The Flash "Rouge Air" Review/Thoughts

On this week's episode, Barry decides to leave the thankless superhero life behind in exchange for a luxurious career in human trafficking, plus we get the dynamic duo we have all been waiting for: the Amell cousins.

Episode Description: When the Reverse Flash rigs the particle accelerator with a mysterious device that threatens the lives of the people in the pipeline, Barry must seek help from an unlikely source: Captain Cold. 

High Points:

• I liked that Well's wheelchair ended up being more than just a clever disguise. Plus it explains why the Reverse Flash is still so much faster than Barry even though he is having trouble accessing the speed force.
• The old "hide right underneath their noses" trick. Well played Eobard, well played.
• This week's moral dilemma with the pipeline prisoners really pushed Barry into uncharted territory and I enjoyed seeing him have to make a deal with his nemesis. And in a shady bar nonetheless!
• Leornard Snart would listen to Foreigner's "Cold as Ice" 

For Captain Cold: A Man who Truly is as Cold as Ice

• Ferris Airfield? Barry mentioned it was abandoned because a test pilot went missing so they shut it down. Hal Jordan's father died in a plane crash out of Ferris Aircraft. Coincidence? NO. Green Lantern confirmed. (Don't hold me to that)
• Screw all other relationship nonsense. I don't want, I need Cisco and Golden Glider to happen. I even have their celeb relationship name picked out: Lisco. (Lisa + Cisco)
• The ol' double cross from Captain Cold only solidifies how cold this man can be. Plus the ensuing battle was fun because it was like a big reunion-style brawl featuring Barry's season 1 enemies 
• That last battle!! All sorts of fun to watch The Flash, The Arrow and Firestorm all team up to take on the Reverse Flash, plus every character had their struggles and successes over the course of the fight
• The Reverse Flash has the suit ring! It was just an extra detail in an otherwise full-on action packed sequence, but still when that suit came of his ring I felt things of a generally sexual nature
• Oliver asks Barry for a favor. Sounds like we are going to see the Scarlett Speedster play a role in the closing episodes of Arrow.

Low Points:

• S.T.A.R. Labs really needs to invest in a deadbolt. Seriously, anyone and everyone in Central City just waltzes through the front door on a regular basis. Iris walked in on Barry with his mask off, Captain Cold just helped himself inside. You would think a high-tech lab would have some sort of system in place to prevent all these unwarranted visits
• Eddie has once again proven to be a huge waste of time. I just keep waiting for the bigger picture with him. Some sort of transformation, some sort of deeper connection between him and the Reverse Flash. So far he is just a meaningless pawn. Maybe something will happen with him in season 2 but season 1 is coming to its conclusion fast and he has done nothing but act as the "reason" Barry and Iris can't be together all season. 
• There is only one episode left until I don't know what to do with myself on Tuesday nights...

Verdict: Tonight we got a taste of Arrow in more ways than one. Barry and the gang find themselves in a really tricky situation where the law isn't willing to help them in their highly illegal activities. We get a lot of that vibe on Arrow with Oliver's vigilanteism, but on The Flash, more often than not the CCPD wants to work with the Flash as much as they can. So it was an interesting change of pace to see the S.T.A.R. Labs gang have to operate completely outside of the law. And where do you go when you need to accomplish such a dark and seedy task? Why to Captain Cold's dark and seedy bar of course! I remember a time when I was not 100% sold on Leonard Snart in this show. Now I love the relationship that has been built between him and Barry. Barry and Eobard Thawne have a hero-villain dynamic going on, and that is in no way a bad thing. But The Flash and Captain Cold have an arch-rivalry forming and I love that. I want to see The Flash and Captain Cold constantly struggling to get the edge over the other time after time. Sometimes Barry walks away victorious, sometimes Snart leaves with the upper-hand, and sometimes there is just no clear-cut winner. The two have already clashed four times this season so I think it is safe to assume they will keep challenging each other into season 2. Plus it looks like next time the Rouges will have some new recruits. Snart helped those meta-humans escape and Weather Wizard was looking pretty thankful for it. Will Cisco be forced to make him a weather gun? Or perhaps, a weather wand?? Only season 2 will tell. However, the Flash/Captain Cold team-up was another interesting chapter in their rivalry and it offered both new moral dilemmas for our heroes while also setting the stage for a fight that essentially payed homage to the first season of Central City baddies. 

                     The majority of the episode focused on Barry's human transportation dilemma so the battle with The Reverse Flash at the end seemed a little but rushed into. That being said, the battle itself was awesome. Not only did the Amell cousins tag in as The Arrow and Firestorm but we got to see everyone do a little facing off with The Man in Yellow. It was a true, blue team effort that brought down Eobard Thawne. Now I won't say there isn't part of me that wants to see Barry ultimately triumph over The Reverse Flash on his own. It has been the story of The Flash vs. The Man in Yellow all season so it would be incredibly satisfying to see Barry beat him without relying too heavily on Oliver and Ronnie. In fact, at times it seemed like the real action was between Oliver and The Reverse Flash rather than the Flash. However, the battle was still fantastic and the season isn't over yet so there is still time for a one-on-one face-off. Plus on an interesting side note, we learned that Oliver lives to be 86. So SPOILER ALERT: Oliver doesn't die at the end of this season or any season. Also, if Eobard knew that from the history books than Oliver Queen must have done something worth noting in said history books. Maybe like being a member of a certain league pertaining to themes such as justice?

Or maybe it was a classic political sex scandal..Who knows?

All-in-all this was another great episode. I personally think some more time could have been dedicated to overcoming The Reverse Flash but I love it when Snart and the Rouges are in town as well. Eddie and Iris also broke up but enough going on about that, because if it isn't Cisco Ramon and Lisa Snart then it isn't love. An 8.0 out of 10 is in order for The Flash's second to last episode of the season.

Thanks for reading the review! Who do you think will be in the Rouge's season 2 line-up? What did Oliver do to get in the history books? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments below and on twitter @Caped_Informers. Also be sure to check back here regularly for more reviews, articles, and news about your favorite comic book shows and movies. The Flash has its season 1 finale next week at the same time: "Fast Enough".

