‘The Flash’ Season 3, Episode 1 Recap, Spoilers: Grant Gustin, Keiynan Lonsdale suit up in ‘Flashpoint’

“The Flash” Season 3, Episode 1 (Flash 3x01) takes viewers straight into a world where Kid Flash (Keiynan Lonsdale) is fighting a speedster villain called The Rival. Reverse Flash (guest star Matt Letscher) calls this new world “Flashpoint” before revealing that he and Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) have a common enemy to defeat.

Spoiler alert: This update contains “The Flash” Season 3 spoilers. The new season premiere aired Oct. 4 on The CW, featuring the showrunners' take on DC Comics’ Flashpoint arc.

Detective Joe West (Jesse L. Martin) is far from being Father of the Year in the new reality that Barry Allen created when he finally stopped Reverse Flash from killing his mother. Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes) is a billionaire here, while Dr. Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) is a pediatric ophthalmologist. Conflict ensues when Barry insists on calling Wally West the Kid Flash. Things get worse when The Rival is revealed to be Edward Clariss, a DC Comics character in the same timeline as Jay Garrick.

The Flash 3x01: Barry Allen vs Edward Clariss

In the middle of his battle with Edward Clariss, Barry realises neither he nor Kid Flash could stop this villain. But a loving pep talk from Iris (Candice Patton) fuels his strength, and with Joe’s help, Clariss was put down.

Between meeting Kid Flash and defeating Clariss, Barry suffers through the consequences of altering his timeline. He slowly loses his memory, and ultimately puts Wally’s life in danger. Eventually, he accepts he should take Reverse Flash to the moment in their timeline when the villain killed his mother.

Barry gets to live for three months with parents Nora Allen (Michelle Harrison) and Henry Allen (John Wesley Shipp) before falling for the trap set by Reverse Flash.

The Flash 3x01: Edward Clariss and Alchemy

Soon after they’ve left the temporary reality that Barry created, Reverse Flash took Barry Allen to a different reality, one in which both Henry and Nora are dead, and Iris and Joe are estranged. In this timeline, too, Edward Clariss is alive.

The final scene of Flash 3x01 leaves one word to viewers: Alchemy. (Note: DC Comics readers know Doctor Alchemy as a villain who is also known as Alvin Desmond.)

“The Flash” Season 3, Episode 1 was directed by Jesse Warn. Showrunners Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg developed the story, while Brooke Roberts worked on the teleplay.