​As I settled in to watch last night’s episode of Designated Survivor, a realization washed over me, in that, it’s been quite some time since we’ve seen a full-blown crisis on the show. Granted, that’s not exactly a bad thing since hey, it’s nice to not always have the president dealing with a waking nightmare every single week. But, this show, and the Kirkman Administration were founded upon crisis and the story is overdue for one and wouldn’t you know it? Last night’s episode of the show, resurrected the disaster of the week by putting D.C. in quite the bind.
 
But before trouble got underway in ‘In the Dark’, the series took a moment to toy with the audience by revisiting a plot point that hasn’t been addressed since season one, the fact that Tom Kirkman is operating without a Vice President, and there’s some logic behind that. Because Tom makes it clear in this tale, he only wants someone of the highest integrity to hold that office since a traitor held the post last in Peter MacLeish and as the White House prepared more interviews for this all-important position, and went about their usual routines, the crisis in question arrived.
 
Because suddenly all the lights went off in Washington D.C., and it didn’t take long for everyone to realize that this was the result of another hack, which meant that every emergency service had to be mobilized as people began to succumb to the fear of the unknown and despite Mayor Eleanor Darby’s best efforts to stabilize the situation, the president activated the National Guard to restore order, something that caused more harm than good. Because the Mayor saw that as the wrong move and pulled the police in minor protest and while this seemed like an amazing act of irresponsible insurrection at first, there was a rhyme and a reason to her decision.
 
Because, the mayor knew exactly how Federal intervention would be viewed amongst the people and she made her move to grab Tom’s attention so that she could explain her concerns, challenge his stance and to get another shot at containing the situation and while that second attempt to restore order failed, their heated confrontation allowed for Kirkman to think of a potential solution to their problem. And in the midst of the blackout, he and the mayor hit the streets to rally the people and make them believe in one another over anything else shortly before the lights came back on and well, the Mayor’s decision to challenge and question Tom for all the right reasons, ended up earning her the nomination to become Vice President of the United States.
 
Yet while all of that was amazing to watch in its own right, what truly made this episode shine were the little side vignettes that worked on character growth for Tom and his staff and I like that the series is throwing this in more as the season goes on so we get a complete balance storytelling wise, and I was also appreciative of the fact that this hacker storyline is progressing along nicely at a proper pace. Every week the series gives us just enough, allowing for the mystery to build and I’m certain these attacks are only going to intensify in the weeks to come. Either way, this was just a fun episode through and through, and you can never go wrong with a story where Tom Kirkman is allowed to just do his thing. Until next time. 

While The X-Files has cemented its place in science fiction and horror history as one of the finest television shows to ever grace those respective genres, it has made a few mistakes storytelling wise over the years. Granted, those missteps are always forgiven because it’s Mulder and Scully we are talking about here, but when those goofs happen, they’re glaring and polarizing and if anything, the season eleven premiere is a fine example of this. But I make mention of mistakes today, simply due to the fact that I’ve always found that if the show is going to make a faux pas, it tends to happen during a season finale in my experience, and wouldn’t you know it…last night’s episode just so happened to be the season eleven finale.   
 
Which meant that I went into ‘My Struggle IV’ with lowered expectations, simply because I’ve felt as though the last few season finales just haven’t been up to par since they’ve felt so…incomplete when was all is said and done. But, it’s clear such a trend has come to an end because this finale was utterly magnificent, and despite a few mysteries to be found, it felt incredibly complete and satisfying for a change and such wonders came about all from the fact that Mulder and Scully finally stepped in to make sure that William was going to be safe in this world from those who would do him harm and really, it’s the humanity that both of them displayed that made this episode so worthwhile.
 
Don’t get me wrong, William held his own in this story and while it was awesome to learn about his past and how he came to understand and use his powers over the years and see what he’s been up to since we met him in ‘Ghouli’, the overall search for him was far more fascinating. Because we’ve never seen Mulder and Scully truly slip into parenting mode, and it was just wild to see how far they’d go to protect William since Mulder straight up dropped people without question to ensure his surrogate son’s safety and it was equally as amazing to see Scully incite panic by way of Tad O’Malley’s show all in the hopes of raising awareness about the risk posed to humanity if by chance William was captured by the Cigarette Smoking Man and his lackeys. 

