As Anatoly
explained, a sin-eater is someone who consumes a ritual meal to magically
take on the sins of another person, thus absolving the person and saving their
soul.
Christianity
has another name for this person: Jesus Christ.
The son of God who died for our sins. The concept that superheroes are
Christ like figures is nothing new, and is certainly one I’ve written about
before. However, “The Sin- Eater” is as close as Arrow has ever come to a
literal comparison. Oliver Queen has a
history of taking others’ sins upon himself. Essentially, blaming himself for
their wrongs. As if somehow taking responsibility for them will save them.
If Christ
died for our sins, if that action of selfless love is our salvation, then why
do we ever need to be held accountable for our sins? Aren’t we already
forgiven?
Sorry, but
that’s just not the way it works. There is nothing we can ever do that will
stop God from loving us, but that does not prevent us from seeking His mercy.
Yes, Christ died for our sins, but we must be held accountable for those sins.
We have to seek forgiveness. We have to desire salvation in order to truly
achieve it. The door to God is always open. There’s nothing we can ever do to
close it, but we still must make the choice
to walk through it.
So, is
Oliver Queen really saving anyone by being a sin-eater? Or maybe the better
question is… is Oliver even worthy of
the title?
Let’s dig
in…
Oliver, Thea and Susan Williams
Consistency
isn’t always Arrow’s strong suit. It
makes for a frustrating television show at times. Oliver being a “sin-eater,” is an important concept. However, it’s
clumsily handled with the showdown between Thea and Susan. That’s primarily
because of Susan Williams.
Arrow has a habit of telling us and not
showing us, especially when it comes to characters they aren’t particularly
invested in - characters who are merely
plot points, connecting A to Z, and the overall story arc. That’s who Susan
Williams is. She’s a plot point and, as typical with Arrow, their investment in
her comes across loud and clear. This is to say they are not invested in her at
all. Quite frankly, I think they’ve done a terrible job of writing her, and
while I understand all the business logistics of a character like Susan
Williams, can we attempt to make her
a decent roadblock? And by decent, can she at least make sense? And can
Oliver’s reactions to her make sense? I know I’m talking crazy here Arrow, but I’ve rested so I’m feeling
bold.
Arrow tells us Susan Williams is the epitome
of journalistic integrity. She’s not. Stop
telling us she is. Any woman who uses her sexual relationship with a man to
investigate him does not represent journalistic standards. In fact, she
represents the complete opposite of journalistic integrity.
Arrow,
you were already on shaky ground with Susan dating someone she regularly
reports on as part of her job. But, you doubled down on the sex angle and I
just have to draw a line at some point.
What bothers me even more is Arrow keeps hammering away at this idea,
expecting the audience to turn a blind eye. If we turn a blind eye to this,
then we are condoning the message that a female journalist can only obtain a
story through sex.
How is it 2017and I am writing this sentence? How are we
still dealing with this crap? How is a television show that is run by evolved
liberals perpetuating this standard? Arrow your executive producer is a
WOMAN. There is no excuse for this. If you want us to believe Susan is good at her
job THEN WRITE HER THAT WAY. Yes, she’s a roadblock. Yes, she’s a plot point,
but we don’t need to set the woman’s movement back 50 years just because you
are trying to stall Olicity being together.
Susan
confronts Oliver about being the Green Arrow FOR THE RECORD. Later, Oliver
tells Thea that Susan would never reveal his secret. Dude, she just put you on the record about it.
How does that communicate, “She’s going to keep my secret”?
Honestly,
Oliver you make my brain hurt you are so freaking stupid sometimes. Magic
vagina or not, she’s writing the fucking story or at least is thinking about it.
Thea has every reason to be concerned.
Oliver tells
Thea he handled it.
By…. what? Joking? You joked your way out of this one
Ollie Queen, with your schmoozey charm? If Susan is the fantastic reporter you
are constantly saying she is, then one half assed joke and a dopey grin isn’t
going to stop her from digging into the story. You aren’t that good looking Oliver. If
anything, you made her more curious. Thea
has every reason to be concerned.
After Susan
confronts Oliver about being fired, she puts all her investigative cards on the
table, so to speak. She tells Oliver all the evidence she has on him and
references his Bratva tattoo. Ya know, the one she saw when you were all kinds
of naked together Oliver????!!!! Oliver’s reaction to Susan investigating him?
Nothing. Oliver’s reaction to Susan using their sexapades to investigate him?
Nothing.
Arrow is
striving to put Oliver on the moral high ground, but they are failing to
achieve it because of inconsistencies.
