After delivering to audiences an episode that pushed the boundaries of superhero television last week in “Out of time”, you had to figure that this weeks episode of The Flash would struggle to keep pace. Slowed down by tons of expositions and tropes about time travel the episode “Rogue Time” just seemed to stop any momentum of The Flash Season One in it’s tracks. Rather than truly focus on the changes established in the new timeline, “Rogue Time” remained bogged down in generics.
So what exactly is the big alteration that happens because of Barry moving backwards in time? Well really not that much. Instead everything that people loved about “Out of Time” was put on ice and not really explored. Once again Barry must face Leonard Snart AKA Captain Cold. While I have enjoyed Wentworth Miller’s portrayal of the character, I am seriously starting to question him as a series regular. While Captain Cold is a major player currently in DC Comics, at his core he is not much more than a C-level Mr. Freeze. While I understand that the Flash does not have the Rogue’s Gallery that other characters do, you have to really begin to question the show runners decision to push Snart to the forefront of all the Flash’s villains. Also the hints at the character’s future appearance in a spin-off and an almost certain appearance in Arrow were hinted at way too much. Seriously DC it’s time to chill out with your push of Captain Cold.
This episode also made you wish that last weeks timeline would have continued. Cisco would have remained dead, but I’d rather that than see what he is becoming here. Perhaps Cisco’s tears would have been justified a bit more if the relationship the show was trying to sell between Mr. Ramon and his brother was at least somewhat believable and less of a plot device. A plot that culminates in one of the worst action set pieces ever to be seen on a CW show. Seriously it was more believable when Nathan and Haley’s wedding limo derailed in One Tree Hill than the final action set piece here that involves Captain Cold in a motorcycle with a sidecar.
When I first heard there was going to be a The Flash television show this is about the worst that I imagined it could be. Cheesy inorganic dialogue, cheap set pieces, but worst of all bad CW romance all rolled into one. The looks on Iris’s face when Barry mentioned how he felt for her was a legit Laurel Lance-worthy level of reaction here. Of course the most natural thing anyone would do when you suspect your girlfriend may be in love with her stepbrother and your co-worker is to punch him right in the face at work no questions asked right? Way to go Eddie!
In a superhero show that has been nearly flawless in its first season, “Rogue Time” was a quicker step back than what Barry traveled when he went back in time at the start of this episode. The only character that came out of this unscathed was The Reverse Flash, who provided the only real heart this episode had to offer.