“Welcome to the jungle, baby,” says Cisco (Carlos Valdes) as he, Barry (Grant Gustin), Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker), and Julian (Tom Felton) arrive on Earth-2 looking for Harry (Tom Cavanagh) in order to rescue him from Gorilla Grodd (voiced by David Sobolvo) in The CW’s comic book-inspired fantasy action series, The Flash.
Season three episode 13 begins on Earth-2 with Harry Wells racing through the jungle trying to get away from the gorillas. Grodd jumps out from the trees and grabs poor Harry, quickly making off with him.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs on Earth-1, Jesse (Violett Beane) explains to Team Flash that her dad went off on an expedition to visit Gorilla City after receiving a special invitation. When he missed his check-ins, a rescue team went in and found dead bodies but no Harry. It seems the rest of Harry’s team was beaten to death and Jesse is afraid her dad might be dead, too. Barry reassures her that Grodd went to a lot of trouble to capture him so he must need him for something. Iris (Candice Patton) walks up and asks Barry what he’s thinking about and he replies, “The future.”
Barry reminds the team the headline from the future said Central City is still recovering from the gorilla attack. Barry believes if he saves Harry, it should stop the attack from happening and hopefully change that future along with Iris’. Barry explains he’s going to Earth-2 to save Harry, pointing out that Harry’s their friend and they can’t leave him in Grodd’s control. Cisco tells Barry he’ll need him to open up the breaches and he agrees to go along. Caitlin says she’s going too, because she and Grodd have a special connection and she might be able to use that to get through to Grodd. Jesse also wants to go, but Barry tells her he needs her to stay behind and guard Central City while he’s gone, suggesting maybe she can teach Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) a few things. Jesse doesn’t understand what he means and Wally vibrates his hand to show her he’s a speedster too. Jesse doesn’t seem too pleased to find this out.
Over at the CCPD crime lab, Barry asks Julian to cover for him with their boss, saying he needs to do some “Flash stuff.” Intrigued, Julian asks what it is and Barry reluctantly tells him about going to Earth-2 to save a friend. Julian asks what Caitlin thinks about this and Barry says she’s also going. Julian doesn’t like the idea of Caitlin going, mentioning her struggle with her powers, and Barry says they might need her to deal with Grodd. “Are you going to Planet of the Apes?” asks Julian. “No. Not a planet – a city of gorillas,” answers Barry as he leaves, thanking Julian for covering his upcoming absence.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco are getting ready for the trip to Earth-2 when Julian enters dressed similar to Indiana Jones which, of course, he gets teased about. Barry asks about covering for him and Julian reveals he told their boss they’re both going to a work conference. Caitlin tells Julian he doesn’t have to go, saying he doesn’t even know Harry Wells, but Julian doesn’t want to miss the opportunity to travel to another dimension. (It’s obvious Julian’s main reason for going is to look after Caitlin who he has fallen hard for.) After a quick goodbye to those staying behind, the rescue team go through a breach created by Cisco and arrive in the jungle of Earth-2.
It’s not long into their trek through the jungle that it becomes quiet and Caitlin notices a weird sound. “You hear that?” she asks and Barry realizes too late that they have walked into a trap. All four are hit with knock-out darts and promptly pass out. As our heroes lie on the ground, Grodd walks up and says, “Welcome, Caitlin. Knew you would come, Flash.”
When they wake up, Team Flash find they’ve been locked in cages. Barry tries to phase his way out but realizes he can’t and Cisco tries to open a breach but is also unsuccessful. It seems Grodd has found a way to weaken their powers. Harry comes walking in and starts speaking but it quickly becomes clear he’s being mind-controlled by Grodd. Barry tells Grodd to release Harry, but Grodd says he still needs him. Barry asks why he took Harry and Grodd says he knew The Flash would come after him. Grodd reveals he needs The Flash to help him take out the gorilla in charge named Solovar (voiced by Keith David). Grodd tells Team Flash that Solovar plans on leading an invasion to take over Central City on Earth-1. If Barry fights and kills Solovar in the battle arena, Grodd will be in charge and stop the invasion.
Meanwhile at S.T.A.R. Labs, Wally keeps trying to talk and reconnect with Jesse who continues to give him the cold shoulder. When the two stop bank robbers together (Wally does most of the hands-on capturing), Jesse seems disturbed by this change in her friend.
Back on Earth-2, Solovar uses his telepathic powers to ask why The Flash and his friends are in Gorilla City. Barry tells him it’s all been a big mistake and that they mean the gorillas no harm. Solovar tells Barry their fate is sealed and now he has to kill them to show his kind that he’s in charge and man is the enemy. Barry tells Solovar he’ll fight him in his arena but if he wins, his friends get to go home and he never bothers them again. Solovar accepts the challenge.
Barry faces off against the gigantic Solovar in the arena and Cisco uses a hidden comlink to tell him it’s all about the speed punches. That suggestion goes very badly and Solovar hits Barry with his shield, knocking him across the arena. “Change that. It’s all about running away,” says Cisco. Barry uses his super-speed to avoid Solovar but the gorilla leaps high into the air and lands on the ground creating a shock wave, knocking Barry off his feet. Julian, not liking their chances, says, “Talk about your reverse fortunes,” and this gives Cisco an idea. He tells The Flash it’s time to Reverse-Flash Solovar, and Barry understands and uses the vibrating punch to knock Solovar out. Barry is triumphant but yells out to the crowds of gorillas watching that he won’t kill their leader. He says that not all humans are bad or want war and that he’s showing their leader mercy. Grodd is angry that Barry won’t kill Solovar and orders Barry to be knocked out.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, Jesse and Wally finally talk and Jesse admits to being scared that maybe since Wally became a speedster he wasn’t really interested in her anymore. Seems he hasn’t been communicating with her very much with all the training with Barry. He assures her he’s still crazy about her and wants her to stay and live on Earth-1.
