Arrow S02E10 – Review

By: Jake Coburn & Keto Shimizu (story)

The Story: Sebastian Blood’s rally is going to blow through the roof.

The Review: After pointing out Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s reliance on the monster-of-the-week episode format, it’s only fair to discuss how the format works in Arrow.  In season one, Arrow acted much like any other CW drama, each week introducing a new villain for Ollie to tackle and learn something from.  Since then, however, the show has mostly outgrown that formula, sustaining itself almost entirely on material from ongoing storylines.

Transitions like this usually happen across a long period of time, so I can’t point out exactly which episode marked the start of Arrow’s evolution.  Somewhere along the way, however, the showrunners must have realized the short-term benefits of developing corporate scumbags and various other criminals, only to put them away after a single episode.  From that point, Arrow invested fully in building continuity to last, drawing in new characters only in service to the long-term plot.  The show has done this very well for quite a while now, so when this episode falls back on old tricks, it’s noticeable and disappointing.

Most of that disappointment centers on how generically Coburn-Shimizu portray our villain of the week.  Kudos to the writers for managing to find a DC character, however obscure, for their purposes, but there’s little point in the effort if they wind up reinventing him to be less powerful and interesting than his comic book incarnation anyway.  With from his general antipathy for all political institutions (and cheating the state out of taxes—wink!), Mark Scheffer is your garden-variety terrorist and offers nothing else to the episode than a call to action.

Of course, it’s hard to give Scheffer much consideration when Sebastian Blood is the far more intriguing antagonist.  At first, he gives us the typical childhood sob story, which has become a popular tactic among writers who want to give their villains a sympathetic edge.  That same popularity, however, has also made childhood traumas a trite piece of a villain’s backstory.  Which is why it’s kind of a relief that Coburn-Shimizu twist Sebastian’s tale to expose an even darker part of himself.

Even better, it’s Dinah and Dinah alone who digs into Sebastian’s past.  Though she’s struggled to find a place for herself on the show, entangling herself with Sebastian guarantees that she won’t be left out in the cold while the other cast members get big, important things to do.  With Ollie (in both his civilian and vigilante guises) and even her dad as taken as they are with Sebastian’s seeming righteousness, Dinah for once has knowledge that she may have to put to action herself if she can’t convince her usual allies to help her.

While Dinah’s occupied finding new purpose for herself, the other cast members barrel forward on ready-made plotlines.  By now, Ollie’s dependence on Diggle and Felicity is well established, but until now, he hasn’t quite acknowledged it in so many words to Felicity.  Frustrated by her absence and the slowdown it causes in his operations (and perhaps out of lingering jealousy), he’s finally driven to redefine his relationship with her: “[Y]ou’re not my employee.  You’re my partner.”  It’s good to know that there’s still plenty of room for their dynamic to grow beyond gruff vigilante and his peppy, amusing sidekick.

Heck, it’s good to know that Thea and Roy, who both started out as the textbook example of a drama-laden teenage romance, have evolved to become the most stable and committed relationships on the show.  Their conflicts are no longer driven by emotionally immature, self-inflicted troubles, but by genuine problems beyond both of their control.  I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m actually a little worried for their future.  And that’s saying a lot as there was once a time when I wouldn’t have cared if they went down in a garbage fire.

Conclusion: Aside from a one-dimensional featured villain, the episode is rock solid, carrying itself with the confidence of a show that knows exactly what it’s doing.

Grade: B

– Minhquan Nguyen

Some Musings: – Well, now we know that Moira would be completely useless in a crisis scenario as in response to a light tower falling towards her, she just stands and watches.

– Steven Arnell is definitely getting that teddy-bear act down pat.  “Maybe he’s dreaming about you” may be his sweetest line on the series yet and he pulls it off without too much sappiness.  Well done.

– Love that Diggle has the soldier’s guts to run straight toward a gunman while unarmed.