If Oliver needed proof that he could not and should not be working alone, he need look no further than Docket 11-19-41-73 in which even the dead came back to help him. Sort of.
Let's go down the list.
Diggle may not be able to work with Oliver, but his love and respect for the man leads him to take on the Kasnian army all by his lonesome in one of the absolute coolest and least plausible entrances I've seen in a long time. If you'd forgotten that Diggle was a badass, here's your reminder. We soon learn that his rescue mission was all in service of getting Oliver acquitted.
If it hadn't been for the promo and photos plastered EVERYWHERE, I would never have guessed Dig's big reveal was Tommy Merlyn. It was an awesome twist that would have saved Oliver's bacon in the hands of almost any other writing team. I could see a world in which Tommy's story mirrors Oliver's; being a vigilante to right his father's wrongs, taking Roy under his wing as a means to protect his sister, and working with his former girlfriend, the Black Canary. It would also explain Oliver and Laurel's reluctance to reveal his identity. That said, I love that The Powers That Be were ballsy enough not to end the trial there. Instead, they give Diaz proof that the whole thing was staged.
Oliver may not be on Rene's list of favorites but his guilt over his part in Oliver's predicament is eating at him. He vows to make amends but is thwarted once again as Diaz appears with Zoe in tow. Oliver takes one look at Diaz and lets Rene off the hook. The non-verbal dialogue between the two fathers was one of my favorite moments of the episode. As Oliver once said, "There was no choice to make." It's fitting that Rene is the one to find a way to save Oliver in the end.
Dinah's defense of Oliver had as much to do with self-preservation as it did with keeping Oliver out of jail. Still, she offers Felicity her support and tries to do right by Oliver when it came time to testify. It's only when she is threatened with a murder charge that she is forced to plead the fifth. And unfortunately, Curtis was a non-entity with a serious case of FOMO.
Quentin gave his testimony in the court of public opinion doing his best to win the hearts and minds of the people of Star City. He uses his position as Mayor to garner an interview in which he proclaims that Oliver is not the Green Arrow. Using the fact that he once arrested Oliver for this very crime as evidence.
It's no surprise that Felicity would take any opportunity to defend Oliver and if she hadn't volunteered that Oliver couldn't be the Green Arrow, she might have avoided perjury. Oh, wait, no. She was asked about her cyber crimes, and she said there weren't any. Another one of the long list of felonies she's committed for Oliver. Oops.
But wait, there's more. Dr. Schwartz defended Oliver, claiming that she was so focused on saving Laurel's life that she never saw the Green Arrow's identity. Even Jean Loring goes above and beyond. Once she knows that Oliver is the Green Arrow, she is obligated not to lie about it to the court. That includes asking questions of witnesses when she knows they will lie. To do so risks disbarment. Yet, she does so repeatedly in an attempt to get the acquittal that Oliver demanded. It must also be mentioned that although Christopher Chance may have been paying off a debt to Diggle, he took a mighty big risk by donning Tommy Merlyn's face and appearing in that courtroom.
I would like to take credit for predicting that Laurel would choose her father over Diaz but honestly, I don't think she did. She chose herself. Laurel came to Oliver's defense because she no longer wanted to be anyone's pawn. While that may have been what Quentin wanted for her, it certainly doesn't mean she's about to follow in Earth 1 Laurel's footsteps. Speaking of Quentin, for someone who vowed to protect Laurel he's got a funny way of showing it. First, he talks her into standing up to Diaz and then lets her take him on without any backup. Normally, I'd be asking why Diaz hasn't killed her already, but his backup plans have backup plans.
Oliver refuses to admit that he's the Green Arrow because he dreams of a day when his mission is done, and he can live his life in peace. What does that look like? There will never be an end to crime. Not wanting a target on his family's back is far more plausible especially considering Diaz's most recent vow. The best Oliver can hope for is to be able to pass the mantle on to someone willing take up where he leaves off. "Back to Basics" aside, he now has plenty of choices.
I leave it to the legal experts to determine how realistic the trial was. For my part, it felt like a step up from Laurel's trials of the first season or State vs. Queen. My biggest issues – the fact that most of Alexa's evidence was likely tainted or that her line of questioning with Dinah would probably not have been allowed – can be chalked up to Diaz owning the police, the judge, and the jury.
The question of Oliver's secret identity has once again been laid to rest although if he had known the consequences, he might have chosen prison. At least now he knows who his friends are.
4 out of 5 Perjury Charges
Parting Thoughts:
Yay Colin Donnell!
In case you were wondering 11-19-41-73 is the first appearance of the Green Arrow in comics.
Intergang is a crime organization in Metropolis, and Bruno Manheim was one of its members.
So Felicity's Dad is reformed? I bet the authorities might have a room at Iron Heights waiting for him anyway.
Spousal privilege? If Felicity wanted that. She wouldn't be testifying.
Oliver knew about the plan but didn't know Chance would take Tommy's face. Who was he expecting?
The fact that Oliver was in Russia and Hong Kong is now out in the open. I'm surprised they got the photo but didn't subpoena Susan Williams. Maybe Carly Pope wasn't available.
The irony of Rene possibly being brought up on perjury charges for being the only one to tell the truth.
I believe Oliver when he says he was sorry that Rene felt he couldn't be honest with Oliver when Agent Watson leaned on him. Oliver has always been good with people coming to him with bad news. He does NOT do well with people keeping secrets unless their last name is Queen or Lance.
Catherine Dent has been making the superhero rounds this season. First Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and now Arrow.
Quotes:
Dinah: "Curtis, please don't tell me you have FOMO because you weren't subpoenaed?"
Curtis: "Yeah, I have major FOMO. Don't I rate?" (FOMO= Fear Of Missing Out)
Curtis: "This is bigger than the O.J. Trial."
Quentin: "Oliver might just pull this one off."
Laurel: "You want to put money on that."
Laurel: "You think your Laurel would have stood up to Diaz?"
Quentin: "I know it."
Laurel: "Well, maybe if she had been a little smarter, she wouldn't have gotten herself killed."
Laurel: "This would move a lot faster if you would stop talking in circles."
Diaz: "You don't have a poker face."
Felicity: "He's not going to jail, Raisa. He's not the Green Arrow."
Raisa: "I think we both know better."
Oliver: "I thought that one day my mission would end and I would finally, after all this time, I would get a chance to live my life."
Tommy: "I'm just the Green Arrow. And I'm telling you that I'm the only man that has ever worn this hood."
Tommy: "Guys, on the way to Iron Heights, do you think that we could stop at a drive-through? I am starving."
Christopher: "I think I bought you a perjury charge."
Rene: "A small chance to take for a clear conscience."
Felicity: "So when you said I didn't need to take the chance of lying, that was a pun."
Oliver: "I don't do puns."
Christopher: "Always happy to help. Just try not to need me again for at least another year."
Oliver: (looking at Rene's gun) "You can take a shot at me if you want to. Just, it's going to ruin me saying thank you."
Laurel: "I'm smart enough to know there's no place I can run where you won't find me."
Shari loves sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, and anything with a cape.
Great to see Tommy again, but Human Target getting the main character off the hook in court feels exactly the same as Elongated Man getting Barry out of the same predicament this season. Maybe the writers of both should compare notes more often then just once a year for the crossover each year. ;)
ReplyDeleteWow, that' true. it's the same method both shows used to get Oliver and Barry off. But at least Oliver got a better trial and had a better lawyer; instead the farce of a trial that Barry got and the incompetent lawyer he had.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see Tommy again though, even though it's not really Tommy.
Oliver could have avoided a lot of his troubles if he didn't recruit Rene and Dinah in the first place.