor among thieves, I suppose -- unless you take the post-credits scene into account, as Snart recruits an old associate by offering him a stolen fire gun. Of course, this man is Mick Rory (Dominic Purcell), the pyromaniac who will come to be known as Heatwave. But we're not there in the story just yet, no matter how badly I wish we were.

Credit: The CW

While "Going Rogue" is pretty great with its primary story, I wasn't particularly invested in the story between Iris (Candice Patton) and Joe (Jesse L. Martin), who's still giving his daughter the cold shoulder over dating Eddie (Rick Cosnett). It was well-done, but it just didn't grip me the way the A-story did. Similarly, I wish we could have gotten a bit more on Harrison (Tom Cavanagh) and his ongoing desire to protect Barry at all costs. He's furious with Cisco for putting Barry at risk by having even created the Cold Gun in the first place, but...well, that's about it. Granted, I can see the rationale in making this more of a slow burn story. At the very least, cutting out more exposition on that ongoing subplot gave more time for Emily Bett Rickards and Grant Gustin to illustrate their awesome onscreen chemistry. I really wish Rickards could be here all the time, but alas, Arrow calls. All in all, "Going Rogue" is another solid entry on The Flash Season 1 resume.