It’s going to be tough matching words to Oprah’s MOOD but I’ll give it a shot. First up, a few caveats. I’m working hard to rein in my expectations. There is the show that Arrow is, the direction and mood the showrunners have taken and then there are the things that I hope for. It’s clear that the two are fundamentally incompatible. The key then is to think about the content within these narrow parameters. So, I’m going to keep to what the characters have voiced explicitly and the direction where the storylines appear to be nudging us. Or do I mean hurtling? 😂
Welcome back John Diggle. You have been missed. [Does his character arc make sense? Not so much. Do I care? A little. Will I make myself crazy hunting for answers? Nope.] Mostly, I’m just happy that pod-Diggle has been laid to rest. And from the FFs it seems for good since his kid is looking out for Mia.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Yahtzee! The mouthbreather is dead. He went out in a blaze of glory! LOL. Sorry, cheap joke. I couldn’t resist. I think that was the most dragonish thing he’d done in his time on Arrow. [Not a storyline I’m interested in pursuing but since the flaming pyre of the not-so-dearly-departed coincided with the introduction of Dante (the new Big Bad?) I have a hunch we’ll be beating this storyline to death for a while. Dante or Emiko or a yet to be revealed could have been responsible.]
Watching Emiko shut down Oliver’s attempts to take over her ‘vendetta’ was entertaining. Oliver looking conspicuously pained when apologising will never not be entertaining. He does it so begrudgingly. Classic oldest sibling.
Felicity has transitioned from a hot burn of anger to icy calculation. Her priorities are clear: safeguarding her family in the light. Somewhere, Moira Queen is rolling over in her grave as she approves grudgingly. I’m glad Felicity had the opportunity to tell John, in front of Oliver, where he went wrong. She chose not to kill Diaz. She chose to forgive John. [Could John’s grovel and apology have played out a little more? Sure. But this is one of those times where I will take what the show is willing to give me. In this instance, they actually acknowledged that Felicity’s feelings were valid, that John effed up big time. I’ll take it. Thank you.]
Felicity told Oliver about her pregnancy. I’m not invested in the ‘surprise, you won a baby’ storyline, historically Arrow has done poorly by kids, but I’m glad that they gave olicity a moment for the reveal.
Oliver saying he backs Felicity’s plays. That he will be support her in everything always. That he thinks there is a different way to handle Diaz. That she has the right to her own choices and view. That he recognises Slabside was a prison for her just as it was for him. Personal growth thy name is Oliver Queen! Colour me amazed folks. Look at who decided to become a real boy? [Could this scene have been handled better? Absolutely. It was missing emotional depth, which is not on the actors, but on the director. I think this was a missed opportunity for Oliver and Felicity to reclaim their emotional closeness. Their body language showed distance. He’s playing with the phone to occupy his hands. She’s got a tablet in front of her like a barrier. They are leaning away from each other. Is this a comment on where they are emotionally? Maybe. It would have been nice to see some hints of rapprochement.]
Mia and Will were suitably snotty! Loved the comment about the tape being unhackable because of tech obsolence. Clever! And Mia’s look of HUH? was well done.
Dante blah blah evil blah blah.
Emiko is in league with Dante blah blah blah. Only to be rehabilitated at the last moment in a suitably emotional fashion. Blah blah.
Oliver has shitty luck with family. *snore
I may be breaking my own rules when I say this but: I don’t understand why Felicity and Oliver can’t be each other’s A story? This makes even less sense when Oliver has said that he wants them to push together in the same direction. So of course it makes perfect sense that he should try some fam bonding with Emiko; while Felicity talks to BS (who has now become Laurel?). I mean, I’m so confused. Why can’t they talk to each other? No one is talking to each other. Except in the FFs where we have Mia and Will sharing intel. Sadly, not the part of the show that I care about at all.
And that’s all she wrote!
