The Flash Season 3, Episode 9: The Present

This week on The Flash we get the big mid-season finale, or winter break as the networks like to call it. How I loathe these artificial interruptions in the show's storyline.

For several weeks now, Cisco has been the president of the "I Hate Barry Allen Club." He's actively resented his former friend for altering the timeline, which inadvertently killed his brother Dante. Suddenly in this episode all is forgotten, and Cisco and Barry are buds again. So what the heck happened?

See, last week in Legends Of Tomorrow, Cisco himself went back in time to 1959 and inadvertently caused an alien invasion in 2016. He then realized how easy it is to screw up a timeline, and immediately forgave Barry. 

I can't imagine why, but apparently the writers thought it was a good idea to wrap up a major Flash storyline on a different series. What about people who didn't watch the Legends episode? They're going to be totally in the dark. The least they could have done was throw in a line explaining why Cisco's no longer mad.

It's always good to see the real Jay Garrick on the show. Kudos to actor John Wesley Shipp, who somehow plays Jay different from Henry Allen, despite the fact that they have the same face.

We also got a surprise visit from Mark Hamill, as the Earth-3 version of the Trickster. Hamill was in full Joker mode here, as he even looked like the character. At this point they might as well get it over with and just start calling him the Joker.

SPOILERS!

The Plot:
We flash back to Julian Albert (Barry Allen's nemesis) on a Mummy-style expedition in India. He finds an ancient artifact, and like an idiot, opens it. His face is bathed in a blue glow. Sadly, no Ark-ghosts melt it off.

In the present day, the STAR Labs Gang is discussing Savitar, the God Of Speed. Cisco discovers that Julian published a paper about an ancient relic called the Brahmastra, which can allegedly create metahumans. The Brahmastra is also known as— the Philosopher's Stone! Barry goes to the Central City PD and questions Julian about the Stone. He says he used his personal fortune to find it, but unfortunately failed. Barry senses he's lying, and asks about Savitar. Julian looks shocked at the name, and tells Barry not to waste his time on the matter.

Meanwhile on Earth-3, the Joker the Trickster robs a bank. He's stopped by Jay Garrick, the Earth-3 Flash. The Trickster sets off a bomb, but before it can explode, Barry leaps out of a dimensional breach and disarms it. He ties up the Trickster and leaves him for the police.

Barry asks Jay if he knows anything about Savitar. He says he's heard of him, as he was the world's first speedster. He follows Barry back to Earth-1 to help him take down Savitar.

At the CCPD, Joe asks Cecile to the West Family Xmas Party. HR trains Wally, and notes he's becoming faster than Barry. At STAR Labs, Cisco keeps seeing visions of his late brother Dante. He also whips up a device which can sense when the Philosopher's Stone is activated. Is there anything he can't do? Caitlin finally gets a line, and says she found out everyone on Julian's expedition was killed. Except him, or course.

The Philosopher Stone alarm goes off, and Barry and Jay rush to the source of the signal. There they find Alchemy, surrounded by acolytes as he attempts to summon Savitar. Hilariously the followers bugger off the second they see the speedsters. Savitar appears, and Jay goes after him. Unfortunately the God Of Speed throws him around like a rag doll. He throws him against a wall and is about to stab him in the heart. Just then Barry yoinks the Stone from Alchemy and puts it in a special box. Savitar instantly disappears. Really? Has he ever done that before? Barry pulls off Alchemy's mask, revealing Julian, which we've known for a couple weeks now.

Back at STAR Labs, Jay recovers from his battle. Cisco tests the Box, and says it doesn't show up on any of his instruments, as if it isn't there. Joe's furious with Wally again for using his speed, and even furiouser at HR for training him. Barry puts Julian in the Secret Super Jail. He asks Julian about being Alchemy, but he has no idea what he's talking about. He says he needs Julian to trust him, so he removes his mask and reveals his identity to yet another cast member. He asks Julian if he's been blacking out, and he says yes.

Julian says his sister died, and then began appearing before him. She said if he found the Philosopher's Stone they could be together again, so he formed an expedition to find it. He did, and that's when the blackouts started. When he awoke and saw everyone on his team was dead, he fled to America in fear. He says when he blacks out, he hears a voice in his head.

Meanwhile, Dante appears to Cisco again. He tells him if he opens the box, they can spend the holidays together. HEY, CISCO! JULIAN JUST TOLD A STORY ABOUT THE SAME THING! TOO BAD YOU DIDN'T HEAR IT AS WELL! Cisco opens the box, and right on schedule Savitar appears. Barry and Wally begin fighting him inside STAR Labs. Caitlin pleads with Cisco to close the box. He reluctantly does so. Savitar disappears just as he was about to kill Barry and Wally.

