Check out our recap of The Flash’s season 3 premiere, Flashpoint. This storyline seems loosely based on the comic of the same name. Josh provides the recap, then we both share our thoughts and review of the episode in this article!
- His thoughts on Flastpoint, Episode 301 of The Flash
- Her thoughts on The Flash, Season 3 Episode 1: Flashpoint
Recap of The Flash, Season 3 Episode 1: Flashpoint
On the season 3 premiere of The Flash, we see a happy Barry Allen, who seemingly has everything he wants from life—his parents are alive, and oddly he is actually excited to not be the Flash. Someone has taken over that position for him—Wally West.
Throughout this episode, Wally West has been contending with a speedster adversary of his own—the Rival. Other things in the universe have changed as well. Iris hardly knows Barry now, and Joe actually dislikes him. Joe is also a deadbeat cop, who is disappointing Iris and Barry, and seems to be on the brink of being fired.
Also, it seems as though Barry has decided to keep Eobard Thawne prisoner, indefinitely. Barry had managed to create a cell that is able to contain Thawne’s speed ability, likely something he learned about from Zoom’s cell that held him.
While providing Eobard Thawne his daily meals (what happens if Barry goes on vacation out of town?), Eobard Thawne warns Barry that this whole new life is not going to work out in the long term, and time will catch up to him.
Things aren’t all sunshine and rainbows in other parts of Barry’s life either. Barry finally manages to get Iris to go out with him for coffee, but after helping Joe get to work (by cleaning him up and dressing him—awkward! Then super-speeding him to work), Joe seems to get Barry’s angle—and that is to get with Iris, which he tells Barry is not going to happen.
When he does meet up for lunch with Iris, he begins to have his first signs of distress regarding his timeline. He has some pains, which seem to be caused inexplicably.
Then the Rival makes another appearance, and Barry has to provide a small rescue for the new Flash. Then Barry actually learns that Wally is the new Flash, and that Iris has been assisting him in his crime fighting. Reluctant to return to being the Flash himself, Barry decides they need to talk to Cisco about ways to stop the Rival.
Cisco has changed a lot in this new universe as well, becoming a millionaire, self-absorbed guy. Apparently he wants nothing to do with any of this crime-fighting going on. We also see Caitlin briefly, who became an eye doctor for some reason.
Meanwhile, Barry suffers more pains due to the disruption in the timeline. Barry talks to Eobard again, and Eobard tells Barry that the only way to fix things is to go back in time, and allow him to kill Nora. Barry doesn’t believe it yet.
Instead, Barry comes clean to Iris and Wally about his abilities, and suits up to help out Wally. They confront the Rival again, and it turns out Wally wants to try to take on the Rival alone, despite having back up. This turns out to be a mistake, as Wally is severely injured. Barry then takes down the Rival, but just as it looks like the Rival might be able to take down Barry by surprise, Joe comes in and stops the Rival. Joe then learns about Wally and Barry’s identities.
Wally is not recovering from his wounds, and all of the events of this episode have drawn Barry to the conclusion Eobard has already determined—Barry’s mother has to die. After an emotional moment between Iris and Barry, Eobard is set free, and Eobard and Barry head back in time to kill Barry’s mother.
So the timeline seemingly winds up reset, and things are the way Barry remembered it—except Iris is mysteriously missing. When Barry asks about her, Joe gets upset and leaves the room. Wally tells Barry he should know that she and Joe aren’t talking.
The episode ends with the Rival being awakened in this timeline and for some reason the word “Alchemy” is scribed into a mirror.
His Thoughts on The Flash, Season 3 Episode 1: Flashpoint
So for those not well-informed on comic books, Flashpoint was actually a storyline for The Flash in which a similar thing had happened. The Flash had reset time, which saved his family, but the world had changed dramatically around him. I don’t want to spoil the comic, as it was done very well, but suffice it to say—this is a quite different story in the show than what the comic had told. The comic did have access to a lot more characters, such as Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman among others, all which have pivotal roles in the comic version of Flashpoint.
This still looks like it could be interesting. Given how much Barry has messed with the timeline, I wonder if there is ever getting back to what the “original” timeline was. At this point it almost feels like there is no original timeline, because technically, Eobard Thawne messed that up when he originally killed Barry’s mother. That timeline only “feels” like the original because Barry didn’t know of the timeline being any other way.
I am curious to see how the story moves forward though, and what is going on with Iris. What drove the wedge between Joe and her? Is this going to be a role reversal for Wally and Iris now? What else is different in this timeline?
I guess we will see in the upcoming episodes….
Her Thoughts on The Flash, Season 3 Episode 1: Flashpoint
Because of the fact that I love time travel and alternate timelines (and alternate universes or worlds, such as Earth-2), I was a little disappointed that we only got to spend one episode in this new timeline that Barry created in which his mother was not murdered. However, as it turns out at the end, when Barry returns to what he thinks is the timeline that he left, it’s actually not the same. So it’s actually somewhat of an alternate timeline. But is Iris and Joe not speaking to each other the only difference? I have a feeling that there are a lot more difference to be discovered, and I’m curious to find out what those differences are, and how these things even got changed in the first place. As far as we know, and as far as Barry knows, for that matter, he set things to how they were before he changed things, by allowing Eobard Thawne, aka Reverse Flash, to go back and murder his mother. So why are things different? Did he kill her in a different way? It seems like whatever happened, it was as a result of the butterfly effect.
As I mentioned before, though I have not read the Flashpoint comic book, I have watched the Flashpoint Paradox animated version on Netflix, which I enjoyed. This episode was somewhat similar, though it couldn’t exactly employ all the same characters, and instead focused on Barry Allen. The next episode is titled “Paradox,” so I’m wondering if this is merely just the second part of what’s really a two part episode, and that Barry will set things “right” by the end of the next episode. Whatever happens, it seems like we’re in for one heck of a ride on The Flash this season!
Scenes from The Flash, Season 3 Episode 2: Paradox
Preview of Season 3 Episode 2 of The Flash
I love IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!