Barry wakes up back in his cell asking what happened. “You won, congratulations,” says Cisco, looking depressed. Harry shows up again still under the control of Grodd and confesses he half-lied. It’s true he couldn’t beat Solovar but it’s really HE who wants to invade Central City back on Earth-1 and now he can because he leads the army of gorillas. He plans on making Cisco open a breach to Earth-1 once his new army is ready.
Trying to think of a way out, Julian becomes Mr. Doom and Gloom asking what if they can’t and what if this is it. Barry quickly cuts him off, saying, “You can’t think like that. Where there’s life, there’s hope.” This gives Cisco the morbid idea of stopping Grodd by him dying. He figures if he can’t open the breach, there’s no way for Grodd to invade Central City which means he’d change the future. Caitlin says mockingly, “You plan on dying on us?” to which he responds, “If you’ll kill me,” a reply that shocks and bothers Caitlin. Cisco wants Caitlin to use her powers to kill him. (This has got to be the dumbest plan Cisco has ever come up with!) Julian warns Caitlin if she kills, there’s no going back. She will become Killer Frost forever and he doesn’t want that to happen. This conversation gives Barry an idea and he says, “No, Cisco’s right. It’s the only way. One of us has to die.”
Grodd returns and sees Caitlin and a now normal Harry (who’s in her cage) upset. Barry is lying on the ground motionless and looking almost blue in the face. Caitlin says he must have died from his wound fighting in the arena and she couldn’t revive him. Grodd opens the cage door and feels Barry’s neck for a pulse and finds he’s ice cold. Grodd drags Barry’s seemingly lifeless body out of the cage and tosses him over by a pile of bones. As Grodd leaves the dungeon, Harry calls out to Barry letting him know Grodd is gone.
Barry begins vibrating to warm himself up. The plan worked and he opens the cages and lets his friends out. Caitlin used her powers to freeze Barry enough so he would look dead. (Okay, what part of “if Caitlin uses her powers she’ll eventually become Killer Frost” does Team Flash not get?! Do they want their beloved Caitlin to turn evil? This is now two episodes in a row where the team pushed Caitlin into using her powers at the risk of losing her own humanity and identity to help during a crisis. How about Cisco builds another cold gun instead?) Once out of the cages, Barry speeds the gang back to the jungle and Cisco uses his powers to open a breach to Earth-1. They escape through it just as Grodd almost catches up to them.
Team Flash returns to Earth-1 and everyone’s quite happy to be reunited. Jesse is thrilled to have her father with her safe and sound, Iris hugs Barry along with Joe (Jesse L. Martin), and H.R. compliments everyone on a job well done. Harry’s surprised that H.R. is still with the team, especially when they tell Harry he was right about H.R. and that he was a con man all along – albeit a good-hearted one. While Harry gets some rest, Jesse asks Wally what he would think if she decided to move to Earth-1. Wally responds by passionately kissing her.
Julian catches up to Caitlin who now knows he really went along to protect her. She admits she likes him and she’s happy he likes her too, but she warns him that he needs to be afraid of her powers. Julian, not about to be deterred, says okay but that they should both be terrified together over a steak dinner. Breaking into a big smile, Caitlin agrees and off the two go on their first dinner date.
At their apartment, Barry tells Iris he’s more convinced than ever they can stop Savitar because they just stopped the gorilla attack on Central City.
The final scene shows Grodd wearing battle gear and getting ready to invade Earth-1 with his new mind-controlled breacher, Gypsy.
The Flash Season 3 Episode 13 Review:
Ambitious and suspenseful, season 3 episode 13 titled ‘Attack on Gorilla City’ brings back two characters from Earth-2 to the team and pushes the show’s special effects team with the creation of Gorilla City and the fight in the arena. Grodd remains the best-looking CGI character in the series and in episode 13 he looks realistic and very threatening.
One drawback to an otherwise terrific episode is that even though Caitlin went along to Earth-2 to try to reach Grodd since he has a weakness for her, the story failed to really acknowledge or utilize their relationship in any significant way. Missing was the affection Grodd feels for Caitlin because she was always kind to him. Also, the scene with Cisco telling Caitlin to kill him in order to stop Grodd’s plans felt forced and didn’t fit well with the established Cisco/Caitlin friendship. It’s completely out of character for Cisco to come up with such a dark and self-sacrificing plan that puts his BFF at risk. Think back to how positive Cisco was and how he always kept coming up with new ways to try to rescue Barry and Harry from Zoom in season two, even turning Killer Frost to their side. This swift change in attitude just doesn’t seem like a logical step for Cisco.
With Grodd about to invade Earth-1 with his gorilla army and Team Flash now having three speedsters, episode 14 should feature a huge and exciting battle to save Central City from becoming Gorilla Central.
GRADE: B-
