Posted in: Movies, TV | Tagged: arrow, black canary, cw, entertainment, green arrow, Laurel Lance, oliver queen, television

Arrows Return Reminds Us How Much Oliver And Felicity Have Changed

This article contains spoilers for the Arrow episode – Who Are You?

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Arrow returned last night with the big reveal having already been spoiled by the guy that makes the promos. But in truth, the fact that the Laurel Lance seen at the end of the mid-season finale wasn't Earth-1 Laurel didn't really matter. This episode was important regardless of the reveal… which took place in the first 10 minutes anyway. Prometheus enlisted Black Siren, the Laurel of Earth-2, to come mess with Oliver Queen and crew. I don't think it worked they way he wanted and that's because Oliver and Felicity aren't the same people they were at the beginning of the series.

The biggest reveal here is that Felicity Smoak isn't just following along blindly anymore (though she put up a fight, she tended to follow suit after). Here she specifically went against Oliver because she didn't trust his judgement when it came to Laurel. And the fact the team followed her lead is a good thing. Having someone who can call the shots when Oliver can't and while John Diggle is in jail keeps the team moving. It also shows the growth of her character and the growth of Oliver in that he was upset at first, but listened to what she said and why. It's not quite "his way or the highway" anymore.

I liked the fact that they didn't tell Quentin Lance she was back right away… the poor man has been through enough. And the fact that, even though she was helping Prometheus, Oliver has Black Siren take to a local Argus facility where he can visit and trying to help her. Oliver with hope is definitely a new twist. But besides showcasing the changes in Oliver and Felicity, the episode had a few other things to take care of which it did well.

Curtis Holt has been beaten, repeatedly and lost his husband all while being a somewhat ineffectual vigilante. He's realized it, but it took Renee Ramirez to suggest that there are things Curtis can do that the others can't. That he needs to start using his intellect as his weapon. Which I hope means he'll finally bring back his T-Spheres and fully become Mr. Terrific. Now the writers just need to explain how he does his hair so fast.

And they couldn't forget Diggle and his situation. This episode brought us a different side of Adrian Chase. A guy who is willing to bend the rules to do what's right. Keeping quiet that Green Arrow killed Detective Malone because any version of the events leads to chaos. He also takes on Diggle's case and is willing to go up against a very well connected General, out maneuvering him by having Diggle punch Chase in the face. It's nice to see that there is hope for this character and the Vigilante.

The last and most important thing this episode did was set everything up for a new Black Canary. Laurel made Oliver promise to find someone new for the costume and now he is ready to do just that. Luckily there just happens to be a bad ass woman in Hub City who happens to have a sonic scream. What are the odds?

https://youtu.be/JIYlfoRiOD4

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