But truly, the centerpiece of the night, were all the various showdowns and potential deaths that came about in the back half of the episode. Because we saw some of CSM’s subordinates explode thanks to William’s incredible power, and Monica Reyes took a bullet to the head and hell, at this point it’s unclear if Skinner made it out alive either. But the wholesale and wanton bloodshed didn’t end there, since William took a round to the skull as well after provoking his real father and at long last, we got the satisfying and wonderful pleasure of watching CSM take a few rounds from Mulder as well, and that stunning moment could very well signal the end of this titular character after all these years.
 
Yet, while this episode was indeed shocking and thrilling with the big moments it sent our way, what made it feel complete at last, was the sheer fact that it seemingly gave Mulder and Scully a happy ending. After all, Scully is pregnant against all odds, it would seem this duo have finally come to understand what they mean to one another and there’s a real chance that after all this time and all these wild and dangerous adventures, that they could potentially settle down with one another and live a normal(ish) life. Because the implication was strong that they would no longer be Federal Agents after this tale since Kersh was damn displeased with the whole mess involving Tad’s show and flat out said he was closing the X-Files. 
​
Which means in many ways, this did indeed feel like a series finale, and it very well could be that since another season of this show is not a foregone conclusion at this point and for the moment, Gillian Anderson appears to be done with the Scully experience and well, if this is indeed how it ends, I can honestly say I feel good with the story saying farewell in this fashion. Because season eleven served as a ‘best of’ reel for this storied series, with memorable and eerie moments that will stay with us for some time and that’s really all a fan can ask for when a series has gone on for this long and if this is indeed the end of the line, then the saga went out on a high note for certain. Either way, for now the X-Files are closed, William is still alive and the biggest surprise of all from when it comes to this tale, is that Fox Mulder and Dana Scully finally have some closure…

​The more time I had to ponder upon last week’s revelation filled episode of Black Lightning, the more I found myself counting down the minutes to this week’s brand-new episode. After all, we know now everything we need to know when it comes to the secrets Peter has been hiding all of this time, and by revealing all of that well before the season finale, the show has in essence freed itself to explore new storylines and new territory for Jefferson and his family and last night’s tale, ‘The Book of Little Black Lies’, delivered on just that, while of course staying true to the show’s proud tradition of putting a unique spin on its storytelling.
 
Case in point, the fact that the series was able to handle the whole matter revolving around Jennifer’s powers in new and refreshing light. Because normally on superhero shows, this one included, when someone discovers they have powers, they instantly find themselves ready to work for a greater cause and Jennifer’s response was far more human than I think any of us expected to see. She was terrified of her powers, and ponderous on how they would impact her future and she was genuinely hurt by how the family kept the truth about dear old dad from her and I love the fact that the series took the time to explore this and point out the fact that not everyone out there with powers necessarily has to or wants to choose a side.
 
Another pleasant surprise from this episode came about from the fact that both Henderson and Peter in essence did their best to set their wrongs, right in this tale. Because Henderson, who has always tried to keep his head down and just do his job finally put a little risk into his day by trying to track down the crooked cops in Freeland with some measured success and Peter, well he did everything within his power in this story to atone for his sins, by trying to help Black Lightning clear his name and it was just wonderful to see both of these men take a stand for what they believe in at last and in Peter’s case, it would seem that the discovery of what happened to the Meta Humans he flagged for his boss ages ago is starting to push him toward being a good guy through and through.
 
But the biggest surprise of the night, was that for the first time ever, this series felt like a traditional superhero story when father and daughter went after Green Light in epic fashion. Because both of them agreed that taking down this drug was a priority into exposing everything they’ve been chasing and well, that led to a grand finale filled to the brim with action and adventure and straight up butt kicking through and through and I’ll be honest, this was just a blast to watch. We’ve seen Jefferson and Anissa in action, but never like this and they wiped the floor with Martin Proctor’s cronies and even helped Henderson to make an arrest and well, it’s nice to see that this series can celebrate or deconstruct the genre on a moment’s notice.
 
