The Story
While Barry and Co. search the city fruitlessly for Eddie and Dr. Wells, the team is distracted not only by a string of gold robberies, but Iris’s discovery of Barry’s secret. Once they catch the masked man responsible for the robberies, they discover that it is General Eiling as controlled by Grodd. The story goes that Grodd is a gorilla who was subjected to a number of tests and experiments in an attempt to create a psychic soldier. It was over these inhumane experiments that Dr. Wells and General Eiling first disagreed. When the particle accelerator exploded it appears that the chemicals used on Grodd were activated, not only making him smarter, but granting him psychic and telekinetic powers. Since Dr. Wells and Grodd always had a special bond, the team assumes that Grodd was sent to distract them from their search for Eddie and Wells. Knowing this, they seek out Grodd as a possible link to Wells, but when Barry, Joe, and Cisco make a search of the sewers, Joe gets captured and Barry is psychically assaulted. Barry is able to shoot Grodd with a tracker, allowing them to locate Joe and Grodd’s lair. Barry uses a gadget meant to protect him from Grodd’s psychic attacks, but in their struggle the device is damaged and leaves Barry vulnerable. Barry is put in the line of an oncoming train, unable to move or function. Iris is able to communicate with him from STAR Labs, encouraging him to focus on her voice, bringing him back to clarity. Just in time, Barry dodges the train, pushing Grodd in his place, taking Grodd away with the rushing train. Barry saves Joe and the new STAR Labs team comes to terms with their lives without Dr. Wells, promising to continue their search for Eddie and bring Dr. Wells to justice.
The Wests
Iris makes the decision to confront Barry about his secret, surprising him at STAR Labs while he’s in his Flash outfit. Barry makes no excuse for his secret, saying simply that he was only trying to keep her safe. He lets slip that Joe knows and was the one who convinced him not to tell Iris. Needless to say, Iris is livid and disappointed that the people closest to her seem to have no regard for her capability and intelligence. Iris makes a good point when Joe approaches her to make things right, saying that if she had known Barry was the Flash she could have been helping all this time instead of being in the way. They really just made life harder for themselves by not telling her and trusting in her competence. Barry and Iris argue throughout the episode about keeping secrets, Barry bringing up the fact that Iris hasn’t been honest about her feelings for him. In the end, the boys admit that they were wrong to keep things from her, forgetting in their love for her how smart and capable she is. Iris admits to Barry that she has been thinking of him, but that she can’t deal with that until Eddie is found, saying she doesn’t know where things will go after that.
Dr. Wells and Eddie
Dr. Wells spends most of the episode coming and going from his underground lair where he keeps Eddie tied up. Now that he doesn’t have to hide his real self, his inner villain is really starting to show in his wild hair and maybe even a little extra eyeliner. As Eddie pries for information, Wells spends his time constructing what seems to be a delicate piece of equipment. Wells tells Eddie about the Thawnes, how every one of them besides Eddie is an important historical figure, but how Eddie and his uneventful police career is not only forgotten completely, but that he doesn’t even get the girl in the end. Wells taunts Eddie with the information that Iris ends up marrying Barry eventually. Once Wells is finished with his equipment, he climbs his ladder to the surface, and installs the piece of equipment in what turns out to be the particle accelerator at STAR Labs. He’s been there with Eddie the whole time, right under the team’s nose. As the lights come up in the accelerator, Wells says to himself that it’s time to go home.
General Eiling
It was kind of good to see Eiling being used and abused by Grodd, the gorilla that he tortured and experimented on. Of course, Eiling learns nothing from his experience being forced to commit crimes and being used as a puppet. Barry is forced to let him go because he wasn’t responsible for the robberies, but tells Eiling that he’ll get what’s coming to him. Eiling casually reveals that he’s known for months that Barry is the Flash, telling him that if he wanted him he would have come after him already. Barry concludes that Eiling hasn’t come after him because he anticipates a need for his willing assistance. Eiling simply points out that they share an enemy and that they might need each other. I don’t like the idea of anyone teaming up with General Eiling, but it looks more than likely that a partnership of necessity is inevitable.
