Warning: Spoiler Alert
Tonight we are blessed with an Iris West monologue voice over, incredible. Can you sense my sarcasm. She is certain that Barry is the Flash and is being rather snooty about it. Eddie is still missing. Iris uses this as an opportunity to lay out that Eddie was taken by the man in yellow to see how Barry will respond. He responds predictably and of course Iris does what Iris does. Takes everything the wrong way.
Someone has been stealing minted gold bricks. The man in question attempts to strike again, looking a little like Deadshot. But this is not Arrow. Or is this just another crossover? Barry confronts the man and walks closer. Suddenly, Barry experiences some sort of painful deja vu. As does our heavily armed masked man. Just then, Iris walks in acting snooty and condescending.
The ensuing conversation did not go well. As expected. Suffice it to say, Iris is completely bent out of shape because everyone close to her knew and she didn’t. She’s also pulling the “its time you all stop protecting me” card.
Eddie is strapped to a chair when Wells climbs down a ladder into that room. Wells so far, has no intention to telling Eddie what his plan is. But that will have to wait. Joe preemptively finds Iris. She stays on her soap box and eventually brings this back around to Joe knowing how Barry felt about her. As if that’s his job, like middle school kids passing notes. There are a lot of insensitive things I’d like to say about the Iris West character, but I will refrain.
The authorities (including Joe) plan to transport some of the gold bars in an ice cream truck to draw out the armed man. And it works. The masked man takes out everyone except Joe. Before Joe can take the shot, Barry shows up and tosses the man into the side of the truck. With the man incapacitated, Joe pulls back his mask. Its General Eiling. Problem is, General Eiling is played by Clancy Brown, not a small guy. Could be a trick, could be bad cinematography, but something doesn’t add up.
Eiling appears to be under some kind of trans. He looks at Barry and mutters ‘The Flash’. Then before they can ask the next question, in that very gravely voice he says, “Eiling not here. Eiling Bad.” He looks over at Caitlin and identifies her as good. This continues until the moment at least half of the viewers were waiting for. Barry asks if you’re not Eiling…?
Eiling: I. Am. Grodd. Fear me.
Barry: What’s a Grodd?
Caitlin’s theory is that somehow, Grodd is using some form of telepathy to control Eiling. There’s also the coincidence that Wells saved Grodd from Eiling. Wells’ particle accelerator exploded releasing Grodd. And Grodd shows up only after Wells/Thawne was outed. Then Iris arrives to inject herself into the situation. Illogically, Iris has an angle that will help. They are in the sewers. A prospect that Cisco is not thrilled to be a part of.
Joe, Barry and Cisco make their way through the sewers finding chalk drawings made by Grodd (he essentially signed them). Then they hear an animal sound. Whatever caused Barry’s deja vu of fear episode, is doing it again. Barry somehow gets thrown against the wall and is out cold when Joe gets pulled up and out of sight. Joe comes to and goes for his gun and he hears heavy footsteps. Then involuntarily turns the gun on himself as the massive Grodd walks in.
Grodd makes him toss the gun and says “Father hate gun”. Grodd sniffs for a moment and Joe pulls out a banana. Grodd did not appreciate that. Apparently he hates bananas. Meanwhile, Eobard decides to let Eddie in on a little of the Thawne bloodline and its future history. Eddie being the only forgotten Thawne in existence. And, to add insult to injury, informs poor Eddie that he doesn’t even get the girl. I feel the creation of a villain emerging.
Cisco and Caitlin create a device for Barry to wear over his head to prevent Grodd’s mind control powers. The flares that Cisco dropped in the sewer are releasing steam into the sewer. Hoping this directs Grodd to a specific section of the sewer, Barry plans to employ the super-sonic punch. Grodd hears Barry coming and charges. In mid-flight he catches Barry’s fist and tosses him. Barry tries hitting him fast and it doesn’t do any damage. Minus the head-gear, Grodd is having a field day in Barry’s head. Then Iris steps in and speaks to him from Star Labs. “Stand up to him. Do it for me.”
He waits for a moment, then Grodd leaps at him in a very animalist attack. Barry waits until the last possible heartbeat and runs away. Just as a subway train takes Grodd abruptly out of the picture. Barry finds Joe an instant later.
The connection that Grodd had on Eiling has since dissipated and Barry releases him. They have a short and almost impolite conversation. Eiling has known about Barry being the Flash for a while with no intention of taking him down. Now Eiling is off to hunt Gorilla.
Barry finds Iris in her special spot and they have a heart to heart. A scene I could do without considering how bi-polar Iris has been this episode. Off in the distance of the not quite love confession, Grodd climbs up a building channeling his inner King Kong. He gets to the top, turns and leaps out…
Wells finishes working on something and says out loud that he’s got it, the key. He climbs up the ladder into a dark corridor. Then he sticks this cylindrical ‘key’ into a hole in cement. The key light up the corridor. I’d say it looks like Star Labs but it kind of doesn’t. Then he looks down the long massive hallway.
Wells: Time to go home.
