Arrow: An Innocent Man

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.

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