This episode didn’t really go in the way I expected. Which is not a bad thing, necessarily, just interesting. I was expecting more triple speedster action and a real Barry vs Grodd face off. We didn’t get that, sadly, but I’m still satisfied with what we got.
We may not have gotten more speedster action but we did get a Grodd vs Solovar fight. This makes perfect sense story wise but I was, honestly, not expecting it. When the breach opened up and Cisco and Gypsy popped out, I thought they were there to help fight but when Solovar jumped out I was like “Oooooh, stuff is about to go down!” The fight looked amazing, as well. The flash has really been flexing their special effects budget the past 2 episodes and it really paid off. If the next two episodes are nothing but semi-animated stick figures, I understand completely.
This episode also gave us a lot of character moments. One storyline was with Jesse, Wally, and Harry, that dealt with the topic of Jesse moving to Earth-1. Harry’s reaction to Jesse and Wally was suspicious to begin with. he was completely calm and said that Jesse’s happiness was what was most important. Because of season 2, we know that Harry loves Jesse and is willing to do anything he can to protect her. His initial reaction was suspicious but believable to an extent. I thought it was showing his growth as a character and a father, showing that he was willing to let his daughter go. But when he told Wally about his “illness” and that he didn’t have long to live I had an inkling that he was lying. An inkling which Jesse confirmed. Moments like these help humanize Harry. He can come off as a bit of a jerk a lot of the time but his love for Jesse and the rest of team flash help humanize him and make him likable. He comes around in the end and does the typical dad thing of threatening Wally if he hurts Jesse. I’d kind of like to see Harry hunting down Wally throughout the multiverse. That’d be an interesting show.
Cisco and Gypsy had their own little storyline as well. She comes back to Earth-1 under Grodd’s mind control and attacks Team Flash. After they detain her Cisco tries to get her to help but she said that seeing the horrors that Grodd plans to commit have convinced her not to help and to go back to Earth-19. After a little bit of flirting Cisco lets her go. The team later realized that they cant do this without her and Cisco goes to Earth-19. We get a brief glimpse of the Accelerated Man, the flash of earth-19, before Cisco talks Gypsy in helping him find Solovar. The connection between Gypsy and Cisco is constantly stated in the episode but not to the point where it seemed over the top like it did in the previous episode with Gypsy. They share a hilarious kiss at the end of the episode before parting ways. I would really love if Gypsy became a recurring character on the show. Her dynamic with the team, and mainly Cisco, is wonderful.
Going back to Harry for a bit, this episode just reinforced how much I miss his character. HR has grown on me but he’s not quite Harry. Harry’s sarcasm and stand off nature in contrast to his own dorkiness makes him such a great part team. He’s got the attitude of Thawne-Wells with the heart of Cisco and I wish he’d come back more. Seeing him coach Barry through the disarming of the missiles, and him talking Barry down from killing Grodd, it reminded me how great a character he is. Tom Cavanagh is such a phenomenal actor. He has been able to create 3 distinct characters, 2 who are slightly different, and one who is drastically different from the other 2. They all feel like their own characters, to the point where it was so funny seeing Harry and HR’s interactions. Logistically I understand why they don’t have the two of them on screen more often, it’s double the work for Cavanagh, but I REALLY want more conversations between the two.
This episode was fantastic. Grodd was a threat but we got a lot of character moments throughout the episode that really helped develop some of the other cast, aside from Barry.
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