On The Flash season 6, episode 10, Iris starts digging into a story about the shady organization that was teased during the first half of the season, putting her life in danger… with an assassin after her.

The first eight episodes of The Flash season 6 were very bogged down by the impending crossover and setting up Barry’s role in that (dear Arrow-verse, please don’t build up to another crossover like that ever again, it was awful), so it’s very easy to see that The Flash season 6, episode 10 is the best episode of the season thus far. I would even go so far as to stay it’s one of the Top 10 of the last three seasons.

All three of the plots — Iris’ story, Barry and Diggle’s supposed mission, and Cisco’s understanding of Earth-Prime — were interesting, for what felt like the first time ever.

‘The Flash’ season 6, episode 10 review

On another positive note, the show is finally free of “Crisis on Infinite Earths” and Barry’s “inevitable” disappearance, which has driven so many plots over the last five years. The Flash season 6, episode 10 felt refreshed and had a different energy than we’ve ever seen on The Flash before, which is so exciting for the future of the series (if they keep this up).

Post-crossover episodes are usually, and this has been proven year after year, a letdown — save for Batwoman this season because their pre-crossover episode was filmed during shooting for the crossover and that was absolutely incredible — but this episode of The Flash broke that tradition. Honestly, the show feels revitalized, and I have hope that it will continue as this story is ongoing for at least the next two episodes. Let’s hope this energy remains all season.

However, one thing that’s quite disappointing, and I hope is just being saved for later, is there were, like, zero changes in this new timeline on The Flash. Every other show introduced changes or aberrations in the first episodes back, like a different version Beth Kane on Batwoman or multiple Brainys on Supergirl or an entirely different future and returning characters on Arrow. For being the show that has teased “Crisis on Infinite Earths” for five years, it seems like there would’ve been a better plan about how that would change our heroes and National City.

Iris and her team

Please, we need much more of Team Citizen! While I haven’t quite warmed up to Allegra yet, I love Kamilla, and adding Cecile as their legal counsel was actually a great move and made a lot of sense. Plus, seeing Iris take the lead on The Flash season 6, episode 10, especially in this way, was long overdue and all-around amazing. Candice Patton is such a star and we deserve to see her shine far more often than we do on the show.

I love Iris working as a journalist whenever we’re blessed with a rare episode where she gets to follow a story. This story about Black Hole is no different except that, well, it’s already better. Iris is being treated like a reporter and doesn’t need to count of her superhero friends to back her up, but rather using her own skills and knowledge to save herself (for the most part). It’s fantastic, and given the ending of the episode, I’m so curious to see how Iris changes after this experience.

The mystery Iris is investigating is actually quite intriguing too, so I’m eagerly anticipating the next episode for the first time in forever. The disappearance of Eva, Iris getting pulled into the mirror by a figure (likely Eva), her close encounters with death, it’s all so exciting and really feels like Iris is finally being allowed to do what she’s always wanted to do. These are the stories Iris wants to tell, and by all means The Flash writers, you should let her! (Many more times than just this once.)

Oliver’s final message to Barry

The Flash season 6, episode 10 did quite well with the opportunity, post-“Crisis on Infinite Earths,” to explore how Oliver’s death really impacts Barry and his future. The mask that Oliver bequeathed to Barry upon his passing served as a symbol of everything Oliver gained and lost as a hero, which inevitably included his life. It also provided ample opportunity to have both Diggle and Barry continue to mourn the loss of their fallen brother, which should not be underestimated solely because some are not fans of Oliver.

Since becoming a hero, Barry’s felt the weight of the coming crisis upon him. It was his destiny to be the Flash and to vanish during a crisis, leaving his friends and family behind to never return. It’s impacted how Barry has made decisions and what type of hero he’s decided to be. It has shown Barry how to take his destiny into his own hands. Without that looming, Barry’s future is uncertain. How long will he be a hero? His death is also a possibility, since he doesn’t know he’s involved in a future event.

Oliver passing along a post-mortem message to focus on those in his life is perfect. It’s what Barry needs to hear. It’s a way to honor Oliver’s life, to live long and prosperously.

Cisco’s frustration

Even though The Flash season 6, episode 10 didn’t deliver any big changes to the universe post-crisis, I’m still thankful that at least somebody is trying to figure out how the timeline has changed with Earth-Prime. Just because they have their memories back doesn’t mean everything went down the same, so what villains are still around on these shows that weren’t stopped in this reality? What new villains could be waiting to strike?

I really love the blossoming friendship between Cisco and Frost, which is so different than his relationship with Caitlin. Frost has a certain level of sass that pairs perfectly with Cisco’s own sass and comedic timing. It’s great to see the lighter side of the characters explored, as well as see the deeper side to their relationships and stories. Cisco freaking out about the changing timeline and changes in on Earth-Prime is completely understandable (and quite relatable), but it’s nice to see the more emotional and vulnerable side of that come to light as the losses are felt, like with Harry and Jesse from Earth-2.

‘The Flash’ season 6, episode 10 final thoughts

The Flash season 6, episode 10 is an incredible start to, as showrunner Eric Wallace refers to it, “graphic novel #2” or the back half of The Flash season 6. After the disappointing mess of the first half, there wasn’t really a chance that it could get worse, but the quality of the episode is actually quite surprising. So I’m hopeful that it was just being forced to “set up” the crossover that kept the writers from telling the (incredible) story they wanted to.

We also got a peek at why Nash has this unspoken connection to Allegra with a photo of the two (clearly not our Allegra, but likely another version that is his daughter on his old Earth), but the writers are really failing at making me care even a sliver about Nash. Having a new Wells every season is exhausting, and it’s ridiculous that we’re stuck with Nash instead of having Harry return to the team. What a welcome post-crisis change that would have been! At least Cisco called out how awful it is that of every Harrison Wells, this is who they’ve stuck us with.

All in all, I’m really impressed by this episode of The Flash. Going in with no expectations, given how the other shows bombed their post-crisis stories, I’m blown away. This is what the show needs to be like from here on, with stories that are compelling, thrilling, and give the characters time to grow.

The Flash continues Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on The CW!