Star City Slayer Review Arrow 713
We had major developments in this episode that lead to some answered questions from the flash-forwards. Olicity fans found cause of rejoicing on many levels. The episode moved in fast paced fashion, and showed the full range of emotion that Stephen Amell can give to his character. Arrow showcased the team in a unique way as well. Arrow also gave us a well-developed Stanley Dover. They introduced this character in episode one at first creating a sympathetic character while at the same time creating doubt and then giving us the the full development of his derangement by episode 13. These "small" villains add so much to the show. They should do this more often. Then we had the wonderful scenes with Oliver and Felicity at parents both now and in the future.
Let's dig in.
Oliver and Felicity and William: Oliver takes a step back from the SCPD in this episode to focus on William and what he had done to get expelled from school. We see Oliver's parenting skills in action, and we see him trying to be so much better than his own parents were. Remember when Oliver told his mother that when they were growing up they needed less freedom and more parenting? Oliver wants to do that, but he's also a little bit afraid to try, but Felicity who certainly had a more structured childhood even without her father, knows a little more than Oliver. So when Oliver says they will talk after pancakes, Felicity steps in and says,"Did Oliver ever get disciplined by his parents?" Then tells Oliver a firm, "No". Oliver listens to her, he respects her as a parent, and this shows more of Oliver's growth. He listens and tries to talk to William. But William, storms out. I don't know about you, but if I had done that to my parents, I probably would not be here today.
William has a lot of anger issues, and who can blame him? He finds out that his Dad is the vigilante Green Arrow at the hands of a deranged man, who kills his mother. William had blamed Oliver in the beginning, so there could even be unresolved issues there. Then Oliver turns himself in without consulting his family and that certainly had a negative affect on William. It doesn't excuse his behavior and Oliver needs to have a talk with him, but it helps to get inside the mind of William.
Oliver's talk with William was good. Oliver tells him that he's heard and felt every word that William has said to him, and it's impacted him. They get interrupted by William's grandparents. William called them. He turned to his grandparents, and this shocks Oliver. They don't feel that Oliver is a good parent and they aren't sure Felicity is good either, since she sent William away to boarding school and apparently didn't think of sending him to them. This upsets Oliver. Oliver tells them, "Felicity treats and cares for him like a son. Nobody is going to take him away from us." They leave and Felicity talks to Oliver and tells them that prison has changed all of them. She tells Oliver, "We need to think about what William needs. We need to give him the life he deserves even if it huts us." Felicity always lovingly direct with Oliver, tells him what he needs to hear and not just what he wants to hear. In the end after Stanley terrifies Oliver and his family and he's finally rescued by the team, we see Oliver in the hospital talking to William. William wants a normal life, and you can't blame him, really. Oliver finally asks William what he wants and he chooses his grandparents. We can understand that. People have asked since William chose to go with his grandparents on his own how is that abandonment? My answer is we don't know the whole story yet. Oliver and Felicity promised to stay in touch, and we know they wouldn't lie, so does something happen in the future? Do Oliver and Felicity have to leave both their children? We have good reasons to stay tuned, don't we? It was good to hear William calling Felicity, Mom, in the future. He loves her as much as she loves him. It broke my heart when she said goodbye to her son, and poor Oliver has lost much in his life, and now he looses his son.
The Cost of the Unmasking: Someone said to me, Oliver always looks so sad this season. He rarely smiles, though it's always Felicity who brings that smile. I think the reason for this lies in the consequences of his unmasking. Oliver chose to wear a mask for one reason only, to protect his family and those he loves. He knew that if he were unmasked he could be prey to those who were against him. That's the reason he always felt he couldn't have a life. Felicity convinced him in season 4 that he could have the life he wanted and they could all do it together. Oliver made the decision to be unmasked before the world to save the ones he loved. Do you see the irony in that?
The team, his family, all those he'd come to love so much were in danger of going to prison, and he chose, without consulting any of them, to give them a life of freedom by confessing to Agent Watson that he was the Green Arrow. The other's got immunity. He thought Felicity would be safe with William in protective custody, yet they were not safe. Diaz found them anyway and they stayed in constant danger moving from place to place. So Felicity decided on her own without Oliver or anyone else to fight back and sent William away and bring down Diaz. Now both Oliver and Felicity have to live with the consequences of their decisions. They are doing it together. They are understanding each other, but they both realize that these decisions have changed the course of their lives. Judging by future events, they paid a very high price.
