2) “Lone Gunmen” – October 24, 2012
Like most post-pilot entries in a series, episode #2 spent a lot of time going over the same ground as the pilot in establishing Oliver’s crusade, his father’s list of bad people and his struggles to reconnect with his family after being fundamentally changed over his five years away.
Episode #3 adds a bit of spice to the formula, not only by introducing DC Comics utility bad guy Deadshot, but by shaking up the status quo by bringing Oliver’s already long-suffering bodyguard Diggle in on the secret.
It was still early days for the show, so the love triangle between Oliver, Tommy and Laurel gets some play, but it seems that three episodes in the producers already knew what it was their core viewers really wanted.
We see Oliver due some detective work, we learn that Oliver is somehow a member of the Russian mob, and we see him form a nascent alliance with Detective Lance, even if it’s just in the interest of protecting Oliver’s stepfather and other potential buyers at a high-profile auction.
The series’ stunt work also continued to shine with the Arrow/Deadshot fight becoming an instant classic and Michael Rowe’s performance as the villain becoming so essential that not even an arrow to the eye could take Deadshot out of the game.
