‘The Flash’ Season 2 Episode 7 Recap and Review: Gorilla Warfare

The Flash Danielle Panabaker Grodd Season 2 Episode 7
Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow in ‘The Flash’ (Photo: Cate Cameron © 2015 The CW Network, LLC)

The title gives away the main villain of the seventh episode of The Flash season two. Grodd’s back and he’s not a happy gorilla. Fortunately for The Flash fans, the CGI creature looked great throughout the episode, with the effects blending seamlessly into scenes in which he interacts with actors. Unfortunately, the episode was a little slow overall. While it was nice to see John Wesley Shipp back as Henry Allen, his inclusion in the episode just felt a little too convenient. Is he going to pop in whenever Barry needs an inspirational speech delivered? It felt odd to have him back so soon after he left Barry and the world of Central City behind to regroup after all those years of incarceration.

“Gorilla Warfare” wasn’t one of the better season two episodes but it did provide us with a few scenes to geek out about as it unveiled Hawkgirl in all of her glory and also provided a look at Earth #2’s Gorilla City.

Recap of The Flash Season 2 Episode 7:

Barry (Grant Gustin) is still in recovery mode after the events of episode six, with his back healing at an escalated rate. He’s having trouble breathing because of his spinal injury but what’s really worrying him is he doesn’t know how they’re going to deal with Zoom. Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) says he needs access to their equipment and tells Barry and the gang it’s time for him to go home. He’s determined to take care of Zoom once and for all, but doesn’t really have a plan. The gang is skeptical but Cisco (Carlos Valdes), who isn’t a fan of Earth #1 or Earth #2’s Dr. Wells, is willing to send Wells through the speed cannon now that they know how to use it thanks to Jay. But, Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) argues that if he can defeat Zoom in his world, he can do it on theirs. Dr. Wells says no, he’s going home now, no matter what. As Wells leaves the room, Caitlin tells the group he has to stay because Barry isn’t capable of protecting them yet.

Just then, an alert comes up and Cisco panics until he realizes it’s just a reminder he has a date tonight. They tease him about his plans, ruthlessly.


Patty (Shantel VanSanten) calls and Barry pretends he’s still sick. She offers him homemade chicken noodle soup which he refuses while claiming he likes canned soup better proving Barry is not a good liar. She reminds him to stay off his feet. (That should be easy!)

Caitlin follows Dr. Wells to a restaurant where he’s working out his plan to go home. Caitlin says they can help him save his daughter if he stays there and works with Team Flash. He’s looking for which breach to use when Caitlin tells him he’s just lucky Professor Stein never figured out how to close all of them. That gives Wells an idea: close all of them but one so Zoom has only one way to get to this Earth. They’ll leave the breach open at S.T.A.R. Labs and set a trap.

Cisco takes Kendra (Ciara Renee) to see The Princess Bride which he says is one of the best date movies of all times. He takes her hand and sees a flash of someone with huge wings. He backs out of the date, apologizing and saying he has to head back to work.

At Vaughn Pharmaceutical a doctor begins acts uncharacteristically and steals a container of serum. He takes it outside, comes to his senses, and is faced with Grodd who kills him and takes the container.

Patty investigates the attack and finds weird hairs. The doctor is dead from blunt force trauma to the head and the serum is gone. She tells Joe (Jesse L. Martin) what she’s discovered and she asks about Barry, with Joe ruining Barry’s chicken soup story by telling her Barry hates the canned stuff.

At S.T.A.R. Labs, iris and Joe are monitoring Barry on a treadmill and he has a flashback to Zoom’s attack which causes him to lose his concentration and get thrown off the machine. He tells them they wouldn’t understand but Joe stays with him to find out what’s going on in Barry’s head. Barry says Zoom destroyed him and destroyed the city by showing The Flash is powerless to stop him. Barry says he’s supposed to be their hero but he failed in front of the city.

Cisco asks Caitlin if she’s read anything about a Birdman attacking anywhere and she tells him there’s no such thing. Cisco jokes that it’s really not a stretch to think one exists and insists he saw a man with huge, wide wings. He asks Caitlin, “What if it was angel?” not realizing she’s frozen. She turns, hits him hard in the face, and leaves the room.

Joe and Iris (Candice Patton) are walking through the lab talking about Barry, and Iris has an idea that they’ll discuss when Joe gets home. Patty calls Joe to let him know the dead scientist cases are linked. Both scientists stole drugs: one for vertigo, one for blood disorders of the brain. They are both drugs used to enhance intelligence. Patty also says the hairs at the crime scene are from a gorilla, which Joe guesses before she can actually say.

Cisco tells Barry that Caitlin hit him and Joe runs in telling them Grodd is back! Cisco deduces Caitlin’s being mind-controlled and sure enough they look at the outside cameras as Grodd’s walking by.

Dr. Wells says there are talking gorillas on his Earth, too, but wants to know why Grodd would take Dr. Snow. Joe says there’s definitely got to be a reason and Grodd can’t just move around without people seeing him. Dr. Wells says they’ll get her back and Joe tells Barry not to blame himself. “You may not have your legs just yet but you’ve still got that brain. Help us figure it out,” says Joe.

Grodd takes Caitlin to his new lair where he tells her, “Caitlin always kind.” He also says he needs help figuring out how he became Grodd. Caitlin tells him it was the dark matter from the particle accelerator. He wants to make another Grodd but she doesn’t know how.

The Flash John Wesley Shipp Grant Gustin Season 2 Episode 7
John Wesley Shipp as Henry Allen and Grant Gustin as Barry Allen in ‘The Flash’ (Photo: Cate Cameron © 2015 The CW Network, LLC.)