An Observation About Oliver Queen: Like I said before, there were parts of the final battle where Oliver was truly the star of the fight, like how he slowed the Reverse Flash down the first time and then proceeded to beat the living shit out of him with his superior hand-to-hand combat skills. However, the part that really stuck out to me was when Oliver ended up being the one who got the last shot in. It instantly reminded me of another epic battle that Oliver managed to sneak a final shot in at the end:

And if you haven't seen this whole 2-part movie do yourself a favor and watch it

Either Oliver Queen demands on delivering the final blow in his battles or he is by-far the biggest kill stealer of all time. The point I am getting at here is that I would never play a one-person shooter with this guy.

Arrow "Al Sah-Him" Review

Olive is gone and all that is left is Al Sah-Him in an all new Arrow.

Episode Description: Oliver (Stephen Amell) goes through a rigorous transformation. The League of Assassins sets their sights on Nyssa (guest star Katrina Law), who is back in Starling City training Laurel (Katie Cassidy). When Nyssa realizes they are coming, she arms up to face them alone but Laurel asks Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and Diggle (David Ramsey) to help protect her new friend.

High Points:

• Montage! Brain Washing Montage!

• This Ra's uses special herbs much like Liam Neeson's Ra's Al Ghul did in Batman Begins. 
• HIVE and Damien Dark are being set up as baddies of Season 4. 
• The old kill my daughter to assume her heirship trick. You are so wise, Mr. Al Ghul.
• I would watch the Black Canary solo show! Yea I said it. Laurel's journey this season has been kickass.
• Laurel and Nyssa bonded over milkshakes. This friendship is great for both characters arcs. Allows Laurel more training and allows Nyssa more screen time.
• It's dinner with the Diggles!
• Thea wants to step and be a vigilante. She should call Artemis about how to make a suit that is highly functional, but also rocks a serious mid drift.
• Ollie be "Theatricality and deception. Powerful agents to the uninitiated, but we are initiated, aren't we Nyssa?"

• Canary Cry!!!!!!!! Cisco my friend, you are a god!
• It was interesting Dynamic to see Oliver be the bad guy. When he kidnapped Lyla, I half expected Dig + Felicity to stumble on a Dexter Season 4 finale situation. Maybe I'm just kinda fucked up like that. That sure would have been extreme for the CW.
• Ollie took that arrow through the wrist like a champ. Shrugged it off like it was a bug bite.
• IT'S THE GREEN WEDDING!! Ra's Al Ghul is putting on his best matchmaker outfit and marrying up Nyssa and Ollie. Reminds me of those awesome marriages that Tywin Lannister set up for his kids. And those have turned out so well! Sir Lauris is so in love with Cersi.
• Ra's Al Ghul is finally doing Ra's Al Ghul things! Like releasing viruses upon cities.

May I suggest a song for the lovely couple's first dance

Low Points:

• Don't tell Nyssa the bad news while there is still food on the table, Laurel! No need to waste burgers and fries.
• If the League of Assassins' brainwashing techniques are so effective, why not just kidnap Oliver and force him to be "Al Sah-Him".
• I want someone to make a super cut of the times in Season 3 that Felicity starts crying. It seems to be the only thing the writers make her do anymore.
• Where do they set up these LoA meet up spots in Starling? Those torches are mighty bright for some random alley to conceal.
• I get that Oliver "turning" bad is suppose to raise the stakes of the season, but kidnapping Lyla did not really bring any tension whatsoever. You knew Lyla wasn't gonna to die so what was the point?
• The flashbacks finally came together with the main story by introducing the Alpha Omega virus in the present. Let me just say the juice was not worth the squeeze. Ra's could have pulled out any old virus and it wouldn't have mattered to me and still would have still gotten the job done. It was like Peter Parker attempting to discovery stuff about his parents in Amazing Spiderman 2. Nobody gave a shit.
• Katana and Maseo's kid is dying! Didn't see that coming!

My face when Ra's ordered Nyssa to marry Ollie.

Verdict: Don't wanna sound like a shithead, but watching Arrow the day after The Flash is always a letdown. Greatness followed by mediocrity. Almost like watching Spiderman 2 every Tuesday then dying your hair black and letting the goth out to watch Spiderman 3 on Wednesdays. Now before anyone jumps on me and says that I just don't like the darker tone of this series, I would like to lunge to my own defense and say that's bullshit. I love dark and gritty. I eat dark content for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If Batman asked me out, I would say yes. I rock out to Evanescence. Daredevil is the number one show on my Netflix queue. I'm into that dark shit. So to say that I think The Flash is better because of it's lighter tone is simply not the case. The problems with this Arrow season all stem from one vile source: OLICITY!

          Yes the torrid love affair that has swept the CW by storm is at least partly responsible for the Emerald Archer's recent decline. Once again the weakest elements of this episode incorporated the romantic attachments of Felicity and Oliver. What makes Olcitity such a malevolent force is that it took a character that was once an independent + quick witted computer hacker down to being a weepy middle school girl. Wanna know the last time Felicity wasn't crying for an entire episode? It was on The Flash. There the old Felicity was allowed to flourish. Not here on Arrow though, she has been reduced to the annoying girlfriend role. 

          Anyway as the rest of "Al Sah-Him" is concerned, it was an intriguing notion to see Ollie as the bad guy of an episode. We have seen the Arrow save the day on countless occasions so to flip the script and have Ollie commit evil deeds was cool to see. What hurt this notion though was you knew that Ollie was not going to kill anyone, especially his best friend's wife. I buy the brainwashing, but the CW doesn't have the balls to pull the trigger on anyone on Arrow right now (Ex. from Season 3: Ollie, Roy, and Thea all died and came back), so the tension in the hour was almost non existent. That doesn't mean some cool new story lines weren't presented though. Ra's has tasked Ollie with unleashing the virus from his past, the Alpha Omega thing, upon Starling City. Now that is what the League of Assassins is best at. Taking down cities that need to be put down. Starling has had two massive terrorist attacks in the last two years, so one could imagine that besides it's connection to erasing Oliver Queen's past, that Starling would be a perfect target for the League anyway. 

