We’ve come to the mid-season finale of Arrow and, as the show has done seemingly countless times since its debut, it makes it look like Oliver is backed into a corner he can’t possibly fight his way out of.
1. DJ Dipshit reference!
When I started reviewing Arrow, it was a bit of a weird show to jump right into, and it took me awhile to find my sea legs for reviewing it. The thing that turned the tide for me, when I felt like I was finally doing something right, was when I referred to Thea’s boyfriend as “DJ Dipshit,” and a few reviewers started using that term as well. So, to see Thea bring up that DJ – albeit without my moniker attached – it was a nice reminder.
But this week saw Thea’s most important show action in quite some time, acting as both aunt to William, and confidant to Ollie. One of the problems with the show expanding is that folks like Thea tend to get lost in the mix. Even when, like we will get to, characters break with Ollie, the show doesn’t often totally lose track of them. Not that it should, mind you, but I do wish that Thea had a little more to do.
2. Sad Curtis
I think that Curtis’s endless optimism is a nice touch for the show, but it is about time he started to show some real pain over the breakup of his marriage. When we met Curtis, he seemed like an unlikely vigilante, which is part of what made him such a fun addition to the show. But the depth of his character didn’t really show up until his husband left, and even now, it has been more of a reserve that the show will every now and then dip into, rather than a consistent piece of who he is. It’s good for them to go back to that now and then.
3. Mission Irreconcilable
The show didn’t even try to hide its Mission: Impossible homage today, down to Oliver being lowered above a pressure sensitive floor. The show loves to pay tribute to its favorite media, so this isn’t unprecedented, but the level to which this was a total rip-off was. At least change a little bit, Berlanti!
4. ReNARC
So, Rene is the rat. This isn’t totally unpredictable, as he had the most to leverage, in terms of what the government could hold over his head. Rene is one of my favorite characters on the show at this point because they’ve done a really nice job making him more than just a guy in kevlar who calls everyone “Hoss.” He’s a doting single father, a Billy Joel fan, a hockey enthusiast, a stress eater, and a loyal friend.
I think we all know that this isn’t the end of Rene and Team Arrow, especially as everyone, including Ollie, forgives him for his transgression. Now, Oliver isn’t exactly Mother Theresa, but it takes a real sense of compassion to allow his betrayal to not color the entirety of their relationship. Ultimately, Rene is kicked off the team not because of his turning informant, but because he didn’t follow orders in the field which, let’s be real, was sort of passive aggressive on Ollie’s part. This seems like breaking up with a partner over dirty dishes in the sink so you don’t have to tell them you’re just not into it anymore.
But Rene wasn’t the only one to quit – both Dinah and Curtis felt that spying on them was a bridge too far, and quit the team as well. Now, I get that, but it seems totally understandable from the Ollie/Diggle/Felicity perspective, doesn’t it? If anything, I think Diggle shoud’ve been under surveillance, too. Actually, I think Diggle’s betrayal would’ve had the most emotional impact, and would’ve been totally unexpected.
But hey, I’m not a writer on the show. Yet*
*brian (at) multiversitycomics (dot) com, Berlanti + co.
5. The ‘original’ three vs the B-list rogues
So its down to Ollie, Felicty, and Diggle against the lamest collection of bad guys known to man: Cayden James, Black Siren, Anatoly, Ricardo Diaz, Vigilante, and…Boots? I had to seriously look up who that last guy was, and I think that is who it is (The AV Club agrees). I mean, sure, this team could amount to something, but it’s going to take some time. James and Black Siren are fine, as is Vigilante. Anatoy is a thug, Diaz has shown very little, and Boots…wears high top footware? I don’t even know.
Anyway, that’s it until the new year. See ya in 2018!
