“Flashpoint” is episode one of season three of The Flash.
At the end of the season two finale, “The Race of His Life”, after defeating Zoom Barry had heading back in time again to the night of his mother’s murder. Except this time he prevented the Reverse-Flash from killing her – losing his father in “Invincible” as well as his mother was too much. Tampering with the timeline to that extent is bound to have consequences.
Barry starts off the episode saying that some things happen by chance. He’s sitting in Jitters with a coffee. Barry continues that sometimes things happen because they make them happen. And then Iris walks over to her, as he has been psyching himself up to speak to her. Barry is about to speak when a news report comes on about the meta-human villain called the Rival and Kid Flash (the ‘Kid’ part is actually an error). The Rival has been terrorising the city with his incredible speed. At this point Barry rushes out of the building.
The Flash is confronting the rival, asking him what he has against his city. The Rival replies it’s not the city; it’s just the people in it. They need to be educated that he has no rival – especially the Flash. The Rival throws lighting at the Flash who dodges, and continues throwing it. One nearly hits Barry but the Flash moves him out of the way. The Flash comments on the Rival being a pain in his ass. Barry tells him not to worry, and says you’ll get him next time. Flash. This Flash looks oddly familiar.
Back at Jitters, Barry uses his superspeed to steal Iris’s purse. Well, not exactly steal – use it as an excuse to her. Barry tells Iris that she must have dropped it. She thanks Barry and says that he looks familiar; Barry replies that they went to elementary school together. Barry introduces himself – after Iris calls hi Gary – as it seems she doesn’t know him very well. There have definitely been changes. Iris asks Barry how he’s been and he replies that he’s a CSI at CCPD. Iris comments that her dad works there too, as he’s a detective. Barry replies that he’s seen him. But doesn’t really know him. Barry starts to wander off, then returns and asks Iris if she wants a coffee. Or a wine. Or a beer. Perhaps an iced tea at some point. Barry is babbling and Iris says yes, that Barry is cure but he needs to try talking a little slower.
At CCPD, one of the officers greets Barry and says he’s looking a little less glum. Barry greets the man as Captain Mendez. Where’s Singh? More changes (Mendez is played by Alex Désert, who played the same role in the 1990s version of The Flash). Barry says that he asked a girl out and she said yes. Mendez replies that there is no better feeling, until she says I do. Mendez wants to catch up with what’s happening with the case of the Rival. Barry replies that they have nothing as the Rival hasn’t left any clues at his crime scenes. They need to wait for the Flash to stop him and Mendez says he had better hurry up. Then he looks out of his office and asks if anyone has seen Detective West. Barry claims Joe had to stop by evidence until he admits he hasn’t a clue where Joe is. Then asks if he can leave a little early tonight. Barry hasn’t got a date, as the captain asks; he’s simply meeting a friend for dinner.
Barry runs to a building carrying a bag of food. Then flashes back to when he stopped the Reverse-Flash from killing his mother. This time it goes a little further; Barry picked up Thawne and ran back to the present and then to the outside of the building he is currently at with him. So it comes as no surprise to find that Eobard Thawne is inside a cage in the building.
Barry announces to Thawne that he has dinner and Thawne replies that there had better be curly fries in there. Barry comments in return that human beings can survive for three weeks without food, so Thawne should be a little more grateful. Thawne says that Barry wouldn’t do that, because he’s the hero. Or has he forgotten that living his reverse version of It’s a Wonderful Life?
Thawne continues, asking what to call this new world. He decides on ‘Flashpoint.’ He says that Barry may have figured out how to dampen Thawne’s speed in the cage, but when Thawne gets out, he will destroy Barry’s life. Barry tells him never. That he has everything back. Everything Thawne took from him. He’s finally free, finally home.
Thawne tells Barry this isn’t his home. It’s a mirage, a fiction that will end both of them unless Barry lets him out of there. That Barry is letting someone else risk his life protecting Barry’s city, as a common enemy is heading for both of them. Time. Time is already screwing with Barry and everyone he loves and it will take him down and Thawne along with him. Barry says it’s something for Thawne to talk about screwing with peoples’ lives, after what he did to Barry’s mother. Thawne replies that one day soon Barry will be begging Thawne to kill his mother again.
Barry arrives home and greets his father and mother, who are both alive. They asks him if everything is alright and he replies that everything is great. The next morning, Nora comments about Barry hugging her every morning as if it was the first time he had seen her in months. She also mentions selling a house. And the new buyers are looking to rent it out. Very reasonably. Not that they are hinting about Barry moving out but Henry brings up dating. Barry mentions Iris – as Nora puts it, the girl Barry has been stalking for the last three months – and he says he was working up the courage to ask her out. And he did. And she said yes.
