Arrow - S3E18 - Public Enemy
Previously on Arrow, ‘Suicidal Tendencies’
The episode opened with Maseo putting an arrow in Palmer’s chest, which I’m sure was very upsetting to the four or five fans that ship Raylicity, and killing the Mayor, which even the characters in the show don’t seem all that upset about. RIP Mayor whose name I don’t know.
Back in flashbackville, it’s revealed the woman who Oliver ran into was not actually Shado, but her sister. Who looks just like her. And just happened to be in the right place at the right time (wrong place? wrong time?) to run into Oliver. What a crazy random happenstance!
Now, am I wrong or was it totally implied that Lance knew who the Arrow was like a season ago? Or did I just make that up? Anyway, he definitely doesn’t know now, and pulls out all of the stops to catch him.
Cut to Thea and Roy in bed, looking like they just got lucky. Who would have guessed Roy would be good in bed? Not me, that’s for sure! That boy is WAY too pretty. They’re enjoying the rare joy of being both in a relationship and not keeping any secrets from each other. Oliver could learn a thing or two.
Over in the B plot, Felicity is sitting with Ray in the hospital. Ray has a blood clot that could kill him, and the nanobots to fix it, but the doctor won’t use experimental medicine on him. Felicity’s mum turns up at the hospital, which is kinda odd given that none of Ray’s friends or family have bothered to come check on him. I guess we’re saving them for the spinoff.
Oliver goes to see Nyssa and invokes Sara’s name to get her to help them find Maseo. In her two seconds of screen time, Nyssa manages to be more competent and compelling than any of the main characters have been this episode. Plus she’s full of sass and unclear morality which is always fun.
Nyssa’s information pans out (naturally), and Team Arrow corners Maseo on a rooftop, and my download was a bit choppy at this point but I’m sure the fight scene was wonderfully dramatic as per usual. Ra’s arrives, but rather than do something for himself he sets the cops on them. Gotta say, kinda underwhelming from the head of a league of assassins. Lance corners Laurel at gunpoint, but Nyssa turns up in the nick of time to help her escape. Can she be in every scene, please?
Not-Shado helps out Oliver and his child friend, and he feeds her some B.S. about having known Shado in medical school. He then proceeds to not close the door when he’s changing, and she sees his tattoo. We can remember that this matches the one that Shado had because of the vaguely inappropriate half naked picture of her sister that not-Shado has on her bench.
Ra’s Al Ghul kidnaps Lance so they can have a chat about their daughters. Also to tell him that Oliver is the Arrow.
Felicity’s mum fakes a spasm so that Felicity can inject Ray with the experimental nanobots. Were they designed specifically to target blood clots? Because that is awfully convenient.
Not-Shado understandably calls the police on the secret-keeping stranger, who she let into her house for some strange reason. Unfortunately it’s not the cops who show up.
The gang gather at their secret safehouse – Oh wait, no, they actually gather at Diggle’s house. You know the house of one of the only people Oliver is ever seen with. Worst fugitive ever.
Ray pronounces his love for Felicity and she practically tumble rolls out of the room. Her mum tells her that she, shockingly, is in love with Oliver.
The object of her affections is busy turning himself in at the police station.
Diggle, Ray, Felicity and Laurel head to the holding cell to tell Oliver what an idiot he is. You’d think that by now he would know that if Diggle says something is a bad plan it is, but alas, he still maintains (for the first time ever) that it is a great idea to tell the truth.
Oliver is on a truth telling roll this episode, telling Not-Shado that her family is dead so she can finally move on to whatever it is her life entails. Seriously, we know literally nothing about her that isn’t to do with her family.
Lance’s angry discussion with Oliver about how literally everything that happened to his daughters is Oliver’s fault (One day, these characters will allow a woman to have agency over her own decisions, right?) is rudely interrupted by Roy showing up in green to turn himself in as the Arrow.
Notes:
- Can we talk about what a mistake it is to have two chiseled jawed white wanna be superheroes called Ray Palmer and Roy Harper. Confusing as heck is what it is!
- Can we give Thea and Nyssa something more to do than stand around looking pretty and badass? Not that they don’t do a damn good job of that.
- Still so disappointed by Ra’s. How the hell did this beige wall of a man spawn the awesomeness that is Nyssa? And if someone could explain his motivations one more time that’d be great. Also, could everyone in the show please settle on one pronunciation for his name.
- Nanobots?! Really?
