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Arrow: Green Arrow

"I am the Green Arrow."

Quick out of the gate, this episode established not only the new big bad, but also the new status quo. Which just so happens to include a brighter, more positive Oliver Queen.

I like this new direction for Oliver. He has finally become the Green Arrow, going so far as to announce it to the city. I wonder if people will buy the idea that this is a new guy, a vigilante taking up the mantle of the Arrow, but with a new agenda and modus operandi?

One thing is for sure, Quentin isn't thrilled by the prospect of Oliver and the Arrow returning to the newly dubbed Star City. I'm seriously troubled by the fact he is working for Damien Darhk, even if he doesn't have a lot of say in the matter. At least he didn't immediately jump at the opportunity to out Oliver. Probably because that would put Laurel in Darhk's cross-hairs.

Speaking of Laurel, she is obviously still growing into her role as Black Canary, but her fighting skills have most definitely improved. Thea has also grown, and looks great in her new costume, but her new aggressive tendencies cannot be a good sign. Are they a side effect of the Lazarus Pit? Or is it because of the pit crossed with exposure to whatever magic Darhk is using? Either way it is at least tackling the consequences of her experiences from last season.

Diggle is also coming into his own as both a leader and a new costumed hero. Even though his helmet is more like armor, he is pretty impressive with his gun fu. Is he dropping henchmen, though? I thought the team moved past that. There is also some movement on mending his relationship with Oliver as well, which is good because it was a mildly artificial break to begin with.

Unfortunately, it looks like we are going to lose a character soon. That tease at the end, pretty disturbing. It looked like it could be Felicity, but I think if it is her, Barry would've been much more upset than he seemed. So it probably has to be another character, someone that Oliver would grieve but Barry wouldn't be as upset about. And that is where my conjecture ends, because I don't want to be right about any guess, even though we do have a Lazarus Pit.

Flashback:

In the continuing saga of parallel story-lines, Oliver begins to truly embrace his inner darkness. Has a drink with Amanda Waller, who's pretty damn evil, and ends up back on Lian Yu. It is nice that the story has come around full circle. Since we are nearing the end of his five year journey on the island, I'm looking forward to seeing where his penultimate year takes him.

Bits:

The homebody stuff turned out to be pretty fun. Oliver running, cooking, and generally getting to pretend to be a normal person. Of course Felicity, addicted to the concept of heroism, is unable to fully abandon their mission. That being said, I like that the chemistry between them finally feels right, or am I the only one?

I liked that Lyla is already over the fact that Oliver kidnapped her. It clearly took the wind out of Diggle's outrage.

Ray Palmer has been memorialized, and the city renamed as per his dream. Unfortunately, it looks as if the city has fallen even farther into crime and poverty.

So what is up with the creepy altar that Darhk was praying to?

Quotes:

Laurel: "Speedy, behind you!"
Thea: "I thought I told you guys to call me Red Arrow."
Diggle: "A red arrow just means you can't make a left turn."

Oliver: "Felicity Smoak, you have failed this omelet."

This was a solid premiere, with a lot of cool potential ideas being thrown around. Introducing mysticism is a big thing for a show that has generally been more grounded in realism. I'm very optimistic this season will be a return to form, or hopefully an even better season then we've gotten before.

3 out of 4 Blood sacrifices to creepy altars

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.

6 comments:

  1. Lots of stuff to like in this episode. Oliver & Felicity are just lovely as a couple. I wasn't surprised to find out that Felicity had been helping Team Arrow Minus Arrow behind Oliver's back, and was pleased that Oliver didn't get all righteously indignant about it. I really hope they don't throw a bunch of contrived obstacles in the way of their relationship, I think they can keep them together without getting stuck in a rut creatively.

    I'm glad there was some progress towards repairing things between Oliver & Dig, but I'm also glad that it's taking more than one episode to completely patch things up between them. I also loved that Lyla's been more willing to forgive Oliver. It does make some sense, given Lyla's history working for Waller. She & Oliver bonded last season over having to make hard choices. I would VERY much like to see the first time Oliver comes face to face with her after his return to Star City. I have a hunch she'd give him one punch to the jaw, and then they'd be 100% cool. And Oliver would take it willingly. :)

    Clearly Damien Darhk has more in his bag of tricks than the waters of the Lazarus Pit, it'll be interesting to see what other mystical elements they introduce.

    Clearly they want us to be afraid that it's Felicity in the grave at the end, which of course has me thinking that it's someone else. I'd hate to lose any of the main characters, honestly. I'm kinda thinking it might be Quentin Lance in there. Quentin has made some sort of deal with the devil, and is already regretting it. He blames Oliver for making such a mess of the city, he might have used that blame to justify taking such an extreme action. Though honestly someone really needs to smack Quentin upside the head with a bit of logic when it comes to blaming Oliver. Does he forget that Malcom Merlyn's big plan to destroy the Glades was already in motion before Oliver came back to town? Heck, it was Malcom's fault that Oliver & Sara disappeared for so long in the first place.

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  2. I love that Oliver was the one content with domestic life and Felicity was the one who wanted to get back into the hero thing.

    I agree with Patrick in that it was so obviously supposed to be Felicity's grave that it couldn't have been her. At least that's what I keep telling myself. I was thinking about Thea (her Faith Lehane-esque behavior was certainly troubling) but I can't believe Oliver would let himself off the guilt train so easily if it was his baby sister.

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  3. The big bad Damien Darhk looks to have powers like Magneto and Diggle has Magneto's helmet. (Not liking Diggle's look! )

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  4. Maybe worth a mentioning in the "Quotes Section", Amanda Waller stealing a quote off Liam Neeson's Ra's al Ghul page from "Batman Begins" : "The world's too small for someone like Oliver Queen to disappear." ;)

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  5. Easter Eggs! We saw a brief glimpse of Green Lantern when Oliver was in Coast City ( Green Lantern's stomping grounds.). We also hear about Kord Industries again. Ted Kord becomes the Blue Beetle. Potential superhero shoutouts and crossovers everywhere!

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  6. just catching up... they obviously hinted it might be Felicity in the grave, and although I agree that Barry would have been much more upset had it been Felicity, I can't help but think ... would he come at all if it were anyone else?

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