Courtesy of The CW
It’s time for Arrow to go on vacation. Let the sun, sisters…and stolen codes begin?
Let’s bitch it out…
Let’s just get this out of the way right off of the bat. The adventure to recover the stolen ARGUS codes is totally boring. It may end up turning into something later this season since Amanda Waller is playing a prominent role and the rogue agent infers that she’s shadier than we know. But this feels like the definition of fluff, designed to fill the time between attempts to coerce Thea (Willa Holland) to come home to Starling City.
Obviously there’s a thematic tie-in with the Thea storyline: the impetus for this mission is to protect Diggle’s (David Ramsey) family because they’re being threatened by the sale of the codes. The fight scenes between the rent-an-army and Team Arrow is impressive, albeit completely absurd (why are they using their hands?!), but let’s be clear: this episode exists primarily for one purpose. ‘Corto Maltese’ serves to reintroduce Thea and Malcolm (John Barrowman) and show that Thea has “changed”, which apparently means she can handle a blade, withstand boiling water and still whine like the best of them.
Aside from that, it’s a bit of a bust.
Courtesy of The CW
Other Observations:
- I like that Laurel’s (Katie Cassidy) exploits as the faux Canary don’t go according to plan. (With that said, she did smack that perp with a baseball bat a few times, so it’s something of a surprise that he basically just beats her down and leaves her hospitalized). I just wish that the resulting conversation with Oliver had played out in a more convincing fashion. Not only is Cassidy’s delivery really poorly delivered, Oliver’s weak excuse that her dead sister wouldn’t approve is…weak. Still, the train has left the station and Laurel is firmly on board now that she’s enlisted training from Sweaty Gym Body.
- Side Note: I love how Lance (Paul Blackthorne) inadvertently keeps rubbing Sara’s death in Laurel’s face.
- Anyone surprised that Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh) appears to be evil? I figured as soon as he was introduced that he would be, but I hoped that for once a character who comes in to Queen Consolidated wouldn’t be a villain. But the gleeful looks Palmer sports while looking at those weapon designs suggests he won’t be the one to break the streak.
- Is it just me or has Roy (Colton Haynes) gotten dumber?
- Finally, everyone catch The Flash tie-in when Felicity is surfing “The Streak Live”, the website dedicated to Barry Allen’s exploits in Central City? Cute, but not obvious. Plus it sets up the Felicity/Flash cross-over we’ve been waiting for.
Best Lines:
- Felicity (when Laurel calls her): “Are we favour friends? Are we friends?”
- Laurel (explaining her fantasy dress-up to Ollie): “She gave me this and when I wear it I want to help people.”
- Roy (when Oliver observes Thea is different): “Her hair is a lot shorter.”
Your turn: was this episode a waste of time? Are you glad to see Thea again? Has Malcolm brainwashed her? Is this the beginning of a larger arc about how evil Amanda Waller is? And has Roy gotten dumber? Sound off below
Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8pm EST on The CW
Roy was never that bright. Thea, Roy, and Katie Cassidy’s acting are probably the weakest part of the show right now.
Sweaty gym body is Ted Grant known as Wildcat in the comics (if you’re a fan of Smallville he briefly appears in the two-parter Absolute Justice).
My favorite parts this season have been when Brandon Routh has been on screen with Felicity (I am also a fan of John Barrowman, but I don’t really care that much that he’s back). Ray Palmer is also an important character from the comics, so while I think he has his own agenda, which might even be anti-Green Arrow for the moment, that means he probably won’t be a big bad.
Yeah, I wasn’t sure whether he was introduced in that first meeting with Laurel since the Canadian airing was interrupted for ~8 minutes for an emergency speech by the Prime Minister over an incident involving an armed man storming Parliament