"Gone Rogue" was a pretty sad attempt to patch up the West-Allen family after a lot of damage has been done. It tried to explain away Nora's behavior and Iris' attempt to understand it even when it doesn't make much sense. Then on top of it all, Barry makes the revelation that he didn't want Nora there from the beginning, which isn't hard to understand but since there was no build up to it, him blurting it out to Joe was well, what most of this season has been- weird. Honestly, this is more of a rant than a review so you might want to steer clear if you're a fan of this season.
Barry
He has done some things I don't agree with this season when it comes to Nora, but at the same time I totally understand where it comes from. Barry has tried to move on from the tragic deaths of his parents as best he could. He married his best friend, has his close friends working with him, and has even been in therapy according to Iris. Throwing Nora in the pipeline as soon as the name Thawne was uttered wasn't a good look, leaving her alone in the middle of the street in the future wasn't either, but Thawne is a huge trigger for Barry. Everyone that knows him knows that. Nora would have known the depths of that trauma too if she had spent more time being a real daughter to her mom instead of vilifying her.
It has often come up that Barry treats other people who have betrayed the team better than his own daughter. Well, the case could be made that Nora's betrayal is the straw that broke the camel's back. He let Wells in and got burnt, he let Hunter in against his better judgement and got burnt, when he told everyone DeVoe was a villain no one believed him and now Nora has arrived and brought the Reverse Flash back into their lives. When it is all stacked up, Barry could argue that he has every right to distrust Nora and want her to go back to her time. Yes, Barry forgave Caitlin/Killer Frost. That is an unresolved issue, but when he was gone the team needed her help to bring him back so if he even thought about ousting her from the team, he would have had a huge fight on his hands- one that he would probably lose. Cisco wasn't going to go for it. So there we have it. A thrice wounded Barry who can't trust his own daughter.
I believe Barry when he says he didn't really want Nora there. Think about it. Barry just married Iris. They have had no time to be a newly weds. Barry knows the 2024 headline is looming no matter how they sweep it under the rug- he's a man running out of time. Out of time to spend with the love of his life, out of time to spend with his STAR Labs family. Now all of a sudden he has to share Iris with Nora. Because of Nora's treatment of Iris, Iris is preoccupied with figuring out why their relationship is so bad; she's trying hard to be the mom she never had. As a mother should, Iris puts Nora first, yet Nora only wants to bond with Barry so where does that leave him? Nora probably reminds Barry of his mortality. When he sees her, he is reminded of all the time he will miss with everyone he loves, so her presence, no matter how happy he may want to be about it, makes him uneasy.
Iris
I'm not really sure what to make of Iris these last few episodes. On the one hand I admire her for standing up to Barry and taking him to task for leaving her out of important family decisions. On the other hand, why is she so ready to excuse Nora's behavior and treatment of her just because she grew up without Barry? Iris grew up without a mother and was raised to be strong, honest, and loving. All things I am sure she instills in Nora in the future. She has gone out of her way to show love and loyalty to Nora and what does she get from her in return? Half-hearted apologies and Nora continuing to treat her the same way. Clearly choosing her dad over her mom.
Iris also speaks about Nora staying with them as if that's even a possibility. She has to go back to her time at some point yet Iris talks about it as if she can stay with them indefinitely. Iris also seemed to uncover the real problem about Nora. She asked Cecile, even if Nora was mad at Barry or thought Barry wouldn't trust her, why didn't she come home to her? That question was never answered with any satisfaction because there is no real reason she should have avoided her mom. Iris let her out of the pipeline, wanted her to have a chance to explain herself and then accepted her explanation. She also traveled to the future to bring her back home. What reasons did Nora have to believe her mom would not have been on her side? None.
Iris says that Nora has made her and Barry better people. She goes on to say that maybe she has made Thawne a better person too. Well, if that's true great, but I have a problem with the ease that Iris blurts out that Thawne told her to come back to Barry as if she wasn't going to unless he advised her as such. It was beyond weird and very uncharacteristic of the way she has comforted Barry through the trauma of his past, much of which was caused by this very person.
Nora
There are lots of things I don't like about Nora. The biggest being that she is a huge baby. She was raised by a strong single mother and Joe West. It just defies logic that she would turn out to be this childlike as an adult. Even when Barry went to Flashpoint to live with his parents, he soaked up their love as a child would but he acted like an adult. Anyway, Nora has apologized to Iris, Barry and the team for betraying them, yet this entire episode is her doing the exact same thing in the name of the greater good. Isn't that the reason she's in this whole jam with her dad? She has a plan with Thawne that she doesn't tell anyone about. It even involves kidnapping Cisco. WTF? So why say sorry when she is just going to do whatever she wants?
Wanting to stop Cicada or save her dad aren't excuses for leaving the people she needs to trust her out.
Working with the Young Rogues was cool, but it revealed that Nora isn't equipped to run point on an operation. She needs a team, which is why she should have gone to her mom in the first place. Iris and Joe brought Barry along in the end so that would have happened anyway if she trusted her mom.
Other Things I was Thinking as I Watched:
*Iris PLEASE list the ways you and Barry are better people since Nora arrived. I'll wait....
*Cisco was the best part of this episode.
*Nora yells at the Rogues to make sure Cisco hacks Spencer's phone as she stalks off with it in her hand. Edit much?
*Caitlin who? Killer who? Her story is sooooooo over. Stop it already.
*Ralph needs to meet Sue like yesterday. He has been redeemed so give him a girl.
*Cicada is the worst villain the show has had. Cicada II was promising, but once she started singing that pelican rhyme, I was totally over it.
*Why do they act like Nora never has to go home? At some point doesn't Iris is the future need her daughter back? Doesn't she deserve to explain her side like Nora has been able to, to get a second chance?
*I like the Young Rogues minus the bee girl.
*Weather Witch telling Nora about her childhood seemed to lay groundwork for Nora to appreciate the fact that Iris actually showed up for her, but NOPE! Everything is still about King Barry.
What did you think about "Gone Rogue"? Did it really resolve anything? Sound off below and as always, thanks for reading.
The Flash airs on Tuesday nights on the CW.