Barry’s back on the treadmill but he’s still not up to speed. His dad, Henry, arrives, telling him to keep his chin down when running. (Iris came up with the idea to fetch him.)

Dr. Wells wants to know how Grodd became sentient and Cisco says they had a contract with the military to awaken latent mind-reading abilities for interrogation purposes. Grodd was a test subject, and the project was shut down by Wells – they thought to save Grodd. But, it was actually to use the explosion to create a 1,500 pound mind-controlling gorilla he could manipulate. Wells uses an algorithm to figure out where he is now.

Barry’s dad says he’s healed beautifully and doesn’t need physical therapy. Henry’s been camping and fishing by himself and tells Barry, “Sometimes you just have to slow down to get back to where you want to be.” In rushes Cisco with Grodd’s location. He’s narrowed it down to three bell towers and the plan is to use Wells in the Reverse Flash suit posing as Grodd’s father to convince Grodd to let Caitlin go. Barry tells him he can’t help if something goes wrong, but Wells agrees to the plan anyway.

Cisco has Wells practicing his Earth #1 Wells impression but he’s not super effective. Finally, he nails it and Cisco says he’s ready to take on Grodd. They’re almost at the third of the three bell towers after striking out at the first two. Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry is overseeing the operation and his dad tells him it must have been horrible to be attacked by Zoom. Barry says he can’t stop Zoom, Zoom knows it, and the city knows it. Henry says everyone in the court room stopped believing in him, too, and thought he’d killed his wife. So, yeah, he knows what it’s like to be destroyed. Barry asks how he handled it and his dad said he embraced it. Barry has to accept this and believe in himself again, and that was what Barry did for his dad when he was a kid – he gave him hope. Now it’s his turn to give it back to his son.

Caitlin explains the differences between ape and human brains, and how the experiment originally went down. In comes Wells and Grodd isn’t overjoyed to see him. Wells tells him he’s back but Grodd thinks he died. Wells tells him they don’t need Caitlin, continuously calling him buddy, and asking if they can let her go. Grodd replies, “Father never ask. Father take.” He hits Wells and Cisco rescues Caitlin but can’t get Wells. Barry tells them an overload of the drugs will shock Grodd’s brain. Wells tells Grodd he won’t leave him alone and that one day the city will be his, and then he makes his move and stabs Grodd with syringes. Grodd drops to his knees.

Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Caitlin thanks Wells for rescuing her. Joe wants to kill Grodd but Caitlin says Grodd is getting smarter and is lonely and sad. She really feels sorry for him and Wells figures out they can send Grodd through a specific breach that will get him “as close to home as he’ll ever be.” Henry volunteers Barry to lead Grodd to that breach and Barry agrees.

Caitlin calls for Grodd outside his building. When he lands on the ground, The Flash takes Caitlin away, all while leading Grodd exactly where he needs to be so that Cisco will blast Grodd into Earth #2 with his speed cannon. He comes at The Flash Barry has a flashback to Zoom’s attack. As Grodd’s about to attack again, Caitlin pleads with him that she can give him a home if he trusts her. Grodd does, and The Flash gets Caitlin out of the way while Grodd is sucked into the breach – but he’s not getting sucked in the way he should. Barry’s dad tells him to conquer his fears and The Flash runs at Grodd full speed, knocking him through the breach. Grodd’s gone, The Flash is back, and Caitlin is safe.

Back at S.T.A.R. Labs safe and sound and minus one very angry gorilla, they’re all standing around the Reverse Flash suit wondering what to do with it. Henry shakes Wells’ hand and says his goodbyes. Caitlin wants to know where they sent Grodd and Wells says it’s a refuge where gorillas can roam free. Cisco doesn’t understand why the breaches on #Earth 1 lead to different places on Earth #2, and Wells doesn’t have an answer. Wells knows they have to close them and Caitlin promises they’ll all work together on that.

Back at Joe’s, dad looks through pictures of Barry as a kid. He thanks Iris for reaching out, Joe for always being there, and then he heads out with Barry to the bus station…but not before Joe warns Barry Patty’s not buying his sick story. Iris asks Joe if he’s okay, and Joe says he wonders what it would have been like to raise a son.

At the station, Patty’s looking through the microscope and commenting on canned soup vs Joe’s homemade soup. She knows he wasn’t sick and wants to know why he lied. He says he needed to spend time with his dad and doesn’t think people would have seen past his father’s tarnished image. Patty says she has to know if she can trust him if they’re going to be in a relationship and he says she can.

At the coffee shop, Cisco is outside the door looking sweet, carrying a basket of flowers and chocolate for Kendra. Kendra accepts the basket and says flowers are a waste of money and she’s allergic to money, but she’s joking. He apologizes for bailing the other night and says it was a CCPD emergency. She calls him brave and loves the basket, which even includes a digital projector with The Princess Bride loaded on it. She touches his arm, leans in for a kiss, and this time he knows for sure the Birdman is actually a Birdwoman (or, actually, Hawkgirl as she’ll come to be known) He tells her she’s an amazing kisser to explain his reaction to touching lips.

On Earth #2 Grodd is in the forest and smells other gorillas. He’s arrived in Earth #2’s Gorilla City.

Season 2 Recaps: Episode 1 / Episode 3 / Episode 4 / Episode 5

The Flash Season 2 Interviews: Grant Gustin / Danielle Panabaker / Tom Cavanagh / Carlos Valdes / Andrew Kreisberg