The Flash Review: Reckless (Season 8 Episode 10)

Every hero is self-sacrificing to a degree. Night after night they put themselves in harm’s way to keep their city safe. This episode of The Flash highlights these courageous feats but also questions the methods.

The Flash Season 8 Episode 10, “Reckless,” focuses on fan-favorite Frost, showcasing the lengths she will go to save the day. According to Caitlyn and Barry, she is willing to go too far — even risking death when other options can be viable.

This is a rather strange direction for a superhero show to take.

After watching Arrow’s Oliver Queen give up his family and ultimately his life several years ago, one would believe that no price is too high to pay to protect humanity. That doesn’t mean that the writers don’t have a valid point though.

When the Black Fire pays a visit to Frost in her apartment, Team Flash explores the possibility of what the encounter means. They deduce that Frost and the fire have similar powers, meaning the flames wanted her to fuel itself.

I guess it kind of makes sense in a way. But I figured they would have kept with the grief theme. Knowing that Frost is a former killer, she has to be hiding at least a little grief somewhere deep in her interior. 

Nonetheless, they take a different angle giving the episode a distinct feeling from the last one. Not to say that this episode is weaker than the last, after all, Frost is much more likable than Chester in my opinion.

As Team Flash put pieces of the puzzle together, a plan is formed where Frost volunteers to play the bait for the Black Fire. Along with Carla, Caitlyn’s mother, they draw up an idea that seems nearly foolproof but also entirely dangerous.

Frost has no problem with this. She understands that even though she can be mortally injured this living, breathing flame needs to be stopped. Frost is ready to jump headfirst into this deadly scenario.

I can’t say that I’ve never been so eager to do something incredibly stupid. 

No, I haven’t put my life on the line to save thousands of people, but I have run my mouth to someone twice my size because I felt I was entirely in the right. I’ve jumped blindly into a situation that I knew little about with assumptions I shouldn’t have made. 

While these scenarios aren’t the same, they have the same amount of ego placed in the wrong area. 

When we get excited about something going on, whether it is good, bad, or neutral, we tend to not focus on the negative possibilities we may have to endure. Running the scenario through our heads means only including the most favorable of outcomes. 

It often takes someone outside of ourselves to see the real danger lurking in the corner. For the episode’s sake, this part is played by Barry and Caitlyn. 

It is always good to have a level-headed friend in your corner willing to talk you down from the greatest heights. Yes-men are a dime a dozen, but it takes a real friend to call you out on your crap.

Barry: You’re whole world is falling apart, and you’re still worried about helping other people. 

Unfortunately, lectures do very little to deter Frost from accomplishing her mission. She sets out to do exactly what she plans on. While things don’t go exactly as planned, she ends up no worse for the wear. 

Of course, this gives Caitlyn righteous anger, telling her sister and mother how wrong they were to even think of attempting this. Caitlyn speaks in fear of her sister’s life. 

While what she says isn’t the nicest, her heart is in the right place. Her aggression fuels her tirade, but it doesn’t take away from her solid viewpoint.

Sometimes we need to see past a person’s words and sink our teeth into the middle of what they are trying to say. Yes, they are angry, yes, they are afraid. But the real question is, are they right?

In this situation, Caitlyn is in the right. There are other ways to achieve what Frost and her mother are trying to do. These other options have more safety measures which mean they are automatically the better choice. 

While Team Flash isn’t able to save the day quite yet, this episode serves as a lesson learned the hard way. 

Elsewhere in the episode, Iris places herself in an interchangeable scheme by continuing to explore the whereabouts of Tinya’s mother. Sadly, this doesn’t end as well for those involved. 

With Iris’ time sickness, no one knows how anything will be affected by her presence. Although she tries to be selfless, her actions appear selfish. 

Always question your motives. Will your presence help or hinder the events of the day?

Iris becomes an internal part of the investigation, but at this time, the end doesn’t justify the means. I doubt that what takes place will last indefinitely, but it added more turmoil to an already stressful reunion. 

The drama in this episode is spot on. We get all the proper feels. Excitement, sadness, and even bouts of anger sneak up on us before we know it. 

Even a majority of the action sequences get our adrenaline pumping, yet it still feels like something is missing. 

The threat of this so-called Black Fire just doesn’t seem up to par this far in a series. 

We’ve had big bads such as Reverse-Flash, Zoom, and Savitar throughout many seasons. These were formidable forces to be reckoned with because they also had a human side.

It is hard to relate to something as intangible as a living flame — no matter what its motives are. 

The Flash is always at its best when it focuses on all aspects of human nature, whether it is the villain’s point of view or the hero’s. If the writers can’t give us a reason to care about the bad guy, then we are stuck with a lopsided story that will be very difficult to resuscitate. 

What did you think of this episode of The Flash? Is Tinya’s mother gone for good? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Flash airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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