The Flash "Grodd Lives" (REVIEW)
written by Justin Prince (@prince_justin)
Finally… and it’s about bloody time… Team Flash goes head-to-head with one of the Flash’s most infamous villains, as we step closer to the knock out finale, we finally get more screen time from Grodd! Small cameo’s have been peppered in all season, but this time Grodd takes center stage as the “rogue of the week.” From several episodes prior, we’ve seen that Grodd was a test subject of General Eiling and Harrison Wells, hoping to create telepathic soldiers, the experiments done on Grodd in connection with the Particle Accelerator explosion create a meta-Gorilla touting a heightened intellect and spoon-bending-esque telepathy.
I... am... GRODD!
Opening with a mysterious man in mask who looks like he raided Slade Wilson’s closet robbing a gold shipment, Team Flash is befuddled when both the mystery assailant and Barry go down from what appear to be a telepathic attack, while coordinating a second attempt to capture Mister not-so-much-Slade-Wilson, unmasking him reveals a familiar face in the form of General Eiling who we previously thought was killed by Grodd back in “Fallout.”
someone's been raiding Slade Wilson's closet
The best part of The Flash sits with character interactions, and this episode is rife with it! One one hand, we have Iris finally coming clean with knowing the Flash’s identity. Of course she's noticeably upset and feels betrayed after a year of being lied to, making matters worse is finding out that she was she last to know. Under the city, Eobard Thawne has Eddie trapped seeming to care no more for his ancestor than to keep him alive long enough to get back to his own time. It seems strange to me that Eobard would be so forthright with his identity, especially to Eddie. I feel that if Eddie knows that he can affect Thawne of ever being born, he would do it… I still think Thawne’s end will come at the end of an sacrifice from Eddie, maybe he’ll just go to a vasectomy clinic when he gets out.
Eobard Thawne being a serious dick to his ancestor
After weeks of teasing a speculating, finally seeing Barry go toe-to-toe with Grodd was well worth the wait. Barry’s arsenal was more so useless against the super-powered Gorilla, with Grodd countering Barry’s super sonic punch and resisting his seed punches. If this episode proved anything, it’s that Grodd is not one to be trifled with… with all his power and speed, Barry damn near lost his life at the hands of Grodd.
Equal parts thrilling action and comedy in the face of impending doom, Cisco seems to cope with this stress by referencing several movies, including Jurassic Park. Speaking of Jurassic Park, both this episode and that movie utilize some similar camera tricks. Every scene with Grodd used dark scenery and strategically placed shadows to make this CGI gorilla look more impressive. We can’t forget this is a television series with a budget well below that of a big budget movie, yet the scenes with Grodd are an impressive use of setting. Getting big budget bang for a television sized buck.
Barry and a Gorilla sized punching bag
Full of action and hands down one of the most fun episodes yet, while i wish that they had shed some light more on Eobard Thawne’s plan, the episode felt like a distraction for both the viewer and for Team Flash, successfully derailing us all from the Reverse Flash what he has planned for Barry Allen. Next week’s episode boasts a team-up across the CW’s current DC universe and with only two episodes left, I feel a Jurassic Park quote is most fitting… so, ladies and gents… “hold on to your butts.”
Quote of the week goes to Cisco… after bringing Joe back, his first line of questioning involve asking about Grodd’s lair and asking Joe if “he ate the banana.” I’ll admit that even I chuckled a bit when Joe tried offering Grodd a banana.