Mia Smoak: If you didn't know by half way through the episode that Mia was Felicity's daughter, you were not looking at the signs they gave us. First we knew Felicity is pregnant when she wanted more of hot chili when no one else did. Then there were the shots from Felicity's face directly to Mia. They weren't subtle. Remember in season 2 when Deathstroke said he would destroy everyone in Oliver's life and then the camera panned to various people and finally to Felicity? We knew then that Felicity was Oliver's love. We can't forget the mention by Felicity of the amount of blood that was drawn from them, so we knew we would find out that she would be pregnant. I was surprised that they gave it all to us in this one episode. So know we have Mia Smoak interacting with her brother. This will be good. She has all the fight and strength of Oliver and all the wit of Felicity. She's a good combination of them both. Some expressed concern that she's not Mia Queen, but Queen is not a safe name. I don't think Felicity was ever outed as Overwatch. She stayed behind the scenes, so no one associates the name Smoak with the vigilantes. I thought it was interesting that she said the vigilantes destroyed the city. So what do you think is up with that? I'm thinking that somehow what's going on with ARGUS will end up being the reason people blame the vigilantes. I think we shall see things moving rather quickly in the episodes that follow.
Did you notice she didn't call Felicity Mom. She referred to her as Felicity. That could be nothing, or it could mean she has some issues of her own with her mom. She also said that Felicity is alive. Does she know this for a fact, or does she want to believe it because she doesn't want to face the fact her mother could be dead? She wants the Archer Program, because this will lead to her mom. Again, an encouraging fact that both Oliver and Felicity created this program.
Mia seems more like Oliver than William does, or is that just me? I'm looking forward to seeing the next episode because it's title is Brothers and Sisters. I'm guessing we will see Oliver and Emiko and William and Mia. Should be good.
The Team: We had the Arrow team out without Oliver. We know now how Dinah lost her canary cry. Stanley took it from her. She would have bled to death if Curtis didn't have this gadget to save her. Since they are keeping BS (and were't you glad she was not in this episode?) we really didn't need to canaries. So this will give BS something to do. She does do a good canary cry, whereas Dinah know how to kick some butt. Dinah fights much better and those scenes much better than BS. We lost Curtis, but I'm okay with that. Echo is a great actor, but he didn't really add much to the show. We can't have Curtis die, because he is the one who can save Felicity if she ever gets immobilized again. I am certain that we will see Curtis again and when we do, he will serve a greater purpose. What will cause Rene to leave the team. I'm thinking he does at some point because he's mayor 20 years from now, in a world where vigilantes are the enemy. Yet he does receive the mark of four. Will that happen soon? Will they all disperse at some point? Something to ponder, isn't it?
Stanley: Brendan Fletcher's portrayal of Stanley Dover terrified this viewer. When he speaks to Oliver and you could see the saliva coming from his mouth, it made the skin crawl. He's right up there with Josh Segarra's performance of Adrian Chase. I think Arrow's at its best when there are well developed villains. He was much better than Diaz. What do you think? I'm glad he's behind bars and let's hope he stays there. Did you get the feeling that Stanley spoke for the viewer when he told Oliver that his friends had not been there for him? Isn't that how the viewer has felt?
Final Thoughts:
Let's dig in.
Oliver and Felicity and William: Oliver takes a step back from the SCPD in this episode to focus on William and what he had done to get expelled from school. We see Oliver's parenting skills in action, and we see him trying to be so much better than his own parents were. Remember when Oliver told his mother that when they were growing up they needed less freedom and more parenting? Oliver wants to do that, but he's also a little bit afraid to try, but Felicity who certainly had a more structured childhood even without her father, knows a little more than Oliver. So when Oliver says they will talk after pancakes, Felicity steps in and says,"Did Oliver ever get disciplined by his parents?" Then tells Oliver a firm, "No". Oliver listens to her, he respects her as a parent, and this shows more of Oliver's growth. He listens and tries to talk to William. But William, storms out. I don't know about you, but if I had done that to my parents, I probably would not be here today. William has a lot of anger issues, and who can blame him? He finds out that his Dad is the vigilante Green Arrow at the hands of a deranged man, who kills his mother. William had blamed Oliver in the beginning, so there could even be unresolved issues there. Then Oliver turns himself in without consulting his family and that certainly had a negative affect on William. It doesn't excuse his behavior and Oliver needs to have a talk with him, but it helps to get inside the mind of William.
Oliver's talk with William was good. Oliver tells him that he's heard and felt every word that William has said to him, and it's impacted him. They get interrupted by William's grandparents. William called them. He turned to his grandparents, and this shocks Oliver. They don't feel that Oliver is a good parent and they aren't sure Felicity is good either, since she sent William away to boarding school and apparently didn't think of sending him to them. This upsets Oliver. Oliver tells them, "Felicity treats and cares for him like a son. Nobody is going to take him away from us." They leave and Felicity talks to Oliver and tells them that prison has changed all of them. She tells Oliver, "We need to think about what William needs. We need to give him the life he deserves even if it huts us." Felicity always lovingly direct with Oliver, tells him what he needs to hear and not just what he wants to hear. In the end after Stanley terrifies Oliver and his family and he's finally rescued by the team, we see Oliver in the hospital talking to William. William wants a normal life, and you can't blame him, really. Oliver finally asks William what he wants and he chooses his grandparents. We can understand that. People have asked since William chose to go with his grandparents on his own how is that abandonment? My answer is we don't know the whole story yet. Oliver and Felicity promised to stay in touch, and we know they wouldn't lie, so does something happen in the future? Do Oliver and Felicity have to leave both their children? We have good reasons to stay tuned, don't we? It was good to hear William calling Felicity, Mom, in the future. He loves her as much as she loves him. It broke my heart when she said goodbye to her son, and poor Oliver has lost much in his life, and now he looses his son.
