The Flash Recap S3 E03 “Magenta” (Spoilers Ahead)

This week on The Flash, Dr. Harrison Wells, and his daughter Jesse return from Earth-2 to visit Barry and the team. They learn that Jesse now has speedster powers, but Dr. Wells doesn’t like that she is using them. Meanwhile, a new meta-human, with the power to control metal, begins terrorizing Central City

Important Things to Know Going Into This Week’s Episode

1. Barry’s Friends and Powers:

We saw that Cisco was able to channel his powers in a very similar way to what we saw Reverb (his doppelganger do on Earth-2) and help Barry last week. I definitely think we’ll get a good chance to see Cisco come out and help Barry with some of his adventures. Additionally, it’s only a matter of time before Wally gets speedster powers, right? They pretty well established that the meta-humans from Flashpoint were becoming powered again in the normal timeline, so, presumably, Wally is next. This, in addition to Jesse becoming a speedster, could lead to an awesome team-up among Barry and those close to him.

2. What is going to happen to Caitlin:

Last week, Barry casually mentioned a part of Caitlin’s life in the alternate timeline. It seemed harmless, but then some weird mist appeared around her arm. I see two realistic possibilities here; either Barry messed up the timelines, and Caitlin is in danger of disappearing -OR- Caitlin is going to develop her ice powers like her Earth-2 counterpart, and join the list of Barry’s close friends with powers. Either way, it will be an interesting story.

3. Barry and Iris:

There were a lot of options for this spot, but this seems like the most prominent one for the season overall. I’m fairly certain that at least some portion of each episode from this point on will be dedicated to their relationship. It will be interesting to see what, if any, development is made this season.

The Biggest Moments in this week’s episode (SPOILERS!)

1. More Changes from Flashpoint:

  • STAR Labs has a speed lab. (Harry’s reaction about the time-travelling was great by the way)
  • Meta Humans from Flashpoint are becoming more common in this timeline. (This existed in the last episode, but now it’s clearly a pattern)
  • Panic Buttons have been installed on everyone’s phone. Cisco’s response to Barry’s confusion; “Because we kept getting kidnapped” was one of the best lines of the episode.

2. Can heroes ever date?

We’ve seen Oliver only be able to hold down casual relationships and fail at major ones, on Arrow. Multiple relationships among teammates on Legends of Tomorrow didn’t work out. Supergirl couldn’t figure it out with Jimmy Olson. Now, Barry and Iris can’t even get through a simple date.

3. Parents really don’t want their kids to have powers…

I’m not a parent, so I have no idea how the mind works and changes when that happens, but it seems really odd to me that Dr. Wells and Joe are both so vehemently against Jesse and Wally, respectively, being superheroes. They’ve both seen Barry in action, and they should realize that Barry could help train them. It seems logical, to me, to welcome the possibility that they’re going to be heroes. On the other hand, Wally was willing to almost get himself killed in order to try to activate his potential powers, so maybe these two aren’t really ready for this yet.

4. Magenta’s Attack:

That little girl has a pretty remarkable level of power. The amount of hate that a person can feel for the person who abused them is incredible, but it seems to have blinded her from being able to understand that destroying the hospital is going to kill hundreds (maybe thousands) of innocent people. It’s a good thing Barry and Jesse were there to stop the destruction and keep Magenta from dropping the tanker on the hospital.

5. Wally’s realization

If you weren’t paying attention, you’d almost miss it, but Wally at one point told Jesse that he had dreamed about having super speed, and, then, Frankie explains that the first part of her transformation was having dreams about her powers. It was clear that Wally realized he might have powers after all.

Ryan’s Random Thought:

Wally may be a villain when he get’s his powers. No meta-human is inherently bad as a result of their powers. They generally get to decide the way that they react to their powers, and, for the most part, it will reflect the person they were before. I’m sure if Wally gets powers, he’ll eventually be a hero, but when he gets the powers, Alchemy might cause him to use them the wrong way a first.

The Flash airs on The CW On Tuesdays. Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about this episode.