          And if you thought tasking Ollie with taking out his hometown was a hard enough obstacle for our hero to overcome, our buddy Ra's wasn't finished yet. In a very Game of Thrines-esqe move, Ra's then ordered Ollie to marry his daughter Nyssa to bond their respective houses. Not only does Nyssa not want to marry Ollie, she doesn't even wanna marry a dude in general. So it's tough break for her. But say Ollie + Nyssa do get married and fall in love (that isn't gonna happen, but roll with me on this) thus subsequently destroying Felicity's heart. Maybe that would wake that bitch up. Then Felicity could move over to the new crossover series with her old beau, Ray Palmer, who she works much better with as a couple. Finally ending the plague that is Olicity.

          Now while I did my fair share of bitching, "Al Sah-Him" wasn't that bad of an episode. It had moments that really stood out (Like the Canary Cry!) so overall I'm giving it an 7.0 out of 10. 

Thanks for reading! Will Ollie ever really come back? Do you want Olicity to die a slow and painful death? Am I just a pessimistic asshole? Let us know in the comments or tweet at us @Caped_Informers or me @cstrand73. And make sure to tune in for our weekly Arrow, Flash, and Daredevil reviews. 

         

 P.S. Katie Cassidy, if you are reading, I'd get a milkshake with you anytime, anyplace, anywhere. :). Laurel is the best part of Arrow. #CanaryCry

Batman at Green Arrow's bachelor party

The Flash "The Trap" Review/Thoughts

On this week's episode of The Flash, the curious case of Harrison Wells is blown wide open and all the beating around the bush about his true identity comes to a screeching halt.

Episode Description: The S.T.A.R. labs gang develops a trap in an attempt to expose Dr. Well's connection to Nora Allen's murder. Meanwhile, Eddie meets resistance from Joe when he announces he plans to propose to Iris. 

High Points:

• Finally getting some more details from that newspaper. (How and when the Flash disappeared, the author of the article, etc.)
• "You are also The Flash. Founding member of..." -Gideon. (The Justice League? Gideon were you about to say the fucking Justice League??)
• Very interesting piece of information that Barry created Gideon. Pieces are starting to fall into place and make sense on the current end of the time stream, but there is still so much about the future Eobard came from that we don't know
• Wind funnel arms! Another classic Flash move in the repertoire. Now we just need to see some helicopter action:

I expect to see Barry flying alongside Firestorm and Atom by season 2

• The inner struggle that Barry is having with accepting Wells as a mentor but also knowing his true motives was very palpable in tonight's episode
• Cisco's dream sequence was cool, even if it was just a reiteration of what happened in the "Out of Time" episode.
• Joe's flashback to the hospital really captured the "deal with the devil" vibe between him and Wells
• The S.T.A.R. Labs team had a pretty solid trap planned out, but Harrison Well's trap was just a little bit better. They all must subscribe to Traps Illustrated

The authority on modern trap-setting

• Eddie: "So this has all been about me?" Eobard: "Not a chance". Has nothing to do with anything but it brought a smile to my face
• Harrison's flashback to an unconscious Barry was really interesting. We got a real taste of what their dynamic was like before Eobard got stuck in the past but there was still a lot left ominously unanswered. Even when his identity is completely out of the shadows, Eobard Thawne still proves to be a very enigmatic villain.

Low Points: 

• For an honest cop just trying to make the city a better place, Joe really sticks to his "put 2 in the chest" method of police work. 
• I am not buying Iris's realization at the end of the episode. That electric shock doesn't seem like viable grounds to make a connection between Barry and The Flash. I get static shocks touching people and things all the goddamn time and you don't see me jumping to conclusions. I mean Barry even said he would bring Eddie back, which was almost identical to what he said to Iris about Joe in the alternate timeline. They could have easily done a weird timeline flashback thing there and I would have readily bought it over the electric shock thing
• As funny as I thought Eddie and Eobard's exchange was, I am still waiting on how Eddie truly plays into all this..

Verdict: The Flash is roaring down the homestretch for this season and we are still learning things about Eobard Thawne. Up until now the focus has been entirely on trying to figure out who Harrison Wells really is. Now that we know the answer, the question has shifted to what is the story with Eobard Thawne? Tonight we got some hints both from the opening and the closing sequences. We know that Gideon really belongs to a future Barry Allen and somehow came to fall into the hands of Thawne. We also know that in the future, Thawne and Allen have squared off a number of times and that The Flash disappeared in 2024 during a battle in the streets with Thawne. Likely that is when the two traveled back in time. We also saw Thawne find it ironic that he ended up being the one to create The Flash this time, which means originally Barry didn't become the Flash until 2020, when the real Harrison Wells originally created the particle accelerator. So we are slowly getting details to form the entire story of The Flash's and Thawne's complicated relationship but there is still a lot to be answered in the coming weeks. On a semi-related side note, we also learned that The Flash was a founding member of something by the year 2024. Now I am not going to say we should expect a fully formed Justice League by season 9, but I am going to pray for it every single night for the rest of my days and hope a miracle happens. 

CW's The Super Seven. I'd watch

                Tonight we also learned that not only is there still more to learn about Eobard Thawne, but that he is a formidable opponent in more ways than just being a faster version of The Flash. It turns out that he made sure that he was aware of everything going on with everybody from the very beginning, and his counter-trap using Everyman as a ploy was a clever ruse that caught me completely off-guard. Which means that yes, for the briefest of moments I was actually starting to think that all this build-up ended with Joe dropping the Reverse Flash like a hat and calling it a night. Luckily we have a villain on our hands who is as calculating as he is fast, which makes me even more excited to see how these next few episodes play out. Besides the opening scene and the last handful of minutes of the episode though there was not too much to talk about. Cisco's dream sequence was cool but it was literally just a recap of things we the viewers already knew. Couple that with some out of place Eddie-Iris-Barry love triangle action and you got a good chunk of tonight's episode. I am also still waiting on Eddie's purpose to shine through. Wells said he took him as "insurance", so what does that mean? Does he want to keep Eddie safe because he needs the Thawne bloodline to live on in order to eventually be born? Do you think the S.T.A.R. Labs crew will reach this realization and send Joe in to put two in the back of Eddie's head? Seems a bit out of character for all or any of them but hell who knows. Drastic times am I right? This long-awaited Wells confrontation episode scores an 8.0 out of 10.