Barry lets Julian out of his cell, and tells him that Savitar's been speaking through him. They ask if he's willing to let them hook him up to a technobabble device so they can speak directly to Savitar. He agrees. Cisco hooks up Julian and activates the machine. Julian is immediately possessed by Savitar and says, "Hello, Barry. It's been a while." He tells them he's from their future, and knows all their destinies. He says "One shall betray you. One shall fall. One will suffer a fate far worse than death." Sounds ominous. 

Barry asks what Savitar what he wants. He says that Future Barry trapped him in eternity (?), and he wants revenge on him in the past. Barry takes the technobabble device off of Julian to shut Savitar up.

Barry wants to destroy the box so Savitar can never be freed. Cisco say it's indestructible. For some insane reason they decide to toss it into the Speed Force, since, as Jay puts it, it's an infinite void. 

Barry and Jay run as fast as they can around the particle accelerator. Barry somehow siphons off some of Jay's speed and opens a breach into the Speed Force. He throws the box into it. Unfortunately explodes and blows Barry five months into the future (!). 

A confused Barry wanders the streets. He stops when he sees his future self confronting Savitar, who's holding Iris. Savitar kills Iris and disappears. Future Barry cradles her lifeless body in his arms, as our Barry looks on in horror. Suddenly Jay Garrick appears and yanks him back to the present.

Barry's terrified by what he's seen. Jay tries to calm him down, saying the future's always changing, and what he saw isn't set in stone. He tells him to focus on now, and returns to Earth-3.

Everyone goes to the West Family Xmas. Joe and Iris give Wally a present— a Kid Flash suit. What happened to them not wanting him to ever use his powers? HR gets drunk on eggnog. Julian even shows up and joins the party. Cisco's sad that it's raining, so Caitlin uses her Killer Frost powers to make it snow. It's a Christmas Miracle!

Iris asks Barry when they're going to exchange gifts. He says right now, and zips her off to a spacious new apartment, and says both their names are on the lease. He says, "I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but I want to spend every single moment with you, Iris." Until you're murdered by the God Of Speed.

Thoughts:
• At the beginning of the episode we see Julian on his expedition to find the Philosopher's Stone. He sits in his tent and writes the following in his journal: "It's been six months since I arrived here in India. Though I have faith it's out there, the voice that once drove me has waned. And I fear my quest may be for naught."

Why is he dressed like Indiana Jones and writing like someone from Downton Abbey? According to the onscreen caption this expedition took place four years ago!

• This episode gives us our first-ever (I think) look at Earth-3. Of course it's federal law that every establishing shot of a parallel world must contain at least one blimp floating above a city.

• Mark Hamill makes a brief appearance in this episode as the Earth-3 Trickster, battling John Wesley Shipp as the Earth-3 Flash.

Of course Hamill and Shipp played the same roles in the 1990 Flash series. Cool!

• Since the character was introduced, Hamill's Trickster has always been sort of a poor man's Joker, becoming more and more like him with each subsequent appearance. That's never been more true than in this episode. He's even standing like Heath Ledger's Joker in this scene!

Note that with his pale complexion, dark circles around his eyes and ghastly teeth, the Trickster looks a lot like Conrad Veldt in The Man Who Laughs.

And Veidt's character Gwynplaine was famously the inspiration for the Joker! So they've come full circle here. Hamill's imitating the character who inspired the character he's imitating!

• Cisco does some digging and discovers Julian Albert wrote a paper about the Brahmastra. Oddly enough, according to the google search it appears his real name is Julian Albert Desmond. Wha…?

So according to this episode, Albert Desmond mounted an expedition to find the Philosopher's Stone in India. He found it, was possessed by Savitar and blacked out. When he woke, everyone on his expedition was dead, presumably by his possessed hand. He then fled India in fear and came to America. He then assumed the false identity of Julian Albert, marched into the CCPD and was hired on the spot.

So what's the big deal? Welp, it means that the CCPD apparently doesn't perform simple background checks on potential employees, else they'd know that "Julian Albert" doesn't exist. 

By the way, there is an Albert Desmond in the comics. It's a long, long story, so I'll try to be brief. Albert Desmond was a scientist who suffered from multiple personalities. One of those personalities called itself Mr. Element, and built a gun that could change one element into another. Like alchemy, get it?

While in prison, Desmond learned about the Philosopher's stone from a fellow inmate. He broke out of jail, tracked down the Stone and became Doctor Alchemy. The comic version had nothing to do with Savitar though.

• Barry goes to the CCPD to question Julian about his expedition. Julian says, "Many years ago, I heard about the Brahmastra, or as it's colloquially called, the Philosopher's Stone."

In-jokes Ahoy! Tom Felton, who plays Julian, played Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone, or as it's known everywhere else in the world, Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone. Wakka wakka!

• Jay seems to know a lot about Savitar, despite the fact he's never actually seen him. When Barry asks him how he knows so much, he says, “Speed Force myths, legends, and rumors." I guess maybe there's some kind of speedster newsletter or magazine?

