Synopsis: In his darkest place yet, Oliver wonders if he has failed at everything – being a father, a mayor and a hero. His frustration rising, Oliver lashes out at Felicity and William. A surprising visit from an old friend has Oliver questioning his next move.
Review: This episode sees everything unravel and Oliver becomes more determined to capture Diaz, but it seems that the crime boss has pretty much succeeded with his plan to isolate Oliver from the people that he cares about and gradually deconstruct him.
A great deal of this episode plays out as a Vertigo trip, which Oliver is taken on thanks to being dosed with the drug via sneaky handshake from a city official who is working for Diaz. Impeachment proceedings are underway and the only proof Oliver has also implicates him and his connection to the Green Arrow.
The most interesting parts of the episode are the hallucinations that Oliver has. All of which seem to offer a little clarity to him in regards to how he should proceed with Diaz moving forward. Prometheus gets to make a return as Oliver’s guide through the trip, which seems him almost getting himself killed when he attempts to take down Diaz at the Star City police department at 10:13 PM. In the end, it takes Felicity to march in and talk Oliver down.
Overall. This episode was a mixed bag. By the end, Oliver comes to the conclusion that he needs to go back to basics. Meaning no more team Arrow. Quite why he needed a Vertigo trip to get to that conclusion is anyone’s guess, but my guess is he will yet again wind up reconciling with various team members toward the end of the season and all will be well again. I mean Oliver deciding to go it alone is pretty much what Diaz wants.
The trouble with Arrow is the fact that it has never embraced its comic book origins and went with it. And that is a weakness of the show that is becoming more and more apparent. More so this season than any other.
- Story7.8
- Acting9.6
- Stunts9.5
- Incidental Music9.3
