We are back to our reguar TV recapping schedule with the return of The Flash and no other superhero show can bring tears to my eyes and laughter to my throat all in the same episode.

As you recall at the end of season 2, Barry went back in time to stop the Reverse-Flash from killing his mom thus creating this utopia that Barry has been living in these past three months.

We open with Barry at Jitters working up nerve to ask out Iris out but can’t when he decides to investigate a news story on the Kid Flash battling someone known as the Rival, another evil speedster. When Barry arrives, he sees that Kid Flash is doing an admirably job at saving Central City and can relate to having another speedster being their bane of existence.

When Barry returns to Jitters, he creates his own meet-cute with Iris by pretending that he found her dropped wallet. Iris feels like they know each other and Barry relates that they knew each other back in elementary school. Eventually, Barry asks Iris out for iced tea,

At the CCPD, Barry is still a CSI but there is no Captain Singh but Captain Mendez (Alex Desert) who has tasked Barry in finding the identity of the Rival. Meanwhile, we learn that Joe and Barry are not partners nor even close.

While Joe is still a detective, he is a complete mess like he is a drunk and is always late for work with Barry covering for him. Also, Joe isn’t not on board with West-Allen.

Barry goes to visit Eobard Thawne in his prison, a age that dampens his speed. Thawne calls the new reality that Barry created “Flashpoint” and warns him that time will catch up to him and will beg him to kill his mom.

However, Barry isn’t taking the bait on Thawne’s goading and tells him he is very content now as he has the life he has always wanted, the life that Thawne took away from him initially.

When Barry comes home, he is greeted by his smiling parents. It is such a warm scene especially seeing the big smile on Barry’s face at seeing both of his parents alive and well.The next morning at the family breakfast table, Nora tries to hint at Barry that maybe it is time to move out and get a girlfriend.

When Barry tells his parents about asking the girl out at the coffee show (Iris), his mom is so pleased and that girl is very lucky to have landed a guy like Barry.

When Barry goes out on his date with Iris, she feels like she has known him forever but Barry then starts to lose memories of him and Iris which she looks on with concern. However, their date is stopped short when they spy police going to another Rival and Kid Flash fight. Iris is actually the one to ask for a rain check. Barry then flashes to the fight and tries to catch a falling Kid Flash but is unable to and is shocked to find out that under the mask is Wally.

When Wally takes Barry to his place, Iris is there too and we learn that with her role as a reporter at Central City Picture News and him being the Kid Flash, they’ve become a brother-sister crime fighting due. Wally tells Barry he got his powers when a car he was driving was hit by lighting and the chemicals he developed to make the car go faster splashed on him knocked him out for nine months and when he woke up, he was super fast.

In order to help defeat the Rival, Iris, Wally and Barry go to Cisco who is now a billionaire and bought STAR Labs and renamed it Ramone Industries.

Cisco isn’t happen to see Iris and Wally and is upset that they allowed a stranger (Barry) into his headquarter. However when Barry relates a story about Dante, it convinces Cisco to help.

Unfortunately, Barry starts to lose memories of his friendship with Cisco.

So Barry goes to Thawne who explains that the Flashpoint world is going to become his new reality and will forget the old timeline and every time Barry uses his speed (he still has his powers), his memory loss will get worse and will soon forget he is the Flash. Thawn says the solution is for him to go back in time and kill his mom. Barry doesn’t take Thawne’s offer and seems to be okay if Flashpoint is his new reality.

Barry suits up as the Flash and takes Wally and Iris to Cisco and reveals himself to say he has a plan to stop the Rival.

Barry explains Flashpoint to the group and feels like something is missing and soon enough he speeds away to only return with Caitlin. Barry says she is integral to helping them since she is a scientist however, Caitlin says he isn’t but rather a pediatric eye doctor. I laughed out loud at the cafe I was at where I was watching the episode.

Iris and Barry speak alone and says her life was fine but something was missing until she met him and she felt whole. Iris figures that they love each other in other timeline

Thanks to some quick thinking from Caitlin, Team Flash is able to find Rival at an old sawmill. Rival takes off his mask and introduces him as Edward Clariss. Kid Flash and Rival battle but the later impales him with a rod and he is gravely injured.

Rival and the Flash fight but the Flash starts to lose memories of being the Flash. This allows Rival to create two twisters.

Barry feels like he can’t stop the twister but Iris tells him that she believes him because he is the Flash. This gives Barry the confidence to stop the twister and stop Rival. However, when Rival is about to kill Barry, Joe shoots him having arrived as backup. Barry reveals himself to Joe to say Wally is injured.

They bring Wally back at Ramone Industries, where he isn’t healing. Barry realizes other people are paying for his happiness.

The next day, Barry and Iris visit his parents. Barry is soaking everything in and tells his parents how happy he has been for the past three month. Nora and Henry are a bit concerned at the way Barry is talking but he assures his parents that all is well. The family hugs and we cry.

At Thawne prison, he relishes the fact that Barry has begged him to kill his mom to set the timeline right. Just before going back in time, Barry and iris share a kiss.

We go back to the moment of the season 2 finale but this time the Reverse Flash has returned and he kills Nora.

Thawne returns Barry back to moments before Flashpoint and teases that somethings may be different.

And we see the difference is that Joe and Iris have had a falling out but we don’t know what.

In the coda, we see the pre Flashpoint version of Edward Clariss who is awaken by voices and sees the word alchemy being scratched on his bedroom mirror.

I am a little bummed that Flashpoint didn’t last longer as it would have been nice to see more of the idyllic family life that Barry has always wanted with his parents.