The fun thing about watching The Flash is that whenever they introduce a new rogue, I know pretty much nothing about them. Unlike the rogues galleries of, say, Superman or Batman, I’m aware of some of the names of Flash’s villains, but aside from that, who they are, their motivations, I don’t know anything aside from the Rogues’ code they have in the comics (no drugs, no killing women and children).

And that’s what makes each new episode of this series different from Smallville or even some episodes of Arrow. I don’t take any knowledge into the episode, so I just get to judge whether or not the rogue works. While some have been pretty “meh,” like Multiplex or that gas-cloud guy, others, like Captain Cold and even Girder in his final moments, have shown that they can be fun, interesting characters to watch. Thankfully, Pied Piper falls into the latter category.

One of the great parts of the episode was really fleshing out Hartley’s story in a believable, understandable way. He wasn’t some ho-hum guy who got powers and went evil (see every episode of Smallville). He was the prototypical comic book villain already. Smart as hell and a jerk (sometimes even a dick). And, yes, while he eventually went the same route as Joker, Javier Bardem in Skyfall, and Loki, by intentionally getting himself caught, we can already see that the wheels are turning for this guy. Unlike the other villains we’ve seen on the show, aside from Captain Cold, Hartley isn’t just flying by the seat of his pants and being evil. He’s a man with a plan. Smarter, higher-level villains are always a welcome addition for superheroes, especially on TV, where they have a tendency to be a one-and-done showing, just to check that supervillain box.

Speaking of great villains, let’s hear it for finally seeing Harrison Wells RUN. That was a great, unexpected moment in the episode. And when Joe West and Eddie are on scene and investigating, we’re also blessed with having detectives who are actually good at their jobs by noticing that there was a lot of broken glass around and no cuts or scrapes on the good doctor, who’s supposedly wheelchair bound. Which brings me to another question: Where were the ramps in Wells’ home? If he’s confined to a wheelchair, but no ramps, doesn’t that raise a few questions? Also, for someone who’s supposed to be stuck in that wheelchair, he’s sure pretty easygoing about walking freely about his house when he’s got glass for walls.

As for the initial Flash vs. Pied Piper fight, I found it very refreshing that Barry decided to be smart about the fight. When he couldn’t get in close to Hartley because of the sonic gauntlets, he decided to just start throwing whatever random shit was laying around at the guy. This is especially nice to see after last week’s ridiculous (but visually awesome) fight he had against Captain Cold and Heatwave; two guys with guns, and the Flash doesn’t run up to them to just steal their weapons.

In the flashbacks, we learned that Hartley warned Wells about the particle accelerator exploding, a warning Wells essentially shrugged off. Wells is able to publicly blame his hubris and ambition, while we understand that the giant machine exploding and *accidentally* creating the Flash was, yeah, sort of the whole point, Einstein.

And when he held the press conference to announce this warning he ignored, we got to see Iris at her new job, pressing forward with what I guess was supposed to be a tough question, but what really only seemed like just a regular one. While The Flash can sometimes dabble in the CW-ish drama sometimes, Iris scenes at the newspaper was a cannonball into the drama pool. She’s upset that she was brought on solely to write about the world’s first superhero? Don’t mope about that. That’s your golden ticket. And along the way, you know, if you also happen to accidentally do some journalism, great. Work at it from that angle. But don’t expect sympathy when you’re the only person on the superhero beat.

For the final confrontation between Barry and Hartley on the dam, whatever science they babbled at us about the satellites and car radios, this is why I love comic books. That’s the sort of technobabble you can read in word balloons, smile, shrug, and keep going. Actually seeing it on TV is something of a stretch, so props to Tom Cavanaugh for being able to pull off some truly Star Trek-like science BS.

And whatever happens with this secret investigation into Wells that Joe and Eddie are going forward with, I’m glad to see it. Joe is an excellent detective, and while we haven’t really seen Eddie do much investigating, this plot will give them both some good chances to showcase exactly how good TV cops can and should be.

And finally, Wells. SPEED FORCE. It finally got a mention. While we had no reason to suspect the showrunners were going to ignore the speed force, actually hearing the words, having it brought into show canon, is like C4, blowing open the new possibilities for where this show can and will go. If you’re unfamiliar, the speed force is essentially the alternate dimension where speedsters like Flash draw their speed from. It’s also the quick throwaway explanation for everything the Flash does that doesn’t jive with physics. If you’re curious, seriously, give it a read. It’s pure, comic book craziness.

And now we know that whatever speed Wells is using, it’s a fleeting resource and ability. We’d sort of assumed that his being wheelchair bound was a total facade, but it’s not. When he’s running on empty, something happens to his legs. What that is, I won’t even guess at. No idea. But as opposed to some other shows, like Gotham or Agents of SHIELD, I’m invested in these characters and want to know why.

Quick Thoughts:

– The hell was up with those two bikers at the beginnings? Why didn’t Flash just stop them? I can only guess it was to set up the concept of stopping villains with objects rather than fists.

– Wells at the press conference, “I have failed this city.” As a spinoff from Arrow, that line means so much.

@kent_graham