At the CCPD Mendez is looking for Joe again. He told Joe that the next time he was late he would get a ten day rip. Barry claims that Joe is following up on a case. It looks like whatever Barry did messed with Joe as well. Barry arrives at Joe’s home to find him passed out, drunk by the looks of it. And the smell of it. Joe’s life has been majorly messed up. Barry uses his superspeed to get Joe cleaned up and into work.
Joe asks Barry why he is trying to help out. Is he wearing a sign that says ‘Help Me’? Barry mumbles that he might as well be. Joe tells Barry that he doesn’t know him, doesn’t know his life, so he’d really like to know what makes Joe so interesting to Barry. Pointing out that he has a hangover. And a gun. Then Iris arrives and Barry waves at her. Joe puts things together and comes to a logical, but not actually accurate, reason as to Barry’s interest in him. He says that now he gets it and that he doesn’t approve. Joe also asks Iris if she thinks it’s a good idea dating someone Joe works with. She replies it’s just lunch – and besides, she wasn’t sure if he did still work there.
On the way to lunch, Barry tells Iris that he feels like he knows her – because he does – and she replies that she knows what he means. She never says yes to guys who ask her out like that – but she said yes to Barry. Iris asks about Barry’s family, and he replies that they are alive. Which is good from his point of view but sounds really weird in casual conversation. Iris asks Barry where he’s been and he replies that he’s always been here. Then Barry staggers, a bunch of memories of Iris flashing through his head.
Some police rush into the street heading for their cruiser and Barry asks what’s happening. The Rival and the Flash are at it again, and they are evacuating the area. Iris says she has to go, as there is something she has to do. She agrees to a rain check and leaves, and Barry speeds off as well.
He arrives as the Rival throws the Flash out of a building. Barry tries to stop the Flash from falling, but falls, and he lands in skip. Barry goes over to the Flash and it looks like he sees something familiar too. Barry removes the mask, revealing Wally West. No wonder the Flash looked familiar. Wally doesn’t know Barry though.
Barry returns with Wally to Wally’s base of operations, which is a little more low tech and less secure than Barry expected. Iris is there as well – this was the place she had to be. Barry asks how Wally got his speed. Wally admits he used to do illegal racing. One day, after messing around with the nitro formula, he was racing in a storm when his car was hit by lighting. The lightning mixed with the formula and Wally was in a coma for 9 months. When he woke up, he was the Flash. Barry calls him Kid Flash. Wally says not to call him that; Iris replies that she calls him it. Their father doesn’t know.
Barry wants to help stop the Rival; Wally says he is open to suggestions. They both tell Barry there is only one man who can help them now – Cisco Ramon. Who runs Ramon Industries, out of the, undamaged, former S.T.A.R. Labs building. Cisco made billions from his tech apps and bought the building. He’s the richest man in America.
When Cisco sees them he says that they agreed to never come back. He made the suit Wally wears in exchange for them leaving him out of their war on crime. They want his help and Barry knows things about Cisco. And has another burst of memories, this time related to Cisco, and loses track. They ask Barry what’s going on and he replies that he isn’t sure.
Barry goes to see Thawne and asks about forgetting things. Thawne replies he was wondering when Barry would notice. Barry is remembering things from the past, then the memories are gone and he can’t get them back. Thawne tells Barry that he told him before he didn’t know what he was doing. The new reality is overwriting the original. Barry asks Thawne why it isn’t happening to him too. Thawne replies that the isn’t sure. Then laughs. He tells Barry that it’s speed; the more Barry uses his speed, the faster he will lose his memories. This world will eventually become permanent and nothing will change it back. Barry says he’s fine with that.
Barry reveals the truth to Cisco, Iris and Wally, about his superspeed, being the Flash and how he changed the past. Barry decides that they are missing something, and speeds off to return with Caitlin. Cisco asks if he just kidnapped her and Barry says no. Then realises and decides that yes, he technically did. But she can help, because she is a scientist. Only she isn’t. She’s an eye doctor. A paediatric eye doctor. Caitlin herself turns to Wall at one point and asks if she has been kidnapped. Wally tells her it’s unclear.
Barry’s tampering with time has caused many, many changes, and many of them seem bad. Messing with the timeline has had consequences, and it continues to do so. Things might get very bad. There are more changes and a new thread at the end.
The episode features the first, and so far only, appearance of Arrow‘s Bethany Snow.