• Barry reveals his secret identity to Julian in an effort to gain his trust. 

Sigh… Why in the name of Bruce Wayne does Barry even bother wearing a mask anymore? At this point every character on the show with a speaking role, with the possible exception of Cecile and Capt. Singh, knows he's really the Flash. He might as well tear off his mask and throw it in the trash, for all the good it does.

I bet the only reason he still wears a mask is because the character has one in the comics and all the merch.

• So ever since Julian's been possessed by Savitar, he's been keeping his Alchemy costume in a drawer in his office at the CCPD. Got it.

• When Savitar speaks through Julian he tells the STAR Labs Gang, "One shall betray you. One shall fall. One will suffer a fate far worse than death."

Let's see if we can figure out this prophecy. Who's the betrayer? My money's on either Caitlin or HR. There's no way the Killer Frost storyline is over, as it was resolved WAY too easily. I would not be surprised if she takes over Caitlin again before the season's over and betrays the Gang.

There's also something slightly sinister about HR, and I think he's more than a harmless, hipster doofus. Savitar calls him "Fake Wells" here, and a few weeks ago we saw that HR has a piece of Earth-19 technology that can alter his face. Do not be surprised if he turns out to he someone other than who he says he is.

The writers would like us to think "the one who falls" is Iris, since we saw her future death in this episode. That would probably be too obvious though, but then again that's what I said about Julian being Alchemy, and look how that turned out.

Is Julian the one who'll fall? I could see him sacrificing himself to save his former enemy Barry. I think he's the most likely suspect, as I can't see Tom Felton wanting to stay on the show for more than a season.

So who's the one who'll "suffer a fate far worse than death?" My money's on Wally. There's a fan theory out there that he somehow becomes Savitar in the future. In this episode Savitar is pretty pissed at Barry, saying he took everything from him and trapped him in eternity or something. Maybe something happens and Barry accidentally sends Wally into the Speed Force, and can't get him out?

• The Gang figures out that Savitar can only appear when the Stone is released from its magic box. Unfortunately the box is indestructible. So they come up with the brilliant idea of tossing the box into the Speed Force to get rid of it forever. 

I honestly don't understand how this is a good idea. Yes, they say the Speed Force is an infinite realm, and the box will be lost forever inside it. But Savitar lives in the Speed Force. Why risk him stumbling onto it? 

This plan is like tossing your keys in your car to keep a thief from stealing it. 

Why not just shoot the box into the sun? I bet that would take care of it. And if Cisco can't do that, he knows some people with a time ship who could.

• When Barry's thrown into the future, he sees Iris murdered on Infantino St.

This is a reference to Carmine Infantino, the most famous of all Flash artists, and the one who designed the all-red suit. In 1961 he drew the Flash Of Two Worlds issue, which introduced the concept of the multiverse to DC Comics.

• Last week in Invasion!, Cisco mentioned that Supergirl is from Earth-38. This was a shoutout to 1938, the year in which Superman was created. Being the pedant that I am, I wondered why they didn't say she was from Earth-59, since the character was created in 1959.

Several readers noted that in DC Comics, there are currently only fifty two earths in the multiverse— the result of the New 52 miniseries or something. So it would be impossible for Supergirl to be from Earth-59. 

I knew about this was a thing in the comics, but wasn't sure if it was the same on the show. I couldn't remember anyone on The Flash ever stating there were fifty two earths. Besides, when I hear the word "multiverse," I think of millions of worlds, not just fifty two.

Welp, looks like Jay Garrick just confirmed I was right. During his conversation with Barry, he says, "This is why speedsters don't travel to the future. Nobody should know this much about their own. Just as their are infinite Earths in the multiverse, there are infinite possibilities to the future!"

So there are millions of worlds, and Supergirl could have been from Earth-59.

• After Barry screwed up the timeline a few months ago, he was dismayed to see that the holographic newspaper in his secret Time Closet in STAR Labs had changed. The headline article is no longer written by Iris West Allen, but by Julie Greer.

Now we know why it changed. Iris is scheduled to be murdered by Savitar in five months.

By the way, I'd just like to point out once again that The Flash believes that we'll all be reading holographic newspapers in 2024. Hear that, Science? You have eight short years! You better get busy!

• All season long, Joe and Iris have done nothing but bitch and moan at Wally for wanting to use his new speedster powers. Suddenly at the West Family Xmas Party, they give him his own Kid Flash suit. What. The. Hell. So what changed? Did they finally realize he's gonna use his powers no matter what they think, and give up?

Whatever their reason, this is one storyline I'm glad to see go. Their constant whining was getting old.

Oddly enough, the suit Joe and Iris give Wally looks identical to the one he wore in the Flashpoint timeline, which is something they can't possibly know about. Did they have Barry draw them a quick sketch from his memories of that timeline, so Cisco could make it?

• A contrite and apologetic Julian shows up at the West Family Xmas Party and is welcomed into the fold. Now that Julian's warming up to the cast, that means he's doomed, right? 