What matters most however, is the sheer fact that this was in fact a transitional/filler episode, that was entertaining from start to finish and that’s not always the case with episodes such as these and really, this set the stage nicely for a grand showdown between the ASA and Black Lightning. Because not only did Jefferson and Anissa slow if not stop the spread of Green Light in Freeland, something you know Proctor isn’t happy with, they’re undoubtedly going after the trapped Meta Humans that Peter found and that will only escalate this fight and that’s bad news for the ASA, because I’m certain that Black Lightning and Thunder will be ready to handle anything thrown their way. Until next time. 

​Oh, dear reader, I have to start off this Retro Recap of Battlestar Galactica, with an apology. Because for the past couple of recaps, I’ve become increasingly salty toward the show and well, I’m sorry, that’s simply bad form on my part. Because we’re talking about BSG here, a show that revitalized and/or ignited our love of science fiction with its beautiful storytelling and my greediness to get to the big ending of season three, overshadowed my true love for the series.
 
So, with that in mind, the time has come to celebrate this magnificent saga amongst the stars once again. In part because, there’s nothing that I can do to change how these stories turned out, the season three finale is right around the corner and also because the next episode, ‘A Day in the Life’ is one that I went into with my guard raised high, only to have it dropped in quick and magnificent fashion with a story that flat out blew me away with its beauty and majesty since this one focused on what made us fall in love with this series in the first place; it’s rich characters and their fight to survive and see another day.
 
Yet, it went above and beyond in doing so, because it also put on display something we don’t visit enough in fiction in general, mental health and the ghosts that haunt us. Because there are plenty of people out there who battle that daily and for them it is a struggle for survival and in this story, it was the Admiral dealing with such matters, since this episode took place on his wedding anniversary, and the memory of his wife hung heavy on his mind all day long and it was just fascinating to see him reflect upon the things that he loved and hated about her and just how important she was to this man and how hard he held on to the joy that she brought him, and how her memory held him back at times and it was just wonderful to see him come to realize how to balance those memories and emotions in order to move forward in life.
 
But the more literal fight for survival came by way of the Chief and Cally, who were not only working to repair some of the more badly damaged areas of the ship, courtesy of the Battle of New Caprica, but the damage building in their own relationship and unfortunately the first of those two issues took precedence since a seal breached while they were working in an airlock, putting them on borrowed time oxygen wise and forcing the crew to put together a bold plan to save them and as everyone worked around the clock to keep them alive, they came to understand how fragile their lives really are, regardless of whether or not the Cylons are on the hunt for them, and eventually they resolved their problems the best way they knew how.
 
If anything, all of these elements made for a surprisingly uplifting episode through and through, which let’s be honest, is pretty darn rare for this show. But it was a welcome change of pace to say the least and the little nuances we witnessed from the characters in this one reminded me just how rich this series is storytelling wise and well, I loved this one, and I’m glad I went in with fussy expectations because this episode truly surprised me. In the end however, if memory serves this will be the last time we will see any semblance of uplifting storytelling for a while, because tough times are ahead for the fleet, because we are inching toward an episode that left a lot of us angry, so it’s best we enjoy these little moments of levity, while we still can…

​While the 100th episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. served as a wonderful way to honor the past of this storied saga, I think we all knew that the joy and wonder that came with that particular tale, simply could not last. After all, there was still a planet Earth that needed to be saved and a rift that needed to be closed permanently, and last night’s episode, ‘Principia’, put us back on track when it comes to that plotline by providing us with a story that was packed to the brim with all kinds of goodies and surprises. 
 
But before we get too deep into those little twists and turns, let’s take a moment and discuss the central plot of this episode, which featured Coulson and the team’s search for Gravitonium. Because they simply needed more of the stuff to close that pesky rift, which meant it was time to dig into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s past case files and look at the former staff of Cybertek, since plenty of their scientists were familiar with Gravitonium. And after noticing that much of the staff mysteriously ‘died’ and had their death warrants signed by the same man, the team found the ‘doctor’ who signed that paperwork, a man named Tony Caine who was also an old friend of Mack’s and once he realized the team only wanted to help, he led the squad to one of the ‘deceased’ scientists so they could finally snag some info on where they could find what they need.
 
