'The Flash' Season 3 Episode 1 Review
Following the events of the season 2 finale in which Barry altered the timeline by saving his mother from being murdered by Reverse-Flash, season 3 picks up in the newly created reality. Barry is living at home with his parents, but doesn't have the same relationships with his friends that he does in his own timeline.He has also imprisoned Reverse-Flash, who begins telling Barry about the "flashpoint" he's created by altering time.
Barry is enjoying his new life, as he's been in the new reality for around 3 months. He's seen courting Iris before witnessing Kid Flash battling another speedster named The Rival. Barry later discovers Kid Flash to be Wally, and that Iris is helping him. The trio goes to Cisco, who is a douchy billionaire in this reality, to help. With the team reformed, along with Caitlyn (who is a pediatric opthamologist), they begin tracking The Rival. Wally is badly wounded during the battle, but Flash is able to defeat The Rival, who reveals his identity as a man named Edward Clariss.
Throughout the episode, Barry is having visions of his own timeline, as his memories are having a physical effect on him. Reverse-Flash warns Barry that the more he uses his powers, the faster his memories will disappear. Barry ultimately frees Reverse-Flash to correct the timeline, in turn murdering his mother. However, upon returning, Iris and Joe's relationship is non-existant, as other aspects are sure to be altered as well. We also see Edward Clariss being awoken in his home by an ominous voice that carves the name Alchemy into a mirror.
This episode was fun in the sense that we got to see the characters taking on different roles, much like we saw last season with their Earth-2 doppelgangers. Barry's decision to have Reverse-Flash fix the timeline and losing his parents all over again was an incredibly tough one, but one that he seems at peace with. Finding out what else has been changed over the course of the season should be interesting, as well as finding out who Alchemy is. The only gripe I have about the episode was The Rival's costume. It looked really bad and took me out of the scenes he was featured in, which was disapointing for a show in its third season. Hopefully the next time we see him he'll look better.
My rating: 7 out of 10
