Flash and Arrow: “Family of Rogues” and “Restoration”

This week in the DCCWTVU brings us dysfunctional family dynamics, and at trip to the Lazarus pit.

Both episodes appear to be setting up the third DC-TV series, with Dr. Stein developing that healthy glow, Captain Cold considering his moral code, and a Canary making a problematic return flight.

“Family of Rogues”

Joe West deals with his long-lost wife, while Lisa Snart gets Team Flash to help her with her brother, Captain Cold, and their twisted father.

High Point

Despite the entertaining, scenery-chewing performances of both Snarts last season, the episode makes them emotionally credible when necessary. Yes, we’re in a comic-book reality with some truly bizarre characters in incredible circumstances, but they cope in ways most viewers should understand.

Low Point

The entire DC Universe has terrible security, apparently. After improving precautions at the Particle Accelerator, Team Flash leaves a two-way door to another universe without guards or, apparently, surveillance. Meanwhile, the building Team Snart plans to rob establishes elaborate defenses, but has a coded lock that neither alerts anyone nor times out when someone enters 500 incorrect codes in rapid sequence. I’ll accept superheroes and comic-book science, but this is too much.

“Restoration”

Original Team Arrow deals with a card-carrying assassin as Laurel and Speedy bring Sara to Nanda Parbat with the hopes of using the Lazarus Pit to resurrect her.

High Point

The series slowly shows Flashes of awareness of its four-color absurdities and flourishes, an awareness that usually serves comics and their adaptations. Ollie and Diggle patch up their differences while fighting an assassin. Who is a metahuman. With a playing card theme. And a silly nickname. And he works for a crimelord with mystic powers.

I’ll buy that.

Low Points

This week’s guest-villain’s precision aim suffers excessively whenever his target is a series regular.

It’s October 21, 2015, and we still don’t have Mr. Fusion.

4 replies on “Flash and Arrow: “Family of Rogues” and “Restoration””

  1. I haven’t watched that Arrow yet, so no comments on that.

    My Low Points for Flash:

    First, thermite is NOT an explosive. Yeah, you can use it to cause an explosion but you’d need a hell of a lot more than anyone wouldn’t notice in their neck. Also, you need extreme heat to light thermite, so even extra bulk.

    Second, Captain Cold froze and then broke off laser beams.

    Look, I know, Comic Book Science, but please…

    • I’m willing to bet the script called for his gun to freeze the devices creating the lasers, causing them to malfunction, and someone higher up wanted something more visual.

      What we actually got was pretty stupid, however.

  2. I laughed when Doubledeal ran down presumably dozens of flights of stairs and found their secret basement lair within seconds of them leaving the elevator. There must be glowing Lair signs in the stairway.

    Also, he seemed awfully spry later in the episode for someone that got shot square in the chest by a machine gun.

    Has anyone else noticed that Diggle appears to just be shooting people with regular bullets left and right and no one bats an eye?

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