Arrow "The Candidate" Review: Terrific Anarky
Reading time: 3 minutes
The debut episode of Arrow did a lot of busy work in setting up a ton of plot lines and new developments in the life of Oliver Queen. The show shed an extremely important relationship by letting go the chemistry between Oliver and Felicity in a domestic environment very quickly. Now the two lovers are back in the Arrow cave saving their city in this week's episode entitled "The Candidate," here's what we thought of the episode:
SPOILERS ABOUND FOR THE ARROW'S "The CANDIDATE"
Go team?
Team Arrow is operating like well-oiled machine at this point -- except for the point where Thea is continually beating the shit out of everyone and not really listening to reason. Ollie is having even bigger problems trying to figure out what’s going on with Thea in relation to the Lazarus Pit and trying to actually determine what to do with her. He keeps sending her on patrol with him which really doesn't seem like a good idea.
Can we stop with the flashbacks?
The flashbacks of Ollie being at the island are annoying...but he’s a badass now I guess? There’s nothing substantial that’s being added to the show in particular here. The problem is that it’s all being rolled out so slowly. This episode in particular is barely piecing out the Arrow flashbacks in slow motion. Arrow is spinning it’s wheels right now in figuring out what to do with these segments ever since the series of flashbacks with Deathstroke. The show finally tries to make somewhat of a statement towards the end, but it’s something that doesn’t make a whole hell of a lot of sense.
Jessica isn’t doing well.
There’s a new mayoral candidate in Starling city, which means a typical mayoral shoutout is on the way. This one isn’t particularly anything special as compared to the last, except for the fact that it included a rousing chase sequence and some Ollie-flavored cold stares. Jessica Danforth’s surprise interaction with the show isn’t really adding much here. I don’t know why another addition to the mayor’s seat was really necessary plot-wise as Moira’s adventures never really equated to much either. This also comes back to something that we’ve talked about before, more recently in the season 3 finale being that Starling city is an intensely dangerous place. It’s ridiculous to think that anybody is truly safe here.
A terrific addition.
Michael Holt a.k.a. Mr. Terrific is stepping up on the board of directors for Ollie’s old company, which is a nice introduction to the hero. Holt’s personality is interesting and making Holt a part of the company is an economic way to introduce a comic book hero.
Let’s pretend that Diggle has a plot line.
Diggle is briefing the rest of the team on H.I.V.E. and sharing his conspiracy theories with Laurel Lance, a woman with the world’s biggest mouth. Of course she has some words for Diggle.
Welcome Darhkness my old friend.
Damien Darhk’s intervention behind-the-scenes of the rest of the show is not providing for a particularly fruitful crusade of the rest of the show. So Darhk has this weird sense of crime morals that seemingly lead to the creation of Anarky. Darhk and Lance continue their off-kilter alliance as they try to save Jessica.
This show is Anarky.
Ollie is trying to figure out the current status of what’s going on with Felicity when he gets a call to save Jessica Danforth’s kidnapped daughter. Of course, Anarky is trapped in the middle of this as well. The show is also trying hammer in all these individual themes of Oliver and Felicity doing things “different.” Oliver and Thea’s fight with Anarky is pretty impressive...up until the point where Thea tries to burn a man alive...she should probably stop doing that at some point. Laurel and Thea are off to go on a vision quest which could really do this show some wonders. Laurel seeks training and a way to calm Thea in said “vision quest” which involves the duo venturing off to Nanda Parbat.
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