Jessie Robertson reviews the fourteenth episode of Arrow season 3…
“How to prepare your daughter for Life….by unleashing a psychotic murderer after her on an Island,” by Malcolm Merlyn. New Age Parenting. Go figure.
Tonight’s episode was a strange one as it seemed the flashbacks were the meat of the story, certainly getting a least the same amount of screen time as the current day. Highlighting Oliver’s intriguing journey back to Starling City, it became a cameo fest of all the people Oliver would grow close to once he returned from the island. In several cases, he sees these characters just so we can, Felicity, Diggle, just to remind us they are still the main characters and well, they’re getting a cameo. Seeing Tommy was nice because he’s not around much these days, and watching his big brother in-lieu of Oliver coincide with his playboy antics are a dynamic way of showing how fun a character he could be. It’s especially cool to get this only a few weeks removed from seeing him as a child; putting put to bed like Cindy Lou Who as his father abandons him to become a killer. Enough sidetracking. All of this is fun because everyone gets to wear wigs (by the way, Oliver’s hair is completely awful in these flashbacks) and be younger, but the idea that Oliver , as skilled and trained as he was at that point, could sneak through the city he live in his whole life, into a party with probably a hundred people that know him, kill someone , go into his own house without being spotted and hang out, is too much for even the most ardent Arrow defender.
The flashbacks served to show how Lance dealt with Sara’s death the first time, presumably, so we can show his progression as he deals with it a second time. He was an alcoholic, a fact made clear many times in season one. He couldn’t be consoled, cajoled, or told to stop by anyone, as most alcoholics do. The attempt here was to build a bond between him and Laurel, which has been conveyed tons of times throughout the show, much stronger than how it goes down here. I get this is the foundation to which those strong bonds were formed from, to show how much more devastating it is when Lance basically tells her to get lost at Sara’s grave. I’m not sure how we are supposed to react to this? The deal was not to tell her father because his heart could give out; but once we get here, it becomes Lance’s emotional response of giving up on his only living daughter, who betrayed him, that becomes the focus. Our flashback was step one; Lance turns to Laurel but she’s skipped town to be a lawyer for a huge law firm not working for the little man. Now, it’s happening again and Lance can’t deal. Usually on Arrow, this would be resolved next week if either character gets much screen time, Lance realizing he only has Laurel left, but I’m guessing this one will play out for a bit.
Meanwhile, on the island, Slade Wilson is back in the flesh, but he’s merely a plot device used by Merlyn to test the Queens’ killer instinct. I do like the fact that it’s now Thea with her hand on the trigger instead of Oliver, looking down the barrel at the man who killed their mother right in front of them, and she’s faced with the same choice Oliver was. Thea’s angry, and a lot more deadly than she was, but the fact that she makes the same choice Oliver did wasn’t near as surprising, but it’s a nice affirmation that they are on the same page, maybe truly, for the first time on this show. There’s a ton of significance to using Slade as this device, but I think there’s other ways to go about it. Hijack a League ninja and test them, lock them up in a Starling City prison block, I don’t know, I just don’t like the fact our main villain through all of Season 2 was put down so easily here. I understand he has limited resources, but even when Ollie takes a spike to the shoulder; they stop, talk and Slade is still there when he should be leaving the island! The fight scene was brutal, raw; something we haven’t seen a ton of so far this season so it holds weight, but I just wasn’t a fan of this choice. One of the most redeeming scenes though belongs to Slade; dude still holds a grudge for Shado (which I was praying he wouldn’t recount to Thea; snore) but his twisted mind is still sharp, playing on the sibling’s insecurities and teasing Oliver that once everyone else is gone, will he still exist; a true F U from Slade to Oliver. It was menacing and echoes a thought that may be very important later on.
Other Notes:
– Have we seen Diggle’s brother yet? I didn’t think so. Nice callback to something referenced a bunch in Season 1.
– Maseo guffawing at Oliver thinking putting his hood over his head would conceal his identity. Not a bad greasepaint idea though….Oliver’s got a good memory.
– Waller references her superior; then we meet General Shreve telling Oliver to help them a bit more and he’ll have carte blanche on where he can go. I’ll be honest; had to look this guy up, he’s a bit obscure. He’s actually a commanding officer of the Creature Commandos in DC Comics. Does this mean we’ll get an appearance by Frankenstein?
– Remember when Thea had a major crush on Tommy? Didn’t see any evidence of that one.
– Oliver mentioned there’s another prisoner in the ARGUS facility at Lian Yu; Captain Boomerang was put there, although I’d suspect him to show up in Central City in the near future.
We’re halfway through the season so what’s your guys and gals predictions about what’s going to be coming up in future episodes? Feel free to leave comments below.
Jessie Robertson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszH_jfuJoo8HCG1-lGjvfH2F&v=1QUX1lTmOqc&feature=player_embedded
Originally published February 19, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
