Arrow 801 Review: Starling City

   For me Arrow officially ended  with Season Seven.  Even Stephen Amell said, that for him, Arrow as we knew it had  ended  with episode 722. I had no plans to watch season 8 or do  reviews, however, several  of you said that you missed  them and could I try to watch and review as I had time.  For these wonderful people that I came to know through doing these reviews and  RiRi posting them on her Olicity-Arrow page, I have agreed to give it a go.  If you give  positive feedback and  encouragement, I'll  do more. I'm just not sure you all  are going to like what I have to  say.

Arrow certainly isn't the show that I came to love.  For me this premier episode hearkened  back to season one.  It opens with Oliver running through the forest or jungle as in previous season openings.  It doesn't take us long  to know that Oliver is not on Earth 1.  He appears on Earth 2 to fulfill an  assignment for the Monitor. We meet characters we  know and loved  from season one, Moria, Tommy, Malcolm.  Moria is married to Malcolm, Tommy is the dark  archer,  and Adrian Chase is the Green Arrow on this Earth.  Of  course we have to forget that in past episodes Laurel has  said that Robert Queen had become the Green Arrow after the death of  Oliver.

The Monitor sends Oliver there to pick up something he needs, and  of course  he's hindered  because of  Dark Archer has stolen it.  Tommy, however, isn't really bad, he's just unable to cope from the loss  of this sister, Thea, who dies of  a Vertigo overdose at 18.  So Tommy wants to destroy the Glades because the drugs came from there.  Oliver reaches the soul of  Tommy  and  prevents him from doing the  unthinkable and he  saves the day.

    Oliver misses his family.  He struggles to know if he has done the  right thing in leaving them behind.  He  carries the picture of Felicity and Mia with him and looks  upon it with love and longing.  He even goes to the IT department to catch  a glimpse of  the Earth 2 Felicity.  We  see a  woman in pink chewing a black pen.  Oliver says  it should be red, and when the blonde turns around we know its not Felicity and you can see the  disappointment on Oliver's  face.  He asks about Felicity Smoak, and  the woman responds with, "Why would the head of  Somak Tech be in the  IT department?" Oliver's proud that he has  accomplished her  goal.  Oliver's so in love with Felicity that he would  love her on  any  earth.  He just needed  to see her.  Felicity is still his  compass and  she points North, to his heart, his home.  So even though Felicity is not in season 8 she is not forgotten.  This is positive news, because it leaves a door open  for her return, should  she choose to do so, and please Emily Bett Rickards, please come back.

It's Felicity that sends Diggle to find him.  Felicity tells Diggle exactly  what's happened  and she sends Diggle  to be  with him, to help him, to save him.  As always, Oliver is bent on going it alone, because he doesn't want anyone else to die or get hurt for him.  There is  much in this episode that caused flashback  memories  of  Season 1. 

Oliver learns what life is like if he  was not around.  This has always be a sub-theme of Arrow.  How is  the world changed  if we had never existed.  On Earth Two, Thea dies, because Oliver wasn't there.  Tommy becomes lost because his best friend was not around.  This impacts him.  Oliver's goal, is to get back to his family, if he can.  He wants to believe what Felicity told him, that she would always find him.

It's not the old show.  The writers are clearly writing the episode as the first in the Crisis series.

     John and  Oliver: John is there as an anchor  for Oliver.  He keeps Oliver focused on the things that matter. He is there to help Oliver, and we know that Felicity sends him there.  I noticed  a lot of green  around John, did you?  I believe that they are going to have John become the Green Lantern.  Apparently there is power in the Green Lantern's ring, could he  be  cause of Felicity being able to return?  Remember the Monitor  told  her that she could  not come back.  So if she finds Oliver, and  he isn't dead, she could never come back with him.  So I assumed  they both will in  a  sense be dead, but now I wonder.

Of course we have the stuff  going on with the young people of  the Glades 40 or so years  in the future. I honestly didn't pay much attention to this.  We have Mia  and William and Connor Hawke, and  JJ Diggle, and somehow this story will intertwine with the Crisis, but for me I  just didn't care.
I know they are thinking of a spin-off  for them, so for those that like these characters I am sure there was much to like.  I was never invested  in these people.  Sorry to disappoint.

If you love the strict action/adventure story with lots of  fighting, then you will like the direction of  Arrow.  I found it lacking.  There is  something about the way Oliver and Felicity played  off  each  other  that gave the show something other shows didn't have. A love that is constant.  I missed that.

I know this is not like my usual reviews, but this is not the Arrow that I loved to watch.  Somehow, they have to bring Felicity back at the end to complete the saga.  I just wish they hadn't spent all this effort on a five night crossover, that I have no interest in watching. 

Final Thoughts:

• I did watch the Flash, and  found it interesting that the Monitor told the Flash he had to  die to save the universe.  Hmmm.. If anyone can explain that I would be interested.  I thought Oliver had  to do this to save the Flash, so does the Flash not know that Oliver has  sacrificed his life for him?  Why would the Monitor tell him that, if  he knows Oliver is going to save the Flash.  
• I watched Arrow solely for Oliver and  Felicity, without them fighting together, it seemed lacking.
• On the plus side Dinah was evil on Earth 2 as was Rene. It seemed rather fitting for me. 
• Laurel is the connection to Earth One and Two.  
• Laurel is not so hard to take.  What do you think?
• I miss Felicity!