The CWEverything will be different when The Flash returns for season three in October—but as far as Barry Allen is concerned, life is beautiful.
"He's over the moon at the moment because his dream came true. He's living with his parents and he gets to see them every day," executive producer Aaron Helbing tells E! News of our hero's mindset in the season opener, "Flashpoint."
But by going back in time in the season two finale, Barry (Grant Gustin) has completely reset the timeline—which means that his actions affected everyone, not just himself. We spoke with EP team Aaron and Todd Helbing about what other changes we'll notice as the Flashpoint storyline plays out.
Warns Todd, "There's consequences to every decision you make, and with Barry, it's a lesson that he keeps learning over and over, especially when it comes to time travel—the consequences are sometimes a lot more severe than you expect."
E! News: What will people be most shocked by in the premiere?
Todd Helbing: I think they're going to be most shocked by Joe.
Aaron Helbing: I think they'll be most shocked by Caitlin. I think it's amazing. I just love Caitlin in it.
Todd: It's funny, because the shock is on two completely different levels, too. What really resonates is while it's a different version, much like Earth-2 it's the same but different, it doesn't feel like a completely different show.
How different are the Flashpoint characters than the ones we fell in love with?
Todd: I would say as different as their doppelgangers were on Earth-2. Cisco is basically working at S.T.A.R. Labs in season two at a company that doesn't really exist. He's doing it to stop metahumans. And now he's a money-grabbing tech guy who doesn't give a s--t, so I would say he's a little bit different!
Aaron: Caitlin is still a doctor, Joe is still a detective, Iris is still a reporter. Cisco's probably the biggest departure, and then there's Kid Flash.
Tell us about Kid Flash!
Todd: He's awesome! You see in the trailer, it's like a money hero shot and he just embodies this [superhero sensibility]. What's awesome is to see another good speedster. He's like this younger version of Barry. While Barry was this dorky guy and insecure in a lot of ways, Wally's not like that. He was racing cars, he was taking care of himself, he was the man of the house, and so you put that attitude in a superhero and it's awesome.
How will the timeline affect the other shows?
Aaron: It'll affect Diggle the most.
Todd: Supergirl's on another Earth, so it won't affect that. And Legends, they're time traveling anyway. In the crossovers everything is going to come together.
There was a bit of criticism that season one and two's villains were too similar, how will people feel about this year's big bad(s)?
Aaron: Doctor Alchemy is not a speedster. He's like an alchemist, he's able to turn things into other things. He's a bad dude!
Todd: In season one with Thawne, it was very clear what he had to do. In season two, Zoom was more of the chaotic sort of villain. But in season three, there's Doctor Alchemy and there's another speedster villain and there's a lot more of a psychological component to it that affects Barry in a way that nobody's going to [expect].
Aaron: Barry's not prepared for it. Barry and the team are not prepared for what they're about to face.
Shouldn't they be prepared, though?!
Todd: That's what Barry's going to think, and it's going to turn around and bite him in the ass.
The Flash season three premieres Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. on The CW.