[S3E13] Attack On Gorilla City

I loved the not-so-subtle message about the reasons gorillas feared/hated humans. Humans experimented on gorillas. They banished them from their land. Then, after placing them in their own city, they still trespassed in their desire to observe the animals.

[S3E13] Attack on Gorilla City

Julian: Grodd? The telepathic gorilla? Where are you going? Are you going to Planet of the Apes?Barry: No. It's just a city of them. Will you cover for me?Julian: Are you going to the Planet of the Apes?Barry: It's not Planet of the Apes.

Grodd's plan works and he becomes the gorilla king after Solovar shows weakness. He also reveals that it was a trick. Grodd wanted to become king so that he could attack Central City. Solovar never wanted to and now Grodd is going to force Cisco to open a breach back to Earth-1.

On Earth-2, Harry Wells is captured when he runs through the woods in Africa. His daughter Jesse Wells explains to Team Flash on Earth-1 that her father was leading an expedition to Gorilla City which was ambushed and killed while Harry disappeared. Barry Allen remembers the news report during his visit in the future, in which it was revealed that Central City will be attacked by gorillas. He, Julian Albert, Cisco Ramon, and Caitlin Snow try to rescue Harry, but are captured by Gorilla Grodd. Telepathically speaking through Harry, Grodd asks Barry to assassinate his master Solovar (leader of Gorilla City) to prevent a planned invasion of Central City. Barry agrees to fight Solovar in the arena for the lives of the others; defeating him, he spares his life. Grodd uses Barry's victory to convince the apes that humans are dangerous, and plans to force Cisco to open a portal for him to Earth-1. Grodd seizes control of Gorilla City and prepares an invasion of Earth-1. The team asks Caitlin to kill Cisco to prevent Grodd from using him to open a portal, but she refuses. Barry has Caitlin use her ice powers to fake his death. When Grodd comes to check on the team, he finds Barry, lying on the ground, frozen and removes him from his cage for disposal. After Grodd leaves, Barry resuscitates himself and frees the others; they escape, returning to Earth-1. Jesse and her father reunite, and Wally West and Jesse recommit to their relationship. Julian asks Caitlin out on a date. Grodd, in full armor, assembles his army with a brainwashed Gypsy at his side.

The personalities of Harry and H. R. clash. Jesse tells her father that she intends to stay on Earth-1 with Wally, which Harry initially tries to prevent. Harry subdues Gypsy when she ambushes and tries to kill Cisco and Barry, and the team realizes that Grodd and his forces have reached Central City. Gypsy is held captive for a short time before Cisco allows her to return to her Earth. Using his powers, Cisco determines that the gorillas will attack the center of town. This turns out to be a distraction by Grodd, who uses telepathy to compel Joe West to shoot himself in the head, but Barry pushes Joe out of the way of the bullet in time. Grodd abducts a visiting army general. Barry considers killing Grodd the only way to stop him and change the future, but Harry encourages him to find a better way. Controlling the general, Grodd attempts a nuclear-missile strike on the city. Barry prevents the attack, and Grodd and his gorilla army invade the city. Cisco travels to Earth-19 to ask Gypsy for help. The speedsters distract the soldiers while Cisco and Gypsy bring Solovar to Earth-1; Solovar defeats Grodd and assumes leadership again. All the gorillas return to Earth-2 except Grodd, who is turned over to A.R.G.U.S. Gypsy kisses Cisco before she returns home, and Barry proposes to Iris. When he picks up dinner for Jesse, Wally visualizes Savitar running towards him.

Well, so much for removing that particular domino from the Irispoint arrangement. It's unclear -- shocking, I know, that something involving time travel in the Arrowverse is unclear -- if the future can be altered by a series of small actions or just one big action. Admittedly, Team Flash doesn't know that, either, so they're betting on changing enough things and hoping some things, like tempting the fate of a gorilla attack on the city, will end up balancing out in the end. I sure hope so, for Iris' sake.

At S.T.A.R. Labs, Jesse arrives trough a breach and informs Team Flash that her dad had been abducted. When answering the team's questions she reveals that her dad went to a place on Earth-2 called Gorilla City, a city run by gorillas that is located deep in the heart of Africa. While talking with the team, Jesse sees H.R. and confuses him with her dad, but then realizes that he is not and her dad is still missing.

In the prison at Gorilla City, Solovar shows up and it's decided that Solovar and Barry will have a battle to the death in the Gorilla City arena. Barry and Solovar engage in a fight that Barry eventually emerges from victorious. Barry tells the whole arena that he won't murder Solovar. Grodd then orders that Barry be taken out with a dart and sends him back to the prison. After Barry wakes up, Grodd assumes control over Harry's body again and reveals that Solovar was never going to attack Earth-1. Grodd then reveals that he needed Barry to beat Solovar so that the residents of Gorilla City would fear humans and attack Earth-1 in response. Shortly after Grodd leaves, Barry is seen laying on the floor of his cell appearing to have died. Grodd comes back, hauls Barry out of his cell, tosses him on a heap of bones, and then leaves. After Grodd leaves, Barry wakes up and liberates the others from their cells. Barry then speeds the group into the center of the wilderness so Cisco can open a breach to Earth-1 before the gorillas realize that they are missing. Before a group of gorillas is able to catch up to them, the group escapes to Earth-1 through a breach.

For one, this is just the first of a two-part adventure involving Grodd, with the follow-up installment centered on Earth-1. Second, this won't be an episode that will see Team Flash actually battling Grodd, as they'll be on the same side. It turns out Gorilla City's leader Solovar (voiced by Keith David) has a nefarious plan to attack Earth-1, and it's up to Barry, Caitlin, Cisco and Julian to figure out a way to stop it. I am definitely down for this partnership if it means we'll get to see a gorilla-on-gorilla melee at some point. 041b061a72