The Flash Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Family of Rogues
Carissa Pavlica
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Does anybody else think the pendulum was swinging toward a really special Iris and Joe episode, but we were left without it dropping?
Relationships were at the forefront of The Flash Season 2 Episode 3, and overall, it worked out quite well. With the arrival of Lewis Snart, bastard father to Leonard and Lisa, we were given the opportunity to see what could happen when children were raised by a bad parent.
This fit in with the arrival of Iris' mother, Francine, believed dead, and Joe's decision to allow everyone to go on thinking that for the past 20 years. There were a lot of emotional scenes, and it was building up to something pretty spectacular...but then the hour ended. Hmmm.
That's not to say that what we covered during the hour wasn't great, because it was, but it felt cut short, unfinished. Perhaps it was. Maybe interrupted is more the word I'm looking for in this instance.
Was there a bit of a pause in our normal broadcasting to cut away in time to introduce some peril for Dr. Stein so he can get the other half of FIRESTORM before DC's Legends of Tomorrow takes flight? Both The Flash and Arrow are going to have to devote time to setting up that arc. It's getting a little bit noisy.
That's a small nit to be picking, but when I'm actually excited for an Iris storyline, well, darn it, that's something right there! The writing for Iris has been so amazingly different so far during The Flash Season 2 that when she gets a meaty story, I'd kind of like to see it played out.
The juxtaposition shown between being raised by a father like Joe West and one like Lewis Snart was beautifully done. Not only was it a chance to further deepen the Snart characters so they have more layers and remain more than the typical bad guys, but Barry also realized how close he came to falling under the same umbrella merely by having a father in prison. Joe was his saving grace.
Joe was Iris', as well, and Joe raised both of his children well enough to know that he would never have held back a secret about Francine without good reason.
When I still a beat cop, me and my partner were on patrol, and dispatch came on the radio. A little girl had called in. She said her mom had taken some pills, and she wouldn't wake up. The little girl gave the address. The address was mine.
Joe
As Joe continued, sharing that the mother Iris believed she had was the one he wanted her to have, even if it meant keeping her in the dark about the truth of the situation, Jesse L. Martin didn't overindulge the grief Joe felt. That man really gets it right. I would have really enjoyed seeing more of Joe and Iris discussing the situation about Francine or even bringing Barry into the conversation, but there were other things on tap for the hour.
Can we say Cisco has a girlfriend? That might be stretching it, but wasn't it great that Lisa trusted in The Flash team, and Cisco in particular, to save her brother and her own life? Cisco and Lisa are really cute together, and after dancing around each other since they met, their parting kiss was very sweet.
We already knew Captain Cold wasn't going to go to prison long-term or that he wasn't a truly nefarious character, but it was nice of Barry to be there to remind him that he stands beside him.
Finally, we have to talk about that speed canon they built to get in and out of the breach between Earth 2. First of all, Caitlin is all kinds of ooey gooey when it comes to Jay Garrick (who could blame her?), but more importantly, why on earth did they leave that thing unattended?
Surely they knew that if they could see it on Earth, it would be visible on Earth 2. These are scientists we're dealing with, so why are they always just a hair short of the smartest kids on the block? We skirted the idea that Earth 2 Harrison Wells didn't look like the nicest guy on The Flash Round Table, and boy howdy, he didn't arrive looking nice AT ALL.
I didn't expect him to make his way into the fray quite this soon, but it can't be good that he decided to show up in the dead of night, right?
On The Flash Season 2 Episode 4 the gang will be asking some poor guy if he wants to join Dr. Stein for a little nuclear body melding. That would be a bit of a surprise, right? Whether Iris will meet up with her mother or Harrison Wells will introduce himself? We'll have to wait to find out!
In a Flash:
- Iris was having the time of her life falling from the high-rise building and being rescued by Barry. That he was so proud of her later and used that incident as proof of her strength was awfully cute.
- Patty Spivot was much better without pushing so hard. She seemed a lot more natural, and even a little goofy when she misinterpreted Barry's signals.
- Francine spouting all of the usual lines like Iris needs her, and she's able to help her now, and she's not going anywhere were all very annoying, especially after learning how she left!
- If Barry ever decides to turn to a life of crime, he'd make a great safe cracker. But wouldn't any good keypad lock like that kick you out after that many tries? At least for a few minutes? Sheesh!
What did you think of "Family of Rogues"? Did Joe and Iris get you right in the ol' ticker? Hit the comments to chat all about it, and remember you can watch The Flash online right here via TV Fanatic if you need to catch up!
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