As it turns out, the doc actually had some quality information to offer up, in that the last remaining Gravitonium was loaded up onto a ship known as the Principia, which sunk while transporting the goods, and oddly enough, the ship was nowhere to be found at the bottom of the sea. But, thanks to some quick thinking on Deke’s part, a search skyward revealed a massive tanker floating in the sky and despite a few hiccups, the team was able to rescue their prize and escape before the ship dropped out of the clouds and while it seems as though this episode ends on a magnificently happy note, there is still some serious trouble brewing behind the scenes, which brings us to the surprises in question.
 
Because this episode did still manage to pay homage of the show’s past by reuniting us with Werner von Strucker, who after his encounter with Coulson and the gang, has perfect recall memory wise, and that’s no joke or exaggeration, there’s nothing the man cannot remember, which has its pros and cons and sadly, he’s working for General Hale now. Because the General had him transferred to her facility and used her daughter to woo him, with the truth, to recruit him, and considering the fact that Carl Creel is in her little facility as well, she’s clearly assembling a league of villains to do her bidding and it was nice to see the show finally reveal some of Hale’s machinations and I cannot wait to learn more about her master plan.
 
Yet while all of this was entertaining to watch, there was an added bonus in this tale as well, in that, this story followed up on the revelation that Deke is the grandson of Fitz and Simmons by having Deke figure that out and that was just a magnificent twist to the story and I won’t ever look at Fitz the same, now that Deke calls him grandpa. In the end however, this ended up being another solid episode. It wasn’t revolutionary by any means, but honestly, I didn’t expect anything epic after that amazing 100th episode, but this one held its own, and brought the fun, especially when it comes to Mack’s love of MC Hammer, and I hope that ‘Mack Hammer’ is his new permanent nickname from here on out. Until next time. 

​With season two of Beyond coming to a close, I knew it was only a matter of time before this series in essence unleashed its fury and brought forth all kinds of surprises and twists and turns to its epic storyline and wouldn’t you know it, last night’s episode, ‘F.G.B.’, opened the proverbial floodgates, by delivering on every single element that I made mention of a moment ago, all while maintaining this season’s rich tradition of giving us quality character growth by putting Holden in the position to make one incredible, life changing, decision.
 
But, before we get too deep into Holden’s journey, let’s take a moment and talk about some of those surprises since this episode wasted no time in revealing the fact that Agent Borden, is not who she seems. She’s definitely not an FBI Agent, since Luke and Willa came to discover the real Agent Borden is in fact, a man. But whomever she is, she wants in on the Afterlife and she’s willing to go to great lengths to get there since she kidnapped Arthur and swiped his machine and killed Daniel as well before making her way to Hollow Sky. Which means that Willa and Luke are going to have to be allies of Hollow Sky for the time being to try and stop her because Holden’s hands will be full after what we went through in this story.
 
Which brings us to that big decision he had to make, one that was quite unexpected to say the least, and it all came about by way of our long awaited return to the Realm since Holden was able to make use of Edgar’s freezer after all, and with Edgar as his guide, he was able to navigate the Realm and bring another one of his visions to a surprising conclusion. Because, if you remember, one of the many wild images Holden saw early on in this season was a room filled with stars and a mystery person sitting in a chair, whose face we were never able to see…until now that is, since waiting in this place, was Frost himself and he let Holden know that there was only way to make all of this right, he had to bond with the Realm permanently.
 
