Going into this episode, I was surprised mainly because I had low expectations due to the horrid Season 7... but Season 8 has risen my expectations a bit! This episode was fairly well done, even if they played it safe with the "inevitable destiny that Barry will have to face in the future" like they did in Season 6 to set up crisis. I really liked how they showcased Caitlin & Barry's friendship at the beginning, since from the OG beginning - mid season 1 it was Barry, Cisco, Caitlin, and Wells, and now that Cisco & Wells left, it's just Barry & Caitlin. Ray Palmer was also a nice return, as his departure in legends s5 was unjust for both the character and the actor. The future that Despero showed Barry was neat, and got me hooked. I also appreciated that they respected Barry's powers & abilities to fight/handle "normal" villains of the week like the Royal Flush Gang, and how he didn't need anyone else's help for it. I especially liked this because the main reason why I despise Supergirl season 6 is because they made Kara so weak and disrespected her so much for other characters. Atleast it isn't apparent here in The Flash. Iris & Allegra were fine as they didn't have a lengthy amount of screen time/scenes, and it was mainly focused on Barry.
Time for the negatives:
-Chester was a bit whiny and childish who made me not like him as much as I did previously.
-Cecile & Kristen Kramer are examples of an overwhelming number of series regulars/cast, as they only gave them a few lines to be incorporated into the story.
-Desperos CGI form was awkward...
-This may be a "nit-pick" but the plot dragged out "slowly" (which is understandable since it is the first part)
Overall, I was originally expecting this episode to be much worse, however, it's actually quite enjoyable and exceeded most of our expectations. I think this season premier deserves an 8 or 9 out of 10.