'The Flash' Review: "The Flash Reborn"

Ross Fodera ’20 / Entertainment Monthly Staff Writer
After a questionable season, The Flash is back with a season premiere which gets back to the roots of the show. The Flash (Grant Gustin) has been trapped in the speed force for six months and “Team Kid Flash” has been cleaning up the streets in the meantime, awaiting his return. Cisco (Carlos Valdes), Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale), Joe (Jesse L. Martin), and Iris (Candice Patton) are working hard to stop the villains of Central City when a powerful new enemy, in the form of a flying Ronin samurai, demands to battle only the Flash, not his sidekicks. This leads the team to try and find a way to bring Barry out of the speed force.
This episode is definitely up there as one of the better season premieres (and overall episodes) The Flash has offered in recent years. The acting feels fresh for all the returning actors. The cast is downsized from last season, which helps give enough time to fully develop the characters over 45 minutes. The special effects of this episode are noticeably better than last season and because of it the scale was emphasized. The entire production of the show feels a little more elevated due to some great cinematography and landscapes. This premiere had all of the side character in the forefront which was refreshing after last season. On their own, due to absence of the Flash, the team is forced to take a new dynamic and really proves that they need Barry.
Without getting into spoilers, the twists in the story have me question if Barry Allen is going to come back and Grant Gustin’s performance throughout the episode is spectacular. A lot has been set up for down the road and some mysteries go unanswered, hopefully to be brought back later. Iris, throughout the episode, is conflicted about trying to get Barry back and fights Cisco when he figures out how to. Even though if they mess up bringing him back the whole world could be destroyed, it feels very out of character for Iris to act the way she does.
Newest trailers have shown things to come in later episodes including a guest appearance from Danny Trejo as the villain Breacher and an interdimensional bounty hunter and the father of Gypsy (Jessica Camacho), Cisco’s recent love interest from the last season. Besides a very underwhelming and predictable plot point towards the end, this is overall one of my favorite season premieres from The Flash.
Episode Grade: B+