What I’m Watching: The Flash (Season Premiere)

The Flash: Season 3, Episode 1 “Flashpoint” (B+)

This is now the second season premiere in a row that has found Barry starting out in a new timeline after making a brash decision to change events that were formative to who he is. This was a far more exciting start, with a new Flash and a new Rival, with Barry as the mysterious third wheel who still had his speed. Keeping Eobard prisoner meant that his new life was safe from harm, and he really was enjoying it. Having both his parents was a true delight, and getting to meet Iris in a new way was fun too. Wally being Kid Flash, Cisco as the richest man in America, and Caitlin as an ophthalmologist showed that this world could have worked, aside from Joe being a drunk with no relationship with his kids. Getting flashes of the world he used to know disappearing was a harsh (other) reality check, a harsh precursor to Barry’s ultimate choice, with Iris’ support, to send Eobard back in time so that he could complete his mission and kill Barry’s mother as he was supposed to. Eobard’s ominous goodbye showed that Barry’s life wasn’t an unaltered as he thought, and Iris and Joe not talking is a very unsettling development. The reintroduction of this universe’s Edward Claris, who was the Rival, as a potentially possessed villain, is also worrisome, and, as usual, Barry is going to have a lot to juggle now that he’s seen things can be different and decided that he was already in the most optimal universe. Bring on another great speedster season.