• At the Xmas party, Joe and Cecile have a "nog-off," as they each pit their grandmother's eggnog recipe against the other. When they taste the respective concoctions, they sputter and cough. Joe says, "Damn, that's strong. Our grandmothers are alcoholics.”

By the way, during the party, Cecile gets a call from her daughter, and I'm pretty sure this is the first ever mention of her. Does this mean a new character will be showing up soon?

• Drunk HR, complete with ugly Xmas sweater, was a lot of fun. He approaches Cisco and Caitlin, saying, "Caitlo... Caitlo, Ciscan! OK. Whoo. You got to try the eggnog a holiday concoction done by Joe and his hot girlfriend!"

• Cisco's sad that it's raining on Xmas. Caitlin sees him moping and apparently thinks, "Eh, what the hell. I'll just risk turning into a super villain again by whipping off my dampening bracelets and using my unstable powers to makes some snow for Xmas."

• By far the most unrealistic part of this week's episode wasn't the speedsters, the parallel worlds or the interdimensional scrap metal monster. Nope, it was the idea that Barry could ever possibly afford a vast, luxurious apartment like that. No wonder Iris was upset that all she got him was a wallet!

I don't know what the real estate market is like in Central City, but that looked like it was $5,000 a month if it was a penny. How the hell did Barry afford a place like that? He didn't even have a job until Julian asked him to come back to the CCPD!

Maybe housing's cheap in Central City due to all the supervillain activity, which results in constant property damage?

We know that Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash gave STAR Labs to Barry in Season 1, but… does that mean anything? Is STAR Labs a business? Does it actually produce some sort of product or do anything that turns a profit? I guess it somehow generates enough income to keep the lights on and pay Cisco and Caitlin a living wage.

Does owning STAR Labs mean Barry's rich? If so, why does he still work as a CSI? Why not just devote all his time to being the Flash?

So many questions. And absolutely no answers.

The Flash Season 3, Episode 6: Shade

Last year I accused The Flash of spinning its wheels, padding out episodes as it saved its shocking revelations for the big season finale.

You certainly can't say they're treading water this season! They're currently juggling at least seven different plotlines, and this episode just added another major one with the introduction of Savitar. Well done, writers!

That said, there were a couple of fumbles in this episode. The main one was the horrible use of the Shade as a throwaway villain of the week. He's been a major player in The Flash comics since the 1940s for Thor's sake— he definitely deserved better. 

The writers continue to bend over backwards trying to make us think that Julian Albert is really Alchemy. Eh, I'm not buying it, as that would be way too obvious. So who else could Alchemy be? I doubt he's really HR, as Alchemy appeared on the show before he did. There is something a bit off about HR though, and I don't think he's the harmless goof he appears to be. That leaves Cecile Horton, who's the only other newish character on the show. I'm not quite ready to crawl all the way out on a limb and say with 100% surety that she's secretly Alchemy. But I am starting to suspect her. That would definitely be a twist that most people wouldn't see coming though!

We finally get a few more scenes with Alchemy in this episode. It feels a bit odd that we're now six episodes in and we still know very little about him. Pacing-wise, I think some of the mysteries should have started peeling away by now. It's hard for the audience to be scared of him when we don't know anything about him.

It also feels way too soon to introduce Savitar, especially when we're still right smack in the middle of the Alchemy storyline. Maybe you should solve one mystery before starting up another, OK guys?

And really, Savitar, The God Of Speed? Do we really need yet ANOTHER speedster villain on the show? I get that speedsters are really the only type of villain that can pose a threat to Barry, but Jesus, how many more are waiting in the wings? 

SPOILERS!

The Plot:
Wally begins having dreams about being Kid Flash, which excites him, as he wants nothing more than to be a superhero. It upsets Joe, who fears his son's not dreaming, and it's actually Alchemy messing with his mind.

At the Central City PD, Cecile reassigns Barry to the Metahuman CSI Department. Isn't that where he's been working all along? She flirts with Joe, who's apparently finally asked her out to the West family movie night. Joe tells Barry about Wally's dreams. Barry agrees that Wally's in danger.

Over at STAR Labs, HR wants to turn the building into a museum (of what?). Cisco and Caitlin finally decide to tell him that his Earth-1 doppelganger was a murderer, and if he shows his face in public he'll be arrested. Somehow HR restrains himself and doesn't kill the two of them on the spot, like a normal human would.

Elsewhere in Central City, a businessman is attacked by a large, shadowy humanoid who grabs him by the throat and kills him. The next day Barry and Julian Albert investigate the death, but find no physical evidence on the victim. Barry invites Julian to movie night, but he declines, saying he has plans with his girlfriend (to prove he doesn't have teh gays).

