Hey! Another alternate timeline – this time, we’re in one that is very, very emo. And, sadly, might be permanent. Poor Sara Diggle. Let’s dig in!
1. Of course, Barry runs to Felicity
The Barry/Felicity friendship is one of my favorite parts of the extended Arrowverse. They’re so perfectly complementary, that it would only make sense that Barry would go to her; she thinks in a similar way to how Barry thinks, and so she’s able to help talk him through the situation in a way that others might have trouble doing.
I also like how this interaction shows two things that the series sometimes forgets – that Barry’s powers mean he can travel just about anywhere pretty fast, without a problem, and that there is another ‘superhero surrounded by his loved ones team’ in another part of the country, who should be consulted more. Remember back when Barry ran to Coast City for pizza? I love stuff like that, and Barry running to Felicity without so much as needing to catch his breath is a nice take on that same idea.
2. The Rival/Dr. Alchemy
The show is already suffering from a bit of speedster fatigue, but also the problem that Arrow faces each season: when you build up each season’s ‘big bad’ to insurmountable levels, it is hard to make the next guy seem all that terrifying. After the Reverse Flash and Zoom, what can the Rival or Dr. Alchemy really do to Barry? Now, this may not be the big bad tandem for the season after all, and will be a mere distraction until they really show up, but aside from the Rival also remembering the Flashpoint timeline, there doesn’t appear to be all that much depth to his character.
3. They should’ve shown a Tamagachi while they were at it
The 1998 that Earth 3 Jay Garrick pulled Barry into was hilariously 90’s and hilariously CW at the same time. The diner was showing Dawson’s Creek, and “Runaway Train” by Soul Asylum was on the radio. That is a pretty apt indicator of the Clinton administration to folks who only casually remember the decade, but this is an instance where the show could’ve gone so much deeper.
While that Soul Asylum tune came out a few years earlier, it probably wouldn’t have trickled down to ‘diner-approved radio station’ until about then, so that’s actually a nice bit of storytelling. But why not have a few movie posters for him to walk by? A stuffed crust pizza advertisement? An N64 being played in the distance? They could’ve gone full Back to the Future and transported their #millennial viewership to the decade of my youth, but chose not to do so. Shame on you, Berlanti Productions!
(That said, Dawson’s Creek and “Runaway Train” work as shorthand)
4. Grant Gustin has never been better
Sure, we all love befuddled Barry, which we got early in the episode, but Grant Gustin took his acting chops to a new level with his delivery of the news of the alternate timelines to his team. He seemed ashamed, and scared, and was just on the verge of losing it the whole time. It was subtle acting – something the show is not known for – and really worked for the scene. Barry’s genuine remorse goes a long way towards forgiveness, and without Gustin delivering that heartwrenching performance, this would all seem – like his decision to undo the timeline last week – a bit cheap.
5. A tally of what’s (probably) different now
OK, so, let’s talk about what is still changed in this timeline:
1) Caitlin is Killer Frost, but not evil. Her powers have manifested, and she’s scared/unsure how to control them.
2) Cisco is a more powerful version of Vibe than we’ve seen so far.
3) Dante Ramon is dead at the hands of a drunk driver.
4) John Diggle’s daughter Sara is now his son Jon (which, interestingly, pairs up the with Legends of Tomorrow timeline nicely, as John Diggle Jr. was going under the alias of Connor Hawke and posing as Green Arrow in an episode set in the future)
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5) Barry’s got a new, incredibly smart, dick of a partner
Aside from that, all the changes seem relatively minor. 1, 2, and 5 are all pretty good developments for the show, and 3 has a lot of dramatic potential, but feels like something that will be dealt with/moved on pretty quickly. Sorry Dante, but you were sort of a dick and, since Barry didn’t cause his accident, the guilt factor from Cisco will be less.
(Side note: I hope that the reason that everyone was surprised by Cisco’s lack of a nickname was due to his grief, not that this version hates nicknames or something)
But I want to talk about John Diggle, Jr. for a second. This is a really weird thing for The Flash to do; the Legends thing notwithstanding, they could’ve easily just had John and Lyla have another child and achieve the same goal. And yes, Sara is the definition of a minor character, but she’s one that has major importance, and is named after their fallen (and since resurrected) compatriot. Are they really going to undue her from the Arrowverse continuity? That seems like a big decision for a small payoff, doesn’t it?
Also, mark my words: in this timeline, Captain Cold isn’t dead, which is why he can return across all the shows, due to his new CW contract.
So, what did you think of the episode? What is the one piece of nineties miscellany that you’d have included? Let us know in the comments!
