[This article contains SPOILERS for The Flash season 2.]
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The Flash season 2 ended with a bang, as Barry Allen careened into the past to prevent the death of his mother. In doing so, the Scarlet Speedster set into motion a chain of events that would come to be known as Flashpoint, a rift in time causing untold ramifications for Barry and his friends, and possibly wreaking havoc on the entirety of The CW's DC Comics TV universe. So far, the season 3 trailers have indicated this is definitely the case, as Cisco is living his best life, and Wally West is Kid Flash, while Barry is fighting to remember his place in it all. In any case, Flashpoint promises to be a major event that will shape the rest of The Flash in its third go-round.
But before audiences get too excited for a new batch of episodes featuring Central City's resident speed freak and the crew at S.T.A.R. Labs, it might be a good idea to remember that The Flash season 2 was about much more than its universe-altering ending; it told a lengthy story about a different speedster from another dimension hell bent on ending Barry's short career as The Flash. As it turned out, that speedster was on Earth as a result of Barry's city-saving efforts from the end of season 1, opening a doorway for all sorts of ne'er do wells with wild machinations that rarely mean anything good for the planet's non-metahuman inhabitants.
Because the season 2 finale was so massive in its implications, and likely the key takeaway for many fans eager to get the ball rolling on season 3, USA Today was kind enough to put together a supercut of The Flash season 2's other greatest hits. Naturally, this collection of scenes and storytelling beats being about a man imbued with fantastical speed-related powers the short video could simply be described as being "speedy." That's right, in keeping with the show's super-powered focus, the recap comes in at just about two minutes.
That is pretty impressive for a series that clocked 23 hour-long episodes (TV hours, but still) over the course of its second season, so the supercut isn't anything to sniff at. As far as video recaps go, this one is comprised of a decent mix of expository dialogue and action beats, showing off the series' extensive special effects that do a solid job creating a distinctive look and feel of what it might be like to run so fast you can break time and shatter the barriers between dimensions.
Most of the recap is rightfully focused on Jay Garrick impersonator Hunter Zolomon (Teddy Sears), who forewarns Caitlin and the rest of S.T.A.R. Labs about the impending arrival of Zoom. Explaining Zoom, Garrick, and the rift between Earths takes up a good chunk of time, but the rapid recap still manages to find time to explore Cisco Ramon's burgeoning powers and even the short-lived love affair between Garrick/Zolomon and romantically challenged Caitlin Snow.
While it's not nearly as good as re-watching the series one episode at a time, the recap does its job and does it well. After all, while diehard fans can pick up the second season on Blu-ray on September 6, for everyone else, this is a pretty solid (and fast) alternative.
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The Flash season 3 will premiere Tuesday October 4 at 8pm on The CW, Arrowseason 5 will premiere in the same timeslot on Wednesday October 5, Supergirl season 2 on Monday October 10, and Legends of Tomorrow season 2 on Thursday October 13.