Didn’t Oliver kill someone to protect his secret in 5x01? Wasn’t that
the big parallel to the first season? Wasn’t that Oliver embracing the grey
zone? You bet it was!
So, how is Thea discrediting Susan to protect Oliver’s secret so much
worse than that? Uh… it’s really not.
Is it
because Susan is an innocent in all of this and the man Oliver killed in 5x01
was a criminal?
I’ve more than fairly outlined all the ways Susan is not innocent. She’s not a criminal, but she’s no victim either. Yes, Thea made a
choice, but so did SUSAN. If Oliver is going to maintain the moral high ground,
he has to have confrontations with both women. Only addressing the moral
implications of Thea’s decision, and not Susan’s, immediately loses Oliver the
moral high ground. Sort of like how a man, who’s killed with guns and shoots
people with arrows whenever he deems necessary, waxing poetically about gun
violence doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Hammering out a moral code isn’t always a neat and tidy process,
especially with a man like Oliver Queen. However, if that is the goal here then
they need to make better efforts than “The Sin-Eater.”
Ultimately,
this is leading somewhere positive. Oliver will realize expecting people
to be better means he’s going to have to do better. He must be the example. Yes, Thea, Diggle, Quentin and Felicity
have all taken a turn towards the darkness, but we have to allow these
characters flaws. Simply because they make mistakes doesn’t mean they are acting
out of character. I believe it makes them more well rounded characters. It
makes them more human. As they veer towards one end of the spectrum, it pushes
Oliver towards the other, which is where he needs to go. We’re in the middle of
this transition and the middle is messy. Oliver hasn’t quite become the man he
needs to be to demand better of people, and yet he demands it, despite some
pretty hypocritical behavior.
Behavior
like Susan Williams. I can’t even say Oliver is being a “sin-eater”
with Susan, taking her sins upon himself to absolve her. It can’t be because he never addresses what
those sins are. That would require Oliver to have a much more honest
conversation with Susan than he’s prepared to have. Yet, Arrow expects us to believe
Oliver is serious with this woman? If he has any intention of telling Susan who
he truly is, which is debatable, why on earth would Oliver ever tell her now?
She’s just proven she’s INVESTIGATING him. Honesty isn’t the best policy at
this point. It’s just plain stupid.
Sure, Oliver may believe she won’t reveal his identity, but that’s Arrow
telling and not showing once again. We haven’t seen any evidence of Susan’s
restraint. We haven’t been shown her trustworthiness.
The simple
argument “she won’t do that to me” doesn’t hold water. If Susan
wasn’t going to reveal Oliver’s identity, if Thea jumped to conclusions, if
Oliver’s belief in Susan’s trustworthiness is
enough… THEN WHY DID SHE ASK HIM ON THE RECORD? The truth is, Susan hasn’t
made the decision whether or not to write the story. The simple fact that she
investigated him, and is considering publishing it, should have given Oliver
significant pause. We should have seen some anger directed towards Susan
tonight, but we didn’t.
The only
reason I can come up with for why is… investment. Obviously, Susan is a
roadblock, but since Oliver is far more interested in addressing issues with
Thea (and Felicity) rather than Susan speaks volumes to me. Both Susan and Thea
walk away from Oliver in “The Sin-Eater” but there’s only one person
Oliver forces a confrontation with later on. There’s only one person he didn’t
let walk away.
Thea.
Thea’s
takedown of Susan, a fulfillment of her earlier promise, is so glorious I
couldn’t stop from cheering.
Yeah yeah yeah. It is bad. Two wrongs don’t make a right. Blah blah
blah.
Bottom line? Susan Williams is the worst. It is time for Baby Moira to
rise.
Yes, Moira did awful things, but
she was also incredibly protective.
When her children were threatened, she reacted
swiftly and viciously. Was Moira always right? No, but her intent was always
good. Yeah, The Glades was bad. I’m not arguing that, but Moira was trying to
protect her children. Thea’s actions may not have been entirely morally
defendable, but her intent is. In fact, I think Thea’s intent is more
defendable than Susan’s.
The shade is so on point. #Queen
Thea
stepping in to protect her brother is nothing Oliver hasn’t done with her, and
others he cares about, a thousand times before. But that’s the thing about Oliver. He recognizes
his own darkness, but when he sees darkness reflected in those he loves then he
really gets scared.
Oliver is a
sinner, but it’s the sins of those he loves that make him a “sin-eater.” Oliver’s love is so great and so big that he will take their sins
upon himself to absolve them, to protect them and to ensure they don’t become
him. We’ve seen him do it time and again. Somehow everything becomes Oliver’s
fault in his mind. His entire mission began as a way to atone for his father’s
sins. In some ways, this is how Oliver atones. In other ways, this is how
Oliver loves. But is it enough? Is this what unconditional love looks like? Is
it free of accountability?