The Cost of the Unmasking: Someone said to me, Oliver always looks so sad this season. He rarely smiles, though it's always Felicity who brings that smile. I think the reason for this lies in the consequences of his unmasking. Oliver chose to wear a mask for one reason only, to protect his family and those he loves. He knew that if he were unmasked he could be prey to those who were against him. That's the reason he always felt he couldn't have a life. Felicity convinced him in season 4 that he could have the life he wanted and they could all do it together. Oliver made the decision to be unmasked before the world to save the ones he loved. Do you see the irony in that?The team, his family, all those he'd come to love so much were in danger of going to prison, and he chose, without consulting any of them, to give them a life of freedom by confessing to Agent Watson that he was the Green Arrow. The other's got immunity. He thought Felicity would be safe with William in protective custody, yet they were not safe. Diaz found them anyway and they stayed in constant danger moving from place to place. So Felicity decided on her own without Oliver or anyone else to fight back and sent William away and bring down Diaz. Now both Oliver and Felicity have to live with the consequences of their decisions. They are doing it together. They are understanding each other, but they both realize that these decisions have changed the course of their lives. Judging by future events, they paid a very high price.
Mia Smoak: If you didn't know by half way through the episode that Mia was Felicity's daughter, you were not looking at the signs they gave us. First we knew Felicity is pregnant when she wanted more of hot chili when no one else did. Then there were the shots from Felicity's face directly to Mia. They weren't subtle. Remember in season 2 when Deathstroke said he would destroy everyone in Oliver's life and then the camera panned to various people and finally to Felicity? We knew then that Felicity was Oliver's love. We can't forget the mention by Felicity of the amount of blood that was drawn from them, so we knew we would find out that she would be pregnant. I was surprised that they gave it all to us in this one episode. So know we have Mia Smoak interacting with her brother. This will be good. She has all the fight and strength of Oliver and all the wit of Felicity. She's a good combination of them both. Some expressed concern that she's not Mia Queen, but Queen is not a safe name. I don't think Felicity was ever outed as Overwatch. She stayed behind the scenes, so no one associates the name Smoak with the vigilantes. I thought it was interesting that she said the vigilantes destroyed the city. So what do you think is up with that? I'm thinking that somehow what's going on with ARGUS will end up being the reason people blame the vigilantes. I think we shall see things moving rather quickly in the episodes that follow. Did you notice she didn't call Felicity Mom. She referred to her as Felicity. That could be nothing, or it could mean she has some issues of her own with her mom. She also said that Felicity is alive. Does she know this for a fact, or does she want to believe it because she doesn't want to face the fact her mother could be dead? She wants the Archer Program, because this will lead to her mom. Again, an encouraging fact that both Oliver and Felicity created this program.
Mia seems more like Oliver than William does, or is that just me? I'm looking forward to seeing the next episode because it's title is Brothers and Sisters. I'm guessing we will see Oliver and Emiko and William and Mia. Should be good.
Stanley: Brendan Fletcher's portrayal of Stanley Dover terrified this viewer. When he speaks to Oliver and you could see the saliva coming from his mouth, it made the skin crawl. He's right up there with Josh Segarra's performance of Adrian Chase. I think Arrow's at its best when there are well developed villains. He was much better than Diaz. What do you think? I'm glad he's behind bars and let's hope he stays there. Did you get the feeling that Stanley spoke for the viewer when he told Oliver that his friends had not been there for him? Isn't that how the viewer has felt?Final Thoughts:
- We get our Olicity baby and find out it's a girl all in one episode!
- We see how Dinah lost her canary cry.
- We see William and Mia as older brother and sister in the bunker fighting. Will they find Felicity?
- Curtis is leaving yet will be around when he's really needed.
- What does the future hold for Oliver and Felicity. Some fear Oliver dies in the Crossover. That may happen, but I'm not concerned at all, for there is no way the writers will end the Series with Oliver dead.
- We see that John Jr. is Connor Hawke. John's a known vigilante so of course J.J. can't use his real name.
- Arrow certainly has gone in a new direction. There's a lot of character growth that we've gotten to see, and that's always good. For those of you who are discouraged about the direction, don't be. Let's see where this story takes us.
- Still thinking about William. He knows the insides and out of computers, why didn't he try to contact Oliver and Felicity. There's more there than we know.
- The story will start moving faster now.
- Leave your comments and thoughts below, Please? and Thank you!
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