Thanks for reading the review! What do you think will happen in these last few episodes? What is your opinion on Iris's choice to hyphenate? Let us know in the comments or on twitter @Caped_Informers. Be sure to check back regularly for more reviews, articles, and news about your favorite comic book characters. The Flash returns same time next week with "Grodd Lives".

Arrow "The Fallen" Thoughts and Review!

Things in Ollies world come crashing down when we find Thea in the hospital, we take another fun trip to Nanda Parbat, and learn even more about the mystic waters there within.

Episode Description: Ra's al Ghul finally makes Oliver an offer he can't refuse. The team joins Oliver on his journey to Nanda Parbat where a heartbroken Felicity decides to take matters into her own hands.

"Who let that chick piss in my Laz Pit"-Jason Todd

High Points:

• Although it was a total steal from the Batman story line, I enjoyed the fact that the Lazerus Pits have been heard to have the same effects in the DC TV series as they do in the animated/comic world.
• It was good to see Oliver show some emotion finally on this show. He's been so stone walled, emotionless for too long and it's nice to know he's still human inside
• When Team Arrow arrives in Nanda Parbat, they are met by what looks like the entire league and it looked awesome. Almost like something out of Lord of the Rings on a much smaller scale
• Big Daddy Dig coming in strong calling out not just Maseo, but the whole league calling them cowards, and a bunch of pansies running away all the time. Dig doing big things each week
• The resurrection scene was pretty awesome. The anticipation was definitely felt because I could feel it. Only little down side I will post in "Low Points"
• The sex scene happened, couple episodes late but over and done with
• I think Arrow heard my claims of the flash back scenes being lackluster all season, they were much better tonight, and a lot more fun to watch
• Team Arrow ft Maseo fight was a pretty awesome fight scene, including Ollie recognizing himself as the air to the Demon's Head commanding the league
• How awesome did Ollie look in the League uni tonight at the end of the episode? Looked like the first time Jerome Iginla put on a Boston Bruins jersey for a year.

Watching the Olicity sex scene like....

Low Points:

• The entire episode was one giant Olicity show. I really hope they did that so we have no more moments between them. It's quite honestly the worst part of this show.
• Speaking of Felicity, what the hell in her mind tells her its ok to drug a guy after sex or tell the Demons Head he's out of his mind? If you ask me thats probably two of the biggest no no's I can think of
• Very slow episode all together. I understand it was focused around the Lazerus Pits and Nanda Parbat, I just feel they could have put this in another episode, and now by itself. 
• The Lazerus Pit scene was extremely short, and Thea turning demon/confused teenager was quite strange. 

I can only imagine Maseo felt like this after letting Team Arrow escaped.

Verdict: Tonight's episode as we all knew going in was going to be all about Nanda Parbot and the Lazerus Pits. Here's what I thought they did wrong about with this episode. They built so much hype around a matter of two minutes. I thought it was much too short, and not exactly what you wanted to see after all the hype. Also, I would have liked to have scene some more detail on Thea's part in the pits.Its like one moment she's in and in a blink of an eye shes in a bed resting completely fine. Hopefully the side effects of the pits show up in remaining episodes and she starts losing it. Could be a very cool aspect to the story line. Another point I want to touch on is the Olicity moment that everyone has been waiting for finally happened tonight. Now I don't hate it, I thought it was much overdue and needed. I just hope that now that its off the chest of the writers, they can focus on what made this show so great in the first place. Briefly commenting on the flash backs this week, I thought they were much better and I'm anxious to see what happens now that the alpha-omega bioweapon has been released into the streets. Now we come to the point everyone will be talking about. Oliver Queen aka Al Sah-Him aka air to the Demon. I have to say, I'm ok with this decision and what direction Oliver's story will go in. I thought he looked awesome in the League uniform, and I think this means we will see him in full fledge action mode these next few eps. Only question is where does this leave Team Arrow. From the short promo of next week's episode and an educated guess, I can only assume there will be some sort of show down that will eventually bring Ollie back to Staring. Another thing to think about in these last few weeks of Arrow, is Ollie just "playing" the role until he can find a way back out of the league? It's something to think about because once Ras is gone and/or killed (if this should happen) Ollie is in control of his own destiny. It's a long shot but should be fun to watch as things unfold in the final weeks. 

All in all I give tonights episode a solid 7.0 out of 10!

Thanks for reading! What do you guys think is next for team arrow? Will there be a show down between them and the league? Will Oliver eventually make his way back to Starling City, or will he be consumed by the league? Let us know what you guys think by commenting below or sending us a tweet @Caped_Informers or @O_doyleRULES11.

Tune in next week for "Al Sah-Him"

The Flash "Who Is Harrison Wells?" Review/Thoughts

The focus of the S.T.A.R. Labs crew shifts to figuring out who Harrison Wells is this week and we get a bonus trip to Starling City as well as a crafty shapeshifter terrorizing Central City. An interesting mix for an interesting episode.

Episode Description: Barry works on stopping a metahuman named Hannibal Bates, a.k.a. Everyman, who is a shapeshifter who commits crimes by taking the forms of innocent people. Meanwhile, Joe and Cisco travel to Starling City to investigate the car crash that killed Dr. Well's fiancee.

