My name isn’t Oliver or Emiko Queen, it’s Mike, and here are my thoughts on Arrow‘s “Training Day.” Will a rookie Oliver Queen be partnered up with a dirty, cynical, veteran who slowly tries to pull him into excesses and criminality? Or will this be Police Academy as Team Arrow shows the people they’ve spent the better part of a decade evading and beating up, how much better they are?
1. Teaser
When writing a TV script the stuff that happens before the title card/sequence is known as the Teaser. It does what the name implies. The one for “Training Day” was particularly good. It was just a quick montage of Team Arrow’s start to their day of training, but teased the drama that would be at the core of the episode, the differing methods between Team Arrow and the Police. The teaser being a different tone from the following acts was also a nice touch. The mood fit the time they had, while still being dramatically coherent.
I’ll admit I was a little bummed that the whole episode wasn’t just a riff on Police Academy. While Arrow still has the episodes for fun one offs, the should use them. Besides you could make riffing on various police genres a running gag. James Bamford probably knows how to recreate various stunts from Police Story as it is.
2. Reality vs Fantasy
As anyone who reads these remembers, I have been lamenting the at best awkward ethics (or at least PR appearance) of Team Arrow becoming the Judges … I mean deputized members of the SCPD. Vigilante stories are a power fantasy of self-reliance normally buttressed by an economic one (see Bruce Wayne, Ollie Queen, Tony Stark, etc.) This is a show that has two gun toting vigilantes that they want us to believe either don’t shoot people dead or use magic rubber bullets. They make a mockery of the police. Mixing the two together is not a good idea on many levels.
That oil and water solution does make for an effective culture clash. When faced with the problem of the Oz bullets Team Arrow’s answer is to break the law, they are now legally supposed to be upholding. From Ollie forcing a confession under duress from the evil CEO, to Felicity just hacking places and violating someone’s constitutional rights. Which is to say nothing of the kind of absurdity that occurs when Team Arrow and SCPD actually do a mission together. Excessive force is a real thing, I’m no legal expert but using a grenade seems like a bit much. Where did he get the grenade!? They never mention the grenade afterwards. The various blank expressions from the SCPD as Team Arrow tries to “help” and expedite things was very amusing.
As Team Arrow and SCPD chafe in their new partnership, it is worth noting how of the friction is realized. After their raid goes bust, Dinah’s answer is to turn things into Law & Order and play things by the book. Team Arrow isn’t made for police procedurals, although Arrow has plenty of procedural elements when it comes to the villain of the week plots such as this. Realizing the tension between the two groups through genre was a smart call by episode writers Emilio Ortega Aldrich & Rebecca Rosenberg.
Also, it is worth noting that Ollie really hates the whole situation, which is a bit of a turn after last weeks constant “you don’t have the authority” talk. Pending birth of Mia Smoak aside, his feelings on the matter actually make sense for the character. He wasn’t in control this episode, Dinah was the head of things and there was that sergeant. Ollie didn’t get to call his shots and live his self-reliance fantasy. He didn’t get to lead a team into battle he was just a solider who thought he knew better.
Of course by the end of the episode the two groups come to a dialectical conclusion that allows for this state sanctioned fantasy to continue. Team Arrow is now a special task force within the force, ironically called the Vigilante Task Force. No word yet if they’re going to get the SWAT theme.
3. Fantasy 1984 Style
Continued belowSpeaking of new ethically dubious behaviors, framed as heroism, Felicity is essentially inventing Prism on Venom. And best of all, Diggle thinks she should sell that tech to the corporations and governments of the world in the name of security.
4. Star City 2040: Adventures in the Flea Market
Going into season 7 I wasn’t sure what to expect from Ben Lewis and Katherine McNamara. Lewis doesn’t even have a wiki page and McNamara was in the TV version of Mortal Instruments. That isn’t a dig on the show, I find it to be a fascinating by product of fanfic, I just didn’t connect with her acting on the show. That early apprehension has subsided, Lewis and McNamara’s roles as the Not Quite Wonder Twins has me looking forward to the flashforwards. How many times have people looked forward to the flash plots on Arrow?
This time they have an adventure in a flea market looking for old tech from the eighties, which is complicated by their lack of team work. Which forms a nice mirror for the need between Team Arrow and the SCPD to come to some synthesis between the two parties. Eventually they work it out and get to listen to Mom, and promptly ignore her instructions. It isn’t like their Mom or Dad didn’t lead a life that mocked and degraded institutional authority or anything.
It is a good thing I find this thread so compelling as the seasonal big flashback/forward episode is next week with “Star City 2040.” James Bamford is directing that one so even money says there will be lots of action.
It feels like the Connor specific stuff belongs more in this section. So Connor Hawke, adopted son of Jon and Layla Diggle, is the biological son of Bronze Tiger. That’s cool and dose not bode well for Bronze Tiger long term.
5. Who Killed Diaz
Is anyone else surprised they answered that question so fast? Maybe this show is learning from past mistakes (see: Who Killed Sara, Arrow Season 3). Emiko is revealed to be the one who set the Dragon on fire. This fits the general use of Emiko and her comic Mom, Shado, from the Percy “Green Arrow” run.
The yet to be named Ninth Circle dose not appear to be using mind control, so how will Ollie and Team Arrow react when they find out their new vigilante friend/sister is as tarnished as they are? Knowing this show, they will probably find a way to justify these actions.
