Grodd just wants help. Photo via direct screenshot from the episode.
Please Keep In Mind That This Article Contains Potential Spoilers For “A Flash Of Lightning” and Events That Occurred Prior
Grodd is back! It’s always fun to catch up with the good ol’ Gorilla—and this week was no different. What was different, is that this outing was significantly less action-packed then Grodd’s usual. That’s not a bad thing, however, and the pacing of everything fits very nicely. That’s obviously not to say that we didn’t get any action at all—I mean we got speedster Grodd! An insane idea that was pulled off incredibly well, and was simply a joy to see unfold. I do wonder how far this newly changed Grodd will go though. I mean is he really changed for the better? The Grodd we once knew certainly didn’t show much capacity for that type of shift. I also don’t know if I’d rather Grodd be a villain or ally. Needless to say, it provides a very interesting change of dynamic. A change that I’m extremely interested to see where it goes.
Grodd’s change was something that was very hard for Barry to buy into. I mean, who can blame him after everything that Grodd has done. Barry was also dealing with the weight of all the other changes that are still rearing their heads post-Crisis (poor Pied Piper never getting any story of substance). I enjoy the emphasis that the show has placed on these changes, and how their sudden existence affects the people that only have knowledge of the world before. Not only can these changes be hard pills to swallow (like Grodd), but it can just simply be annoying to deal with (as shown with Pied Piper). Having to deal with these on a constant basis could make anyone mad. Needless to say, we don’t blame you Barry.
A new speedster joins the fight! Photo via direct screenshot from the episode.
Inside the mirror, we got to check in a little with Iris and Eva as they continued to attempt to leave the mirror dimension. This is where Eva’s true allegiance was revealed, and she certainly doesn’t seem like she’s on our side. The most interesting part of all of this to me, is that her interactions with faux-Iris potentially indicate that this mirror version of Iris may be more than just a simple “reflection”. But that it may even have its own personality, and be an entirely separate being—one that doesn’t seem to be directly controlled by Eva either.
Then there was the rest of Team Flash. One of the worst lines of dialogue I’ve heard so far this year (and maybe even last year) goes to Kamilla: “Like sliding into his Mind DMs.” I literally winced when it was said out-loud. It’s something that was clearly written by a painfully out of touch writer trying their hardest to stay relevant. It was bad—as was most of her dialogue. Frost didn’t fare much better, as she remained comfortable with her exposition heavy lines. Only Chester got some decent content. I was expecting to have Chester try and become part of the team much sooner, and it’s surprising that it’s taken this long for the writer’s to tackle it. Better late than never I suppose. His journey throughout the episode, while I was happy to finally have it focused on it, was nothing we haven’t already seen from countless others. But hey, now that he will be further integrated into the proceedings, there will be more opportunities for him to leave his unique mark on the team.
Thawne is coming. Photo via direct screenshot from the episode.
Nash’s storyline finally got a meaty chunk of the plot as his secret connection to Allegra was unveiled. Well, sort of. We still don’t really know the details to everything—just that the mystery is out there. A mystery that Allegra certainly didn’t react kindly too. The most exciting part of the whole thing though? Reverse Flash! Eobard Thawne is coming! Being one of my favorite villains, I’m thrilled to see his return—especially in a post-crisis world. I mean it’s already odd that we’ve gone this far without hearing about him. I know plenty of people will be annoyed that we have to deal with him again. But see, that’s his shtick. He is always, and will always, be the sharpest thorn in Barry’s side.
“Grodd Friended Me” delivered a fun and meaningful episode as the continued changes to the world post-crisis weighed down on Barry Allen. Storylines on all fronts got important and engaging updates. We got to get reacquainted with our old furry friend in Grodd, learn Eva’s true colors, and got a brand new Thawne tease. The real question now: is our upcoming big threat going to revolve around Reverse Flash or Godspeed? Or both? And where is Ralph disappearing to now?
Special Note: We’ve had to resort to taking direct screenshots of the episode ourselves and/or repeated and unrelated Flash images due to the CW Network failing to provide adequate photos for proper coverage.
You can catch The Flash as it airs on The CW on Tuesdays at 9pm EST!