Back at STAR Labs, HR appears with a totally new face, courtesy of an Earth-19 feature-morphing gizmo. Cisco accuses HR of stealing his superpower-dampening cuffs from him. Caitlin looks nervously away. Barry arrives and tells the Gang about the businessman's murder. Cisco calls up a CCTV recording and sees the shadow thing kill the man. HR names it Shade, after an Earth-19 metahuman.

Meanwhile Wally visits Joe at the CCPD. Joe explains that he trusts his son, but not what's happening to him. Just then Wally's doubled over by some sort of painful attack. Back at STAR, Caitlin returns Cisco's dampening cuffs to him, saying she borrowed them because she's developing powers. She asks him to "vibe" her to see what's in her future. He does so, and sees himself fighting Caitlin, who's in full Killer Frost mode. He lies and tells her he saw nothing.

Joe brings Wally to STAR Labs for help. Barry confirms that the "dreams" Wally's having are really events that happened in the Flashpoint timeline. He's afraid Alchemy is trying to recruit Wally. HR suggest locking Wally up in the Secret Super Jail to keep Alchemy from harming him. Joe starts to call Cecile to cancel their movie night, but Barry says he'll stay with Wally and to go enjoy himself. Amazingly, Joe agrees to this and leaves his sick child in order to go on a date. Cisco, Caitlin and HR go along with Joe, which seems a bit odd.

At the movie night in the park, Caitlin confronts Cisco about what he saw in his vibe vision. He says he saw the two of them battling one another. He urges her to tell the rest of the Gang what's happening to her. Suddenly Shade appears in the park and attacks. The crowd panics and runs. Barry begins battling Shade. Cisco hacks into the headlights of some nearby cars (?) and turns them on. Somehow this disintegrates Shade, leaving a human behind. Barry puts the dampening cuffs on him (man, those things really get around!).

Back at STAR Labs, Wally's psychically attacked by Alchemy, who says, "The time has come to set you free!" Wally screams for Iris to open his cell door, and like an idiot she lets him out. In his crazed state he attacks her, and she punches him out (!). The Gang returns and restrain Wally. Barry realizes that Shade was merely a diversion so that Alchemy could attack Wally. Cisco apparently thinks the Gang doesn't have enough to worry about, and decides this is the absolute best time to force Caitlin into telling everyone she's turning into Killer Frost.

Joe and Barry decide to use Wally as bait to capture Alchemy. Wally senses him in an abandoned subway (at least it wasn't an old warehouse this time). Barry, Joe and a SWAT Team follow. They find Alchemy inside, surrounded by acolytes. He greets Wally and asks if he wants the life he once had (in Flashpoint). The Flash attacks Alchemy, who raises his Philosopher's Stone and uses to zap him. Barry's knocked on his ass, and Joe and the SWAT Team move in and capture Alchemy. In all the confusion, he drops his stone.

Suddenly Barry begins seeing a speedster zipping back and forth through the room. It's moving so fast that Barry's the only one who can perceive it. The speedster dispatches the entire SWAT Team, except for Joe of course. While everyone's distracted, Wally picks up Alchemy's stone. It begins glowing and he's immediately encased in a pillar of stone.

The unknown speedster grabs Barry by the throat. Barry croaks, "Who are you?" The speedster replies, "Savitar!"

Thoughts:

• HR tells the Gang that it's only a matter of time before the public figures out that STAR Labs is working with the Flash. In order to hide this fact, he wants to disguise STAR Labs as a museum. 

A museum of what, exactly? One would think STAR Labs has a pretty poor reputation in Central City, since it housed a particle accelerator that, you know, exploded the very first time it was turned on. The general public probably has a low opinion of the joint.

And what would they even put in such a museum? I suppose they could have an exhibit detailing why the place exploded, and one outlining how it's affected the city so far. Other than that… I got nothing.

I can't imagine there'd be much public interest in such a place. It'd be like putting a museum inside the Three Mile Island reactor.

• Cisco and Caitlin inform HR that he can never leave the STAR Labs grounds, because he has the face of confessed murderer Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawne. They tell him if he shows his face in public, he'll likely be arrested.

First of all, I don't remember anyone ever warning Harry about this, and he actually left the building on several occasions.

Secondly, I don't know how long HR's been on Earth-1, but it has to be at least two or three weeks by now. So in all that time, he's never once had an urge to leave the lab? Does that sound right?

Thirdly, as I said earlier, HR takes this news, and the fact that the Gang is just now telling him about it, very well. Much better than I would have if I found out I'd just jumped to an Earth where I share a face with a wanted murderer.

• HR uses some Earth-19 "facial transmogrification device" to alter his looks. Oddly enough, the new face he chooses is that of Randolph Morgan, his former "business partner" on Earth-19.

I googled the name, and as far as I can tell there's no Randolph Morgan in any DC comics.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Morgan is more than just HR's business partner. Here's the full exchange when he talks about Morgan with Cisco:S

Cisco: "How does this work?"

HR: "Light refraction technology."

