"Oh, a murderous psychopath? Gee, thanks."

"I swear sometimes you remind me of your father."

 the Flash 

s08e10 Reckless

Mini Spoiler Review

Barry's desire to keep the team safe is tested when Frost recklessly courts danger while trying to stop the Black Flame; Iris tries to help a teen girl reunite with her mother, but unintentionally does more harm than good.

[TV-PG | 42min 23sec | Action | Adventure | Drama | April 06th, 2022]

I want to give this a go so let's see!

I had been religiously watching from its inception until now, and while this series certainly has its ups and downs as one of the OGs of CW superhero slate, I can attest that the opening round of episodes for this season is head above waters over the rest, using the crossover event to its advantage to the fullest. It does present its own set of obstacles though, not having  the main big bad of the season so to speak.

The most viable thread to pin this on is the main throughline of this mysterious Black Flame that's now targeting Frost because of her power. The B storyline is intriguing as well with the mystery of Iris' time sickness, now being  peeled away slowly but surely, now actually affecting her surroundings rather harmlessly at first but then much more tragically in the end accidentally. The threat is still there just like usual, but it feels a bit more personal instead of the usual city or even world-threatening, since it is now lingering around Team Flash some more after P. Runk before. 

Family is the theme of the episode or rather more specifically motherhood, with the mother of Caitlin and Frost and return with I assume a short but sweet appearance for the season, giving the Ice Queen a little personal development after the more fun hi-jinks with her boyfriend. She's more than just a protector, she's now a vital part of two families that do care when she throws herself in front of danger. The returning Susan Walters doesn't has much to go with at first, until that third act scene that is quite heartwarming as she acknowledges her as her daughter as well instead of just another science experiment. Another touching moment in the next city over is between Iris and Tinya as the former uses her previous personal experience to give the latter a valuable lesson on dealing with the missing mother figure. It is heartbreaking that to see her good intention backfired almost immediately because of the still mysterious illness. Based on the effect there though, I can deduce that the victim there just get transported somewhere else instead of just vanishing into thin air.

Allocation of screen time is good here since everyone have their own role to play, some more than others with Danielle Panabaker edging over Grant Gustin, to great effect I might add. Joe and West are sidelined but both have key parts to play with the former being a voice of reason for the worrywart Barry while the latter smartly uses her power to let the blossoming attraction between Allegra and Chester grow naturally without being a third wheel. I think he will come into rescue when she will have to deal with that problem at work (the other one) sometime down the line. Natalie Dreyfuss as Sue Dearbon get that one small moment to shine close to the end there and she did just that. This is a more of downtime for the team but it's setting up for quite a repercussion next week for the Flash!

+ More Frost getting the spotlight! | More emotional development for the team.

? What is the one main thread for this season?

- The build up is slower comparatively to other previous seasons -

MVP: Danielle Panabaker for playing double duty effortlessly!

* Rating*: 3.5/5

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