As a comic fan, Mirror Master is a Flash villain that I have looked forward to seeing in live-action for a very long time. While no one will probably beat the terrifying psychological nature of the Reverse Flash or the campy showmanship of Captain Cold, Mirror Master and his power set have the potential to create some very cool episodes of The Flash.
In this episode, “The New Rogues,” I finally get my wish as Mirror Master makes his debut after three long seasons. While most of the episode is not about Mirror Master at all but rather the personal dynamics of Team Flash, the rogue is now officially a part of the show. The episode can do a lot more with Mirror Master, but all things considered — especially comparing him to the other new villainess of the episode, The Top — “The New Rogues” is a pretty solid debut for one my personal favorite Flash villains.
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Meta Bonnie and Clyde
A new metahuman is on the loose in Central City. Sam Scudder is an old criminal rival of Leonard Snart, aka Captain Cold. During the particle accelerator explosion of three years ago, Scudder gained the power to travel through mirrors or any reflective surface. He can transport other people and things through those surfaces as well. Trust me, the power is way more awesome than it sounds.
That’s not all. Scudder’s girlfriend, Rosalind Dillon, also became a metahuman and gained the powers to give other people vertigo. Dillon’s powers are way less awesome than they sound, so not at all that impressive. Regardless, Scudder, aka The Mirror Master, and Dillon, aka The Top (clearly not one of Cisco’s best villain nicknames), are on the loose and looking for revenge on Leonard Snart. This revenge is a bit complicated because Snart has spun off into Legends of Tomorrow to be a hero and is not really around Central City anymore. So Mirror Master and Top just kind of wreak regular criminal havoc.
#WestAllenProblems
While all this is going on, Barry and Iris’ romance hits its latest speed bump when Iris discovers that Barry is not too comfortable with kissing her in front of their her father. It’s worth pointing out that while The Flash has done an excellent job of selling Barry and Iris as romantic partners and Joe as Barry’s father, they have never really reconciled both of those seemingly incestuous facts. Barry seems to be just as creeped out by it as anyone else. As a result, he avoids the issue and doesn’t really talk about his discomfort with Joe or Iris.
It is not until Barry has a run-in with the Mirror Master, and the villain traps Barry in a mirror, that he is forced to talk. Faced with nothing else to do, Barry opens up about his feelings to Irirs. It turns out that Barry is not uncomfortable because he is making out with his foster sister in front of his foster dad. Barry is just worried that he will mess up the relationship and he really wants things to work out between Iris and him. This is an understandable and even relatable obstacle for the couple, but The Flash could have found a less disturbing avenue into this conversation. It’s best not to remind anyone that your romantic leads were raised as siblings for most of their lives.
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Wells of Infinite Earths
Speaking of things that The Flash should have left alone, Harry comes up with a stupid plan. He decides that since he is planning to go back to Earth-2, Team Flash should find another Wells from another Earth to join the team. So Cisco, Caitlin and Harry send a riddle out into the multiverse that only a Wells can solve. They get a bunch of video messages back from multiple versions of Harrison Wells.
Essentially, the whole thing is an excuse for Tom Cavanagh to play funny versions of Wells. They include such wacky installments as a Mime Wells, a Cowboy Wells and a Hipster Wells. Though it is clear that Harry really doesn’t want to have a new Harrison Wells take his place, Hipster Wells (being the most normal) hops through the multiverse portal and enters Earth-1. Hipster Wells is very energetic, touchy and incredibly annoying. He’s barely gone, but I already want the old “new Wells” of Earth-2 back.
Cold Blast from the Past
Back to the metahuman of the week story. Using some science explanations and secret assistance from Caitlin’s secret frost powers, Barry is freed from his mirror prison. Barry then decides that the only way to trap Mirror Master is to trick him into thinking that Snart is back in town. The team uses a hologram to impersonate the erstwhile Captain Cold. Mirror Master and Top take the bait.
Once lured, it doesn’t take much for Barry (with speedster help from Jesse) to trap and defeat Top and Mirror Master. Though, if we’re being honest, they only have to work so hard to defeat Mirror Master because, as mentioned, Top’s powers are making people dizzy. Seriously, she could not be any more of a dud as a villain.
As for a villain that won’t be boring — if she is a villain at all — Caitlin is really beginning to lose control of her Killer Frost powers. After the villains are defeated and Barry’s commitment problems are dealt with for the moment, Caitlin goes home to relax and shower for the night. In the shower, her ice powers turn on, out of Caitlin’s control. When Caitlin steps out of the shower, her lips have turned blue and strands of her hair are turning white, just like her evil counterpart from Earth-2. Caitlin cuts the white hair off, but it might be only a matter of time before Killer Frost is “reborn.”
What did you think of Mirror Master’s debut? Did you find The Top to be an incredibly lame villain? How did you feel about The Flash addressing Barry’s issues with dating Iris in front of Joe? What are your thoughts on the newest version of Harrison Wells?
The Flash season 3 airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW. Want more news? Like our Flash Facebook page.
(Image courtesy of The CW)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Derek is a Philadelphia based writer and unabashed TV and comic book junkie. The time he doesn’t spend over analyzing all things nerdy he is working on his resume to be the liaison to the Justice League.