High Points:

• Start the episode off with a quick zip over to Coast City for some pizza (Coast City is the home of Hal Jordan. Potential foreshadowing?)
• I really enjoy how the Flash/Arrow cast crossovers are becoming more and more of a casual event that everyone can get in on. 
• Cisco's fan-girling over Black Canary was an entertaining addition to the episode plus his role in working on Sarah's sound bombs was exciting for two reasons: 1) At long last we will get The Canary Cry! and 2) Another glimpse of Cisco proving his Vibe-like mastery of sound wave technology
• Everyman may have just been another "villain-of-the-week" type, but his shapeshifting escapades were both tricky and entertaining at times, making him a slightly better character than other villains that have come and gone on this show.
• I enjoyed the fight between The Flash and Everyman. Granted it was completely one-sided but we don't see Barry pull out the high-speed punches too often and he was all about that approach tonight. 
• Every time the Flash's heroism gets recognition from the Central City Police I get excited for the future grand opening of The Flash Museum (It's gunna happen)
• I found the scene between Harrison Wells and Joe to be interesting. I may be reading into it way too much but Harrison mentions both checking in on Eddie (his "distant relation") and then ominously brings up Joe's wife, a character who has not been mentioned or alluded to at all this whole show. Could have all just been fluff, but I'm willing to bet there was more to that exchange than meets the eye
• The discovery of the real Harrison Wells by Joe and Cisco!
• The discovery of Eobard Thawne's secret room in S.T.A.R. Labs by Cisco, Caitlin and Barry!!
• The discovery of the newspaper headline from the future by Barry!!!

The original Daredevil suit was partially yellow...Coincidence?

Low Points:

• I wasn't feeling the floating liquid thing this time. I get that it happens when certain shit is going down like when time barriers are broken and when the particle accelerator exploded but it seemed out of place in this context. I get that there were tachyons on the scene but they were literally just digging up a body on the side of the road. Didn't seem overly floating-coffee worthy..
• Could Barry really not have put 1 and 2 together when "Eddie" came to the door? For a brilliant scientist he suffers from some pretty massive lapses in judgement from time to time..
• I am a bit lost on what to think about Eddie these days. Ever since we found out that he is not the Reverse Flash but rather a distant relative of Eobard Thawne, I have been curious to see how he plays into the story. There seems to be moments of cooperation and potential friendship between him and Barry but there is also definitely tension between the two characters as well. Hopefully Eddie will pan out into something more consistent than this on-the-fence frenemies bullshit that is going on right now so I can finally establish a solid opinion on this guy.

Verdict: The S.T.A.R. Labs team split up this week to cover more ground as Cisco and Joe went to Starling to do some investigating while Barry and Eddie hung back in Central City to deal with a shapeshifting problem. I for one am a big fan of relaxed the crossovers between the two shows have become. Don't get me wrong, it is always fun when The Flash has to team up with Ollie or Ray to take down an evil that is too much to handle alone, but it is also great to see that Joe can swing by the Starling City police department, get some help from Quentin Lance and then offer up some family advice in exchange. Is it as thrilling as watching Ollie and Barry fight Captain Boomerang? Not really. But does it show a deeper level of connectedness between the two shows than just the guys in the suits teaming up? Hell yes. Plus it allows for each show to draw solutions to their respective problems from each other. Example: We have a Black Canary running around Starling City without the "Canary Cry". So we could either beat around the bush about that unforgivable fact in Starling City for a few more seasons, or we could get Cisco Ramon on the case to do what he does best: weaponize the shit out of things. Joe West, a true family man, needs an inside look at the crash site in Starling City where Tess died and Officer Lance has been struggling with familial issues for the entire back-half of this season. Why not get them together and have them scratch each others backs? It's a universe building business we subscribe to when we tune in to these shows nowadays, and I am very fond of the idea that it can be built in ways both big and small. 

                  On the Central City front this week we got Barry and Eddie teaming up to find a metahuman that can take on the form of people he touches. They really decided to stay on a family-friendly path with this villain because much like his namesake implies, the original Everyman was able to shape-shift into people only after he ate a part of them. I guess the The Flash just didn't think their audience was ready for full-blown cannibalism in an otherwise light-hearted show. Plus you can't really have a no-namer like Everyman come in swinging darker and grittier shit around than some of the headliner villains have on this show. 

"The Reverse Flash doesn't eat his victims? What a bitch" -Everyman

However I wasn't bothered by that choice. Everyman ended up being a pretty decent villain of the week who was both clever in his shape shifting game (the "help I'm a kidnapped child" card works every time) and entertaining  in his attempts to portray the people he was imitating. I respected his acting choice to play Barry Allen as aloof yet sexually aggressive as well as his shoot-first, never ask questions take on Eddie Thawne. It's that type of brass-balled method acting I like to see from my villainous thespians. I also liked the growing tension between Caitlin and Barry over the episode. We discussed last week that Caitlin didn't seem very comfortable in siding with Barry and Cisco over Wells and this week only added to that claim. However, she was there when they wheeled in the body of the real Wells and she did see Eobard's man-cave for herself so I find it difficult to believe she will continue to side against Barry. So perhaps this is not the beginning of the Killer Frost transformation we had hoped it was. However, with so much else going on in this show right now with The Reverse Flash at large, and Gorilla Grodd prowling the sewers, and Firestorm off learning how to be Firestorm, there is plenty to keep us occupied until that transformation naturally flows into the story arch. Until then, the stage is set for these last handful of episodes this season. Barry's hunch about Dr. Wells is now a straight-up fact and he saw the newspaper headline forewarning his future disappearance. I suggest we all buckle down and prepare for some time-traveling, tension breaking, speedster style action heading our way in the next few weeks. As for this week, the Flash gets an 8.0 out of 10.

Thanks for reading the review! Do you think there is a chance Caitlin could still side with Wells? Do you think you personally could have handled graphic, on-screen cannibalism in a CW show? Let us know in the comments or on twitter @Caped_Informers. Be sure to check back regularly for more comics news, articles and reviews. The Flash returns same time next week with "The Trap".

Arrow "Broken Arrow" Review!

The Arrow's world is crashing down as Roy is being sent to prison for his "crimes". Don't drop the soap, Roy! (SPOILERS!)

Episode Description: With Lance still targeting the Arrow, Felicity insists that Oliver keep a low profile; a metahuman who uses blasts of energy and plasma to kill people terrorizes the city, forcing Ray and Oliver to team up.

