Arrow Returned With Brand New Direction and Renewed Purpose in “City of Heroes.”
When we last saw Arrow, the Glades laid in ruin, Moira Queen was being taken away in handcuffs, and Tommy Merlyn died. Since Oliver Queen returned to Starling City after being marooned on an island for five years he’s been hellbent on avenging his father’s death. All season long Oliver crossed off the names of people listed in his father’s mysterious disappearing ink journal, and by the time he realized his greatest enemy was his best friend’s father – Malcolm Merlyn- it was almost too late. When the series returned, Oliver has purposely returned to the island he previously thought he’d left behind to deal with his guilt, and in his absence the city he swore to protect had fallen into the hands of another group of vigilantes. Oliver Queen may have returned to his life, but now when he dons his suit he’ll have a greater purpose. This time, he isn’t out for revenge, but desires to truly help the city he loves so much. This time he fights for more than just himself.
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“All I know is I feel like I betrayed him and now he’s gone and there’s nothing I can do about it.” Last season it appeared Oliver finally got the girl when he and Laurel Lance hooked up following her break-up with Tommy. After Tommy died, Oliver left town and Laurel moved on. Oliver assumed when he returned that he and Laurel would be able to pick up right where they left off, but Laurel’s guilt over jumping into be with Oliver so soon after she and Tommy broke-up causes Laurel to feel like she’s betrayed Tommy. I’m glad that the writers took this direction with the Oliver/Laurel romance. Laurel was there when Tommy laid dying after saving her life and knows that he died thinking he was right to step aside so she could be with Oliver. Laurel and Ollie have loads of baggage, and I think it was insightful of her to realize that they can’t ignore their history and start all over from scratch. Too much has happened, and both Tommy and Sara have died because of their actions. Even if it was indirectly.
“Since you majored in dropping out of college, let me put it to you in terms you understand.” One of the highlights of the episode for me was the introduction of Isabel Rochev, played by Summer Glau. This casting news was released this summer, and it was wonderful to see how Isabel and Oliver related to one another. In the comics, Isabel was Robert Queen’s former lover and believed she was Robert’s rightful heir, and set out to take over Queen Industries. While it’s unclear where the series will follow this storyline, it’s obvious Rochev isn’t just interested in the company as a good investment. In fact, Isabel makes a point to point out to Oliver that investors are steering clear of the company in light of Moira Queen’s arrest for her part in the Undertaking. Like most people, Isabel had the preconceived notion that Oliver was just a rich kid put in charge of his family’s business because his name happened to be on the front door. By the end of the episode, Isabel realized she had underestimated Oliver. I have a feeling these two will be going toe-to-toe throughout this season, and look forward to more of their verbal sparring. Side note: How great was it seeing Walter again? I’m glad he helped Oliver finance his purchase of the remaining shares of his company, because I’m interested to see how Oliver juggles running Queen Industries full time while moonlighting as the Vigilante Formerly Known as the Hood.
“Companies rise and fall Mr. Queen. Your company has fallen.”
“My best friend died thinking that I was a murderer and everybody I kill dishonors his memory.” Now that Oliver has finished checking names off ‘The List,’ the show has decided to give Ollie a new purpose so that the character can continue his evolution into the Green Arrow. Oliver ran away to the island after the Undertaking, and now has realized he needs to think of protecting the citizens of Starling City because they need protection,and not as a by-product of him getting revenge against those who killed his father. Most superheroes try to save people and stop the villains without killing anyone, but as Oliver said, “When I put on the hood it’s kill or be killed.” Now that he’s had some time to reflect, he doesn’t want to be the “murderer” Tommy died thinking of him as. I loved how it was Felicity who showed him that there could be another way to help people without committing murder instead of just giving up. This allows her to have a greater stake in the operation than just as the IT Girl, and also lays the foundation of a possible romance in the future. The episode was rife with loads of Ollicity action, and while it came across more Big Brothery, it did also appear that Oliver was beginning to really “see” Felicity.
“You shoot me, we both die.”
“You’ll kill me anyway. I know you. You’re a killer.”
“I’m not going to that prison. It’s the only way I know how to hurt her.” Oliver wasn’t the only character to get some major character development. Last season Thea Queen was a bit of a brat, but this season she’s grown up immensely. In the wake of her mother’s incarceration and brother’s disappearance, Thea has taken over Club Vertigo and continued her romance with Roy. With no one to parent the teen, Thea has had to take care of herself, and grown into a pretty fierce businesswoman. Considering the fact Thea was trapped down in the Glades during the Undertaking, Thea got to see first hand how Malcolm Merlyn’s destroyed lives. The fact that her own mother would also be involved in something so heinous has caused Thea to turn her back on Moira. I LOVE this new grown-up, bitchy version of Thea, and thought her feelings were totally valid. While I did see her viewpoint, I also agreed with Roy. You don’t offer forgiveness to make the other person feel better, but for yourself. Hanging on to all that hate and anger only eats away at your soul, and eventually the other person moves on.
“I’ll go visit her when you stop going out at night patrolling the streets.”
“What does one thing have to do with the other?”
“I guess they’re both things that are never going to happen.”
While Roy may be great at dishing out the advice to Thea, he’s not that good at taking it himself. Thea wants Roy to stop trying to fill the vigilante’s shoes, and agreed to pay her mom a visit if Roy would stop running around nearly getting himself killed. Thea kept her end of the bargain when she visited Moira in prison after nearly getting killed by the new “Hoods” that decided to go after the Queen’s for their affiliation with the Undertaking. Roy, however, didn’t. It’s going to be interesting seeing if Roy does admit to Thea what really happened when he came across a girl about to get gang raped by a group of thugs, or if he’ll begin to develop a secret life.
“We’re not alone. The question is, where did they come from?” Things in Starling City might have been crazy this week, but things on the island back in the day were even crazier. Oliver and Shado are now an item, much to Slade’s chagrin, but this week we learn when Oliver became a murderer. I’ve been wondering when that was and figured it had to be on the island, because Oliver was just too hardened when he returned home to not have already taken a life. Even though we still don’t know how Oliver made it off the island, we did get a clue. Some new people had discovered the island and were arriving by the boatloads. Who these people are and how they helped Ollie get home is one of this season’s mysteries.
So far season 2 is off to a fantastic start. Not only did we see how all the characters have been faring since the season 1 finale, but we also saw how much they’ve changed. Whether it’s Thea’s no-nonsense attitude, Quentin being back in uniform in in support of the Hood, Laurel out for blood, or Oliver’s new outlook, all of the characters have grown up. Not only do we see a change in the present, but we also are seeing a change in the past. Oliver went from the young, rich playboy stranded on an island to a cold-blooded murderer and it happened in an instant. Not only am I curious about these new arrivals, but I’m also wondering what happened to Shado and Slade. Did they leave with Oliver or later? The three of them have gotten really close, and I can’t imagine Oliver leaving them behind.
Arrow Episode 2×02, “Identity,” Airs Wednesday, October 16, 2013 on The CW
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