Post — Aaron Ngo

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Read with extreme caution!

Arrow has returned to us and it’s a promising start. No, seriously, bear with me. I think this could become something. But I still believe this should be the last season of the series regardless of how all this plays out toward the end.

Five months have passed since Oliver outed himself as the Green Arrow and was sentenced to a maximum prison full of criminals. Most of whom he put away personally like: Bronze Tiger, Danny Brick, and Sampson. Yeah, that was a tough break on his end.

Oliver is keeping his head down, but it clear that the isolation and the constant need to hold back was taking it’s toll on him. This is not the Oliver Queen we knew anymore. He’s almost a shell of the Archer he used to be. The bruises on his face are a good indicator that he’s been going through a rough time, and it won’t end anytime soon.

An innocent man wrongfully put in prison comes to Oliver for help, but Oliver can’t take the risk. He allowed the man to get beaten, which was not an easy decision to make. The guilty look on his face as he walked away was hard to watch.

The bathroom fight scene was so brutal. Naked Oliver was beating all of the prisoners who went after him that morning. It was punches, kicks, and throwing people into walls and bars. I thought it was well-crafted and probably the scene that got red-flagged by The CW. Oliver’s just trying to take a shower, guys! Give me a break!

In the end, Oliver is no longer holding back and makes it clear that he is not going to be passive with the criminals who come after him. He takes down Brickwell for beating his only friend in prison and then the prisoner who beat him on behalf of Ricardo Diaz.

Felicity is not doing too well either without her lover. After Diaz tried to kill her, she is not playing on the sidelines either and wants back in to protect herself. She sends William but gives him the arrowhead that Oliver gave Thea in the “Pilot”.

I think Felicity dying wouldn’t be the worst thing right now, but that’s just me wanting to generate real consequences for Oliver.

Laurel E-2 briefly appears as DA. They need to use her more.

Rene is proving himself as the best addition of the season five cast. His arc is looking sharp with training young kids in self-defense and his advocacy for the new Green Arrow, which clashes with his former teammate Dinah Drake, who is the current Captain of SCPD.

I also enjoyed his fight scene with all the gun men. He is more refined and later sports his old hockey mask look again.

Curtis is at ARGUS. Stay there. Please.

Diggle is leading ARGUS and trying to keep the streets clean of vigilantes, including the new Green Arrow who has a list of his own. My initial theory was Roy Harper, but now I’m not so sure since his role is finally revealed.

I didn’t guess this at all.

There were scenes throughout the episode of a young man traveling to Lian Yu. At first, I thought we were getting more flashback or scenes of the present of a brand new character. Then Roy Harper showed up, and it clicked.

This was a classic LOST fake-out. We’re getting flash-forwards now!

An Adult William has ventured to Lian Yu in search of an aged Roy Harper (Colton Haynes). Welcome back, Colton Haynes! You have been missed, man! I’m liking this plot device and it sets up a lot for the future of the show and it gives William’s character purpose again.

Who else guessed this? According to the show runners, no one got it!

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