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Arrow: Deathstroke Returns

"Under certain circumstances, I'm not so nice a guy."

It took me a long time to wrap my head around this episode. Did it want to be a Deathstroke redemption story, or possibly about Dinah's lesson in forgiveness? Unfortunately, what I think it was mostly about was laying the groundwork for the rest of the season.

The Good

Don't get me wrong; there was a lot to love here. And I loved everything about the Deathstroke storyline. Watching Slade see-saw between the dark and the light was fascinating. He honored his promise to Oliver to keep him away from the violence to the extent that he drugged Oliver to do so. He slaughtered a dozen or so mercenaries but was willing to join them if it meant saving his son. Then there were the quiet moments between Slade and Oliver as they attempted to reconnect with each other. Slade may believe he's a monster not worth saving, but despite all that he's taken from Oliver, Oliver doesn't agree.

However, just because I loved the storyline does not mean I approved of everything Slade did. I'm going to go out on the limb and say combining an assassination mission with a father-son camping trip is not cool. Especially since it appears Slade and Joe were already having trust issues. Parents always think they can protect their kids by keeping things from them. It's very seldom the case.

On the flip side, the Vigilante is Dinah's ex? I gotta tell you; I did not see that coming. I know I could be in the minority here, but I thought Dinah's anger was completely justified. She spent the last four years trying to avenge Vincent's murder when he couldn't be bothered to let her know he was alive. Oh, and let's not forget that regardless of the fact Vincent is on some mission to extract justice he has no qualms with innocents getting caught in his crossfire.

That said, Diggle is not off base when he claims that some of her anger might be misplaced. I think knowing what Vincent has become has made it harder for Dinah to forgive herself for the things she did in his name. But that doesn't mean she's not worthy of forgiveness, and given that Vincent literally took a bullet for her, he might be worthy too. My only issue with this storyline is that Diggle makes it clear that he believes Vincent is worth giving a second chance even when Dinah just wants to "put him down." So when she has proof that there is something left of the man she loves, why does she keep it from the team?

The Not So Good

Does anyone doubt that this vigilante referendum will pass? I'm not necessarily adverse to this storyline as it will create plenty of conflicts for Team Arrow throughout the season. I just wish they would vote already.

Then there's Agent Watson and her continuing investigation. I loved the introduction of the badass woman who saw through Team Arrow's shenanigans. But we are six episodes in and we are in the same place as when we started. She's still a badass who seems to see right through them. Where are they going with this? We know that eventually, she'll find something to trip them up. But at the end of the day they'll find a way out of it, right? Right now my money is on their cell phones. Maybe I've watched too much Person of Interest but Felicity getting that text in Agent Watson's office filled me with dread.

Overall I thought it was a good episode, but it posed more questions than it answered and was mostly setup for things to come. So, I'm going to go straight down the middle with this one? What do you think?

3 out of 5 Arrows

Parting Thoughts:

Diggle should know better than to pick up a casing without gloves.

It was a nice call back to Yao Fei.

When the twig snapped I was expecting to see Joe.

Quotes:

Oliver: "Be the mayor till I get back. "
Rene: "For real?"
Oliver: "No, it's just a figure of speech. Just don't make any laws while I'm out of the office, okay?"

Diggle: "You ok?"
Curtis: "Look at the face. That is not an ok face."

Oliver: "I wanted you to tell me not to go."

Slade: "She's brilliant. So, how did you get her?"
Oliver: "I ask myself that every day."

Rene: "How about we not worry about this when we are in the lair of a psycho killer?"

Vincent: "I'm not the only one wearing a mask."

Shari loves sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, and anything with a cape. 

4 comments:

  1. Terrific review, Shari. Yes, exactly. I love Manu Bennett, but the Vigilante is Dinah's ex? Where the heck did that come from? And really. Who carries out a hit while on a camping trip with their kid? No wonder his son is screwed up.

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  2. The relationship between Oliver and Slade may be my favorite thing on this show so I'm happy whenever they are together for good or ill. But you're right, Joe didn't stand a chance if that was his upbringing.

    And the Vigilante was introduced five episodes before Dinah was. I looked it up because I'm sick like that.

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  3. And the Vigilante was introduced five episodes before Dinah was. I looked it up because I'm sick like that. Which is what makes a good reviewer. :)

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  4. I kept thinking Slade would kill his son in the rampage through the base. But alas the predictable twist happened.

    Actually it's refreshing the Vigilante is someone we did not know apart from that one flashback when he supposdedly died. I'm tired of secret identitied turning out to be someone from the cast.

    ReplyDelete

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