No. Christ
loves us. He died for our sins. However, that love and salvation doesn’t eliminate
the need for accountability. This is
especially important for Oliver to understand as he comes up against
Prometheus. Yes, killing Justin Claybourne “created” Prometheus, but
taking all the blame upon himself denies Prometheus any accountability.
Prometheus still made a choice to become whoever he/she is. No, Oliver is not
without sin, but no matter how much Prometheus blames him, ultimately he is
responsible for his own sins.
“What
kind of person does that?”
That’s the
question Oliver poses to Thea and it’s a harsh one. Also, unfair.
Is this the worst thing
Thea has ever done? Umm… not by a long shot. Sorry Oliver. I realize Susan
and her magic vagina are precious to you, but “knife to little girl’s
throat” is Thea’s real low bar.
Susan
Williams is no victim, and Oliver’s insistence of portraying her as one really
leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
Thea actually has good reason to distrust
Susan.
It was Susan who tricked Thea in a pretty devious and shady manner to
get the upper hand on a story. Susan used some pretty devious and shady
techniques to get the upper hand on Oliver for this story. Again, this what
Arrow has SHOWN , and not told, which carries far more narrative weight. Thea
concluding Susan is shady and devious is not wildly out of hand. Thea treating
Susan as such isn’t madness either. Get a grip, Mr. Mayor.
Oliver’s
Miss Mary Sunshine attitude about press and politicians leaves a little
something to be desired too. It reminds
me of a scene between Amy Gardner and Josh Lyman in the West Wing. Josh Lyman essentially got Amy Gardner (his girlfriend)
fired over a legislative battle. Her response to it was this:
“That’s sweet of you to look out
for me, but I liked the job I had. And when I lost it, I didn’t pitch anything.
I didn’t stage a nutty. I fought you, I lost, I had a drink, I took a shower.
‘Cause that’s how it is in the NBA. You know what I do when I win? Two
drinks!” - Amy
Gardner, West Wing 4x04 “Red Mass”
Boyfriend or
not, it’s a little naive of Susan Williams to believe there wouldn’t be any
political pushback against a story on Oliver Queen as the Green Arrow. Sure, making Susan unhirable is nasty, but
that’s how it is in the NBA. These are cut throat businesses Thea, Susan and
OLIVER are employed in. Susan should
understand that seeing as how she’s cutthroat enough to investigate her own boyfriend. Quit staging a nutty to Oliver and a
have drink honey. Thea is having two.
What really
bothers Oliver is Thea being cutthroat.
Oliver has always seen Thea as an
innocent. She represents the best of the Queen family to Oliver. So, Oliver is
horrified when she exemplifies, what he believes, is the worst of their family.
Characteristics Oliver himself has. Maybe Oliver isn’t cutthroat like Moira and
Thea, but he has blown people’s lives apart by making the wrong choice: Laurel,
Quentin, Tommy, Felicity, etc. This is a
question Oliver must have asked himself at one point or another. I just don’t
think he ever thought he’d be asking Thea that question. She’s better than
him… or at least she’s suppose to be. Whether
or not Oliver can actually admit Susan is shady, he would never want Thea to
sink to her level. Oliver always expects the best of Thea. He expects her to
rise above. He expects her to be better.
But is that
really Thea? This image Oliver has of her is one I’ve never been able to quite
see myself. Yes, Thea is good, but she’s never been all that innocent. There’s
always been an edge to Thea, a part of her that Oliver refuses to see or simply
explains away by placing the blame on someone else. Yes, Thea is Oliver’s baby
sister, but she’s also a grown woman who makes her own choices.
What I love
about “The Sin-Eater” is Oliver doesn’t excuse Thea’s behavior as a
mistake. He believes it is a choice. While he tells Thea her actions remind him
of their mother, he doesn’t allow Moira to be a scapegoat. This is a shift in
Oliver and Thea’s relationship. Anytime Thea made an err in judgment, Oliver
always found other people to blame: Moira, Malcolm, the Lazarus Pit, a mask,
even a drug dealer. Oliver seldom holds Thea accountable for her actions.
Preferring, more often than not, to make Thea’s sins his own, to absolve her,
to protect her… to ensure she doesn’t become him.
This is the
first time Oliver realizes it’s not enough.