In order for that to happen, the Realm needed a sacrifice of sorts, which meant that Holden had to in essence, choose a path. He could either leave this place and enjoy a normal life, for a limited time of course since Diego and his lackeys would eventually bring about the end of the world or…embrace his powers and be a hero and leave any notion of a normal life behind. This of course created great conflict within Holden, but the prospect of everyone he loves suffering from a selfish choice allowed for Holden to finally embrace his heroic destiny, which in turn sealed the rift between life and death shortly before Holden returned home to prepare for one finale battle with Diego…
 
If anything, this episode turned out to be wonderfully intense and I love the other surprises that came about over the course of the hour. Like the fact that mom and dad now know what their son is capable of, and that Charlie did indeed have a disturbing vision of Holden dying when she touched the Freezer and also that Edgar refused to join on the fight. Because Holden is going to need all the help that he can get and hopefully Edgar changes his mind and Willa and Luke, and heck, maybe even Yellow Jacket will join in on the fray. If anything, I’m expecting next week’s season two finale to be downright explosive and I really am hoping that Charlie’s vision is incorrect, and that Holden will indeed survive this upcoming battle to see another day. Until next time. 

Loss is unfortunately, a part of life, and it is in fact, never an easy thing to deal with. It breaks our hearts, it sinks us to our lowest points emotionally and in the midst of our grieving process, a crossroads often presents itself to us where we are forced to make a tough decision. Do we continue to let grief and the pain it produces wash over us, or do we take a moment and pick ourselves up and push forward because we need to get our lives back on track? It’s a pair of questions that only the individual can answer, and it is a conundrum that President Tom Kirkman was finally forced to face on Designated Survivor.
 
I say finally, simply because, Tom has embraced his pain and let it consume his soul for weeks now and whether or not that’s right or wrong will always be up for debate. But last night’s episode, ‘Original Sin’ brought Tom’s grieving process to its logical conclusion for the moment and well, how this story brought the president to a point where he can make peace with the loss of his wife was simply magnificent to say the least. Because it didn’t drop some horrific crisis into his lap with lives at stake, nor did it push him to the edge or break him to pull him out of his funk. Instead, this episode made Tom face reality, and his past in order to properly start the healing process.
 
Oddly enough, a pair of events at the White House allowed for all of this to happen, and really, this personal journey for the president kicked off with an impromptu protest from a group on a White House tour. It turns out that this group was composed of Native Americans from Florida who were about to be relocated for the second time in many years and well, they wanted an audience with Kirkman simply due to the fact that he was involved in a land deal that saw them moved in the first place and while Tom was able to broker a deal, he learned during the negotiations that an old friend and former coworker kept a few facts from him about the tribe in the first place, and well, that centered the president and quickly reminded him of his own personal moral standing when it comes to honesty and integrity.
 
But what truly gave Tom genuine pause and forced him to rethink this path of anger and angst that he’s currently been on, was his family. Because his estranged brother Trey, who was on the board of directors for Alex’s charity, dropped by the White House at the same time to finalize her final wishes, and Tom was sadly, not happy to see his brother in the slightest and wanted him out of there as quickly as possible, which led to a gentle moment between father and son. Because, Leo reminded Tom that he often preaches the importance of family and forgiveness and for him to not follow that advice would be a drastic change in character and that…opened Tom’s eyes and he quickly made peace with Alex’s passing and pushed ahead because so many need him to be more and this epiphany allowed for him to reconcile with his brother, and he took the time to apologize to the American people for his actions as well, and it was just wonderful to see Tom find his way back from the darkness.
 
Of course, since this show prefers to show us issues such as this in realistic fashion, I’m fairly certain that Tom is not ‘cured’ in the slightest and may struggle in the weeks to come. But now is a good time for him to find balance since the Russian hack investigation is heating up, and it’s only a matter of time before whomever is behind it raises the stakes. But in the end, this was simply a magnificent episode through and through and it reinforces the fact that the characters are what make this series so fun to watch, because they are so supremely relatable and realistic and it’s also just rare to see a political drama add this level of humanity to its storytelling, but I’m so glad this series does just that on a regular basis because it truly draws us in and it will make the trouble waiting on the horizon, all the more powerful. Until next time. 

