CW megahit ‘The Flash’ had its season three premiere this week and we returned to the adventures of Barry Allen aka the fastest man alive.
If you have not seen the episode I will be diving into spoiler waters so a SPOILER ALERT is in effect. Here is my review in five easy to chew and digest slices:
#1 Welcome to Centralville
Previously on the Flash. You read that in Grant Gustin’s voice didn’t you? Anywho last time on the show Barry was in so much grief after big bad Zoom killed his dad that he went back in time and stopped the Reverse Flash from killing his mother. You know, the thing he stopped himself from doing at the end of the first season. This sets off the “Flashpoint” which is the name of this episode and a DC story, though in the comics it involved a bunch of other characters and a whole lot more world shaking consequences.
But back to the show. Jump forward three months after the Season 2 finale and we have Barry living in an alternate reality. His mother is alive and his father never went to jail after being falsely accused of killing her. He never grew up with Iris so she barely remembers him from elementary school and Joe is a stone cold trunk. So not exactly Pleasantville but close.
Barry has his powers but he has been letting this reality’s Flash save the day – none other than Wally West aka Kid Flash, though he does not like that pseudonym. Everything is all fine and dandy until Barry starts losing memories of his past life. Ruh roh. I was surprised that they wrapped up this reality in just one episode as I thought it would have lasted about two or three. Though I am sure the ramifications will run throughout the entire season.
#2 I’ve got Reverse Flash in a Box
Man Reverse Flash is like a bad penny. After Barry stops him from killing mom he time travels to the future and puts him in a box that somehow nullifies his speed. Where he got the technology is anyone’s guess though it may have been something from a previous episode. It was cool seeing Eobard Thawne again and having him shout “who’s the villain now”? And him being the voice of reason was a welcome change.
#3 Cisco is da man
Most of the humour in the episode came from the alternate versions of Cisco and Caitlin. Billionaire Cisco is as funny as I expected, boy did he love himself, though I missed our geek trivia spewing version just a tad. But then Barry “kidnapped” Caitlin only to discover she is not a scientist but an ophthalmologist. When she asked Wally “am I being kidnapped” and he responded “unclear” I burst out laughing. Good times people. Good times.
Also on a lighter note the romance between Barry and alternate Iris was pretty sweet especially with all the freshness and lack of baggage. Joe telling Barry “I don’t approve” was also a good chuckle.
#4 Speedster Wars
Laughter and romance is all well and good but we also need us some speedster action. I had fun with Kid Flash Wally and I do hope he takes up the role in the next reality. Seeing the two Flashes face off against The Rival was some cool beans and the battle, tornadoes and all, served up the entertainment. The Rival was a tad one note but from the end scene he should be returning and get some development.
#5 Flashpoint 2.0
So Barry realised that he needed to fix his mistake and I loved the scene where Thawne forces him to say “to kill my mother”. His goodbye to his parents tugged on the heartstrings as well. That’s what you get for messing with time Bar.
But with Reverse Flash killing his mom everything would be set right right? Wrong! Apparently everything is not back to normal and one thing out of place is that Joe and Iris are estranged for some reason. From the next episode promo Cisco also seems to be having his share of problems as well. And the top it all off we saw The Rival again getting a message from “Alchemy” aka new villain Dr Alchemy.
I had a lot of fun with this episode and there was a good balance of emotional beats, action and humour. It is definitely a great start to what is likely to be a spectacular season.
Rating: ‘The Flash’ Season 3 premiere gets 3.5/4 scratched up mirrors.
So what did you think of ‘Flashpoint’? Feel free to comment below and if you enjoyed this post you can share with your peeps. Sharing is caring.
For my breakdown of ‘The Flash’ Season 3 trailer you can click here and for my Season 2 finale review you can click here. And for more superhero posts you can check back redmangoreviews Monday to Saturday or follow me on Twitter @suprememango012 for updates and other cool stuff.
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