He has to hold Thea accountable. The mix of accountability and love is
the only way towards forgiveness, salvation and freedom. There’s nothing Thea
could ever do that would make Oliver stop loving her, but that doesn’t mean
Thea gets a free pass in life. Free passes are something Oliver gave readily when
it came to Thea and Moira. He had blinders on to them. So, his ability to see
clearly and to actually address the issue is a huge step forward for him.
It’s also a
major evolution in his hero’s journey. Oliver
rarely recognizes anyone’s choice. More often than not, he takes
away a person’s free will and ability to choose by putting the responsibility
for what happens to them on his shoulders.
If Oliver has any hope of living this double life successfully, he has
to understand anyone who joins him does so of their own free will. They accept
the consequences of that choice, no matter what they are. Oliver cannot carry
the weight of those choices on his shoulders, because they are simply not his
to carry.
Oliver
doesn’t let Thea walk away. Oliver ends the episode by telling his baby sister
he’s worried about her. He sits down to have a discussion about what’s going on
with her. Of course, the camera cuts
maddeningly away just as we are about to dive into some deeper issues with Thea
and explore, ya know, actual character development.
Dear Arrow,
You seem to
have trouble knowing what scenes to cut to hit the 43 minute mark. It’s not the
Thea and Oliver scenes. It’s the Curtis and Rene scenes.
Love,
Me
What’s going
on with Thea is the darkness never leaves us. Each of us has a dark side. You
don’t need to wear a mask to have one.
No matter how good we are, it’s always there. We all have a voice inside
of us whispering “go for the kill”, instead of rising above. Thea thought by
leaving Speedy and Team Arrow behind she would shut the door on her darkness,
the side of her that puts a knife to a little girl’s throat. Thea put a knife
to Susan’s throat tonight. It isn’t violent, but it is destructive. Susan isn’t an innocent like that little girl, but that doesn’t
mean Thea listened to the better angels of her nature.
Rather than
dealing with her darker tendencies, Thea ran away from them. She built a
fortress around her heart and her soul, inside the mayor’s office. She thought
she was safe from the darkness that haunts her, but the truth is, until Thea
deals with it, she’s never going to find real salvation.
That’s what
Oliver offers her when he sits down in that chair. Yes, Oliver holds Thea
accountable, but he finds the right way to do it by the end of the episode.
It’s not by being a “sin-eater.” It’s by being the better angel of
his nature. Instead of yelling, Oliver offers a listening ear. Instead of
judgment, Oliver offers forgiveness. Instead of anger, Oliver offers love. By doing so, Oliver opens a door to Thea.
It’s a different than the door of a sin-eater, but one that’s more effective.
These choices are Thea’s to make and Oliver is finally, finally, beginning to understand that.
Fortress by Bear’s Den
I’ll wait at the gates,
Or is it a fortress?
I’m calling the blame,
Just let me own it.
There are things I thought I could rise above,
And all the things I thought I was better than,
And a coward might call it a conscience,
And a liar might call it the truth
Nothing could ever make me more frightened,
Than the thought of hurting you.
Watching you float across the isle of sand,
Before the fire works began I close my eyes,
And wrap my arms around you.
Do you remember what I whispered love?
Do you remember what I whispered, love?
This is how it’s meant to be,
This is where we’re supposed to be.
I don’t think anyone
Has ever loved anyone
The way I loved you.
Oliver
holding Thea to a higher standard would have been easier to take if his
character was remotely recognizable in his scenes with Susan Williams or in his
defense of her to Thea. To be honest, I was mystified by Oliver willfully
ignoring Susan’s sins. Instead, he put all the blame on Thea’s shoulders,
without even bothering to understand Thea’s completely understandable
perspective, backed up by strong evidence, on his SHADY FREAKING GIRLFRIEND.
But
sometimes that’s Arrow for you.
Character consistency isn’t always their strong suit. *cough*LaurelLance*cough*
However, the entire series in built around Oliver Queen. He’s the glue that
holds this whole thing together. If his character is inconsistent then it all
falls apart. These inconsistencies don’t really make Oliver worthy of the moral
high ground or the title of hero. Arrow,
if you are intent on Oliver holding the moral high ground, make sure he does it
with all the characters and, most importantly, himself. You’re accountable for
that, so it’s time to do better.
Olicity
The other
person Oliver comes charging at to demand answers is Felicity. Felicity’s’
involvement in this whole situation is sloppy. She hacks Susan’s computer, but
isn’t aware of what Thea is going to do with it. I understand Arrow wanted Felicity involved just
enough to trigger a confrontation like this,
but also wanted to immediately dissolve it with a
simple explanation, a “get out of
jail” free card if you will.
