By: Jake Coburn (story)
The Story: It should be common sense that you should never cross an assassin in love.
The Review: Arrow constantly surprises me with its obviously deep, committed knowledge of DC continuity. There have been a lot of times on this show when I thought it was introducing a completely original character or concept, only to discover, a quick Wiki later, that it had instead found some obscure part of the DCU to repurpose for its own uses. More power to them, I say. Why not make use of that colorful universe and simultaneously update it for a modern audience?
Interestingly enough, while most of the New 52 comics have been recycling familiar, bankable material, it’s Arrow that’s exposed me to the more obscure corners of DC continuity. Case in point: I had no idea that Ra’s al Ghul ever had any other children than Talia. I was sure that Nyssa Raatko was just a stand-in for her more famous sister, probably because of highly complicated legal and proprietary reasons. That she is a character in her own right, one in many ways more nuanced and intriguing than Talia, is the pleasantest of surprises.
Also a pleasant surprise: the delicate treatment of Nyssa’s relationship with Sara. Aside from a note of surprise from Ollie and Quentin, the focus is not so much on the same-sex nature of Sara and Nyssa’s affair, but on its past and lingering intensity. Early on, Coburn leaves little room to doubt the sincerity of the women’s love for each other, although Nyssa clearly carries the bigger torch. Her attachment to Sara is such that it not only softens her character, but actually makes her sympathetic. Unable to bring herself to actually harm her former lover, but bound to do so by Sara’s refusal to return, she attempts to coerce Sara’s compliance by threatening the other Lances. As cold as all this seems, there’s an overtone of desperation in her actions that always makes it obvious where her vulnerabilities lie.
Nyssa’s attacks on Sara’s family make it impossible for Sara to conceal her existence from her mother and sister any longer, but the joyful reunion is marred by Dinah’s surprisingly toxic reaction. In contrast to the comfort she felt when she thought she had merely hallucinated Sara’s presence, seeing her sister alive and well brings back all the tension they had between them pre-shipwreck. Even keeping in mind that she knows nothing of Sara’s trials on the island or with the League of Assassins, Dinah’s rage seems petty and not a little selfish. It doesn’t help that during her diatribe, she keeps swigging from a wine bottle, indicating that she still hasn’t reached her lowest point on the show. I sure hope her turnaround comes soon, lest she dramatize herself out of our favor altogether.
The same applies to Moira, whose chilly encounters with Felicity and Sebastian Blood makes her seem more villainous than ever. In some ways, this is the side-effect of the show rushing to give her new objectives to work on, now that her trial is over and Malcolm is (for now) out of the picture. We’ve simply seen no reason why Moira would become so invested in a political campaign she didn’t care to enter in the first place, to the point where she almost cruelly uses Felicity’s love for Ollie to silence her, then gets downright confrontational when Sebastian urges her to stay out of the race. This is a degree of ambition and ruthlessness that’s at odds with her previously sympathetic posture on the show, but nonetheless looks good on her.
Conclusion: Pretty much all the female characters on the show make some big strides in their character development in this episode, and together deliver a fairly gripping hour of TV.
Grade: A-
– Minhquan Nguyen
Some Musings: – “I wasn’t trying to be a bitch,” Past Sara protests when Dinah doesn’t take kindly to her suggestions about Ollie’s faithfulness.
“The title of your autobiography,” Dinah snaps. First of all, talk about your typical pot-kettle situation. Second, that’s actually a pretty good comeback. Third, I kind of wish someone would write a biography entitled I Wasn’t Trying to Be a Bitch. Katharine Heigl, probably.
– Nice to know someone other than Ollie can do those salmon ladder pull-ups. Well done, Sara.
Grade
Conclusion