Arrow 'Guilty' Review: Heavy is Ted Grant's Brass Knuckles
Reading time: 2 minutes
This week on Arrow, Ted Grant and Roy Harper stole the show, what did we think about their big storylines?
Full Spoilers Ahead:
First of all, it’s great to see Roy Harper given a little love. The character has been all but ignored for most of the season, leading to disappointment among most regular viewers of the show. The character is a prototypical CW archetype, but something about Colton Haynes’ performance is simply endearing to watch. After the major tease last episode about Harper’s supposed involvement in Sara’s death, the character is trying to pick up the pieces and figure out what happened to him. Despite a final mirakuru test proving false, Harper may have still committed the murder.
Eventually he comes to grips, and reveals what happened to both Laurel and Oliver. Their reactions are surprisingly tame...at first. Laurel attempts to suppress her breakdown thankfully.
Meanwhile, Ted Grant is continuing to attempt to mold Laurel into a strong character throughout the duration of the series. His adventures in the boxing rink with Laurel has slightly redeemed her in the eyes of viewers already. The heroine on the fringes of the show suffers from poor writing, due to the way she ends up serving the other men on the show. It’s something that Arrow has been struggling with regarding nearly all their women, as this season Thea is a notable exception proving to be incredibly proactive.
The episode centers around a plot thread involving Grant, in which men have been running through the City relentlessly murdering baddies in his name. In case you are wondering, this is the Ted Grant from the comics known as Wildcat. Later on in the episode, it is also revealed that he had been crusading as Wildcat six years ago. This is an interesting nod to the Justice Society of America, as Grant is a sort of a grizzled, old retired vigilante. When there is a murder on his ring, and Oliver finds Ted with Laurel, he’s not very happy. The friction between the former couple is borderline aggravating to watch at this point, as it makes Laurel seem to almost slip back in her old ways. Fortunately, Ollie’s initial interaction with Grant is extremely entertaining. The two actors have electrifying chemistry as the episode begins. It seems that Grant has been framed by one of his former vigilante friends.
Oliver and Diggle come to the rescue when he kidnaps both Laurel and Ted. Harper comes together, and the show ends up melding both of these plot points weaved in earlier through the episode together. The culmination happens when Harper takes down Grant’s vigilante friend with ease. The episode hits a strong emotional note when Harper looks to Ollie for counsel.
The oldest surviving Queen deems Roy as Arsenal, his signature name from the comics. The flashback in China finally also comes into play when the vigilante helps Roy remember his mirakuru memories.
This is another good episode of Arrow that weaves the narrative along, while skillfully allowing the main plot to slowly progress further.
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