With tonight’s mid-season finale, Arrow continues to establish itself as a really fun, if not at times a little cheesy, romp through the DC Universe.
1. Slade is in Charge
I doubt anyone is really surprised by finding out that Slade Wilson got off the island, is powered by the mirakuru, and now has an eyepatch and salt and pepper hair. What is surprising is how pitch perfect Manu Bennett looked in the episode’s final minutes, and how satisfying the reveal of his status as the brains behind Sebastian Blood’s plan was. Again, this is hardly a shock, but Arrow has done pretty well thus far by doing the expected very well, and this episode continues that plan.
2. Solomon Grundy, Presumed Dead on a Wednesday
If you think this is the last we see of Cyrus Gold, aka Solomon Grundy, you’re high. But that was a fun reveal, with a more TV-friendly origin (because that whole “being murdered and thrown into a swamp” thing seems a little far fetched, even for this world), and sets him up as a nice villain to bring back in the future.
3. Barry’s Transformation
Speaking of more realistic transformations, tying Barry’s fateful lightning bolt to the S.T.A.R.Labs particle accelerator is a clever way to give him super speed while still tying the series to some sort of reality. Grant Gustin has shown, in only two episodes, just how perfect of a Barry Allen he will play. So many of the classic Barry tendencies are in place – his fanboy status (he took the name “the Flash” because he read Jay Garrick comics as a kid), his propensity for being late, his good heart, it is all there. And by creating/procuring a mask for Ollie, his future costume is plotted out. This is one of the finest backdoor pilots I can recall – nice job, Arrow team.
4. Roy’s Journey
With Roy now injected with the mirakuru serum, he seems to be arching towards a heel turn, in pro wrestling parlance. Ollie seems to be pretty set on keeping Roy safe, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a big chunk of this season (and perhaps even next) focused on keeping Roy on the straight and narrow. Perhaps Ollie will accomplish that by bringing him ever closer into the fold, to keep an eye on him. Maybe as, say, his sidekick?
5. Those Pesky Ghosts
Two more ghosts and they’d have owed our pals Chris Mooneyham and Frank Barbiere some royalties, am I right?
But seriously, having Ollie’s past come back to haunt him was a wise move for a few reasons – it reminds us of his reasons for risking his life each night, it connects him to Diggle in a real meaningful way, and it starts to show some cracks in Ollie’s armor. He’s the teflon hero lately – nothing sticks to him – but bringing him back to the world of normal folks does wonders for the show.
The show is on hiatus right now, but I’ll be back on January 16 reviewing the first installment of the back end of the season. Until then, happy holidays!