​The saying, ‘you’re only as young as you feel’ exists for one important reason; getting older can surprise all of us. After all, those grey hairs appear out of nowhere, and it’s a tad strange to feel aches and pains in your joints just from getting out of bed, but there is merit to that saying because aging, is just a natural part of life and often times, keeping a youthful mind and celebrating life helps us come to terms with the whole process. But there are some people who disagree with that philosophy and believe that getting old is nothing more than a curse that must be stopped at all costs.
 
These are the folks who invest time and money into every anti-aging cure and therapy out there, and while that’s just fine because hey, live your life the way you want, it doesn’t stop our imaginations from wondering just how far people would go to see their youth preserved and thankfully, shows like The X-Files are happy to answer that question and last night the show most certainly did, in the most disturbing fashion imaginable of course. Because ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ took us to some supremely twisted places, all because a former star named Barbara Beaumont refused to accept the fact father time finds us all.
 
Which means, it’s best we just discuss what made this episode so incredibly depraved as quickly as possible and really, it’s the fact that Barbara’s husband, Doctor Randolph Luvenis, figured out the cure for aging was always hidden within the human body and well, he and his wife made use of the human vessel to cure themselves of aging and death, by uh…consuming other humans. Yeah, that’s as gross as it sounds and as literal as one might expect, because they did eat organs on a regular basis. But this episode took their machinations one step further by giving this dynamically disturbed duo a cult that outright worshipped the two of them and those poor cult members served as the final key to immortality since their sole purpose was to eventually join physically with Barbara and Luvenis so that they could literally suck the life out of them.
 
So yeah, to say this one was messed up would be an understatement and in all honesty, I was quite surprised to see the series throw in another (mostly) standalone horror themed episode, but I’m honestly glad they did and I appreciate the fact that not only did this one do everything within its power to unsettle us (because I most certainly did not feel comfortable watching this one), but that it had some deeper meaning to throw into the mix as well. After all, this particular tale did deal with faith and what it means to us and how it can guide us to danger since these poor cult members and their belief in eternal life, helped sucker them into becoming modern day vampire food. 
 
Yet, not every single theme in this episode was focused solely on the negative. The positive power of faith was also explored by way of Scully, because faith did give her hope in this tale that maybe, just maybe, William is okay and it’s also helping her to ponder on the possibility of doing the right thing when it comes to her son since it is clear from both the trailer for next week and Mulder and Scully’s conversation that they’re likely going after William to ensure his safety. But, in the here and the now, we get to bask in another fascinating and creepy episode, and I’m sure all of us are left wondering today, what the heck did Scully whisper to Mulder? Perhaps we will find out, during next week’s season eleven finale. Until next time. 

​While Black Lightning has done a phenomenal job from day one of turning the superhero genre upside down with its stellar deconstruction of said genre, all while providing us with a tale that is powerful and relevant to the times, the series has yet to accomplish one key thing when it comes to its inaugural season; the ever important big reveal when it comes to the grand mysteries it has been building up all year long. After all, we know little of Gambi’s past or what game he’s playing behind the scenes, but last night…all of that changed since ‘The Book of Revelations’ lived up to its namesake by delivering answers at last.
 
But, before we get too deep into all of those goodies, let’s take a moment to discuss the wonder of Jefferson and Anissa’s storyline in this episode. Because in this particular tale, Jefferson took the time to teach Anissa everything she needs to know about becoming a superhero and this was just downright amazing. Sure, we’ve seen superhero training segments before in shows such as this, but none were as intimate as this one. This segment of the story was all about a father teaching his daughter to be a better person and the wonderful acting present here gave this whole storyline a genuine feel and it was just magnificent to see these two bond as they worked to prove that Black Lightning had zero involvement in Lady’s Eve’s death.
 
However, that’s about the only real positive note that I could find in this episode simply because, the grand reveal when it comes to all things Gambi, while stunning and fascinating, was also sobering to say the least. Because in this tale we learned that Gambi works for a government organization known as the ASA, and well, they’ve apparently seen enough when it comes to Black Lightning, to the point where his boss makes a personal visit to Freeland to have a chilling discussion with Gambi, wherein phrases like ‘experiment’ were thrown around before he flat out declared that he was going to hunt down Freeland’s champion and put him down to end what he deemed to be pure chaos.
 