Cisco: "Light refraction?"

HR: "I think... I don't... Randolf, my... business partner, he's sort of more with the science. But this little sucker is gonna go a long way to solving my Harrison Wells facial issues."

Note how HR stumbles when describing his relationship to Morgan. Then Cisco brings up his missing power-dampening cuffs.

Cisco: "I'm gonna hang onto this until I get my power cuffs back."

HR: "What, your power cuffs? Your meta-human power-dampening cuffs?"

Cisco: "Those very ones, the ones that are missing all of a sudden."

HR: "What... you think... you think I took them? I didn't take them. What do I need cuffs for? I just got to this Earth. I came alone. I haven't met anyone yet; it's gonna take a while, even when I do meet them, to get to the cuff stage."

This may just be me reading to much into it, but I'm betting this little exchange was meant to lay the groundwork for the revelation that HR is gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Based on HR's stammering replay, it's obvious that Morgan's more than just a business partner. I'm betting there was a big fight and even a breakup, prompting HR to leave Earth-19 altogether. And the less said about the cuffs, the better. 

• Caitlin tells Cisco that if she goes full Killer Frost and becomes evil, she'll be forced to leave forever. Sigh… Yep, it looks like we're doing the old "My Particular Pain Is Special And It's Forcing Me To Leave Everyone I Know And Love And Never Come Back" trope.

How many times have we seen this same plotline on shows like this? They're even doing it right now with Daisy over on Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.

• Barry says the businessman was attacked by Shade in Chubbuck, at the intersection of Palmer and Racine.

We all know how much The Flash loves to name buildings and streets after comic book creators. Unfortunately I don't think that was the case this time.

According to the internet, Chubbuck is a residential areal of Central City. The internet also says Central City is in Missouri, which I don't think has ever been confirmed on the series.

I can't find any DC-related link for Palmer and Racine. Well, there's Ray Palmer, aka the Atom, but I doubt this is a reference to him. Apparently these are just random names and have not any kind of in-joke.

The same goes for the Horror At Hofherr Park banner. As near as I can tell, there are no DC characters, artists or writers named Hofherr. Like I always say, sometimes a name is just a name.

• According to HR, Earth-19 uses coins called "helbings" as currency. We also find out that his world has "many" telepathic gorillas. Here's hoping the Gang eventually visits Earth-19 in an episode!

By the way, I'm assuming the coins were named after Todd Helbing, a writer on The Flash.

• Alchemy's psychically attacks Wally, causing him to go into seizure. Caitlin gives Wally a shot of Lorazepam to calm his tortured brain.

Believe it or not, Lorazepam is a real drug here on Earth-1, used to combat seizures! Well done, writers!

• This week the series finally introduces the Shade, one of the Flash's oldest and most persistent villains. Unfortunately, the version we see here bears little or no resemblance to the one in the comics, as they completely and utterly wasted one of DC's most memorable characters, using him as nothing more than a lame plot device to distract the Flash from Alchemy. 

They could have used literally ANY other character here— why'd they have to ruin one of the Flash's best villains?

The comic book version of the Shade has been around since 1942, and was one of the Jay Garrick Flash's main enemies. He was a thief who sported a top hat had the power to manipulate shadows with his magical cane. He was also immortal, and eventually clashed with the Barry Allen Flash.

He's actually quite a complex anti-hero, whose biography is way too long to get into here. The Shade is a major player in DC comics, and he deserves much better than he received here. Hopefully they'll revisit this character at some point and do justice to him, or better yet introduce a different version in the future.

To make things even worse, the awful "smoke effect" used to represent Shade in the episode was very lacking, as it was realized through the miracle of early 1990s CGI. I have a feeling the budget for this episode was pretty tight, as The CW's no doubt putting everything into the big four part crossover at the end of the month.

In fact I'm kind of wondering if the writers confused the Shade with the Shadow Thief, an old Hawkman villain who could turn himself into a living shadow.

• So who the hell is Savitar, the latest in a long line of speedster villains we're supposed to care about? I have to admit I'd never even heard of him before, as he apparently came along well after I stopped buying comics.

In the comics, Savitar is a Cold War fighter pilot from a "third world nation." I guess DC didn't want to offend any countries? He was testing a supersonic jet when it was struck by lighting, causing it to crash. He survived the crash and discovered he could now move at super speed. He named himself "Savitar," after the Hindu God Of Motion (whose name is actually "Savitr." I guess Savitar can't spell very well). 

Savitar has powers that no other speedster has. He can steal from or give speed to others, protect himself with a force field, and heal instantly.

Visually the comic book Savitar is a mess, sporting a garish (even by superhero standards), hodgepodge of a costume, complete with pencil-thin mustache. 

The Flash producers wisely chose to redesign Savitar, giving him a look not unlike between Ultron and a Transformer. I'm OK with this change.

