Magic comes to town on Arrow or, as this season has been subtitled so far, Legends of Tomorrow: Origins.
1. Constantine
Matt Ryan reprises his role from the failed NBC show, and brings John Constantine to Star City. Full disclosure: I watched only the pilot of Constantine, but I found Ryan to be charming and a pretty decent fit for the character. Here, my opinion didn’t change at all – Ryan does a good job, managing to be a little slimy, a little dangerous, cagey, and arrogant. Of course, he still looks like a theme park version of the character, with his tie undone far too perfectly and his hair perfectly coiffed.
But he did work for the show, and bringing him into the flashback was a smart decision on a few levels – it gave some history to the characters, it explained how no one else on the show knows him, and it also gave the flashback some meat to deal with, and I didn’t groan every weird transition to the past. That’s a win.
2. Diggle’s Brother
Finally! Diggle is given something to do that is interesting. John has been living his life trying to avenge his brother, a man he thought noble. By throwing a monkey wrench into the show by having the younger Diggle be a less than honest guy, it throws Diggle’s motivations into upheaval, and might give the character time to reflect and change his life path a little. Thank goodness.
3. So, Ollie’s Really Running for Mayor, Eh?
Yes, I am aware that the scenes with the political consultant was just to show that Ollie wasn’t going to abandon his friends, but I don’t think we really need to see any more strategy meetings. Sure, his mayoral run will lead to some interesting stories, but tactics and demographics really don’t need to replace superheroics week to week. Please?
4. Darhk Matters
I have to say, despite him being non Ra’s al Ghul, Damien Darhk is being presented as a charming and sly character. You can see why people are drawn to him – he’s got a nearly Malcolm Merlyn level smile, and while undoubtedly evil, he can also blend into regular society better than Ra’s can. He’s closer to Slade Wilson in terms of characterization, but closer to Ra’s in terms of powers. It is an interesting amalgam of the last two big bads.
5. The Legends of Tomorrow Problem
Aside from Constantine showing up – pulling from a cancelled show – everything this week is tilted towards building for Legends of Tomorrow, instead of making this season of Arrow really count. Now, I get it – both Sara and Ray started out on this show, and they are important parts of the overall mythos, but the fact that this was the season’s best episode is problematic.
I think that what helped this episode, besides all the guests, is the idea t hat this was about Team Arrow taking care of their own. Ollie calls in Constantine to help Sara, Felicity calls in Holt to help Ray, Lance even goes to Darhk to help Diggle. If the team can take care of each other, the season might be more than just one long brooding argument.
What did you think of this episode? Let me know in the comments!