Perhaps with a fire lit under it by The Flash, Arrow goes full on DC Comics Easter egg hunting this week.
1. Wildcat!
We all knew that Laurel was going to attempt to be a new Black Canary, so it only makes sense for Ted Grant to train her. This is the type of world-building that works so well on Arrow, as it excites long-time fans and doesn’t confuse new viewers. Wildcat is a lynch pin of the pre-“Flashpoint” DCU, but is one that has all but disappeared in the New 52 or, in other words, the type of character that both means a lot to some, and absolutely nothing to others, and therefore is a truly versatile and malleable character on the show.
2. Mia – Oh, That’s Clever
She got called “Speedy” last season, and now she’s going by Mia in South America and trained by an archer. I hope they don’t pull the trigger on this too early, but it looks like Roy might jump right to Arsenal (or Red Arrow) to make room for Speedy.
3. From Mark Shaw to Gerry Conway
This episode had so many winks and nods to DC’s history that it was almost hard to keep up. Felicity’s assistant is named Gerry Conway – Conway co-created the character in the 80s, when she was Ronnie Raymond’s stepmom. Mark Shaw, the A.R.G.U.S. operative that Diggle is sent to check up on was the third Manhunter (pre-dating Kate Spencer, who appeared, and died, last season on Arrow). His buyer is Milo Armitage, the man who was the step-father of Connor Hawke, Oliver Queen’s archer son (whose existence was teased last season). For longtime fans like myself, this makes the viewing experience far more rich and rewarding and, as with Grant, doesn’t distract new viewers.
4. Sisters are Doin’ it For Themselves
One of the knocks against Arrow has been its lack of focus/stuff to do for its female characters. This week, Laurel becomes a vigilante, Thea develops an insane pain tolerance, Felicity starts to emerge from the Arrow-cave as a valued member of Queen Consolidated, and Lyla sends Diggle to do her dirty work. I think that trend is safely being dispensed with, and it is all the better for it.
5. See You Next Tuesday
Felicity’s all like, “mah boyf is out of a coma, peace Ray,” which leads us nicely to the first of, hopefully many, crossovers between this and The Flash, and Palmer actually is the closest thing to a link between the two shows, tone-wise. The two shows, together, represent a much better hope than the DC Cinematic Universe, to bring DC’s characters to the screen – mmake the most of the crossover, folks.
