Arrow Review: “City Of Blood” (Season 2, Episode 21)

In Oliver’s brief absence, the supporting players all had a chance to shine. Felicity and Diggle shared a few great scenes, and helped remind us that Oliver is only as strong as his support system. They also offered up a few great comedic moments to offset the more dramatic fare, which acted as a great contrast to Oliver’s heartbroken moping.

Sebastian Blood was given a nice chunk of screen time as well, which allowed Kevin Alejandro to inject the character with a bit of humanity that’s been missing thus far. That phone call he has with Slade at the beginning of the episode was effective in showing that Blood is only a pawn in Slade’s game, and doesn’t quite know what he’s gotten himself into. He honestly believes that he’s doing what’s best for the city, even if he likes to give elaborate and crazy-sounding speeches when explaining himself.

I honestly couldn’t believe that Oliver and Blood didn’t know about the other’s secret nighttime activities though. I kind of wish the writers had done a better job at showing us their friendship, because that would have added more emotional weight to the revelation that Blood is the man in the Scarecrow knock-off mask.

Oliver and Blood share a scene in a restaurant that was very well written, acted, and directed, and made up for a lot of the clumsy moments that peppered the episode. I really liked their dynamic, and the fact that they both lay their cards out on the table and then continue on their missions to stop each other was great. Again, if we had known more about their friendship this scene would have meant a lot more, and felt like more of a betrayal for both of them.

I really enjoyed how Laurel let Oliver in on her secret, by showing up in the Arrow Cave after he’s been shot with a tranquilizer dart and dragged back there. Again, Oliver would be nothing without his friends. Laurel can often come across as hostile, annoying, and downright eye roll inducing, and though she certainly had moments of badly delivered clunky dialogue, overall I thought she did a good job. So many shows fumble when it comes to the secret identity reveals, but their revelation and connection felt organic.

Overall, Arrow continues to impress, even if things were a bit clumsier and more poorly written than they have been in weeks. I liked the focus on the emotional drama, but felt that the writers must have been pressured to not only set things up for the finale, but keep the pace moving by adding a few obligatory action scenes. The brief fights all felt rushed and a bit clunky, and I would argue that the episode would have been better if they’d been left out entirely and more attention was payed to tightening up some of the dialogue.

However, I am impressed by, and thankful for, the way the writers didn’t just dive head-long into the battle for Starling City, choosing instead to pull in on the more intimate character details and get their ducks in a row before bringing out the big guns. Now, they just need to come out swinging and deliver something worthy of all of this build-up, while giving us the Deathstroke/Arrow showdown we’ve been waiting for. No pressure.

Additional Thoughts

• Isabel got to show up in costume this week, in what turned out to be a God-awful adaptation of Ravager’s look. Turns out the open-mouthed Deathstroke mask doesn’t look as good in live action as it does in a comic.
• The final act is a bit of a mess, especially because of how they keep cutting between all of the characters to show them all in peril. Things are about to get crazy. We get it. Slow down and focus!
• Why are we even bothering with these island flashbacks? They were incredibly jarring this week, and did absolutely nothing to advance the plot or tie into the larger themes of the present-day storylines. What was once an effective plot device now feels more like obligatory filler.
• I liked seeing A.R.G.U.S. a lot, and hope we’ll be getting more of Amanda Waller and the Suicide Squad in season 3.
• Oliver finally being able to tell Laurel about Tommy’s last words was very effective. Well done, writers!
• I’m so glad Laurel didn’t come to the Mirakuru warehouse with some of Sara’s Canary gear. I was really dreading the thought of seeing her in a domino mask or clumsily swinging around that staff.