High Points:

• Ollie plans to break Roy out of Iron Heights. I believe Captain Cold and Heatwave may have some experience in that department.
• Every scene that Detective Lance was in tonight was fantastic. He is one of the greatest actors on this show and each outing he proves he has beach ball sized balls. 
• This week seems to be all about team ups in the Flarrowverse. Arrow+ Atom team up lived up to the hype with the virtual reality fight.
• Roy proved to all of us today that when you just might be the be the best looking guy in a prison, you better know how to fight. And fight he did ladies and gentlemen and it was awesome.
• Big Daddy Dig proves week in and week out that he is the voice of reason of Team Arrow. Brings 110% to the table every week. 
• Cisco's cameo was cool. Always good to see some flash people and his bromance with Ray keeps growing and growing.
• The fact that Deathbolt was not in Central City the night of the particle excellerator explosion leads us here at the informers that we could have had a spinoff easter egg.
• Roy's apparent death had me yelling and punching things around me. The inside guy, the knife, the poison it was all so cool and gave us quite the feels.
• I thought Felicity was a little better this week than she has been the whole season. Between her and Ray being in the field I thought she was just a smudge better.
• It was a cool take this week with Ollie being behind the scenes being that motivational voice to Ray which is a role he usually isn't found in. 
• The fight between Ras and Thea was pretty good well choreographed......but my god the ending will blow your mind (I will not spoil until later down in the review).

Ollie and Ray be like...

Low Points

• Thought the overall flow was slow this week.
• The Ollicity moments just need to stop. I get it its the CW they need these lovey dovey moments, but it's the Lana/Clark Kent shit that we hated in Smallville reincarnated.
• Flashback scenes continue to disappoint just as much as the Bruins disappointed all of Boston this season.
• Roy leaves to go wherever the wind takes him, and the reason it is a low point is because it makes me sad.
• The breaking Roy out of prison part never happened, was pretty excited for that.
• Deathbolt was lame as hell. Cyclops mixed with General Zod. Ya he was just a filler villain but man what a snore fest he was. 

That moment you realize that Roy broke out of prison the same way GOB did.

Verdict: So what was looking like would be another filler episode for Arrow, turned out to be quite entertaining and fun effort. At first I really didn't like Ray in the field, but then I was intrigued when Ollie took the reigns and pep talked Ray on what it means to be a hero. Although Ollie did most of the fighting, Ray proves that he has something to offer the city of Staring when the Arrow is a no show, or incapable of saving the city. Next, as I touched on in the Low Points, what is going on with these flashbacks? Each week they seem to get worse and worse. Nothing makes sense, I am honestly so lost of Ollie's background story because so many different things happen each week. If you guys watch Daredevil, you'll notice the flashbacks tie into the story. It used to happen on this show too, but for some reason not this season. It should be fixed. Ok now to the good stuff. Roy is leaving, and I have to say I thought it was coming. I was freakin out when he "died" only to realize it was all a plan to escape. With Roy leaving what happens to Team Arrow? Is Roy going to go off the rails again, become his own vigilante like the story line in Young Justice? It's just a thought and most likely a fantasy story line. Which leads us to the last 2 minutes of the episode where Thea is struck down by the sword of the Demon's Head. As soon as that happened all of us arrowheads/DC fans thought one thing, Lazurus Pits. Sure enough there is the preview for next week showing Thea wrapped in cloth dipped in the pits. All I could think of was a personal favorite movie of mine Batman: Under the Red Hood. Now Thea will most likely not become Red Hood because then this show should just be called Batman, but we hear Ras mention that being dipped in the pits, bringing people back to life changes them. I think that in the next few weeks to come we will be seeing a completely new side of Thea Queen. 

All in all I give tonight's episode a solid 7.5 out of 10!

Sorry Thea, but Jason Todd had it much worse.

Thanks for reading guys. what do you think is next for team Arrow. How will Ollie come back into Starling City as the vigilante? Will Roy ever come back from where ever he is headed? How will the rest of Thea's story play out in the last few weeks? Let us know leave us a comment or tween @Caped_Informers or at me @O_doyleRULES11.

Tune in next week for  "The Fallen".

The Flash "All Star Team Up" Review/Thoughts

This week on The Flash, a source of evil so powerful threatened Central City that one superhero was simply not enough to handle it. That's right folks, The Scarlett Speedster teamed up with Arrow's very own Ray Palmer this week to protect Central City from the dangers of...BEES!!

Episode Description: Ray Palmer and Felicity Smoak drop by S.T.A.R. Labs to get some help with the A.T.O.M. suit while Mercury Labs is terrorized by Brie Larvin (a.k.a. Bug-Eyed Bandit) and her army of robotic bees. Meanwhile, Barry struggles with who he can trust in the wake of his discoveries about Dr. Harrison Wells.

High Points:

• Barry and the Central City Police teaming up to take on everyday petty crime. A stark contrast to what is going on in Starling City right now with Oliver and his city's finest. 
• I found Joe's comment about where Caitlin and Cisco's loyalties lie very interesting. Especially because Cisco may end up being the super-hero Vibe someday, and Caitlin could still very much end up being the villain, Killer Frost..(Could this be what sets them on their paths apart?)
• Bug-Eyed Bandit's bees were experts at making horror movie style entrances. Especially coming out of the mouth of that guy's dead body... 
• I enjoyed the bromance that was forming between Ray and Cisco. Perhaps that will carry over when the Atom heads his own show?
• Cisco has memories from the alternate timeline! 
• The Atom suit was awesome this week. We have seen it do some stuff on Arrow but this was one of the first times we actually saw it in full-on action. Now we just need to see it shrink
• And it looks like we may get that sooner than later: "It seems I need to go smaller" -Ray Palmer
• We got a glimpse of the Felicity Smoak we all know and love. The one who hacks computers like a boss and is funny doing it, not the trophy in a three-way superhero love triangle
• Cisco taking the bee for Ray. In the words of The Reverse Flash, I have grown quite fond of Cisco over the course of this show and I like the attention and character development he gets. 
• That last scene did a lot to support my prior suspicions about who Caitlin and Cisco will side with. 

Low Points:

• Bug-Eyed Bandit was just another throw-away "of the week" villain who turned out to be nothing more than a disgruntled employee who is really good with tech and computers. And had a weird thing for weaponizing bees...

