"Rogue Time" isn't a bad episode by any stretch of the imagination but it's hard not to feel disappointed when it undoes so much of what made last week's show the best episode of the series so far. Stuck "a day and some change" in the past, Barry (Grant Gustin) has the chance to relive the events the past two days. Despite warnings from Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) about not diluting the time steam with any changes, Barry chooses to act on his knowledge of the past taking down Mark Mardon (Liam McIntyre) before he can threaten Joe (Jesse L. Martin) or paralyze Singh (Patrick Sabongui).
As Wells' comments foreshadow, Barry's actions save the city from a tidal wave but not without consequences as his his choices to deviate from the first time around create a ripple effect concerning both his friends and enemies. With Mardon not in the picture the door opens for Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) and Heat Wave (Dominic Purcell) to return to the city along with Smart's sister Lisa (Peyton List).
Kidnapping Cisco (Carlos Valdes) to replace their missing weapons, the threesome of Rogues (mentioned by name) begin terrorizing the city and, thanks to the proper incentive, also force Cisco to reveal the name of the Scarlet Speedster. Barry's actions also remove the dramatic scene which led to Iris admitting her true feelings for him. However, Linda Park (Malese Jow) isn't blind enough to miss who Barry really cares for ending that relationship as well.
Barry learns a valuable lesson about not playing with the past and Cisco, abducted instead of researching the Reverse-Flash, manages to survive but there are consequences I'm far less okay with than the loss of one of our hero's plucky sidekicks. First, I'm not thrilled that three more villains now now Barry's true identity. And second, I'm saddened (but not surprised) by how far the show bends backwards to force Barry and Iris back to the status quo as if nothing has changed. Both of these outcomes are likely to have negative effects for the series going forward. And although Barry begins to question Wells' motivations it's far less concrete than the other timeline where the villain stands revealed. And, on an unrelated note, Cisco can make a gun that shoots gold (on the fly over a single night) and somehow hasn't found a way to make that profitable? What?!
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