The Flash came back to the airwaves this Tuesday, dropping all of its delicious Flashpoint weirdness on us. And I mean all of it. Flashpoint ended in one episode. I would’ve figured it would at least be two, but they did tell us it would be short, so good on them.
Aside from the fact that Barry’s parents are both alive and kicking in the new timeline, there’s a few other changes. Cisco is a wealthy industrialist/entrepreneur who just happened to buy the STAR Labs building. Caitlin is a pediatric ophthalmologist, which is probably the largest deviation out of the main cast. Wally wound up being the one to get whammied and became Kid Flash. Iris winds up in the exact same job as before.
Bt you know what really drives me nuts? What happened to this timeline’s actual Barry? It’s established that we’re still following the same Barry that stopped the Reverse Flash from killing his mother. So how the hell did our Barry just time travel forward and take over his own life without any overlap? I’m serious when I say that I’m having trouble figuring this out. He’s only been at this point of the Flashpoint timeline for about three months, according to Iris. So where is the Barry that actually grew up in this timeline? This is the sort of thing that’s going to drive me mad over time, isn’t it?
Anyway, Barry spent most of his time stalking working up the courage to ask Iris out. And spending way more time with his parents than usual for someone his age but whatever. And, occasionally, following Kid Flash around to help him with his fights with The Rival from the shadows. The latter ultimately jumpstarts the plot for the episode proper. That being said, all of his after work plans involve dinner with Eobard Thawne.
The actual problem rears its head when he fails to actually save Kid Flash from a fall, and realizing that he just landed Wally in the trash. Barry suddenly begins to lose his memories of the original timeline. Thawne is amused by this; the more Barry uses his speed, the more he forgets. He informs Barry that soon enough, he’ll be begging him to kill his mother.
Barry finds out that Wally and Iris had been working the superhero team on their own. Joe was too drunk to know anything. They had somehow got a suit out of Cisco, but he wants nothing to do with the day to day work. The way he talks about it, I think every version of him felt that hand go through his chest.
After explaining just how he screwed up the timeline and created the world as they know it, he pulls the rest of the team (sans Joe) into the room. They’re going to take down The Rival, hell or high water. Even though it’s not really going to matter. Caitlin somehow comes up with the idea to use the city cameras to track him down, and pinpoints him.
Barry and Wally go to confront him. For some reason, Barry tries to get Wally to go along with a flanking manouvre. I say try, because they forget it the second the actual fight starts. The Rival does reveal himself to be Edward Clariss before that. He stabs Wally with a pipe, and whips up some tornadoes. Barry undoes them, and drops a wicked punch on The Rival. But it wasn’t enough, and only thanks to Joe shooting The Rival are they able to make it out.
Wally isn’t healing for some reason, though. Barry realizes that his happiness isn’t worth the suffering with others, and frees the Reverse Flash. He kills Nora Allen, then whisks Barry back to the present. Thanks to Barry, Eddie’s sacrifice means nothing, and God only knows how many other things have been ruined. But Eobard knows Barry’s getting a taste of that; now, Iris and Joe don’t talk for some unexplained reason.
I’m expecting some big things from The Flash this season. It’s definitely the trendsetter for the Arrowverse. And we know something’s going to shake things up thanks to Cisco’s vibe last season.
Final Thoughts:
- At least Matt Letscher has a Reverse Flash suit that actually fits him, now.
- Now Eobard Thawne can eat all the hamburgers he wants.
- I have no clue what the stinger scene means for next week.
“I’m expecting some big things from The Flash this season.”
3.5/5
‘Good’
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