“Attack On Central City” brings us part two of the Grodd storyline on The Flash. The team is unaware of Grodd’s presence until Gypsy makes another appearance. Initially, they think she’s there for HR, but she tells a different story once in a cell. Needless to say, Grodd is still not happy with Barry and his army of gorillas join him in his plan to destroy Central City.
Throughout this episode, Jesse L. Martin and Tom Cavanagh grace us with their wonderful acting. Seeing HR and Harry interact with each other is a joy to watch, even if it annoys Harry to no end. The way that he plays two completely different characters in the same episode is a testament to his talent. Jesse L. Martin gets taken over by Grodd, nearly shoots himself in the head, and lets the team retrieve the memory he saw while possessed. His acting particularly stood out when the team retrieves the memory. His face goes completely blank as if no one else is in the room and he draws a flawless image of the man in the memory. This great moment from him gave the team what they needed to continue looking for Grodd.
Cisco eventually convinces Gyspy to help the team fight Grodd by bringing Solovar to Central City. It’s a risky move that pays off. One thing of note, we see more of the gorillas up close this episode. While the CGI isn’t perfect, it’s passable and doesn’t take too much away from the episode. Considering it was a two-part crossover, the effects team did well with the budget they had.
With HR celebrating Friend’s Day, which is his Earth’s equivalent of Valentine’s Day, there’s a huge focus on relationships. It’s a bit late considering it aired two weeks after the actual holiday, but important decisions were made. Barry proposes to Iris, which shows his dedication not only to her, but to changing the future. Jesse decides to stay on Earth-1 to be with Wally, which Harry takes surprisingly well. However, she struggles with her father because she thinks he’s lying about being sick. It was also odd how the team didn’t bring it back up again before he said his goodbyes.
It would be remiss of me to not mention the Nuclear Missile Transportation facility that General Matthew McNally visits as he’s controlled by Grodd. This is the main plan Grodd has for destroying the city. It’s no surprise that it fails, since Barry can speed through every 5-digit conbination possible. What seemed off was the fact that he kept stopping to tell the team it wasn’t working instead of just getting through more of the combinations. Barry is usually full of hope and it was odd to have him keep stopping during this scene. But of course, he succeeds in finding the right code in the end.
Barry, Jesse, and Wally all show bravery as they stand up against an army full of gorillas. They’re stalling until Cisco and Gypsy come back, which is when we see Solovar. As mentioned before, he’s the key to stopping Grodd. Barry makes sure that Solovar doesn’t kill Grodd, and instead A.R.G.U.S. takes him into their custody. While it would have been nice to see Lyla instead of just getting a mention of her, it’s understandable. Especially since the episode ends on a more important note. It ends with Wally running over to Big Belly Burger and seeing Savitar as he arrives.
Flashpoints
- A lot of personal plot advancement in this episode
- The Grodd storyline wrapped up nicely
- No Julian in this episode probably allowed for more Harry screen time
- Iris acknowledges her job for the first time in a while!!
Favorite Lines
- “That damn gorilla almost got me this time.” – Joe
- “Now we have a new problem, we have to figure out who the hell this is.” – Barry when looking at the sketch Joe drew
- “So we ran the image through the Department of Defense database and as Cisco would say, ‘Yahtzee’.” – Caitlin, “I would say that.” – Cisco
- “Please, be the hero I know you want to be.” – Cisco to Gypsy