Many fans think there's a reason for TV Savitar's robotic look. They're convinced that engineering student Wally actually built a robot or some sort of speedy armor, and that he's secretly Savitar. 

I guess that's possible. Wally's currently encased inside a stone pillar, but I suppose he could be mentally controlling the armor. And his resentment at not being granted speedster powers like Jesse could fuel a turn to the dark side. I'm betting we'll find out in the mid-season finale.

The Flash Season 3, Episode 2: Paradox

After last week's premiere, I was worried that we were going to get an entire season of Barry Allen fine-tuning the timeline until he finally undid all the terrible changes he inadvertently made. Thankfully it looks like that's not going to happen. Instead of trying to fix things and just mess them up further, Barry's apparently decided to live with this somewhat familiar, but still broken timeline.

Tom Felton makes his debut this week as Barry's fellow CSI Julian Albert, along with new villain Doctor Alchemy. I wonder… both characters just happen to appear in the same episode. Are they one in the same? Is Albert secretly Alchemy? I'm sure that's what the producers are wanting us to think, but it's probably a bit too obvious.

I was going to congratulate the writers on finally giving us a Big Bad who ISN'T a speedster, as super-fast villains on The Flash are frankly getting a bit old. But then I canceled the celebration when Alchemy announced he was "preparing this world" by handing out superpowers to everyone who had them in the Flashpoint timeline. In essence he's creating supervillains to fight the Flash. Sound familiar? It should— it's the exact same plot that Zoom implemented last season (well, ONE of his many plots, at least).

I thought the STAR Labs Gang took the news that Barry selfishly altered their lives VERY well. Probably much better than I would have. At least we were spared another patented CW Believe In Yourself Pep Talk this week.

Lastly, according to the internet, the ratings for this episode hit an all-time series low, drawing in just 2.75 million viewers. Not good! I wonder… is The CW only counting viewers who watch the show live? 

I generally watch the show live, but on occasion I stream it on Roku or other sources the next day. If an old fogey like me can figure out how to stream a TV show, I'm sure hundreds of thousands, if not millions of young whippersnappers are doing the same. If The CW isn't tracking those streaming viewers, then they need to start, STAT, as they're seriously throwing off the ratings.

SPOILERS!

The Plot:

After he tried to restore the timeline last week, Barry discovers he didn't quite fix things the way he'd planned. Among the changes: Joe and Iris aren't speaking, and Cisco is cold and distant toward him. In fact the whole STAR Labs Gang are a bunch of sullen jerks.

After several inquiries, Barry learns that Iris is mad at Joe because he didn't tell her her mother was still alive. Cisco's angry with Barry because he won't go back in time and save his brother Dante from dying in a car accident. And Barry finds out he and Iris aren't a couple in this timeline. 

He also discovers he has a new roommate at the Central City Police Department—  a CSI named Draco Malfoy, er, I mean Julian Albert. He's a young hotshot who isn't charmed by Barry and doesn't particularly like him. When Albert is examining a mysterious human "husk" found by the river, Barry offers to help him figure out what it is. Albert curtly declines his help, saying he can do it himself.

Barry jogs over to Star City to chat with his pal Felicity Smoak, and tell her what's been happening on his show. Felicity wonders if any of his changes have bled over into her own series. Barry checks her computer and finds out that in this timeline, John Diggle's daughter is now a son, which is really going to confuse Arrow viewers who don't watch The Flash. Felicity encourages Barry to tell his friends what he's done.

Meanwhile, Edward Clariss, who we met last week, begins having visions of his life in the Flashpoint timeline. He sees the name "Alchemy" scrawled in the window of a bus. Later on he meets a mysterious hooded figure who calls himself— you guessed it— Alchemy. Clariss asks him if he can make the visions stop. Alchemy says he will make the visions come true, and turn Clariss back into The Rival.

Barry uses wacky sitcom tactics to manipulate everyone into having dinner at the West house, so they can all patch things up and get back to normal. It goes about as well as you'd think.

Just then Cisco's metahuman alarm (which apparently exists in this timeline) goes off. Barry speeds off and finds The Rival waiting for him. The Rival remembers the Flashpoint timeline from last week, and isn't happy with Barry for wiping it out. They battle at superspeed to fill up some of the runtime, and then Clariss disappears.

Barry goes back to STAR Labs, where Iris demands to know why he's acting so strangely. He tells her that all their problems are his fault, and decides to try and fix things again. He runs back in time— I guess to save Cisco's brother?— but before he can do so a hand appears, grabs him and drags him out of the time stream.

The hand belongs to Jay Garrick (the one from Earth-3), who takes Barry to a diner in 1998 (?). Somehow Jay knows about Barry's timeline-meddling, and tells him to knock it off. He says he did the same thing when he was younger, and learned the hard way that no matter how hard you try to fix time, it'll never be perfect. Jay says they're not gods, just men with powers who have to live with their mistakes and move forward.

