The Flash Season 3 Premiere Recap: "Flashpoint" *SPOILERS*

Season 3 of The Flash premiered tonight [Tuesday, October 4^th] on The CW. Last season The Flash went back in time to save his mother from being murdered by The Reverse Flash (Eobard Thawne). This action altered the timeline and created an alternate universe, “Flashpoint”.

In the “Flashpoint” Barry and Iris no longer know one another, however she is still a reporter. Joe and Iris also don’t get along in this universe. Joe is an alcoholic on the verge of losing his job at the precinct. Barry is also no longer The Flash in this universe. Kid Flash has stepped into that role. Barry comes face to face with Kid Flash while Kid Flash is in a battle with The Rival, another speedster. Barry unmasks Kid Flash and discovers he is Wally, Iris’s kid brother.

Turns out Iris and Wally are running their own brother/sister crime team, taking out Meta-Humans invading Central City. Barry reveals himself as The Flash and offers to help the duo take down The Rival, however they decide to go another route first.

Meet alternate universe Cisco, billionaire tech mogul and richest man in the world. Far from his goof-ball counterpart in Barry’s original universe, Cisco isn’t as warm and welcoming in this alternate world. He doesn’t even want to help Kid Flash but Barry won’t have any of that. He shares a personal story he remembers about Cisco and peaks the billionaire’s interest. Barry then kidnaps Caitlin Snow, who is a pediatric ophthalmologist and not a bio-chemist. After bringing everyone together Barry really gets to see how badly he messed up the timeline. No one is the same. They all have different lives and barely know one another. Back in Barry’s world everyone worked together and were best friends.

Things only got worse for our speedster. The timeline begins to disappear and Barry starts losing his memories. Trying to get an idea of what is going on Barry visits The Reverse Flash in the cell he is keeping him in. Thawne lets him know that the more he uses his speed, the faster he loses his memory. Eventually Barry won’t remember he is The Flash and this alternate world will be set in concrete. Unfortunately for Barry, the only way to reset the timeline is to let The Reverse Flash travel back in time and kill his mother…. again.

Barry has to make this sacrifice in order to save Wally who was fatally stabbed by The Rival. Unlike Barry, Wally is not healing quickly. Something a speedster should be able to do. Barry must defeat The Rival in order to have a shot at saving Wally’s life. Luckily Joe arrives on the scene and shoots The Rival saving both Barry and Wally just in the nick of time. Barry then reveals himself and Wally to Joe as The Flash and Kid Flash.

Ridden by guilt Barry is forced to let The Reverse Flash go in order to correct the timeline. The two go back in time to the night when Thawne killed Barry’s mother, however this time Barry doesn’t stop him. He lets Reverse Flash kill his mother and they are both transported back to Barry’s universe. Everything checks out on Thawne’s end but not on Barry’s. He still managed to alter the timeline.

Did Barry do permanent damage? Where’s Iris? How come Joe and Iris don’t talk anymore? What else did Barry alter?

At the very end of “Flashpoint” The Rival, who has not yet emerged into his villainous character, is awoken by scratching of glass on a mirror and a demonic-like voice. Etched into his mirror is the word “Alchemy”.