Cayden James is ten million dollars richer, and all I got was a headache from trying to figure out this episode. Warning, spoilers follow.
1. Outsiders
While I love the name drop of a classic DC team, as well as appreciate a good S.E. Hinton reference, the team of Curtis, Rene, and Dinah is starting to bug me a bit, a whole one week in. First of all, they are relying on Team Arrow for intel, and willing to fight alongside of them, but not be part of the team? This seems incredibly juvenile to me, akin to every kid on the playground being the boss. I know that they have legitimate issues with Ollie + co, but let’s not forget why they got so mad: Ollie got word that one of the three had flipped and was acting as an informant against Oliver. So, Ollie’s team put them under surveillance, which the n00bs felt was over the line.
But their intel was right, one of them did flip. Yes, it wasn’t cool to go behind their backs, but it wasn’t for no reason.
On top of that, this week Curtis went behind their backs, and they forgave him faster than saying “God bless you” when someone sneezes. I get that they have a desire to be their own thing, but their own thing, as of yet, is nowhere near as effective as a larger Team Arrow. Swallow your pride, kids.
2. C’mon people, the disguise isn’t that good
I will never understand how Oliver puts on a hood and a domino mask, and the entire world forgets what the other 83% of his face looks like. Even his own son, who fucking knows he was the Green Arrow is fooled by it at ‘going in for a smooch’ range. I sort of love how old fashioned this is, but it is also incredibly silly.
I still don’t believe that if Bill DeBlasio wore that same outfit, every New Yorker wouldn’t be like “oh shit, why is the mayor a vigilante now?” When he was just formerly presumed dead playboy, it’s one thing. But this guy is on TV every five minutes. And, you know, has been accused multiple times of being the Green Arrow. My nearly 2 year old son knows its me making silly voices from another room, how does an entire city not get this? C’mon!
3. LOST REFERENCE ALERT
When Cayden came into Ollie’s office, he called himself “Ben Gale.” This is a d-d-d-d-d-DOUBLE LOST REFERENCE! Actor Michael Emerson, who plays Cayden James, played Benjamin Linus on the second through sixth seasons of LOST, but that’s not how we first met him on the show. He posed as a lost hot air balloonist named Henry Gale to try to infiltrate the survivor’s camp. When he introduced himself, I literally yelped.
I’m a child. Send help.
4. Paternal responsibilities
Speaking of children, this show has always been about the uneasy relationships between fathers and their kids, and this season is continuing that. Cayden James is going after Ollie because he believes his son was killed by a stray arrow from his quiver. But Oliver wasn’t in the country when that happened. Instead of simply saying this to James, the team is trying to prove it through [FelicitywastalkingsofastthationlycaughtpartofitanditwassomethingaboutaUSBdrivesserialnumberwhichseemslikeitwouldntbeanyrealhelpbutok].
If this whole season is murdery mayhem because of a misunderstanding, that will be a new low for the show.
Side thought, how is it that the show manages to keep its status quo, in terms of overall quality, when since Season 3, there has not been one really convincing big bad? This is part of the problem with choosing a character with a very limited rogue’s gallery to build a show around. Even with pulling in other characters’ villains (Ra’s al Ghul, Damien Dahrk), each new big bad just seems sort of slapdash, doesn’t it?
5. Trusting Vigilante? Really?
OK, I know that this show features people trusting the wrong people literally all the time, but trusting Vincent/Vigilante seems like a trap waiting to happen, no? Yes, he “tried” to tell Dinah, but then he also cold cocked her and left her bloody in the street. When she said “You’re working with Cayden James?” his first response should’ve been, “Nope, I’m undercover.” Done. Boom. Moving on.
But he didn’t – he kicked her ass instead. I cannot imagine this turns out well for the kids, can you?
