As the arrow turns…
I must say, both “Broken Arrow” and “The Fallen” delivered a very interesting turn of events not to mention some rather exciting stories. Things are really coming apart for Team Arrow now and nothing is predictable. Not a contrivance in the bunch. Well, mostly.
I do have one thing nagging at me. Why didn’t Ra’s Al Ghul save himself some trouble and go after Thea first? Wouldn’t that have been easier than ruining the Arrow’s run in Starling City and killing a lot of innocents in the process, not to mention save Roy from having to give up everything? After all, everyone knows that Thea is Oliver’s weakness and breaking point. Yeah, I guess that would have been a lot less drama, and this show does have 23 episodes to kill. Still, it’s kind of glaring.
Going off of what we were given though, I give the plotting some high marks. The way the whole “demise of the Arrow” played out was something out of Shakespeare, with everything cascading downward once the wheels were in motion. Our tragic hero lost his secret identity, his hideout, his trusty sidekick, and then worst of all, his sister. Now he’s losing his real identity. He went up against a foe far craftier and resourceful than he and in the end sheer will and determination, not to mention full support from his friends, didn’t cut it. Ra’s Al Ghul calls it facing destiny. I’m not sure about that since “destiny” got a huge push in this case, but it is something Oliver didn’t stand a chance against irregardless. It really sucks to be him right now.
Pissing off Captain Lance didn’t help either. He knew Oliver was the Arrow and was the one to blame for Sara’s downfall, but trying to convince the world would have cost him everything. It didn’t help that his own daughter was pushing from the DA’s office to clear Oliver’s name. He had to let it go, but he certainly wasn’t going to forget, ever. He would have never stopped. It cemented the fact that Oliver wouldn’t have been able to make a name for himself in Starling City anymore, which was exactly what Ra’s counted on. Something big is going to have to happen with Lance if we ever want to see Oliver resume his activities in Starling City again. It’s my guess that change of heart will have to come through Laurel somehow. Or maybe it never comes and suddenly the name of this show becomes Al Sah-him or Canary. Or maybe it becomes The Flash 2 given the frequent crossovers that have been happening lately. But I digress, because I thought Joe West and Lance working together was awesome (Cisco and Laurel, not so much).
Roy’s departure came as a huge surprise to me. He was willing to give up his life and let the world think he was dead in order to save Oliver, and he did it with full support from Diggle and Felicity. Diggle even made the whole thing possible by pulling the A.R.G.U.S. card, convincing me more than ever that Deadshot is still alive. They have specialists in death faking! I liked Roy but he was always next on my “spectacular sweeps related death” list. I guess I was half right. It’s my understanding Colton Haynes was only on board for two seasons and those were up. So welcome to the “special guest star” pool Roy. I hope you got to keep the red suit.
The journey in “The Fallen” was clearly Oliver’s, even though we were treated to a glimpse of Malcolm and Felicity’s harsh truths as well. I thought Malcolm’s warning about what the Lazarus pool does to the soul was very ominous, enough where I questioned where Oliver’s headspace truly was. He obviously wasn’t in a good place. When Malcolm said that even though it meant the loss of his only living child he preferred Thea’s death to her going through that, I took that to be a clear cut sign that no good could come from this. Oliver went on though, probably because the guilt and remorse was crushing him. Only time will tell which alternative for Thea was the best, but I’m speculating if Malcolm was healed in the Lazarus pool at one point (maybe when Oliver supposedly killed him at the end of season one) and he knows exactly what he’s talking about. I adored that in the end Malcolm was there by Thea’s side and refusing to leave her. I do wonder how much of that will play out this season and what will be saved for next.
Then there’s poor Felicity, who pretty much had to say goodbye to two lovers in one episode. I mean Ray is a nice guy and all, but he took the whole breakup a little too well don’t you think? He didn’t seem bitter at all and even offered his jet. I was hoping for a “get your own damn plane” response. I loved her scene with Ra’s Al Ghul. Interesting how he ended up being the one to push her to finally expressing her feelings, but it makes sense. He has that sort of charisma!
Yes, I heard the thunderous cries around the world from the Olicity shippers when the deed finally happened. In a luxury silk covered canopy bed too! That was quite a setting and I give kudos to the way that scene was shot. It wasn’t over the top. It was sweet, gentle, romantic, yet didn’t leave much to the imagination either. That’s exactly how you want a long awaited sex scene to go. Oliver seemed truly content when it was all over, until Felicity drugged him that is. She wasn’t going to let go but since this isn’t the end of the series, that passionate goodbye outside Nanda Parbat isn’t it for them by a long shot. How fast before she’s back? I’m surprised it wasn’t five minutes.
As for Oliver, I have to admit his resignation toward the situation crushed me. He was truly defeated and honored his agreement, no matter what crazy scheme his friends tried. I wonder if he was aware of the power the league has for stripping away your old identity and creating a new one designed to kill. There’s quite a bit of mysticism involved! I wonder how Sara was able to break away from all that. Maybe the same way Maseo was able to break through in this episode. I’m very interested to get this insider’s view behind the league, even if it causes Oliver some real torment in the meantime. Or maybe they can devote the currently useless flashbacks to the back story of a young Ra’s Al Ghul and we can find out how he was brought into the league? Also, how is Nyssa his daughter? Unless she isn’t his real daughter but some child he found. That would explain the “not my hier” thing.
So now we must call Ollie “Al Sah-him.” Good to know. Does anyone know the literal translation? I suppose it all depends what language we’re dealing with. Also, since I’m doling out wish lists, can we please have more scenes with Diggle and Maseo together? Speaking of Maseo, I refuse to believe his child is dead. I think it’s a Ra’s Al Ghul trick. I wish these pointless flashbacks would get to the part showing what happened and how Maseo got in this mess in the first place. Those flashbacks really dragged the episode down this week and served no purpose.
Three episodes left. Any guesses as to how Ollie gets out of this mess? Besides his band of misfits led by Nyssa trying to break him out so he can live life as a hunted recluse elsewhere? Any clue how he and Team Arrow get back to work in Starling City? At this point, a move to Capital City is about the only option I see. Hopefully we’ll find out before season’s end.
