One of my hopes for the third season of The Flash is that the primary antagonist will not be another speedster.  Dr. Alchemy’s ability to activate metahuman abilities that they once had, or might have had, prior to “Flashpoint” is a very different kind of villain, thankfully, and there are indications that the Rogues will emerge as Barry’s true nemeses for a while.  That’s a good sign, considering everything else seems to be about speedsters, and that can get awfully old after a while. 

 

 

With the arrival of Wells and his daughter Jessie, Wally is feeling just a bit left out.  And why shouldn’t he, when Jessie is getting a costume and running around in ways that he no longer can?  One can practically feel his temptation to go looking for Dr. Alchemy already, even though the evidence that it would be a bad idea, presented by the appearance of Magenta, is rather compelling.

 

The return of Harrison Wells from Earth-2 makes it a bit easier to see some of the effects of Flashpoint.  For example, he picks up on the fact that Caitlin and Jessie don’t have the kind of history or friendship that they should pretty quickly.  He also serves as yet another character who can take Barry aside and explain why changing the past is a horrible idea.  Perhaps most importantly, it’s just great to have Tom Kavanaugh back on the show.  He brings a certain gravitas to the production.

 

 

Besides underscoring what Dr. Alchemy is capable of doing and implying that he has a motive in activating all these metahumans, Magenta felt like a wasted opportunity.  The actress did what she could with material that was fairly generic, destined to fulfill a specific plot purpose and little else.  In the source material, Magenta struggles with some similar mental illness factors, but it felt like there wasn’t enough time to explore the ramifications. It felt like the relationship between Barry and Iris got more significant screen time.

 

Speaking of, these two are trying way too hard for people who have been best friends for more than half their lives.  They ought to be able to navigate these new romantic waters a bit more organically.  It feels like Barry is once again forcing something that, with a little patience, would probably be just fine.  But that’s exactly the metaphor at the center of Barry’s life: he simply doesn’t have the capacity to slow down and be patient with a situation.