The Flash season 3, episode 14 review: Did Barry propose, and is Grodd gone?
First, let’s backtrack to Gypsy, since she was the collective glue that brought him over. It was through her presence that Barry and company first realized that something was amiss. They were able to wash away the brainwashing that Gross had done on her, but that couldn’t stop the impending arrival of the most dangerous ape in the world. (Unfortunately, we also saw in here a reluctance on Gypsy’s part at first to help.)
All of the pieces were put into place for Grodd vs. Flash showdown like no other, even to the point where Barry briefly considered actually killing the gorilla in order to ensure that he couldn’t hurt anyone else. The issue that was here creatively was due to budget restrictions or whatever, it was a good 45 minutes into the episode before said showdown actually happened. This was a lot of buildup for very little battle in the end.
When we got to the scene of the battle, it was then very much about tactics just as much as it was epic battles. Remember the decision to leave Solovar alive? Let’s just say that this paid off, since Gypsy helped to bring him over and he was able to defeat Grodd in a duel. This called off the army, and ensured everyone’s safety … at least for the time being. This battle was epic — it wasn’t what we expected, but it was a smart solution to what would’ve otherwise been Barry, Wally, and Jesse eventually getting creamed by the sheer magnitude of the ape army they were up against.
Romance is all over the place
First, we learned that Julian Albert was conveniently absent for the episode in London, which can be translated to “the show only contracted Tom Felton for so many episodes.” With that, the focus was put instead on other relationships beyond whatever is going on with him and Caitlin.
For Jesse Quick and Wally West, she made it clear to her dad that she wanted to move to Earth-1 to be with Wally. Unfortunately, that changed when Harry made it clear that he was sick. This made Wally change his mind, and tell her that he didn’t want her there, after all. Yet, was this all an elaborate Harry ruse designed to convince her to stay? It seemed that way, since he eventually admitted to bury that he’s done so many morally-gray things at this point that he has no problem doing them anymore.
Finally, let’s get back to Gypsy and Cisco. After the battle in Central City, she kissed him! This led to him saying “I’m gonna marry that woman.” Given that she’s from a different Earth, they’ve got challenges … but so do many other people.
Oh, and Barry’s a total romantic. It’s amazing the sort of things that he can get done for Iris when you’re a speedster! Going through everything from Iris made him REALLY think about the future. Oh, and we should mention that Barry proposed to Iris! That’s one cliffhanger. The other is the potential return of Savitar via Wally’s brain.
Final verdict and what is next
Obviously, the battle sequence at the end was a lot of fun, but the show probably did set the bar on a crazy-high level for this particular episode. As a result of that, they had a hard time trying to match it. The proposal, however, was all sorts of perfect. Grade: B+.
Meanwhile, be sure to visit this link if you are interested in seeing where The Flash is going to go from here. (Photo: The CW.)
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