Team Arrow is on the run when Arrow is framed by Maseo Yamashiro and the League of Assassins for the mayor’s murder. Unlikely alliances are made and trust is betrayed as the heroes try to clear their names from Ra’s al Ghul’s deception. Spoilers ahead!
Continuing from last week’s cliffhanger, Maseo kills the mayor and injures Ray when he tries to save Felicity. Quentin starts a massive police manhunt, forcing Oliver and his friends to evade the police. Ra’s al Ghul reveals the secret identity to Quentin, who reveals it to all of Starling. With his secret exposed, Oliver is left no choice but to turn himself in.
One problem with this season has been the lack of a constant threat or an unifying theme. The League of Assassins felt like an easily-avoidable force if not for certain characters’ plot stupidity. But Ra’s is finally able to hurt Oliver in a way that not even his own death could have been able to. The tension throughout the episode could be felt, and it was the kick that this show needed throughout the season. It is a shame that it was come so late, but at least we still have a few episodes left.
The moment where Quentin finds out the secret feels underwhelming at first sight. But as he starts to connect the dots together and relate everything to Oliver being the Arrow, it does feel like the revelation was more of a confirmation of anything he could have suspected. Hopefully, this new, changed dynamic does not revert after Roy’s stunt at the end of the episode.
The flashbacks this week are very disjointed from the main plot, dragging down the episode’s quality. The revelation of the woman as Shado’s twin sister, Mei,evokes too much from soap operas, and it honestly feels like just an opportunity to bring back Celina Jade. Ray’s subplot also feels too separate from the manhunt for the Arrow, but it is at least more entertaining, and the use of shrinking nanobots was a great nod to the Atom’s powers. It would be interesting if one of the “side effects” discussed was Ray’s shrinking powers.
“Public Enemy” places our heroes in a hard place, and after a weak threat from the League, their menace is finally felt. Despite the unnecessary flashback story eating up airtime, this is one of the strongest episodes of the series. Whether the series will keep up the momentum or not remains to be seen.
What are your thoughts on this episode? Do you think Oliver is necessarily on the clear after Roy’s confession?
Let us know by commenting below.
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