Flash Review: Gorilla Warfare

Barry’s body heals, but his mind may require more time. His father returns to help, as the Team tries to determine what to do about Zoom. Before they can accomplish much else, someone throws a monkey wrench in the works.

Title: “Gorilla Warfare”

Director: Dermott Downs
Writers: Aaron Helbing and Todd Helbing

Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / The Flash
Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon
John Wesley Shipp as Henry Allen
Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow
Shantel VanSanten as Patty Spivot
Tom Cavanagh as Harrison Wells
Jesse L. Martin as Detective Joe West
Candice Patton as Iris West
David Sobolov as the Voice of Grodd
Ciara Renee as Kendra Saunders / Hawkwoman

Premise

While Barry struggles with injuries to his body and mind, Caitlin and Grodd re-enact King Kong.

High Points

The CGI work on Grodd goes above and beyond what I would expect from a weekly television series, and worked very well with the actor’s voice. We felt for Grodd.

Seriously. We have a live-action Flash series. With Grodd. And Gorilla City. And people are watching.

Low Points

Ramon decides to go out on a date despite the events surrounding him—and then stands her up when he realizes she might be a metahuman?

The Scores:

Originality: 2/6 The references and adapted elements are clear enough, but this was a strong episode.

Team Flash needs to get over using people as bait.

Effects: 5/6

Acting: 5/6 Gustin and Shipp get to expand their range, while David Sobolov turns in a great voice-performance as Grodd. The show keeps Candice Patton in the background for now.

Story: 5/6 I like how effectively they’ve expanded the DCU, while building to the new spin-off series. This week didn’t sacrifice story to do so.

Emotional Response: 5/6

Production: 5/6

Overall: 5/6

In total, “Gorilla Warfare” receives 32/42

Lingering Questions

1. What happened to Linda Park? And does anyone on Team Flash care?

2. It can be difficult (as I’m sure we all know) to get rid of a giant telepathic super-gorilla, and the Team had to make the best of a bad situation. But I’m not certain Gorilla City really wants an outsized dysfunctional simian dumped in their backyard, and I really doubt anyone on Earth-Two is ready for the gorilla uprising Grodd might decide to lead.

At least for now, our Team is sans simian problems, which can grow and get out of control.

3. Will next week’s the forthcoming crossover event fly?

8 replies on “Flash Review: Gorilla Warfare”

  1. I don’t think Cisco bailed on the date because she was a metahuman, I think it was because of her outfit in the vision and he didn’t know if she was super good or super evil — at least how that’s how I took it. He wanted to make sure she wasn’t a villain, probably because of his history with Lisa Snart.

    Grodd is great, but almost too overpowered. It’ll be fun to see what happens with Gorilla City, hopefully that’s not a throwaway.

    I told my wife as we were watching “I’m calling it now, Grodd will be involved in taking down Zoom”

    I believe the crossover isn’t until Dec 1, they’re off next week.

    • Thanks. I’ve corrected the “crossover” information.

      He might have wanted to ensure she wasn’t a villain, but he didn’t really do that, did he, before going out with her later. Seems to me a date would be a good chance to examine her further.

      Good call on Grodd’s role, though I think it’ll be a double (or triple– Jesse Quick) Flash that will cause Zoom to crash. Any bets on whether and where Detective Chimp will turn up?

  2. I have no idea why Cisco bailed on the date at all. Fez up there says it’s because Cisco wasn’t sure if she was Good or Evil, but he didn’t even know the vision was of her. Remember, he asked Caitlin about a man with wings. He didn’t realise it was her until the end, when he saw her, uh, lets say lips.

    One of my high points was Barry in a wheelchair guiding Wells in a reverse-flash suit.

    On a side-note, my first date ever was taking a girl to see The Princess Bride right when it came out.

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