I like to imagine that this is how Brie presented her bee weapons to Mercury Labs 

• Barry was having a really hard time with these bees... I know bees are hard to outrun but even for the Flash? I was having a really hard time buying that Barry was getting trapped so easily by these bees

Essentially what Barry was like the entire episode

• I am still not a fan of Iris. I want to be because she is supposed to be Barry's girl but goddamn she can be annoying as hell. Granted she is literally the only person in Barry's life who doesn't know he is the Flash, but if Iris finds out about Barry's identity just because Eddie doesn't want them to break up I am going to be pretty disappointed in all parties involved

Verdict: The second Arrow/Flash crossover episode brought The Atom to Central City instead of the Arrow himself (probably because Oliver is busy being transported to jail) and the results were pretty cool. We got to see Ray Palmer interact and even mesh pretty well with the S.T.A.R. Labs team, and we got to see him do some pretty cool flying around and over-glorified bug zapping in his Atom suit. We have all been wondering when we were going to get to see the suit shrink down to microscopic size, and even though we didn't get it this week, it appears that the seed for future shrinkage has been planted. And in a decently appropriate fashion as well. Bug-Eyed Bandit is actually a villain who is mainly associated with the Atom because the Atom is able to shrink down to size to better combat his tiny insect robots. I say "his" because the Bug-Eyed Bandit is also usually a male named Bertram Larvin, so it was cool to see a female version. However, that is kind of where the "cool' aspects of the character started and stopped. Brie Larvin was another "of the week" villain who wasn't overly compelling. But who knows. Maybe she will make a reappearance when it is the Atom's turn to lead his own show and we will get some tiny Ray Palmer vs. tiny robot bee action (preferably on a children's play-set).

If you haven't seen this Ant-Man trailer yet you are gunna wanna click here

This week's episode seemed to be more about character and relationship development, which I am never overly opposed to. Sometimes you just gotta slow things down in the fighting crime department and build some character for the greater evils to come. We got some Barry development as he struggles with who he can trust. We got some Ray Palmer development as he makes friends at S.T.A.R. Labs and does some hero work. We got some petty relationship bullshit on the Eddie and Iris front that I won't waste another word on. But the characters I was very interested in this week were Cisco and Caitlin. Honestly, I have become quite the Cisco fan over the course of this show. When this show began I thought he was just going to be the nerdy, comic relief type character but he has turned out to be a lot more. We are learning about his sub-par family life, we are getting glimpses of his fighting capability, and we are getting hero-like characterizations from him. Now there has never been a point in my life where I have considered myself to be a huge fan of the character Vibe, but Cisco Ramon has definitely got me excited for his potential appearance on The Flash. As for Caitlin, this Harrison Wells loyalty conundrum is especially interesting for her. Cisco's memories from the alternate timeline help him to see Wells for who he truly is, but Caitlin does not seem very sold on the idea. Could this split her from Barry and Cisco and lead her down a path of evil with Professor Wells? Could this be the turning point in her character that launches her descent into becoming Killer Frost? Besides having a relationship with Firestorm, there really hasn't been much to hint at a transformation of character for Caitlin, so I am very interested to see if this difference in opinion leads to a rift big enough to cause her to go bad. All-in-all this episode was another fun crossover episode starring members of the Arrow gang, that will hopefully get the ball rolling on a shrink function to the Atom's suit. The villain was weak, but the tensions were left running high at the end of the episode with the S.T.A.R. Labs team being thrown into a "forced to take sides" scenario that may not go entirely according to plan. Only time will tell, but for now the "All Star Team Up" episode gets an 8.0 out of 10.

Thanks for reading the review! Do you think Caitlin will side with Wells over Barry and Cisco? Who was the better character: Beth from The Walking Dead or Brie the Bug-Eyed Bandit? Let us know in the comments or on twitter @Caped_Informers and be sure to check back here regularly for more comic book related news, stories, articles and reviews. The Flash returns same time next week to ask the question we have all been waiting for: "Who Is Harrison Wells?".

The Flash "Tricksters" Review/Thoughts

Throwback Thursday came early this week on The Flash as the man, the myth, the legend himself, Mark Hamill, descended from his DC voice acting throne to reprise his original live-action role as the Trickster from the 1990s Flash television series.

Episode Description: When a criminal starts antagonizing Central City under the name "The Trickster", Barry and Joe seek out James Jesse, a.k.a. the original Trickster, in hopes of using his help to stop the copycat. Meanwhile, Harrison Wells senses Barry's growing suspicions and reflects back on how he got to where he is today.

High Points:

• A very exciting opening to this episode! We start off with a look at the fight that happened in Barry's house the night his mother was murdered AND we get the explanation for why Eobard Thawne got stuck in the past. Plus Gideon mentioned the Speed Force! 
• When The Reverse Flash pulled off his hood in the street after learning he couldn't access the speed force and it wasn't Harrison Wells...

Eobard Thawne is going to drive me to drink...

• Much like the Spidey picture from last week's post, Barry and Joe have their own conspiracy board going on Dr. Wells
• Mark Hamill, the voice behind the animated versions of The Joker and The Trickster, and the original Trickster from the 1990s Flash, was amazing as always! And the performance was absolutely an homage to both characters he is known for. Well done sir
• The original Trickster's cell was some Hannibal Lecter level shit
• Mark Hamill told Axel Walker "I am your father". Darth Vader would be so proud
• The Tricksters' scheme was a fun change of pace this week. Usually the villains are doing something pretty straightforward like straight-up shooting a place up, or straight-up kidnapping somebody. You gotta love a good old-fashioned convoluted plan every once in awhile
• The Lesson of the Week from Professor Zoom: Phasing through solid objects! Plus his explanation of the utilizing the speed force was intense
• Eddie Thawne, distant relative of Eobard Thawne, knows Barry is The Flash. Will this decision to reveal himself to Eddie come back to haunt him later on?
• Everything about the "Harrison Wells" flashbacks! RIP Actual Harrison Wells. I feel bad for not saying it sooner because it turns out you were dead the entire show. Mind sufficiently blown.

Low Points:

• Henry you literally just watched half of those parachute presents explode upon hitting the ground and you are still going to go for it? The balls on you kid..

