'The Flash' recap: No more monkeying around

Spoiler alert! The following contains spoilers for Tuesday night's episode of The Flash.

It doesn't take a village to get Barry back on his feet, but it does take a telekinetic monkey.

Barry is feeling understandably downtrodden after his near-death experience at the hands of Zoom last week, but thanks to his super healing powers and the help of a trusty treadmill, he's getting out of his paralytic state sooner than expected. But with Barry's shame stopping him from fully recovering, it's mind over body in "Gorilla Warfare" -- a theme that's way too on-the-nose thanks to that gorilla that can, you know, control minds.

But Grodd is back, and more impressive-looking than ever. And here I thought The Flash blew all its budget on that 10-second King Shark cameo. Bravo.

Treading softly

Barry's time in the wheelchair is going to be short-lived -- he's already undergoing physical therapy and treadmill training -- but his frustration over his slow healing process and the trauma he suffered from almost dying causes angsty Barry to make a return. While Barry is out for the count, Harrison 2.0 decides to strike out on his own to look for Zoom through the breaches to Earth-2, but Caitlin is reluctant to let him go. Their debate gets interrupted by Cisco's alert for his date with cute coffeeshop girl Kendra Saunders -- but while Cisco's love life is on the rise, Barry's is starting to sink, with Patty seeing through his obvious lies about his sickness (she's a detective, Barry, come on).

Later, Caitlin tries to convince a dejected Harry (I'm just going to call him that from now on, Cisco has broken me down) to stay and work with them as a team, but Harry is reluctant. However, Caitlyn's passing remark gives him the idea to close all the breaches to narrow down Zoom's escape routes, and they're back in business.

At an unknown lab, a scientist suddenly gets possessed to break out a piece of equipment and knock out his coworker, then fleeing outside to allow Grodd to take him out and steal the equipment. At the crime scene the next morning, Patty finds Grodd's hairs and identifies the intelligence-enhancing serum that was stolen -- later informing Joe who, immediately remembering his past encounter with Grodd, runs to tell Barry and Cisco.

Cisco is recovering from a punch to the face he received from a mind-controlled Caitlin while he was telling her about his vibe vision of the mysterious winged figure after he touched Kendra. When Joe finds him and Barry, they realize that Caitlin has been kidnapped by Grodd -- despite her being the only person who was ever kind to Grodd. The team tries to investigate why Grodd needs Caitlin, but we find out pretty quickly in the next scene: Grodd asks Caitlin to create another Grodd for him.

Life moves pretty fast

Henry Allen returns! After leaving for pretty stupid reasons (something about honor or keeping your son motivated), Henry comes back to give Barry the pep talk he deserves. Iris was the one who called Henry back after seeing how much Barry was struggling, and Henry lives up to the task, giving Barry the golden advice of, "sometimes you need to slow down to get where you need to be." Only the best dads paraphrase Ferris Bueller to their sons.

But Barry's inner turmoil needs to be put on hold because they have an immaculately-dressed scientist to rescue. Harry creates an algorithm to find out where Grodd is and volunteers to pose as Harrison/Reverse Flash to fool Grodd. Unfortunately he briefly fools Barry too, who, in a panic, pins Harry to the wall before Cisco is able to convince him that he's not the same person. Cisco conveniently makes anti-mind control earbuds and forces our new punk-rock Harry to practice being creepy Enya-loving Harrison with the words Harrison used before he killed Cisco. Which is ... not weird at all.

Caitlin is working on the formula to recreate Grodd like a good scientist, when Harry comes in full Reverse Flash duds, trying to talk down Grodd and get him to let Caitlin go. But Grodd figures Harry out when Harry uses one too many "please's" and knocks him into the wall while Caitlin runs out of the way. Harry ups the sinister and sneak-attacks Grodd with some serums that were just strewn haphazardly on the floor (this must have been a nightmare for Caitlin to work in), allowing him, Cisco and a sympathetic Caitlin to run away.

Getting out of a Harry situation

Caitlin treats Harry, who accepts her offer of team-ship, and Team Flash regroups to deal with Grodd once and for all. Caitlin still pities Grodd, arguing that he's lonely, and Harry comes up with the solution of leading Grodd to a habitat in Earth-2. Henry pushes Barry to step up as the Flash again and Barry finally dons the uniform. They bait Grodd with Caitlin, allowing the Flash to lead him on a merry chase to the breach, where Cisco will send him to Earth-2 with the speed cannon.

But once they're at the spot, Grodd probes Barry's mind, bringing out his traumatic memories of his near-death experience. Incapacitated, Barry gets pinned down by Grodd but Caitlin intervenes, telling him she can give him a home and leading him to the center of the speed cannon. Cisco flips the switch and Barry speeds Caitlin out of there, but Grodd is too strong to get sucked into the breach and starts to crawl back out. After a pep talk from Henry, Barry pulls himself together to punch Grodd through time and space, and the Flash. Is. Back.

Henry, Barry and the Wests reminisce at the West home and exchange some heartfelt goodbyes as well as banter about Barry's new girlfriend (who he's still treating horribly, surprise). Joe gets emotional about the son he never had, and we get more Wally West hints.

But all is well and good in the battlefield called love. Barry uses his visiting ex-con dad as an excuse with Patty, and they kiss and make up. Cisco greets Kendra at the coffeeshop with a basket of flowers and chocolate to apologize for bailing on their date. And as they're about to restart their date, he vibes a vision of her as Hawkgirl. I can feel Legends of Tomorrow coming closer and closer.

Flash Faves

• Why are you so well-dressed Caitlin? Who wears a silky off-white jumpsuit to work at a lab??
• Iris is finally settling into her role as the intuitive heart of the group. (Yay for calling back Henry!) It's too bad that gets changed every other episode depending on the plot.
• Henry is surprisingly nonchalant about the alternate-universe revelations. Not to mention seeing the face of his wife's killer just pop up in the lab again.
• Harrison knows a thing or two about microtechnology --> FLASH RING. 
• Telepathic gorillas are pretty full of themselves aren't they? You can't turn in that Earth-2 habitat without seeing a majestic gorilla statue.