Barry returns to the present, and tells the STAR Labs Gang how he selfishly altered the timeline for his own benefit, which inadvertently altered their lives for the worse. They're all pissed at him, and rightly so.

Barry deduces that The Rival is hiding out at the old Prescott Sawmill. He heads there and is confronted by The Rival, as well as Alchemy, who blasts Barry with some sort of ray (I think from his Philosopher's Stone?). The telemetry in Barry's suit triggers an alarm at STAR Labs. Iris convinces the Gang to get over their anger and help Barry.

Alchemy tells Barry that he's "preparing this world" and helping people meet their true potential. The Rival then begins beating the living crap out of Barry. Just as he's about to deliver the killing blow, Cisco shows up in his Vibe gear and blasts The Rival. Barry thanks Cisco, who apologizes for taking so long. 

The Gang's seemingly back to normal, as no one's mad at anyone anymore. The only one who still looks worried is Caitlin, who seems to be secretly developing icy powers...

Thoughts:
• The first two episodes of this season— Flashpoint and Paradox— can be combined to form the title of the comic book arc this storyline was based on.

• Barry catches a generic crook he dubs "The Thief." He takes a bag of stolen jewels from him and returns them to the store, a second or two before the police arrive.

Wouldn't it have been better to hand the stolen jewels over to the cops instead? Seems like they'd be evidence, and without them the police might not have a case against The Thief.

• Barry has a new "roomie" at work in this timeline— Julian Albert. He's played by Tom Felton, aka Draco Malfoy of the Harry Potter films. Once again Felton plays the Designated Asshole™— a character who hates the hero and makes his life hell for no other reason than because the script says so.

I'll give Felton credit, it's a role he plays very well. Hopefully he's not like that in real life. Maybe someday he'll actually get to play a nice character.

• Last week in the Flashpoint timeline, I noted that it looked like the Particle Accelerator never blew up— or if it did it was repaired. In this semi-restored timeline, one of the pylons is damaged again.

• Barry decides to try and fix the timeline again, and starts running into the past. Note that once again, there's still no sign of the Time Wraiths, the ghost-like caretakers of the time stream. Like I said before, it's as if they only show up when it's convenient to the plot!

• During Barry's second attempt to alter time, he's yanked out of the stream by Jay Garrick. Is it ironic that Jay takes Barry back to 1998 in order to give him a stern lecture about the dangers of altering the timeline?

Yes, there's a line about how Jay "punched" Barry out of the timeline, and they probably just happened to end up in 1998. But even if Jay had no such intentions, he could have stepped on a butterfly or something and inadvertently altered history.

Why would they have dropped out of the time stream in 1998 anyway? Barry was heading for the night his mother died, which, as we've seen many times, happened in 2000.

I'm betting the only reason the writers picked that year so they could toss in a reference to Dawson's Creek, which premiered in '98. When Jay and Barry enter the diner, the show's even playing on a TV in the background! Not to mention the fact that actor John Wesley Shipp played Dawson's father on the show.

Lastly, how the hell did Jay know what Barry was doing? Jay lives over on Earth-3, for corn's sake! Did he build some kind of Barry-scope, to secretly spy on him?

• Again with the Back To The Future charts! Barry tries to explain his timeline-meddling to the STAR Labs Gang by drawing a diagram yet again. This is at least the third time he's done this.

• So how do the human skin husks figure into the plot? When Alchemy makes someone "reach their full potential," do they shed their skin like a snake?

• Due to Barry's time-shenanigans, Arrow's pal John Diggle now has a son instead of a daughter. I would not be surprised if someone out there complains about this, calling it "gender overwriting" or something like that.

Dig having a son actually lines up with things over on Legends Of Tomorrow. In the Star City 2046 episode, Diggle's son appeared as a future version of Green Arrow.

• Last week in the Flashpoint timeline, The Rival's headquarters were at "the old sawmill on Williamson." In this episode The Rival's headquarters is at the Prescott Sawmill. I'm assuming they're the same place, and exist in both timelines.

• After meeting Alchemy and hearing his plan, Barry says "I think everyone who had powers in Flashpoint is going to get them back." Note that we then immediately cut to a shot of Wally. Obviously Wally's going to become Kid Flash in this timeline as well before the season's over.

• Cisco, er, I mean Vibe shows up in the nick of time to save Barry. His "vibe rays" looked a LOT like freeze blasts to me. In fact that's what I thought they were at first, until I remembered which superhero show I was watching and that Cisco has vibration powers.

By the way, can this version of Cisco still "vibe?" If so, then he should be able to remember the original timeline.

• After the battle we're told that Barry took The Rival to Iron Heights Prison, instead of throwing him in STAR Labs' Illegal Secret Super Jail. Maybe the Gang doesn't have their little prison in this timeline?

The most interesting development of this episode— Caitlin's ice powers are manifesting. Does that mean she'll be turning to the dark side as well?