The Flash: Gorilla Warfare Reviews 

Five Thoughts on The Flash’s “Gorilla Warfare” [Review]

By | November 18th, 2015
Posted in Reviews | 2 Comments

I swear to Kirby, it is like the CW is reading my dream journal.

1. FUCKING GORILLA CITY

Look, were there a lot of storytelling gymnastics that led to there being an opening in the singularity to the Greyhound station outside of Gorilla City? Absolutely. But, c’mon: last year, I asked if the show would have the balls to give us Gorilla City – well, they do. Granted, it is on Earth 2, but who cares – we have a television series that can potentially tell us stories that take place in GORILLA CITY. C’mon, seriously – who can possibly be sad when we live in this world?

2. “And the Cat’s and the Cradle and the Silver Spoon…”

This episode couldn’t have been more focused on fathers and sons if Harry Chapin and Everclear were scoring it. It is one of the pervasive themes of the show, and Barry’s two dads continue to be the soul of the show. But this week also introduced a few new wrinkles to that fabric that could change a lot over the next few months.

This episode brought back Henry Allen, and while it was great to see John Wesley Shipp back on set, I couldn’t help but feel that something has changed. One of the theories that is floating around out there is that Zoom is Henry Allen – either from Earth-Two or, somehow, the one we know and love. I wasn’t exactly sold on this theory until this week, where I felt like the show was doing two thing at the same time. On one hand, it showed Barry how important and necessary his father is in his life. The pep talk that Henry gave him made him able to get up and help send Grodd away.

But almost in equal measure, the show seemed to be setting us up for a huge letdown when Henry betrays him. Now, there’s a chance that the Henry that was there tonight is Earth 2 Henry, just pretending to be ‘our’ Henry. This might sound a little out there, but it makes sense to me. Henry kept pushing Barry to get back up and keep running/fighting. This isn’t out of character, but it seemed a little unsympathetic to me, especially from a father who hasn’t seen his son in awhile. Remember last year, where Henry essentially told Barry to forget about saving him, because he cared more about Barry being safe than being free? Does that seem like a guy who would be telling Barry to not wait until he felt comfortable, but to rush back into battle?

If Henry is Zoom, a weakened Barry is better, as is a Barry who gets more headstrong and less reliant on logic and the scientific method. Creating a more impulsive (pardon the pun) Barry could be a key to taking him down even easier next time.

I still don’t have a theory for why Henry is Zoom, but we’ll see.

3. Woah, Iris is useful! (But Patty is still the best)

Way to go, Berlanti + co, for giving Iris a job this week! Granted, it was making a long distance phone call (which probably didn’t cost more than a regular call, due to Iris’s cell phone plan), but hey! It is nice to see her do something other than look pretty and/or concerned.

That said, Patty Spivot is still so, so much better than Iris. It isn’t even funny. Sure, Barry lied to her, but she didn’t do the typical ‘girlfriend on TV’ thing and leave him even though he had a perfectly good (but, you know, still full of shit) reason for not telling her the truth. However, at the rate of people finding out Barry is the Flash, I bet she knows by Christmas. Presidents’ Day, tops.

4. Harry almost does Well(s)

Tom Cavanaugh is such a good actor that he was able to not do a flawless impression of himself. Let me explain: Earth-Two Harry was trying to convince Grodd that he was the same Wells that ‘raised’ him. Harry’s impression still wasn’t exactly what Wells sounded like last season, and that is a wonderful thing. There were just enough differences that it sounded put on, and that’s exactly how even the best impressions sound.

Continued below

I hope each season brings us a Wells from a different Earth. That would be an incredibly fun thing for the show to do. Berlanti Productions, I’d be happy to consult on this show. Brian (at) MultiversityComics (dot) com.

5. Cisco is me, and I am Cisco – we are part of the Ciscolarity

I’m not a unique guy – I’m a nerd of a certain age. Therefore, I can’t not hear “In Your Eyes” and think of Say Anything, nor can I think of a better date movie than The Princess Bride. While Cisco is probably supposed to be a good five-eight years younger than me (and despite him being in better shape/having better hair than me), I can’t think of a better proxy for the audience in all of television.

Giving him Vibe powers, giving him a date with a beautiful woman – all of this is now the show giving the audience not just an inside view on the show, it is granted wish fulfillment for the fans, vis a vis Cisco. If his dad writes him a letter declaring his undying respect and/or if he starts doing awesome skateboard tricks, the character is complete.

What a great hour of television. There is so much to say, I didn’t even mention how lame Barry’s paralysis lasting less than ten seconds of screen time was! Let’s talk more about it the comments!


//TAGS | The Flash

Brian Salvatore

Brian Salvatore is an editor, podcaster, reviewer, writer at large, and general task master at Multiversity. When not writing, he can be found playing music, hanging out with his kids, or playing music with his kids. He also has a dog named Lola, a rowboat, and once met Jimmy Carter. Feel free to email him about good beer, the New York Mets, or the best way to make Chicken Parmagiana (add a thin slice of prosciutto under the cheese).

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