Roy deals with the consequences after he pretends to be the Arrow and is taken to jail. Meanwhile, Oliver balances between clearing Roy’s name and working with Ray Palmer when a metahuman criminal named Deathbolt wreaks havoc on Starling City. Spoilers ahead.
Team Arrow continues to be pressed against a wall as Lance already knows that Roy is not the Arrow and takes over their secret hideout. As underwhelming as the execution has been on many of the ideas this season, these last few episodes represent a major change in the status quo, at least assuring that the show is still willing to take big risks.
Ray was able to infuse a sense of fun in his team-up with The Flash and he manages to do so here. Oliver controlling the Atom suit is a good way to have him in the action without becoming the Arrow again, and it is a good concept for the fight scene against Deathbolt. Doug Jones also brings plenty of energy to a generic villain role, though the mystery of his abilities is intriguing, and raises the implication that not all the metahumans were created in the Central City incident.
The Hong Kong flashbacks finally arrive at an endgame, as General Shrieve is revealed to be the true villain pursuing Oliver and the Yamashiros. He has plans to destroy Hong Kong to eliminate a potential threat of the United States. This revelation is not surprising, as Waller would not be villainous enough to hunt the heroes like that, or getting Akio killed as the present implies. But it is a complete waste of the character of Shrieve, who is the leader of the Creature Commandos in the comics and a heroic character. This show has an unfortunate tendency to use comic book characters in-name-only sometimes.
Roy has a miserable time in prison as he becomes the target of the inmates. He seems to meet his end when he is stabbed by a corrupt security guard. However, it all becomes an elaborate ruse to keep Roy out of prison and establish Oliver’s innocence in front of everyone. Despite Roy’s sacrifice, Oliver will still find it difficult to continue being the Arrow.
“Broken Arrow” is the biggest episode in the season and the strongest one yet. With some legitimate stakes, plot progression, and strong flashbacks, this episode is a large improvement over the last few. With Thea’s shocking death, the episode ends on a strong cliffhanger, one that might take a trip to the Lazarus Pit to resolve.
What are your thoughts on this episode? Do you think Thea will remain dead?
As always, let us know by commenting below.
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