Why? Well…
good question. The primary reason is Arrow
isn’t ready for Oliver and Felicity to have a confrontation about her dark
spiral yet. This is the curse of the 23 episode season. Eventually, we hit a
lull and they are just in a holding pattern until the writers can let loose on
some storylines.
Hacking Susan William’s computer, and not pressing Thea about
what she intends to use the information for, is out of character for Felicity.
That is something I believe Felicity would typically ask. But if she asks it,
and goes along with it, then she’s more culpable in Susan’s takedown than Arrow
wants her to be.
The fact that Oliver and Felicity aren’t talking about
whatever she’s into is near a breaking point. Arrow is pushing this “don’t ask/don’t tell” policy far
enough, but it becomes ridiculous if Felicity knew full well what Thea was
going to do and jumped onboard.
Why isn’t Arrow allowing Oliver and Felicity to
talk? For the same reason they’ve held them back from talking about all the
real issues between them: if they talk, they get back together. It’s really
that simple kids. I know everyone is worried about how on earth Oliver and Felicity
will get back together. Is there enough time? Of course there’s enough time.
This boils down to a simple conversation.
It’s a conversation Arrow has
gone to great lengths avoiding, but we are on the downhill run of this season
long journey and that conversation is coming soon.
The
confrontation itself is filled with heat. It reminded me, as I’m sure as it did
everyone else, of 1x15.
The anger
simmering with only a breath between them. There’s an energy pulsing between
Oliver and Felicity in scenes like this and it’s the reason Arrow set up the argument. It’s the
reason Arrow paralleled the 1x15
shot. No matter how angry Oliver is with Felicity, no matter how much he pushes
away from her, there’s a pull he can’t ignore.
Felicity is
the one he needs an explanation from, not Susan. Felicity is the one Oliver
confronted, not Susan. Somehow that seems backwards to me. Susan is the one who
forces the confrontations with Oliver, twice, and he balks… twice. But not
with Felicity. Oliver comes charging in, guns blazing. Certainly, he’s angry
and wants an explanation. Oliver expects better from Felicity. Once Felicity
gives her explanation, absolving her of any real wrong doing, Oliver
immediately backs of. He takes a breath, but he doesn’t step away from her.
Susan is chasing Oliver this episode, but Oliver
is chasing Felicity (and Thea).
Oliver being
this angry with Felicity is certainly frustrating, especially when Felicity was
never this angry with Oliver about Billy. Oliver needs to slow his roll. Hacking
your ex’s girlfriend’s computer is nowhere near killing your ex’s new
boyfriend. Let’s check some of that anger at the door, hot pants.
I did see
some complaints that Oliver wasn’t this upset when Felicity was paralyzed. I disagree with that sentiment. I think there’s a difference between how we want
Oliver to be and who he actually is on the show. First, Oliver was kicking the
crap out of anything that walked after Felicity was shot so I don’t agree he
wasn’t angry. However, whenever Oliver is dealing with his emotions I never
believe he’s as upset as some may think. It’s when Oliver shuts down, it’s when
he’s catatonic and not dealing, that’s when Oliver is really upset. Is
that frustrating from a character perspective? Yes, but that’s who Oliver Queen
is. So, he may be angry about Susan, but the simple fact he’s dealing with it
in a rather upfront way tells me he’s not as pressed about it as we may
believe.Or… he’s finally maturing which only bodes well for the future. A more communicative
Oliver Queen will only benefit Felicity someday. Even if that day isn’t today.
That said, I
do think Felicity (and Thea) inadvertently cracked the facade on Oliver’s
relationship with Susan. Ultimately, Thea’s actions (with Felicity’s help)
brought Susan’s investigation to light. Susan had to tell Oliver what she was
doing and yet he completely ignores her sins.
Why?
If it
doesn’t work with Susan, if she’s not the paragon of goodness that Oliver
insists she is, if he has yet another relationship fall apart due to honesty, then
that brings some very heavy questions to the forefront for Oliver.
Here is one
way we can look at Oliver’s insipid defense of Susan. It’s really not about
Susan. It’s never been about who Susan is to Oliver. This is all about what Susan
represents. Susan is Oliver’s attempt at moving on. She
has to be a paragon of goodness because Felicity was. She has to be
trustworthy, because Felicity was. She has to be hope incarnate, because
Felicity was. It has to work, so Oliver
can prove to himself he’s moved on.
It reminds
me of a line from Buffy, that seventeen years later I’m still ticked they cut.
After Buffy’s rebound, Parker, fails in spectacular fashion, she has a pretty
important realization:
“It was safe. It’s not that.
