Arrow: Suicide Squad

What do you know, a Diggle-centric episode! Not to sound too cynical, but this show doesn't have a stellar track-record with Diggle. It's usually content to have him expound exposition (when Felicity isn't around) and ask Oliver if he's sure this is the right thing to do – and that's about it really. When he does get some attention it's usually in a romantic subplot that falls flat (sorry Carly) or feels incredibly retconned (hey Lyla).

And yet his rapport with Lyla certainly has more chemistry and potential than his awkward attempts to date his brother's widow, and the fact that she's embroiled in some pretty dodgy government dealings means she can bring some interesting storylines to the table. As in this case.  

After a booty call is nearly interrupted by Amanda Waller, Diggle is roped in along with Lyla to oversee the first incarnation of the Suicide Squad. Now, I'm not well versed with the DC comic book verse, and my familiarity with this unit is confined to what I saw of it on the animated Justice League and the recent movie trailer. But I do know it's a team made out of bad guys that are considered totally expendable, and that's it's a fairly popular component of this particular franchise.

Which means that this Diggle-episode not only gives him the honour of introducing the Suicide Squad to the audience, but lets him do so in a way that doesn't include Oliver in any capacity (him being too preoccupied with his own broody subplot). Heck, he even gets the flashbacks all to himself!

Showcasing Arrow's commitment to continuity, we get return appearances from Ben Browser and Sean Maher. Why is this impressive? Because Ben Browser's character has already died in the contemporary storyline, and Sean Maher is only brought back to be used as an example of what happens if the Suicide Squad doesn't follow orders.

Long story short, Diggle and Lyla are commandeered by Amanda Waller to get close to a man called Gholem Qadir whose life Diggle saved in Afghanistan. The man was a weapons dealer who apparently changed his stripes after his capture at Diggle and Lyla's hands, but who now is rumoured to be in possession of a nerve agent that Amanda wants secured (and in another nice bit of continuity, he was the buyer behind the attempted theft of the earthquake machine a few episodes ago).

To do this, Diggle needs to use the assorted skills of the Suicide Squad to infiltrate Qadir's house, find the nerve agent and return it safely it to A.R.G.U.S. (or so he's been led to believe). Over in the Diggle-centric flashbacks, we see for ourselves how he captured Qadir in the first place, how he met Lyla, and how/why he shot a young boy in the line of duty (an anecdote which I'm sure has been mentioned before).

In light of all this, the presence of Ben Browser's Ted Gaynor may seem a little superfluous (and they telegraph his later villainy a bit too overtly by making him a gross sexist) but the character actually fits in beautifully with the overall theme of the episode: how easily integrity and trust can be eroded when dealing with life's shades of grey.

Throughout this episode we see friends become enemies and enemies become allies. Diggle begins with moral indignation that the likes of Floyd Lawton are wandering around freely – only to be equally horrified at learning the way in which Amanda Waller is ensuring their cooperation (by activating explosions in their heads if they disobey). He's equally confused about his ex-wife's role to play in all this, as well as Qadir – who went from an enemy to someone who cordially invited him to his house for a party. Then there's his own position he needs to justify: that of a man helping a millionaire dispense vigilante justice on a nightly basis, as well as coming to terms with Deadshot's love for his daughter and desire for an honourable death.

Throughout all of this, Ted Gaynor's presence serves as a silent reminder that not everything can be put into simplistic "good or bad" categories. All done with a surprising lack of anvilling the audience.

It turns out that Amanda Waller has crafted a giant trap for the Suicide Squad, with the nerve agent far too big to carry out of the house, and Lawton's tracking device serving as a target for a drone strike that will destroy the house and everyone in it (as well as the nerve agent). For Amanda, this is acceptable collateral damage; but Diggle certainly can't bring himself to let innocent house guests die – or Floyd Lawton for that matter.

At this point things get a little daft, with Lyla cutting the homing device out of Deadshot's head with Bronze Tiger's claws while they rush down the street with a drone speeding after them, but hey – I give this episode credit for raising a lot of sticky questions and establishing an ambiguous grey zone without attempting to pass judgement on any of the characters involved.

It results in a busy but good episode, and one in which I could actually believe in the unlikely partnership that it offers: the one between Diggle and Deadshot. Despite the latter being the killer of the former's brother, Diggle is enough of a soldier to obey orders without putting up too much of a fuss, and that Deadshot was hired by a third party removes any It's Personal element from the assassination, which allows for a sense of detachment on both sides. Deadshot was the weapon, not the killer, and so a degree of respect and teamwork can creep in without such a thing feeling too unlikely. They'll never be friends, but they each see each other as a person and not a target.

All without Oliver's input. Fantastic!

***

Over in his subplot, Oliver is trying to cope with the realization that Slade is back and after revenge, and in doing so keeping Sara at arm's length. Contrary to Stephen's face, he's actually having horrific nightmares...

... which leads him to try and get one step ahead of Slade by discovering his whereabouts. He goes to the Russian mafia for help – by threatening them with violence and refusing to repay the favour he's demanding in exchange for any information. Because why have a single nemesis when you could have a whole posse of men ticked off at you?

Hilariously, he describes Slade as "rich, Australian, missing an eye" – three traits which really shouldn't make Slade that hard to track down by himself. Why is he trying to enlist the help of the mafia?

Still, the Russians lead him somewhere or other, where Oliver discovers a man shot through the eye and footage of Shado (how on earth did Slade get hold of THAT?) playing on the wall. At this point I'd like to point out that this is man-pain at its worst. Yes, that word has been horribly misused in recent years, but this is a dead woman being used to inflict emotional pain on a male character by another male character for no other reason but that one is pissed off at the other. Shado the person has been literally reduced to shadows on the wall in service of this male feud.

So after a little advice from Laurel (who is no doubt counting her lucky stars that they're no longer dating) Oliver comes to the conclusion that he can no longer do this alone – a lesson I'm sure will not be sticking around for very long.

And we end with Oliver going to Amanda Waller for any information on Slade. Forgive me, but I've honestly no idea whether we've seen them meet up before or whether all this is being treated as a big revelation. In any case, she finally gives him the lead he's been searching for, and we hear the first utterance of the name "Deathstroke." Now that reference, I understood.

Miscellaneous Observations:

Anyone else amused at how Diggle and Ted Gaynor were leading those people on what looked like a leisurely stroll through enemy territory?

Oliver discovers Slade's mask with an arrow through the eye – no doubt a reminder to Oliver (and a clue to the audience) as to how the real thing was lost. Something juicy is coming up in the flashbacks, I can feel it.

Surely they could have given Bronze Tiger something more to do than just drive the getaway car.

It strikes me as amusing that there are two eye-patched criminals running around Starling City. At least one is in custody.

As ever, Cynthia Addai Robinson captures Amanda Waller's coldness and efficiency, but I'm disappointed that the show couldn't bring itself to cast an older, big-boned woman instead.

Sara looked great in this episode. I'm not sure how or why (maybe it was her hair?) but she looked great.

Finally, cute cameo from Harlequin. Does this mean we can expect her showing up later down the track?