Arrow is back and, like any show in its fifth season, has a lot of lingering plot threads to pick up. Let’s see how many they get to on week one.
1. I’m glad Felicity isn’t a goddamned fool
Look, I know Oliver has been through a lot. I get that he has consistently lost folks that he loves, and that he gives all he can for the betterment of others. But when your dead pal just shows up, she’s probably not really your dead pal. You could tell Felicity wasn’t buying it as soon as the shock wore off, and thank goodness she was sane enough to be suspicious.
Now, granted, I forgot that there was a Laurel doppleganger on the planet (more on that later), but Ollie shouldn’t forget that fact, and neither should Felicity. That seems like the first thing that would cross my mind in that situation. My wife has identical twin brothers – if one of them died, and then someone showed up claiming to be them, I would first guess it is his twin. But I guess that my advanced intellect wouldn’t fit in on a team with two legitimate geniuses.
2. Russian guy summarizes the plot
[adopts bad Russian accent] “So Oliver, you’re telling me that you have one love, but are avenging another? And that you were on an island for some time, yes? And that you are no longer the man that was once on that boat with your father? And that you are now a master at hand to hand combat, yes?” [/bad Russian accent]WHY ARE THE FLASHBACKS STILL A THING? Most of this week’s flashback was just a recap of the first part of the season while Ollie gets increasingly bloodied in an interrogation chair. The Russian dude whose name I can’t be arsed to remember literally laid out Ollie’s 2010 love life, in only a slightly less clunky way than I did above.
Sure, the last second reveal of Talia al Ghul is interesting, and will move the plot forward, but did we really need to have all those awkward fades from Felicity’s hand to a thug’s hand, just to have literally nothing happen until the last minute of the flashback?
3. There are so many dopples
When the first visitor from another Earth popped up, it was an exciting proposition. At this point, it is unfair to call it old hat, but it has certainly lost the novelty that it once held, to the degree that not only did I – someone who has seen literally every episode of the CW superhero shows – forget that Laurel had a dopple on this planet, but so did Ollie and Felicity. This means one of two things: they either need to remind us of their presence more often, or stop introducing more dopples. I can’t really see either happening, so get used to the this exact plot point being revisited in a few years.
4. Diggle’s plot was…not boring?
By introducing Adrian Chase into Diggle’s storyline, it managed to be interesting for the first time in..well, ever I guess. Chase is a hell of an attorney, and his ruse to get Diggle to be held in Star City showed both his legal skill and his crusade for what is right. I am starting to think that he might stick around on the show beyond this season. Speaking of that…
5. Rebuilding the team
By initiating the search for a new Black Canary, allowing Curtis to focus on what he’s good at (being a super genius), and with Adrian’s increased presence, the team’s lineup is getting to an interesting place. Now, I’m sure Thea and Diggle will be back eventually, but I’m actually fine with neither of them suiting up for a spell. Ragman (loved his use of dybbuk, just to remind us of his Jewish background), Wild Dog, Mister Terrific, and a new Black Canary – along with Felicity on the ones and twos – is a good sized team for the show. Throw Vigilante in there and it might be getting a little crowded (and dude heavy), but it works.
This season of Arrow continues to be the best since the second, and the fact that they were able to do interesting things with Diggle, Felicity, and Laurel tells you that the show isn’t quite done yet.
What did you think? Let me know in the comments!