It’s that the whole time, I kept thinking, hey, look at me with someone who
isn’t Angel. Look how much I’m not hung up with Angel anymore. Look how this is
not all about Angel. God, how come I didn’t see it?” - Buffy, Harsh Light of Day
What she
didn’t see is that it was all about Angel. All Buffy proved by trying to move on
from Angel was that she hadn’t moved on at all. Susan has to be all the things
Felicity is because Oliver isn’t remotely close to moving on from her. Sure, he
made the attempt, but all the attempt is going to prove is that he’s not able
to move on. That he doesn’t want to. Oliver loves the idea of Susan. He doesn’t
love Susan. When that idea comes
crashing to the ground, when Oliver is forced to face reality of his
relationship with Susan, he will be forced into the same realization Buffy was.
This is all
about Felicity. It always has been.
Oliver lost
the one person he was suppose to be with because he wasn’t honest with her.
Oliver lost the woman meant to be his wife because he isolated himself and
retreated back to the island.
Oliver lost the one person he was suppose to
fight for. Oliver let her walk away.
This is the
realization Oliver will come to. I always say Felicity is the last piece of the
puzzle, but Thea is often the first. Thea and Felicity are the women Oliver
loves most in the world. Tonight, Oliver didn’t let Thea walk away. When push
came to shove, and he had to pick between dealing with Susan or Thea, Oliver
chose his sister. Whatever happens with Susan happens, but it’s Thea he cares
about. Oliver forces another confrontation. He sits down to talk about their
issues. When Thea pushes, Oliver holds the line and pushes back.
Susan tells
Oliver that if he’s going to lie, not to say anything. Oliver is silent. Then,
Susan walks away and Oliver lets her. Is this sounding familiar? I’m sensing a
pattern…
Oliver has
let Felicity walk away from him time
and time
and time
and time
and time
and time
and time again.
Eventually,
there will come a point when Oliver stops the walking away. Oliver will force a
confrontation, but it won’t be with Susan Williams. It will be with Felicity
Smoak. She’s the one Oliver wants. She’s
the one he’s always wanted.
Susan may be an idea , but Felicity is what is
real.
These
divergent paths are eventually merging into one. Felicity will eventually
confront her dark spiral, and the island she has inside herself.
It’s the part
of Oliver she fears the most, but it’s something Felicity has inside of herself
too. She’s isolating herself. She’s retreating to her own island. Felicity
always loved Oliver. She always accepted his darkness, but now she’ll understand his darkness on a deeper
level because it’s a reflection of her own. Oliver’s darkness was always an
unknowable to Felicity. Now it will be known because she’s faced it in herself.
Oliver is
facing another relationship in crisis over honesty, but he could have told
Susan the truth. His secret identity is the worst kept secret in Star City, so
what’s really holding Oliver back? Maybe he knows, deep down, this
“attempt” is only that. An attempt. When it comes down to a choice,
Susan won’t be the one Oliver wants to be honest with. It will be Felicity. Only when she pushes Oliver away, this time, he is going to hold the line and push
back. No more walking away. Oliver and Felicity will hold themselves
accountable to one another… for good.
Quentin Lance
Lance is
another “sin eater.” He finds ways to blame himself for the
wrongdoing of others. It’s a hallmark of the tragic hero and Quentin Lance is a
tragic hero. Liz Warner uses Lance as her scapegoat. Lance working with Damien
Darhk means she no longer has to fight for her own redemption. Quentin’s
darkness excuses Warner’s and, for a time, Quentin buys it. He tries to take Liz’s
sins as his own.
As Thea
says, it’s a load of crap. Liz is responsible for her own actions. Yes,
sometimes the people who inspire us fail us, but that’s not permission to
become less. Or in Liz Warner’s case, a crime spreeing loony toon. Quentin
Lance has more than paid for his sins. Now isn’t the time for more guilt, now
is the time for forgiveness, letting go, and moving forward.
It’s why
Quentin is the perfect person to pair Oliver with this episode. These are both
men who hold themselves accountable for other people’s actions. Yes, Damien
Darhk killed Laurel. It was Damien making good on his threat against Lance, but
something gets lost in all this guilt and all this pain. Laurel CHOSE to be the BC. She knew what could happen and she accepted those risks. Quentin
cannot be held accountable for her death entirely. Anymore than Oliver can.
Dinah Drake
It’s why
Quentin’s scene with Dinah Drake is so exceptionally beautiful. Oliver asks
Quentin’s permission to give Dinah Laurel’s code name, BC. It’s a
nice gesture of respect. Dinah worries she’s not ready to replace Laurel yet
and Quentin absolves her of any fear. It’s not about replacing Laurel… it’s
about ensuring her legacy continues.
