Arrow 802 Review: Welcome to Hong Kong

               Oliver, John, and  Laurel leave Earth 2 just before it disintegrates into nothingness.  Oliver awakes to find him alone in a room and the Monitor appears whom we find out is called Mar Novu.  Oliver has a lot to ponder in  this episode.  Even though Felicity is not actually present this season, the writers want us never to forget that she holds a very strong presence in Arrow.  As an aside, I've heard various rumors stating that it was not Emily's choice to leave, but that her contract ended with season 7 and she was not offered one for season 8.  If  anyone knows the truth of that rumor, please share it in the comments sections, and if  you can include were we can find a link to that.  Okay, now back to the review.  Arrow is a different show, we all knew it would be without Felicity, and I think the ratings seem to testify to that.  Arrow was dead last in the ratings, even losing to Telemundo. Weaving the name Felicity into the story, and showing flashback moments of Oliver and Felicity together doesn't help to improve the show for me.  It's just another action/adventure show that has a  few good moments but in the end,  for me it fails.

        Oliver and  Tatsu:  I  guess the writers, want to pay homage to all the seasons of Arrow by bringing everyone back who had ever been in it.  Last week, we had Malcolm, Moria, and Tommy.  In  this one we had China White and Tatsu.  Tatsu knows Oliver well.  She knows what he is  capable of,  and  she causes him to question the Monitor.   It's important for Oliver to believe the Monitor, because if he doesn't then it means that all Oliver sacrificed, his wife and  children,was for nothing.  Oliver has  always been impulsive.  He always doubts  himself.  I always  hope for character growth and  get frustrated  when Oliver makes the same impulsive choices over and over again.  Why did he think it was wise to make a deal with the Monitor?  To save Barry, but could he have a done it a different way?  At least in this episode he listens to Tatsu, and questions the Monitor, but the viewer then asks, is  it too late?  I am  sure they will find a different way, because after watching  last weeks episode of the Flash and finding  out that Mar Novu told the Flash the  same thing as  Barry, has made me question the motives behind this Monitor.

           Oliver and Felicity:  The writers want us to feel her presence, so as Oliver slips  on his wedding  ring we have flashbacks of Oliver and Felicity, and we see Oliver remembering all those he lost.  He left Felicity alone to bring up his daughter and to watch over William, all without him there. We see the pain in his face and  in his eyes as he remembers her. We feel the tears he sheds.  All of those moments are touching, and we certainly hope that they lead to somehow reuniting Oliver  with his family, but I can't help thinking what the Monitor told Felicity: "Where you  are going, you can never return."  For me even those moments where Oliver remembers Felicity, it's just not the same. 

            Lyla:  Well, Lyla has been  working with or for the Monitor all along!  Now that was a  surprise, and how will John wrap his brain around that?  They had  made an agreement there would be no more secrets, so how will he feel when he finds out?  Did  anyone wonder how Lyla knew where Laurel was and what she was trying to do?  Of course when we see that she worked for or  with the Monitor that made it more understandable.  Laurel asked her a good  question, about why she would help her, when Lyla really didn't know her.

            Laurel:  I'm not a fan  of  Laurel Lance, but I Katie Cassidy Rodgers gave a good performance.  I know some of you may not like hearing that, but I  think she did  show the pain of losing her home, her friends, everyone she loved, that would be a  difficult thing to go through, and she did show all that emotion. Having said that, her acting is not always consistent.  For example when she tried to open the door to find the guy  who could fix the portal for her, and  she kept working  at it getting nowhere, and  Lyla  opened it in  a second.  I kept thinking, use your canary cry. 

      The future:  I  really don't care about the kids in the future.  However, my husband, who was forced to sit through this asked me, "Apparently Oliver saved the universe because his  children  survived, so I guess he does die, doesn't he?"  I suppose we will see why JJ  is jealous of Connor.  How did  John and Lyla raise them so differently? Did they shower too much  attention on Connor, apparently they got along a one point.  Or was JJ  more like his uncle than anyone guessed?  Perhaps the greater question for me is do we care? 

Final Thoughts: 

• If the Monitor wanted someone who would blindly follow his orders, why chose Oliver?  When has Oliver ever followed orders? It was  growth to have him listen to Felicity, and he didn't always do  that. So something's up with the Monitor.  
• How  long  has Lyla worked  for or with the Monitor?
• What do you think Oliver will find in Nanda Parbat?  Apparently Thea will be there, so perhaps we shall find out what happened to Roy.
• Just a fair warning, it's taken all my strength to watch Arrow, because he's not the same show that I loved, and I won't be watching the Crisis Crossover.  I will watch the Flash and write about that, but I won't be watching the others.
• Leave your thoughts in the comment section.