Arrow 516 Checkmate Review

    Adrian Chase. Josh Segarra played a the role of  pschopath determined to destroy Oliver.  He acted his part so well that  I got the goosebumps just looking at him and listening to his voice sent chills up my spine.  He made the Norman Bates seem normal.  When he knifed his own wife without any kind of remorse, it showed what a psychopath he has become.We know that Talia al Ghul trained Adrian Chase aka Simon Morrison, and she controls Chase.  Talia wants revenge for her father, and she knows what Oliver as the Green Arrow did to Chase's father, so I think she's using Chase to accomplish her own purposes.

Talia al Ghul. I finally saw the Russian connection, it came full circle for me tonight.  Some of you may have understood it long before me, and I think we still have more to find out.  Something Anatoly said was to me revealing.  Oliver told him what Talia had trained  him to do and Oliver tells that this alter-ego would help control what is inside him. Anatoly replied, "What's inside you is inside you. This woman will destroy you."  Now, we see that is what Talia wants to do.  I like Anatoly.  This also goes back to what I posted on March 12th, that adversity reveals character. We are going to see Oliver's character truly revealed, and he will finally discover his legacy, that he is both Oliver Queen and the Green Arrow.  The Green Arrow is part of who he is. I wonder if the team will eventually call upon Nyssa?  Would Nyssa fight to defeat Talia?

Oliver and Susan.  How many cheered when Oliver said, "I should never have gotten involved with Susan."  I don't think he meant by that that he realizes he loves Felicity, but rather, here is another person I hurt.  If he hadn't gotten involved with her, she wouldn't have been hurt. Yet when Oliver rescues Susan, he basically unties her, tells her to go, because he has to get Chase.  Now compare that to Oliver rescuing Felicity for Dahrk, Oliver grabs Felicity and he doesn't want to let go.   
 
         Susan still is around, but will she be a part of Oliver's life?  I don't think so.  What will she write about?  What did Chase tell her when he was torturing her?  Those are still unanswered questions for me, and think they are going to play out in the future.

Oliver and Felicity.  Oliver is worried about Felicity.  When Oliver said, "I'm worried"  She immediately assumes he's talking about Susan, but he says, "I'm worried about you."  She gave her little sigh and smile.  She's happy Oliver worries about her, for it shows he cares.  Then he tells her that he knows she's keeping something from her and says, "We both know keeping secrets doesn't end well."  He acknowledges that it was secrets and lack of trust cost both of them their relationship.

Earlier I wrote that trust has always been at the heart of their relationship.  Remember when Felicity asked if she could trust Oliver?  It was in season one.  He made light of it at first, and she at first seemed disappointed, but eventually he said yes.

   Now Felicity asks Oliver to trust her.  This is significant.  He yes okay with out hesitation.  He does trust her.  I think he knows that Felicity will tell him, when the time is right.  My concern is will it be too late.

I clearly think that Chase and maybe even Talia is using Felicity.  I don't think Helix is random from Chase or Talia.  They know how important the team and Felcity in particular are to him.  They will try and bring the whole team down.  You can see that with the way he treated Rene and Lance.

How long can Felicity continue to hack the federal government, without getting caught.  I think that is what is ahead of Felicity and how will that affect Oliver.  Will he get out before that happens?

Diggle.  Diggle's talk with Oliver was important.  Oliver isn't merely some superhuman superhero. He is human, and he needs relationships with people, because no man is an island.  Oliver tells Chase that is friends will find him, because his friends are his strength.  Oliver embarrasses his humanity, and this is another step in the story that leads to his legacy.

Final Thoughts.  When Chase tells Oliver, "I'm going to help you discover who you really are."  This foreshadows what is going to happen.  He will discover who he really is, but it won't be what Chase or Talia expects.

Olicity.  The writers gave us a sweet Olicity moment.  I believe the rebuild will be slow but very steady.  I am a Christian, and know that as gold is refined by fire, so also do trials refined us and make us stronger.  Both Oliver and Felicity are both tried right now.  Both are in the refining furnace and both will come out stronger.  They both will become stronger at people. They will accept their identities and both will know their legacies.