I mean…
it’s a lot about replacing Laurel. I know they say it’s not, but come on.
I find it
absolutely hilarious that Dinah isn’t sure she’s ready. Sure, perhaps there’s
an emotional factor, one I believe is helped by putting on a cop’s uniform
again. Fighting for justice in the day will help Dinah feel more prepared fighting
for justice in the night. Putting emotional factors aside, listen honey, you
are already ten times the fighter Laurel ever was. Your physical skills alone
are a vast improvement. Put on the mask.
It’s
Felicity who gives Dinah the mask.
Another moment of passing the torch and Arrow chooses Felicity to do the honors.
They could have chosen anyone - Oliver or Diggle, but it’s Felicity who
ultimately gives Dinah Laurel’s mask, and yes, it is Laurel’s mask. A nice
touch. Felicity, Mama of the Arrow Cave, Female Lead and Forever EPIC Love of
Oliver Queen, anoints Dinah Drake as the new BC. It is also yet
another middle finger to all those Felicity haters out there.
Man, that never gets old.
Truthfully…
I really like Dinah Drake. She fits seamlessly into the team. Maybe it’s
because Arrow wisely decided to have
her up and running in an episode, bypassing the years long development we
suffered through with LL. We get to just enjoy her as a kick ass BC,
who can believably take down China White. Even her Canary Cry is less annoying.
How did they manage that? Change the frequency, lower the volume and BOOM.
Whole new thing.
I think one
of the reasons I’m enjoying Dinah so much is she’s basically a female Oliver
Queen, only slightly less broody and seemingly far less stupid. This is not to say I see ANY romantic
potential with Dinah and Oliver.
They
are so similar I think that makes a strong argument for why they wouldn’t work
as a couple. Opposites attract and they work well on network TV. Similarity
works great for a crime fighting partnership, but it doesn’t create a lot of
sparks.
It certainly
doesn’t hurt that Oliver barely looks at Dinah. Sure, he presided over her
swearing in, but there is absolutely no emotional bonding between them. All of
those types of scenes are being dropped at a very surprising doorstep…
John Diggle’s.
It’s Diggle
who congratulates Dinah on becoming a cop again. When she tries to brush it off
as no big deal, John insists that it is. Dinah softens, smiles to herself, and
admits… yes. It is a big deal. She’s getting a piece of herself back. A
little bit of light in all the years of dark. There’s even a completely
platonic, yet totally unnecessary, shoulder touch.
No, Diggle
isn’t going to cheat on Lyla. Settle down.
I’m not even saying these scenes are
romantic. I’m simply saying that the two characters who are building an
emotional connection are not Oliver and Dinah. It’s Dinah and Diggle… and
that’s just fine with me.
Prometheus
So,
Prometheus’ mommy didn’t serve him up on a platter to Oliver Queen. NOT a
shocker. Honestly, this feels so orchestrated by Prometheus I feel bad by
Oliver. You can almost hear Prometheus cackle, “You’ve fallen into my
trap! Muhahaha!”
Helix gave
Pandora to Felicity. Pandora lead to Prometheus’ mother. Prometheus’ mother
confirms the Claybourne back story, but does not confirm Prometheus’s identity.
Since Pandora is the gate to Felicity’s
dark spiral, it’s not a big leap to believe Prometheus is behind Helix and
Felicity receiving the file in the first place.
However, I
listened to Amanda Westfield very closely. She never confirmed she knew her son
is Prometheus. Oliver simply told Amanda he was a very dangerous criminal
wreaking havoc on the city. Amanda’s attitude is basically the same is
Prometheus’ - whatever he’s become, the Arrow created him.
I believe
the Claybourne back story is true. I just don’t believe it’s Prometheus’ back
story. I believe this is Adrian Chase’s back story. Pretend Oliver went to
Amanda Westfield asking about The Vigilante rather than Prometheus. The
conversation would remain the same. She doesn’t confirm his identity, but she
lays the blame for the creation of the persona at the Arrow’s feet. There isn’t
all that much difference between Vigilante and Prometheus. Vigilante kills
criminals, while Prometheus kills criminals, innocent people and anyone
associated with the Green Arrow. Their methods, what drives them, their
attitude that the Green Arrow failed the city, however, are not all that
different.
Vigilante
accused the Green Arrow of never losing anyone. Therefore, the reason why
Vigilante does what he does is because he lost someone. Just like Oliver. Just
like Prometheus. Adrian is married, so it’s not his wife. If I’m right, and
Amanda Westfield is his mother, then he hasn’t lost his mother. What if the person
Vigilante lost is his father? Maybe losing his criminal father didn’t set
Adrian on a life of crime, but on path to fight crime. However, his methods are
misguided because of how his father died.
