The Flash – Attack on Gorilla City

By: Stacy Miller

The episode continues where the last one ended with Jesse’s (Violett Beane) surprise arrival from Earth-2.  She tells Team Flash that she received a message that Harrison (Tom Cavanagh) was on an expedition in Gorilla City and all his entire party was killed, all but him. However, he has been missing for two weeks now.  Jesse is happy and runs into his arms when her father enters the room, forgetting that it is H.R.  Barry (Grant Gustin) tells Jesse that they will go to Earth-2 to rescue Harrison. Barry also wants to prevent the gorillas from invading Central City as that was a news story headline in the future he wants to change in order to prevent Iris’ death. Cisco, Caitlin and Julian (Tom Felton) will come with him, but Barry wants Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) and Jesse to stay behind to protect Central City.

Julian in his Indiana Jones costume certainly looks the part for a trip to the jungle of Gorilla City.  However, no sooner than Team Flash touch esdown in the city resembling the Planet of the Apes, when everyone passes out after being shot by tranquilizer darts.  They awaken in cages where they are greeted by Harrison.  But it is not fully Wells as Grodd is using mind control and is able to speak through Harrison.  Grodd explains that the ruler of Gorilla City, King Solivar, wants to invade their Earth believing that humans are planning on attacking Gorilla City.  Grodd tells Barry if he faces King Solivar in battle in the arena and wins then Grodd can replace Solivar as ruler of Gorilla City and keep the gorillas from attacking Central City.  Looking at Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker), Grodd tells Barry that there are some people who were nice to him that he wouldn’t want to be hurt and he still considers Central City his home.  Barry doesn’t want to participate in a fight to the death because The Flash is not a killer, but Solivar needs to have a big show so his gorilla subjects will know that he is a powerful ruler. Seeing no other choice, Barry agrees to fight Solivar in the arena.  All good fighters need a good coach.  And Cisco (Carlos Valdes) acts in that role as he advises The Flash on the moves to take – such as the Earthquake Attack and Reverse Flash’s vibrating punch in order to keep Solivar off balance.  The fight sequence is epic and cinematically breathtaking.  In the end, Barry defeats Solivar, but won’t kill him because as previously stated The Flash is not a killer.

At the fight’s conclusion, The Flash gives a speech to the gorillas saying, “I know you all fear humans. You think we want war with gorilla kind. We don’t. We’re not all murderers and killers. We only want peace, which is why I’m sparing your leader. We call it mercy.”  Then, Barry falls unconscious after being shot with another tranquilizer dart.  He wakes up locked in the cage. We learn from Grodd (speaking again through Harrison) that it wasn’t Solivar who wanted the fight but Grodd himself.  The only way the gorillas would have agreed to him replacing Solivar as ruler was if they got to see that Solivar couldn’t defeat a human.  Grodd is angry with Team Flash for forcing him off Earth-1 and sending him to Gorilla City that he plans to make Cisco open a portal where he intends to take his gorilla army to kill the humans of Central City. Grodd is arrogant thanks to Eobard Thawne’s raising and views himself as superior to humans because of his high intelligence.  This is bad.

How will Team Flash stop Grodd?  Barry remains hopeful and offers encouraging words to his friends. “Where there’s life, there’s hope.” This is obviously part of the superhero handbook under the “never give up” section. Since he reasons that Grodd needs him for his gorilla invasion and destruction to work, Cisco asks Caitlin to use his Killer Frost power and kill him.  This causes Julian to fess up that the reason he wanted to join Team Flash in Gorilla City was to make sure that Caitlin didn’t use her power and, thus, becoming Killer Frost for good.  Although Cisco’s plan is vetoed, it gives Barry an idea for a new plan which is Caitlin as Killer Frost freezing him so he will appear to be dead.  So, when Grodd is called to the cells and checks the body The Flash appears to be dead.  Grodd throws the body away with some bones and angrily leaves the cells. This is when Barry wakes up, frees his friends from their cage and has Cisco opens another breach.  Team Flash escapes before Grodd can stop them.

Meanwhile back on Earth-1, Kid Flash and Jesse Quick go to stop some bank robbers, but Kid Flash ends up doing it alone. He gets all the glory himself while Jesse just stands there.  She later tells Wally that ever since he came into his powers and became Kid Flash she realizes he doesn’t need her help. They haven’t even spoken since he became the second fastiest man alive. “I’m not complete without you,” Wally assures Jesse. Aw.

Team Flash returns from Gorilla City with Harrison and Jesse is happy to see her dad safe. Harrison can’t believe how invaluable to Team Flash that H.R. is even without a knowledge of science. And while Caitlin and Julian go out on a date and Iris (Candice Patton) and Barry relax at home, in Gorilla City we see Grodd enlist Gypsy’s (Jess Camacho) help in getting the gorillas to Central City for the invasion.