Grodd returns to Central City and kidnaps Caitlin. Barry and the team race to find her before it's too late. Cisco plans his first date with the new barista at Jitters, Kendra Saunders. Patty begins to suspect Barry is hiding something from her.
One of the best parts of The Flash has been just how much fun it is. The stakes are incredibly high and the emotions are very real. But there has always been a fun playfulness in the storytelling as well. So, the show has to figure out how to maintain that in an episode that follows Barry's crushing defeat against Zoom. Not only is he damaged physically but psychologically as well. Barry truly is defeated and no longer believes he can live up to being the hero that Central City needs. He could not stop Zoom. On top of that, he was dragged across the city to be seen as the weak and destroyed hero that he was in that moment. His body is slowly recovering. But this episode is all about rebuilding his confidence. The threat of Zoom is gone for now. But Team Flash also has big things to worry about with the surprising return of Grodd to Central City.The show did a fantastic job of rendering Grodd as a creature in this universe. He's a character that works much more easily on paper. The special effects team made him menacing in that first episode. And now, they are able to build on all of that delicate and exciting work. It's very impressive to watch. This story is essentially an homage to King Kong - with Grodd as King Kong and Caitlin as Ann Darrow - while still remaining true to the characters and the story. Grodd has been kidnapping medicine in the hopes of creating more creatures like him. His father is gone. Harrison Wells is dead. He is lonely. Caitlin was a friend at one time. He hopes that she can make a better companion for him to live with. It's a terrifying situation for Caitlin. She does what he wants in the hopes that he doesn't kill her out of frustration. But this world cannot give Grodd what he wants - only Earth-2 can.
According to Wells-2, there is a place in his world where all the medically tested animals can go to in order to live happy lives. It's a place that could be much more suitable to Grodd than the cold, isolating world of Earth-1. So the team sets out to save Caitlin and send Grodd through one of the breaches. It's a plan that includes Wells-2 dressing up as the Reverse Flash in order to distract Grodd and allow Caitlin to escape. It's a moment that blurs the lines between the two characters even further. When Barry first sees that yellow suit again, he attacks Wells. That just has too many painful memories for him - while he's already in a very traumatic place. But perhaps the greatest thing to come from Wells-2 putting on the Reverse Flash costume is that it forces Wells-2 to do an impression of Wells-1. First, it's comical and then it becomes scary good. That was terrifying and brought back many memories of what this man did last season. He's become a part of the team now. But that trust is still being established. Wells-2 wanted to flee back to his world after his plan to end this war with Zoom failed. Caitlin gave him hope and a new strategy - closing all the breaches except one. That's why he's risking so much to get her back. She's the hope he needs right now if he is ever going to see his daughter again.
But there's also only so much Wells-2 can do in handling Grodd. Barry needs to be the one who can lure him into the trap the team has set. But first, Barry needs to get his confidence back. His injuries would have been crippling to anyone who doesn't have his healing powers. But he still feels unworthy of being the Flash. That's the obstacle currently holding him back. As he slowly gets his speed back, he just remembers how badly he lost to Zoom and crashes again. This is a time where Barry needs as much support as he can get. So Iris makes one phone call and Henry is soon at STAR Labs giving his son a pep talk. It's a very emotional scene where Henry tells Barry that he still believes in him the same way Barry did when he was in prison. That support is enough to pull Barry out of this funk. He is able to put the suit back on and face Grodd. He lures him into the trap but needs to do one final speed punch in order to send him to the other world. In that moment, Barry regains his full confidence. In that moment, the entire team is supportive of him. He emerged victorious. He was successful in handling Grodd. All of this pain could easily return once Zoom shows up again. But now, Barry is more determined than ever to get back to being the hero that Central City deserves.
It's all because of the team that Barry has surrounded himself with. This hour really drives home the father figure aspect - with Barry having two in Joe and Henry and Wells-2 doing the same for Grodd. Sure, it also lays it on pretty thick with Joe commenting that it hurts sometimes when he is reminded that Barry isn't his actual son. That's only setting things up for the painful reveal sometime in the future that he does have a son out there that only Iris currently knows about. That's still a secret she is keeping from him. Meanwhile, Caitlin was able to get Wells-2 to embrace the need for a team in order to rescue his daughter and stop Zoom. She's uncertain for a moment whether they did the right thing for Grodd. But in the end, she is happy with how everything has turned out. And lastly, Cisco goes on a date with Kendra Saunders. Well, it's barely that since he has a vibe of a majestic winged metahuman and immediately runs away. But that doesn't ruin his chances with her as he still gets a kiss in the end - though a much more powerful vibe that shows that she is the creature he has been seeing. That's a tantalizing prospect for the future - though it's also more setup for the spinoff, Legends of Tomorrow. But still, it allows the show to embrace its fun side in an episode that is all about big emotions. That's the quality that keeps the show so entertaining even in its darkest days.
Some more thoughts:
- "Gorilla Warfare" was written by Aaron Helbing & Todd Helbing and directed by Dermott Downs.
- The show probably only has it in the budget to do a big Grodd episode once a season. So it's slightly disappointing that this year's one is done with already - especially following that end of episode tease that showcased the distant community he can now be a part of.
- Barry fakes having a cold in order to get around having to explain to Patty why his legs no longer work. It's starting to feel like Iris all over again. Patty is suppose to be a smart detective. Barry gets around telling her the truth by talking about his dad. But that can only cover up this huge issue for so long. If Linda Park can know the truth, so can Patty.
- There was a slight awkwardness between Henry and Wells-2 in more ways than Henry just learning about the multiverse. Does Wells have a tense relationship with the Henry of Earth-2 or something?
- The scene were Cisco is talking about his date to Joe, Barry and Iris is amazing - especially the part where everyone jokes about Cisco and Kendra having breakfast after the movie.
