Count Vertigo was back in business this episode. instead of haunting Oliver, the focus was on Laurel. This was rather fitting as we got to get a bit deeper into Laurel’s mindset as she settles deeper into her role as Canary. As much as one would hope that we have understood the motivations behind Laurel’s actions considering they are hardly veiled, we were forced to fully confront them this week. Laurel is saddled with the guilt of not living up to her sister’s legacy. As much as laurel tries, she will never be Sara with the skills and training. That doesn’t mean that she can’t continue to work and develop as a hero in her own right. That said, we really didn’t need to be hit over the head with Laurel’s reasoning. There were a few things that did come from hitting the nail on the head again. First was the fight sequences between Laurel and Sara. They were short and often a bit one sided, but it was nice seeing Caity Lotz back again. The other big plus is that Laurel will now finally be able to move on with the fact that Sara is dead and that it’s time she accept that rather than let it fill her with guilt.
I will admit that I didn’t fully expect Quentin to figure out that Laurel was the one masquerading as Sara. It was a relief that he did piece the two facts together based on the information he now had from Sin and thinking a bit harder on the situation. After they made Quentin actually incapable of telling his own daughters apart, I wasn’t sure they were going to give him the ability to figure it out. That said, it was nice he figured it out before he finally learned the truth about Sara.
Characters on Arrow fluctuate between being played a fool and being almost too smart for their own good. Thankfully, they rarely are so smart that plots become contrived, but they do tend to have flopping opinions and this week was Thea. To be honest, Thea has never been the strongest character. She’s always been the one character most likely to change her allegiance if the wind changes all depending on how the plot necessitates her to behave. Tonight was no different. After Oliver finally did reveal that he is the Arrow, she seemed to immediately flop from her Daddy Dearest defense stance to wanting absolutely nothing to do with Merlyn. While I’m glad she’s come to her senses, it also doesn’t make complete sense.
Also in regard to Thea it was almost strange that she flew into the arms of her DJ. It just seemed off that now that she was let in on secrets and her perspective on things changed, she also opened the door to someone she didn’t truly know. It was a dumb move and when he decided to attack at that moment when she could have been most vulnerable she staved it off long enough for both Roy and Merlyn to come to her rescue. What I didn’t expect was for her League of Assassin’s assailant to kill himself. Then again, he was part of the League.
Let’s just end this discussion by mentioning Oliver. he was out of the pictures for the majority of three episodes. He returns for one and by the end he’s going off again. It was a quick visit I suppose. However, it does show more growth to Oliver’s character. We spent a much of the first half of the season with Oliver playing the protector to those he cares about. On one hand, that is no different that what he’s been doing since the beginning of the show, protecting those who need it. However, this season he’s been fighting to protect the people who don’t necessarily need it. He’s been trying to police people to keep them from defending and fightin but staying safe. It makes sense that he would feel this way after what happened to his mother last season and the turmoil with the events involving Deathstroke. That said, it’s major progress that he’s able to now let go a little bit and let others handle things. He can now trust his partners and that is going to open up for a lot more potential storylines. Accepting that Laurel is going to fight for the city is the step he needed to take.
What did you think of the episode?
So, I pondered... 