Barry's happiness in his new, perfect timeline doesn't come without a price, as we kick off season three of 'The Flash'! Let's see if we can discuss the premiere without screwing up our timeline, yeah?
Spoiler Warning - Oh yeah. We gon' spoil some shit up in hurr.
As season premieres go, "Flashpoint", the opening episode of the third season of 'The Flash' was actually kinda underwhelming. Perhaps that's inevitable when you're invoking the title of one of the greatest Flash stories ever, and one that literally changed the landscape of the entire DC Universe. We knew this was coming based on the finale last May. But when last season ended with Barry traveling back in time to save his mother, I thought for sure we'd spend a good chunk of time in the alternate universe rather than...most of just one episode.
Granted, some of the stuff in this one episode was pretty cool to see. It is pretty heartwarming to see Barry get to spend a few months with both of his deceased parents (and pretty funny that they're both kinda curious as to why he's still opting to live at home), and cool that Barry and Iris have a nearly immediate flirtation and connection, so we don't have to spend more time watching him pine away silently. And it was definitely pretty awesome to see the Flash...er, Kid Flash (Keiynan Lonsdale) in his costume and doing his best to save Central City with actual enthusiasm.
Also great was any interaction Barry had with the imprisoned Eobard Thawne. Matt Letscher does a great job bringing a sort of sadistic arrogance to Thawne in a way that makes him seem both similar and different to the Dr. Wells version of Reverse Flash from season one. And it raises some questions as to why he seems to know a whole lot more about "Flashpoint" and the long term consequences of Barry's actions than Barry does himself. Not only is he aware that Barry will eventually need him to reset the timeline, but he rubs it in Barry's face before, during, and after he's released to go kill Nora...again. It's a dick move for sure, but one that sells Letscher in a role we're still mostly used to seeing with Tom Cavanagh.
Not everything worked, though. Maybe it's because we got to see Cisco being Reverb last year, but it didn't seem very interesting or compelling to watch Carlos Valdes play him as a dickish billionaire. And Caitlin as a goody-two-shoes pediatric ophthalmologist seemed a bit like a wasted opportunity, especially when they had the guts enough to show an alternate, alcoholic version of Joe who seems to be on the verge of total self destruction.
The episode's big bad, Edward Clariss (aka The Rival) fell kinda flat, too, if only because he just seemed like a cheap Zoom knockoff, even down to the mostly black supersuit. BUT given his weird appearance at the end of the episode and his (somehow) tie to Dr. Alchemy, I'm withholding serious judgment on his success or failure to a later date. Just sayin', this episode, he was kinda boring.
As season premieres go, "Flashpoint", the opening episode of the third season of 'The Flash' was actually kinda underwhelming. Perhaps that's inevitable when you're invoking the title of one of the greatest Flash stories ever, and one that literally changed the landscape of the entire DC Universe. We knew this was coming based on the finale last May. But when last season ended with Barry traveling back in time to save his mother, I thought for sure we'd spend a good chunk of time in the alternate universe rather than...most of just one episode.
Granted, some of the stuff in this one episode was pretty cool to see. It is pretty heartwarming to see Barry get to spend a few months with both of his deceased parents (and pretty funny that they're both kinda curious as to why he's still opting to live at home), and cool that Barry and Iris have a nearly immediate flirtation and connection, so we don't have to spend more time watching him pine away silently. And it was definitely pretty awesome to see the Flash...er, Kid Flash (Keiynan Lonsdale) in his costume and doing his best to save Central City with actual enthusiasm.
Not everything worked, though. Maybe it's because we got to see Cisco being Reverb last year, but it didn't seem very interesting or compelling to watch Carlos Valdes play him as a dickish billionaire. And Caitlin as a goody-two-shoes pediatric ophthalmologist seemed a bit like a wasted opportunity, especially when they had the guts enough to show an alternate, alcoholic version of Joe who seems to be on the verge of total self destruction.
The episode's big bad, Edward Clariss (aka The Rival) fell kinda flat, too, if only because he just seemed like a cheap Zoom knockoff, even down to the mostly black supersuit. BUT given his weird appearance at the end of the episode and his (somehow) tie to Dr. Alchemy, I'm withholding serious judgment on his success or failure to a later date. Just sayin', this episode, he was kinda boring.
It's clear that Barry's actions not only created the alternate "flashpoint" timeline where everything was good and happy, but even when he reset it with the help of Reverse Flash, not everything was right back where he left it. That's the same thing that happened in the genesis of The New 52 - Flash fixed things, but there were ripples. And I'm certain we're going to be seeing the effects of those ripples for weeks to come, if not throughout the whole season. So in that respect, the premiere succeeded in setting up the future. But it just didn't do a very good job in providing me with the kind of emotional punch it should have - especially when Barry realizes he has to give up his parents' lives...again. The Earth-2 episodes last year hit me a whole lot harder (like the scene where Barry has a phone conversation with his mom) and though it might be unfair, I had higher expectations from the Flashpoint world.
And I'm mad that they blew another opportunity to give us the Thomas Wayne Batman! Come on, CW!
And I'm mad that they blew another opportunity to give us the Thomas Wayne Batman! Come on, CW!
FINAL SCORE - 6/10
'The Flash' airs on the CW Network, Tuesdays at 8/7c
'The Flash' airs on the CW Network, Tuesdays at 8/7c
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