Dig: "Just to be clear -- I'm not signing on to be a sidekick."
So Dig's joining up. The question is why? Plot reasons set aside, he is signing up with a potentially psychotic guy that runs around with a green hood and a bow and arrow. Yet at the same time, I can kind of see where he's coming from. Oliver is clearly skilled and driven. With the right guidance, he could be a powerful force for good. Dig could justify joining up with him just so he can keep Oliver on a leash until he's trained not to kill.
Which is good, because Oliver is in serious need of a mentor. And not one who teaches him how to kill, like the guy on the island. It's clear Oliver's still on that island emotionally. He's unable to really see the world beyond the rules and confines of that fight for survival. Perhaps logically he can see his surroundings, and make decisions based on what would have the least collateral impact. But that isn't the human way of looking at things.
Dig might be able to hone Oliver's skills, and teach him how to control the beast that he's become. But I think he needs someone to teach him how to be human again. Perhaps Laurel should be brought on sooner rather than later. Or maybe it should be Thea, although I'm not sure if she's mature enough to be a solid moral anchor for Oliver. I think that was the point of the case of the week. It was an effort to show our hero that there's more to his task than just taking down the powerful. Occasionally, he has to help the powerless.
I am glad the producers are taking their time to build up the relationships. No one should be jumping anywhere too quickly. So it's a bit strange that I like that they brought Dig in so quickly. It's probably because he would've been the first one to realize Oliver was off, so it made sense to make him the primary ally. Except with that cliffy, the whole crusade might be cut a bit short. Guess the shows over... right?
Bits:
The saga sell was a bit different, and a little better. Although I have to emphasize the word 'little.'
Ugh... Stephen did a better job with the voice-over this week, but the dialogue was just cheesy.
So the hero finally meets the heroine, or at least hero's alter ego finally meets the heroine. Or is Oliver really the mask? I'm thinking about this way too much.
2.6 million is a bookkeeping error? The rich really are different.
Last week Arrow had a Spider-man moment. This week, several Batman moments.
I'm glad Felicity isn't a one shot character, I thought her scene with Walter was great.
So Laurel was on board with Arrow for five seconds, for a moment I thought she'd figured out who he was. I thought that her conversion to Arrow's way of doing things was way too fast. So I'm glad that she changed her mind at the end of the episode, at least.
I loved Rob the bodyguard, especially when Dig was like, "He's already gone."
Laurel better get used to lying to her father, because if she's going to become Black Canary she's going to be lying a lot.
The plots are still a little too thinly sketched, too black and white.
Again, is Walter a good guy?
Prison guard ski mask disguise! With bow and arrows.
So Moira has the Queen's gambit, and is in league with Jack Harkness. Did we find out in the last episode that she sunk the boat? My short-term memory sucks.
Quotes:
Joanna: "You know, if you go somewhere that's not work or your home,
your odds of meeting someone increase by, like, a gazillion percent."
Laurel: "Oh, that's not true. I could still get mugged on my way home."
Joanna: "In that case, I hope he's cute and single."
Oliver (to Dig): "It does need to stop. And if it's not going to be the courts, and it's not going to be the cops, then it's gonna be me. And, I hope, you."
Joanna: "When I told you to meet someone, this is far, far away from what I meant."
Felicity: "The company Mrs. Queen, er, Steele, Mrs. Queen-Steele, does
she hyphenate? She seems like a woman who would hyphenate..."
Dig: "You are fighting a war, Queen. Except you have no idea what war
does to you. How it scrapes off little pieces of your soul. You need
someone to remind you who you are, not this thing you're becoming."
This episode was an improvement, and I think I get where things are headed. So I'm on board... for now. I just hope they can coax a bit more depth out of the characters, who seem to have that potential.
I may have to go back and change my ratings later on. But as far as this season has gone so far, I'd give this one...
3 out of 4 Incriminating videos.
Samantha M. Quinn spends most of her time in front of a computer typing away at one thing or another; when she has free time, she enjoys pretty much anything science fiction or fantasy-related.
Thanks for the review, J.D.
ReplyDeleteA good one.
Firstly, it is quite bold of the writers and producers to give out a connection (cctv of Ollie getting something out of the trash) btwn Ollie and the "Hooded Guy" early in the season.
It'll be interesting to see where they go with this.
I agree with you J.D., with the logic of bringing in Dig so as to be Ollie's mentor/anchor and not a sidekick as Dig made clear with Ollie. :)
I'm a bit worried for Walter though.
He might be nearing an early demise with his discovery.
And where is Tommy?
No mention about him in this ep.
I am very eager to see the next ep.
There should be a lot of things to tackle in next week's show.
Great review! I really liked this episode, it showed us they're (hopefully) not planning on dragging important things (like revelations) out forever à la Smallville. Dig finding out earlier rather than later seemed spot on, as did his initial rejection of Oliver's offer. I'm not surprised he changed his mind either, he's a man who needs a mission, and Ollie just offered him one on a silver platter!
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if the lawyers will get Oliver out of the mess he's currently in or will Dig doing by impersonating Green Arrow? We've seen that latter storyline before in other "superhero" shows/movies, I just can't remember which! In any case, if he's cleared in a definite sort of way then that should really provide a solid shield for Oliver to hide behind from the cops as a future suspect! Am I making any sense?
I was very curious of the preview they showed of next week's episode. Laurel wants to know the truth? About the tatooes or Green Arrow? Diggle yes, but I think it's too early to bring Laurel in. She needs further convincing that Green Arrow isn't a criminal, that he's helping people, before she'd consider being his (let alone Oliver's) friend and ally... Unlike Diggle she already has her mission, her purpose in life.
I totally agree CrazyCris, it's a bit early to bring in Laurel. You're probably right that they are going to do the classic; Arrow shows up while they have Ollie in custody. I'm a little worried that they are going to this well so early though, this is a stock plot and should really only be used for filler. We'll see if the producers can do something cool and different with it.
ReplyDeleteRosebud, I didn't even notice Tommy wasn't in the episode until you mentioned it. I guess I'm not that interested in that character yet.
Great review, J.D. I'm still enjoying this show, but Oliver needs a quick kick. His attitude annoys me sometimes, so I am hopeful that having Dig with him will help.
ReplyDeleteI really like Felicity and I hope they use her more often. Walter's face was laugh out loud funny during her ramblings.
I recently started watching this show, and so far I like it. To answer your question, yes Moira did say that she arranged for the boat to sink. (The advantage of watching on Netflix is I don't have to remember these things for as long.)
ReplyDeleteOne interesting thing that I noticed was that Oliver chose not to mention that his father shot the other person on the lifeboat with them along with himself. I see why he would leave that out, but I wonder if they're leading toward Oliver's father being incriminated along with the other rich people of Starling City, creating a conflict of interest for Oliver.
Also I find it funny how the prison guards just let the hood out of the prison
ReplyDeleteLike uhh why is one of our guards wearing a mask.....And carrying a bow and arrow
Ahhh that's just Mitch he likes too mess around XD