In honor of Henry: The Kid from that One Scene in the Park Who Gave 0 Fucks

•  The Chicago Cubs do not need to be reminded that they haven't won a World Series in 106 years. They literally have 106 years worth of not winning a World Series to do that for them.
• Wasn't really feeling the "New Trickster". He pretty much spent the whole episode standing in the "Old Trickster's" shadow. But then again when you put a rookie like that next to a savvy veteran like Mark Hamill, what can you honestly expect to take away from the rookie? Maybe next time we will get some more out of the new guy

Verdict: Mark Fucking Hamill ladies and gentlemen. We first see him in his Hannibal Lecter-style glass cell with his face shadowed but we know who it is. That villainous voice rings into our ears and instantly reminds us of the childhood we spent watching Batman thwart the Joker's plans time and time again on Batman: The Animated Series. Hamill has accrued quite a resume of villainous voice acting over the years, dabbling in everything from comic book villains like The Joker and The Trickster, to villains in other animated universes like Firelord Ozai from Avatar: The Last Airbender and that sly bastard Turtle from My Friends Tigger and Pooh. 

Behold the vilest creature to ever crawl out of the 7th ring of hell

Mark Hamill also played The Trickster in the original live-action The Flash that aired in the early 1990s. Tonight's episode was a fun homage to that and even came complete with little joke references to the original show like when Joe said his lair hadn't looked like it had been touched since the 90s. However, Mark Hamill's performance was also very much a nod to The Joker in my opinion. The convoluted schemes that had multiple thought-out layers were classic Joker-style schemes and even the small little quips that Hamill would make like calling Axel a "rank amateur" and his comical response of "Well that wasn't very sanitary" in response to Barry giving everyone the antidote were reminiscent of Hamill's quick-witted Joker. And if the flower on the lapel of his suit wasn't a blatant nod to the animated character design of the Joker then I don't know what else it could have possibly been. All that was missing was the laugh. Hamill's Trickster chuckled a handful of times throughout the episode and every time he did I just wanted him to break into that full-on Joker laugh. I understand why he didn't though. His laugh is the trademark "Joker laugh" and at the end of the day Hamill was playing The Trickster, not the Clown Prince of Crime. However, Hamill's reprise of The Trickster made for an incredibly fun-to-watch episode on the villain-of-the-week front, and the episode didn't stop there.

Segway into the weekly Harrison Wells Report where we got a mind-blowing look into Eobard Thawne's past this week. The episode opened up with Barry and The Reverse Flash duking it out in Barry's living room the night of the murder. We then learn Eobard drained his powers jumping back in time and can no longer harness the speed force to get him back to his own time. And when the Reverse Flash removes his hood in defeat, we see no Harrison Wells, but instead a man who actually resembles Eddie Thawne. I know we have all been saying "Harrison Wells isn't the man we think is" and boy has that been an understatement! He isn't even Harrison Wells! We thought the Reverse Flash's true identity was exposed until this episode slapped us around with the fact that he had an even truer identity that still needed to be discovered all along. I mean Jesus Christ is there another person hiding beneath this new identity? How many layers do we have to peel back to get the god's honest truth around here??

But in the best possible way

And now that Eddie knows Barry's identity are we going to see some sort evil story arc evolve around him? Eobard Thawne is from 100s of years in the future but that doesn't mean we couldn't see a present day Thawne/Allen rivalry begin to grow. And what about the already present tension growing between Barry and Eobard? The mind games that are being played between the two right now is palpable and only one of two things can come of it: An intense, season-finale worthy, clash of titans, or a mind-blowing sexual encounter. I'm more inclined to believe the first one is going to happen but I am in no way about to go on record as saying I don't want the second one to happen either. Simply put this was a great episode all around. 9.5 out of 10.

Thanks for reading the review! What is your favorite voice acting role that Mark Hamill has done? Who else should know about Barry's identity before Iris? Let us know what you think in the comments or on twitter @Caped_Informers. Check back here regularly for news, articles and reviews of other shows and movies. The Flash is taking a week break, but will return on April 14th with friends from the cast of Arrow in an "All Star Team Up" episode. 

The Arrow/Flash Spinoff Casts Hawkgirl + Rip Hunter!

Deadline has reported that Ciara Renee (Law and Order: SVU) has been tapped to play Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl on the upcoming Flash/Arrow spinoff series that is set to debut in late 2015/early 2016. The site was also kind enough to release this short but sweet official description about the character: "Kendra Saunders is a young woman who is just beginning to learn that she has been repeatedly reincarnated over the centuries. When provoked, her ancient warrior persona manifests itself, along with wings that grow out of her back, earning her the moniker…Hawkgirl." 


Source: Deadline

Ciara Renee joins a very strange array of characters from both Arrow + The Flash. Which so far includes The ATOM, Hawkgirl, Captain Cold, Heatwave, One half of Firestorm, and Sara Lance's corpse. Plus three DC characters, who will be new to TV, are expected to be introduced as well. I sure as hell have no idea what's going on, but you know what, I dig. A whole crazy ass list of DC characters being produced by the people who make Arrow/Flash. Sign me up. Especially since many of these awesome characters will never get the silver screen treatment. It's gonna be cool to see a separate team of lesser known heroes assemble on TV. Now just cast a Booster Gold and let's get this train rolling.

P.S. Why hasn't Robbie Amell aka Ronnie Raymond joined this cast yet? The other half of Firestorm, Victor Garber aka Martin Stein, has. I can only jump to one logical conclusion, Ronnie has left Firestorm. First Zayn leaves 1D, now Ronnie leaves Firestorm. #WorstWeekEver, I can't take much more heartbreak. #ComeBackRonnie

UPDATE: Arthur Darvill (Doctor Who) has also been added to the Flash/Arrow spinoff as time-traveler Rip Hunter. His character description is "a roguish time traveler who hides the strains of being responsible for history itself behind a facade of charm and wit." This addition makes sense because of the recent discovery of time-travel on The Flash. Also since Rip is Booster Gold's son, I think it should be about time we bring him into this little party as well. So what do you guys think of Hawkgirl and Rip Hunter? Sound off in the comments.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter