The episode opens with a massacre at Unidac Industries, where a valiant attempt is made to humanize the scientists killed at the Black Archer’s hands before we head into the real meat of the story. (It didn’t work, by the way – the geeky male scientist may have finally summoned up the courage to ask out his co-worker, but that still doesn’t make me particularly devastated by their deaths. Nice try though).
In the wake of this crime Oliver decides to go pushing for answers from Moira, and in a twist I didn’t see coming (hangs head in shame) organizes their kidnapping at “the vigilante’s” hands in order to extort information out of her. Just as I was about to roll my eyes at the ease with which kidnappers can break into the Queen mansion and make off with its inhabitants, I realized that it was all a setup.
With Diggle posing The Hood, Oliver is punched in front of Moira until she spills the beans on Malcolm’s Undertaking and what it means for the Glades. Since the very start of this show Moira has been characterized by her overwhelming (even misguided) need to protect her children – so it made perfect sense for Oliver to play on this Achilles’ Heel and endanger himself in order to get her to talk.
So I was fooled by this bluff – maybe because Oliver doesn’t even give her the slightest amount of time to respond to his confrontation at the house – but the fallout is going to be spectacular. Knowing that Malcolm Merlyn is behind everything gives Team Arrow the opportunity to plan ahead, but Oliver’s tactics are also a chilling reminder that mother and son aren’t all that different. This is the same woman that’s organised the kidnapping of her husband and the assassination of a business partner.
Meanwhile Roy and Thea are still on the trail of the vigilante, though Thea calls it quits pretty damn fast once Oliver gives them a warning (I don’t necessarily blame her, but still – after recognising that it “means the world” to Roy last week, this comes as a pretty abrupt choice). Still, I’m digging this subplot and I don’t even know why.
Perhaps it’s because this completely unrelated hunt actually makes the show feel richer and fuller, depicting as it does the effective Oliver’s activities are having on individuals on the wider community. I really feel for Roy’s need to find The Hood and learn from him (it’s exactly the type of corner-cutting behaviour you’d expect from a teen who doesn’t just want to get a job), and the added irony of him meeting his shadowy hero without even realizing it. Also amusing is that Oliver has no idea of how much of an impact he's made on him.
It’s always a fun moment when plotlines converge in any given show, and Roy/Thea coming face-to-face with Oliver in the foyer of Malcolm’s office building was a great sequence. You know what else is fun? Infiltration, and Team’s Arrow’s effectiveness in getting Felicity to the computer hub and out again was the highlight of the episode. Specifically the moment when Diggle tries to pass her off as Tommy’s clingy ex-girlfriend and she obligingly plays along: “But I love him! He’s my man!”
Elsewhere, Detective Lance is investigating the tragedy (that there is absolutely NO record of what the scientists were working on is a bit eye-roll-worthy, but we’ll let it pass) and bringing in Tommy for questioning (I kinda dug that camera spinning reveal). And it’s official – nobody knowing who Felicity Smoak is has become a running gag. It was all in Paul Blackthorne’s delivery: “who the heck is Felicity Smoak?” I guess this means she’ll be dragged in for questioning soon...
And for only the second time ever the flashbacks to the island are just as interesting as the contemporary storyline. After Yao Fei is coerced into giving away the position of Oliver, Slade and Shado (which is really their own fault considering they stayed in the remains of the plane), the four of them are taken to Fyres’ base (one day I will learn how to correctly spell his name) and helpfully told of his plans for the missile launcher.
In a development that is eerily – and quite disturbingly – reminiscent of the recent Malaysian Airlines tragedy, Fyres reveals that he’s going to shoot a commercial plane out of the sky in order to upset the Chinese economy, with Yao Fei on hand as a convenient scapegoat. And you can tell it’s season finale time as no one is messing around anymore: once Yao Fei gives Fyres what he wants he’s shot in the head.
Of course, both Slade and Shado have also been shot – though they don’t seem to be in much pain, and naturally Oliver is spared nothing but a slap around the face. I’m sure that definitely won’t have any bearing on how this situation gets resolved in the next episode.
But I was impressed that there was even some resolution for that random guy who turned up bleeding and sobbing at Oliver’s cave, crying for help. At the time Ollie decided it was too much of a risk to assist him, and in a surprising turn of events, it turns out he was right in his judgment. The guy was working for Fyres all along.
Being a Lost viewer, I was prepared for this to never be brought up again, and though I still think the whole subplot was a little superfluous, I give them a hefty dose of credit for wrapping it up.
And to flit back to Starling City, the final fight between Oliver/Malcolm was nicely done – just not quite as visceral as Oliver/Mr Blank. Though Malcolm’s words on unhooding the vigilante piqued my interest, as he says: “oh no.” Hmm. Why “oh no”? Is he thinking of Tommy? Moira? Robert?
Miscellaneous Observations:
It felt like there was a greater-than-usual effort to plug up potential plot-holes and loose threads in this episode, what with explaining how the vigilante got past Queen security so easily (obviously because it was an inside job), why the Black Archer killed the scientists so gruesomely (to divert police attention) and justifying Walter’s safety (Malcolm must have had him questioned and been confident that he didn’t know anything).
For the first time we get a glimpse of Fyre’s shadowy employer – and she’s in high heels. the plot thickens.
Nice touch: seeing Oliver give Diggle a tiny nod of acquiescence before he started throwing
punches.
The infiltration sequence was fun, but how did Diggle get a job as a security guard on such short notice?
Oh, and there’s a bunch of love triangle stuff. Oliver and Laurel sleep together and unfortunately do so in front of an open window so that Tommy can walk by and see them at it. Urgh. For female characters everywhere, I look forward to the day that writers finally learn that no one cares about damn love triangles. This one in particular feels horribly superfluous and shallow, not helped by the fact that Oliver actually uses it as nothing more than an excuse to get into the Merlyn building.
Equally baffling is Detective Lance and Laurel’s constant assertions that Oliver has “changed” when they’ve witnessed absolutely nothing for themselves to back this up.
All this aside, it's time to bring on the season finale...
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