The Flash "Rogue Time" Review: Back to the Future

The Flash S01E16: "Rogue Time"

It was kind of inevitable. Last week's "Out of Time" was so insane and awesome that, even though we all knew the Barry-can-travel-through-time thing was coming, the revelation that his little trip to yesterday essentially undid all that delicious crazy with Wells and Cisco and Iris and Spartacus was a definite mood-killer. "Rogue Time" was like the second round of a game you started playing with a kid who threw a tantrum during the first round and demanded a redo.

Thankfully, the redo was a pretty sweet ride in itself.

But still, redo.

"Out of Time" left Cisco dead and Wells' alter ego essentially out in the open, and while I was initially bummed to see the game he's been playing with Barry and the others come to its inevitable end, once Barry literally turned back the clock, I found myself more annoyed with the backtracking. However, The Flash needed a way to bring Cisco back—without him, who would bestow all the meta-humans with names literally ripped from comic books?

And on that note, is this universe going to acknowledge Lisa Snart's "Golden Glider" past? I don't believe the name was uttered, but the gold-shooting gun was a nice nod and certainly less embarrassing than evil ice-skates and bedazzled bombs (IDK, it was the '70s; cocaine's a helluva drug?).

Either way, hello there, Jane Sterling errr I mean Peyton List.

So what exactly is the state of reality on The Flash following the double whammy of "Out of Time" and "Rogue Time?" Well, Iris and Barry get to go back to being the worst—although that's not to say they wouldn't have remained the worst even if the first timeline had stuck, because being borderline unwatchable in a painfully uninteresting storyline is just kind of their thing, you know? With no mortal peril and no big reveal that her dorky bestie is actually the superhero boyfriend of her dreams, Iris can return to blissfully batting her eyelashes at Eddie. No thanks to Barry, who completely missed the point about her choosing him the first time around and got all desperate-to-escape-the-friend-zone on us in a move that seemed uncharacteristically thoughtless for him. Clearly, The Flash reeeeeeally wants us to accept those two as an endgame couple.

As far as storylines we actually care about: CISCO LIVES! I was certainly getting a bit nervous when Wells lured him to the original scene of the crime and basically gave the exact same speech about seeing Cisco as a son that delivered back when he shanked the guy. After all, Cisco revealed Barry's identity to Captain Cold, and Barry is Wells' precious. So I started panicking, envisioning a big move on Wells' part that'd be justified by a need to "protect" Barry or whatever... which also would've been fine, aside from all the panicking and weeping that would've ensued. I love me some Cisco, I really do, but you can't just drop a prophecy like Harrison Wells promising that Barry's timeline-tampering would only lead to a bigger clusterf*ck than the original and then not do anything with it. I was waiting for the hot mess express to roll in right on time, but it appears to be running late. That means we get to spend the rest of the season on pins and needles waiting for it. Aren't you excited?

(Say yes.)

The impending disaster was visible on the horizon by the end of "Rogue Time." Snart knowing Barry's identity forced Barry to make a deal with that particular devil and his rogue entourage. Their begrudging understanding of one another opens up an interesting new story avenue—either for a truly dangerous successor once the Reverse Flash stuff is wrapped up, or for reluctant allies once the Reverse Flash stuff spirals out of control in the best possible way. After all, the Rogues have assisted the Flash in the comics, and usually for their own reasons or own distorted version of respect. Captain Cold might have a silly name, but his character is a complex foil to the Flash.

Meanwhile, Cisco gets to live and act all warm and fuzzy with Papa Wells in this timeline, but Barry has seen evidence that Wells isn't the benevolent genius he appears to be, which results in all sorts of possibilities for future Flash/Reverse Flash conflict. I want it. I want it now.

Once I got over my early disappointment in response toe The Flash's decision to wipe the slate clean following "Out of Time," "Rogue Time" revealed itself to be a worthy sequel. Even though it wasn't quite as bombastically packed with the stunning moments, the episode still managed to alter Barry's reality in a big way and, for now, a permanent way. Barry can't figure out how or why he managed to travel back in time, which means we aren't really any closer to the inevitable showdown in Baby Barry's living room that costs his mother her life. Time travel has long played a big role in the Flash mythology, but it's clear that the show isn't going to abuse the loophole. There aren't any take-backsies here just yet.

LEFT IN THE DUST

– Womp womp, Mason. Womp womp.

– Lightning amnesia? Really?

– Last time I checked, having an engineer in the family was still pretty freaking impressive. What up, Cisco's family?

– Next week: MARK HAMILL. MY KING.

– Also next week: Your fearless regular reviewer returns! Noel was on vaycay this week, so I filled in for him. Thanks for playing with me!

What did you think of "Rogue Time"?