This hour wasn’t Arrow‘s finest, but there were still some strong, and worthwhile, moments. As always, be warned that spoiler talk is ahead.
1. WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO BE BRANDON ROUTH?
It almost isn’t fair – he’s the most charming human being to ever walk the Earth, he can do a double salmon ladder, and he gets to kiss Felicity. WHYYYYYYYYY?
Oh, I’m cool now.
Ray Palmer has been one of the best handled characters on the show – he walked onto the set fully formed, without any of the growing pains that many of the other Arrow characters had. He is at the same time a brilliant scientist, an awkward guy, a cutthroat businessman, and a superhero in the making. With tonight’s mention of Dwarf Stars and an actually “Atom” suit, the show clearly has big things in story for Ray Palmer. An archer vigilante is one leap of believability the audience has to make, but a shrinking man could be a bridge too far if not handled properly. Thankfully, that hasn’t been the case yet.
2. An actually compelling Cupid origin
I still think having an in love archer with an obsession a little too, pardon the reference/rhyme, stupid, for the show, but they handled Cupid relatively well tonight. Her past as a SWAT cop makes her “six months ago a damsel in distress, now a killer with no traceable information” transformation a little easier to swallow. Part of that is Amy Gumenick being comfortable chewing the scenery and going way over the top. The downside of this is that she appeared, at times, to be a poor man’s Harley Quinn, instead of her own character.
But that was made up for with small touches – having her “Felicity” be a schlubby dude with a beard was hilarious, giving her an actual psychological condition was a wise move (even if it probably trivializes the ailment for those that actually suffer from it), and allowing her to be a part of the Suicide Squad going forward all contributed to a better than advertised villain, even if it led to, perhaps, the weakest hour the show has done this season.
3. People love that one word to that one song
All of the Verdant stuff was a huge waste of time tonight. Anytime DJ/club culture is tried to be shown on TV, it appears unbearably stupid and misunderstood. Having a DJ be able to just walk into a club, plug in his iPod, and instantly transform a room is silly to the point or ridicule. Add to that the fact that, as the header alludes to – at the FIRST WORD of a popular song, the crowd goes apeshit, and things look even dumber. If the key is just playing popular music, then Thea’s Spotify playlist could have actually done the same thing, and done so for $10 a month (you’ve gotta go premium, bro) and not half the gate.
Also, the DJ, Chase (which I only know from IMDB, as I don’t think his name was actually spoken), kissing her at the end? That is the most CW thing that has ever happened on this show, and this show has featured a lot of CW things.
4. Shouldn’t Diggle be wearing a mask?
I realized with this episode that Diggle has, essentially, given up on life. Hear me out – he follows around a broke vigilante who can’t pay him, and who doesn’t even afford him the “disguise” of a small mask that he bought for his younger, more physically gifted, whiter protege. The portrayal of Diggle is really troubling this season, who still is called, while on missions, by his last name, and who essentially wears business casual when out fighting crime. He is the least cared for, considered, or built up character on the show. There is a part of me – a very small part of me – that would even consider their treatment of him borderline racist, but I’m not going to go there, as I truly don’t think that is what the show is trying to suggest. But they need to fix their Diggle problem, and fix it fast.
Continued belowBut we still got his strongest character work in a long time, by allowing him to talk to Felicity like a human being and not just a “give Oliver what he needs” machine, whether that be backup, or a place to eat, or an honest advice generator.
5. Another improved Hong Kong sequence
I would still be far more comfortable with a show set totally in the present, but the show seems bent on keeping a flashback element to the episodes, and if that is the case, then I’m glad that they are at least making Hong Kong slightly more interesting now. Sure, there was a lot of breath wasted on laundry, but we also finally got to see Katana unleash her blade, and some semblance of character growth from Ollie, as well as an admission that he needs to learn how to wash his own skivvies. Separate the colors, and wash in the appropriate temperature, and you’ll be fine, dude.
