Contributor: John Keegan
Written by Moira Kirland and Lana Cho
Directed by Vince Misiano
This episode was a definite mission statement from the writers of “Arrow”, making it very clear that they have no intention of playing things safe. This is apparent from the moment the episode begins, and Oliver is confronted by Dig about his activities as Green Arrow. Far from being supportive, Dig challenges Oliver on the morality of his actions. It’s up to Oliver to prove that he is more than just a criminal vigilante.
The end result is that Dig’s involvement is on his terms, not Oliver’s, and that is a big distinction. Dig was already conflicted over the notion of playing babysitter to a rich, spoiled brat. So why would he concede to Oliver and become some sort of sidekick? Having Dig develop his own reasons for supporting Oliver was the right way to go, and underscores why this series is a smarter evolution of the “Smallville” model.
It also would have been easy to have Laurel jump on Green Arrow’s bandwagon without much reservation, now that they’ve had a chance to work together. Again, the writers take the path less traveled and have Oliver go off the deep end a bit, terrifying Laurel in the process. It leaves her with a much less certain relationship to Green Arrow, which keeps the status quo from settling into a routine any time soon. I know the episode left little doubt that Laurel saw Green Arrow as a ruthless killer, but I’m not at all convinced that she didn’t recognize Oliver, or at least suspect that he might be Green Arrow. Hopefully that is something they will move forward with in the future.
The mystery of Moira Queen’s true intentions is probably the least effective part of the series thus far, even though it’s far from terrible. It’s just too elusive at this point. When the pieces start to fall into place, these revelations might make a lot more sense on a second viewing, but right now it’s a bit much to have to follow. On the other hand, it is providing a basis for the introduction of Green Arrow’s rogues gallery, so it serves its purpose in that respect.
The real potential game-changer here is Oliver’s arrest, with Detective Lance finding evidence that Oliver is Green Arrow. Considering that this is a major news story, I imagine that the next episode will be dealing with Detective Lance coming to realize that Oliver is not the menace he appears to be. The alternative is that Dig will find a way to reframe that footage as something it’s not, thus protecting Oliver, but I think it would be far more interesting if Detective Lance came to some sort of arrangement with Oliver, putting together a cover story to absolve Oliver in the public eye.
It all boils down to the fact that this series is only four episodes old, and it’s already taking chances with the overall narrative and the moral character of its main lead. Very little has been predictable, and everything that would normally be a given has become a uphill climb. It’s exactly what “Arrow” needed to do to distance itself from the “Smallville” mold, and one can only hope they continue along this course.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Score: 8/10