That revelation led to an important decision for Gambi, in that, it was time to come clean about everything and in another jaw dropping moment, he revealed the truth to dear Jefferson, since we learned that Gambi’s actual name is Peter Esposito, and he came to Freeland to administer a vaccine that promoted passive nature in human beings as part of a grand experiment sanctioned by the ASA. But the side effect to this vaccine turned out be Meta Humans and well, his guilt over all of this led to him leaking this information to Alvin Pierce and we know how that story ends. But, what made this segment of the story so fascinating, is the sheer fact that now we know everything ‘shady’ that Gambi/Esposito has done behind the scenes by way of deal making has always been designed to atone for his sins because it’s clear he is genuinely remorseful for everything that’s happened in this town.
 
But alas, while a sense of fulfillment over the truth being revealed should have accompanied this episode, all that remains is a sense of sadness. For Peter’s relationship with Jefferson may be broken forever, and a dark cloud now hangs over Freeland for certain and while that would have been enough to carry this episode, there are still some lingering surprises from this one that will need to be dealt with in the next couple of weeks; the fact that Jennifer has powers as well and how the heck Latavius came back from the dead. But in the meantime, we can celebrate another solid episode of this magnificent show, and I love that it gave us so many answers to this season’s lingering questions and I’m quite curious to see what comes next for Jefferson and Peter. Until next time.

​Let’s be honest, while it started out in lighthearted fashion, season four of The Flash has overall been a pretty grim affair, all thanks to Clifford DeVoe. Because this powerful and vicious villain has managed to not only defeat Team Flash time and time again, he’s made all of their lives a living hell in some sort of capacity and they truly have spent a better part of this year, chasing their tails in an effort to outthink and outwit him in their nearly desperate hopes to defeat him and his still to be revealed master plan.
 
Which is why last night’s episode, ‘Run, Iris, Run’ was such a proverbial oasis storytelling wise for season four, but you wouldn’t have guessed that at first, because this episode opened up with everyone at one another’s throats. The conflict in this tale came about from the fact that there was no unity on the team revolving around Harry’s plan to create his own thinking cap to gain a little leverage over DeVoe and the fallout from that put Dibny in a sour place, because every second that The Thinker it out there, puts his life in jeopardy and when Iris tried to calm his fears, he instead snapped at her and pointed out that she never has to experience such emotions since she always keeps herself safe at the lab while others put their lives on the line.
 
But that all changed when a man named Matthew Kim entered the picture. Because this young man, also a Bus Meta, was armed with the ability to rob a Meta of their power and transfer it to anyone he made physical contact with and after a tense encounter with Joe and Iris, wherein Barry was forced to get involved, The Flash’s powers were transferred to Iris, meaning she would have to take over the city’s superhero responsibilities for a bit. And while this at first seemed like no big deal because hey, Iris leads this team and has seen first-hand all the things that Barry can do, Iris simply wasn’t ready to take on the responsibilities as a Speedster.
 
Eventually though, with a little encouragement and belief in herself, she was able to pull off wonders and save the day and of course, Mister Kim eventually transferred Barry’s power back to him and even agreed to help the team with DeVoe. But what matters most about this tale, is that Iris went on a complete journey, one where she even admitted that after dealing with Savitar last year, she went into protection mode mentally and in essence, stopped living her life out of fear and this little incident, brought the old Iris back into the limelight and it was just wonderful to see her find her strength once again, and inspire Dibny to let go of his fear as well. 
 
As an added bonus, the team eventually found unity once again since Cisco did step in and help Harry with this own thinking cap and the end result of that, ended up being quite wonderful in its own right. After all, Team Flash now has the names of the final two Bus Metas, putting them ahead of DeVoe at last. Whether or not that will pan out has yet to be seen, and we will have to wait until April 10th to find out since the show is back on mini-hiatus. But in the here and the now, this was simply a wonderful episode. It was basically vintage Flash through and through and I love that Iris was given a quality standalone episode where she got to show herself, exactly what she’s made of. Until next time.