I firmly
believe Prometheus is setting up Adrian Chase to take the fall for him and
Oliver is simply walking down the path blindly. Even the envelope felt like a
planned domino to fall. Prometheus knew exactly where Pandora would lead and
Oliver took the bait. The next shot fired, the evidence to impeach Mayor Queen,
feels like yet another orchestrated move. Oliver believes Prometheus fired back
because he’s getting close to his identity. Or maybe that’s just what
Prometheus wants Oliver to think. So, Oliver believes Adrian Chase is
Prometheus when he’s set up to take the fall.
Perhaps I’m
wrong and the Claybourne back story really is Prometheus’, but I can’t help but
feel there is more than meets the eye here.
The Green Arrow Reveal
I discussed
with both @callistawolf and @triciaolicity how the Susan William’s plot is going to be
resolved. They both believe, and I whole heartedly agree, that Oliver will out
himself as the Green Arrow and give Susan William’s the exclusive. It will
reestablish her credibility, but their relationship will be over. This is fine
because Oliver really wants Felicity and Susan really wants a big story.
Everybody leaves happy.
The Green
Arrow reveal is becoming more and more plausible as the season progresses.
Oliver is accepting those who work for him have free will and are accountable
for their own decisions. He’s slowly learning what he is responsible for and
what he isn’t. Thus removing the necessity for “I must keep my identity
secret to protect those I love.”
They are
hammering away at honesty. Oliver lost Susan because he couldn’t admit to being
the Green Arrow. He lost Felicity because he retreated to the island. As much
as Oliver tries to merge these two selves, he fails in some way. What better
way to showcase his eventual season end success than to literally merge the two
identities? Thus living a completely honest life. It certainly answers Prometheus’
primary challenge with a bang.
The police
are now viewing the Green Arrow, and his team, as an extension of law
enforcement. They did not arrest the Green Arrow for Billy Malone’s death.
Rather the captain chose to work with him. This removes any fear of prosecution
on Oliver’s part if he chooses to reveal himself. When the Green Arrow said he
was going to live with what happened to Billy for the rest of his life, the captain
remarked to himself, “That’s exactly what the mayor said.” This is a
red blinking sign reading “FORESHADOWING.” Eventually, the mayor will
admit to being the Green Arrow thus connecting the dots for the captain. This
is not an implausible outcome. The Flash works with the police department. If the
Green Arrow permanently gives up killing (which might be the direction we are
headed) there’s even more reason he can work with the police like The Flash.
Remember,
fully realized superhero is where we are going this season. The origin story
will be complete and Arrow has to
launch into a new chapter. What better way to come full circle in the
flashbacks, Oliver being rescued on the Lian Yu, than holding a press
conference confessing to Star City that he is the Green Arrow? He will, of
course, have saved the city and be welcomed as the hero he is.
Stray Thoughts
I live for Thea and Felicity hugs. It’ll be such fun when these two women are officially sister-in-laws.
Is there anything better than Felicity and Thea snarking about Susan together? The correct answer is no. It’s the perfect shade of petty. Be still my heart.
Dinah can wear her mask, but sweet holy Moses don’t put her in the buckles. All those in favor of a new suit raise your hand.
Curtis and
Rene felt like the secondary characters they are in “The Sin-Eater.”
Let’s keep that up Arrow.
These boys. So adorable in their bromancing. Real talk: what is Diggle’s job?
I honestly
don’t remember anything that’s going on in Russia. There’s too much time in
between flashbacks. Gregor wants Anatoly dead. Oliver won’t let that happen.
That’s all I got folks.
The bad guy
storyline was clunky. China White, Cupid and Liz Warner felt like the poor
man’s Birds of Prey. The stunts were awful.
Stephen
Amell’s exceptional archery skills makes me notice all the mistakes Amy
Gumenick makes. It doesn’t really matter, but it’s distracting sometimes.
I miss The Huntress.
For the love
of Christmas, will someone explain to Carly Pope how to pronounce Bratva? Talk
about distracting.
I think I am
extremely rational when it comes to other love interests. I tolerate them well.
That said, I absolutely detest Susan Williams. I prefer LAUREL over Susan
Williams because Laurel actually had a moral code I could follow. I like BILLY
more. Ray looks like a freaking rainbow. Susan makes me miss Ray. That’s how
much I dislike this character. Normally this wouldn’t be that big of an issue,
but it’s impacting my ability to enjoy Carly Pope on Suits.
I’m just super ready to move on from filler characters and get back to focusing on the characters we all care about.
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