Arrow - S4E3 - Restoration

Previously on Arrow, ‘The Candidate’ 

This week ‘s Arrow was back to basics with the ‘original gangstas’, aka Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity, facing off against the baddy of the week without any help from Team Arrow’s newer hanger-ons. This particular BotW was a metahuman (played by perpetual guest star JR Bourne) with the ability to peel playing cards off of his tattoos and use them as weapons. Yes, it is as silly as it sounds. Luckily Bourne is charming enough to pull of the Gambit Light routine. He is here at the behest of the same woman who was behind the assassination of Diggle’s brother, but she is killed by Darhk before they have a chance to find anything out.

Over in Nanda Parbat, everyone ignores Nyssa’s sensible advice about the dangers of bringing back the dead (have they never watched a horror movie, this ALWAYS goes wrong) and decides to resurrect Sara. When Nyssa ‘Heart-Eye Emoji’ Al Ghul is against bringing her beloved back, you know it can’t end well (Well, unless you’ve seen the press for Legends of Tomorrow). Naturally, Sara comes back wrong, and not in a Buffy ‘pulled-out-of-heaven-and-now-super-depressed’ way, but in a much more unsettling ‘wild-animal-with-superpowers’ way.

Images: The CW

Best

It was fun to see the OTA – Original Team Arrow – working together again, and it’ll be good to be done with the bad blood between Diggle and Oliver. That said, taking a card for someone is really not as impressive as taking a bullet for them.

There is an alternate reality out there with Felicity as a dental hygienist, and I need to see it. Earth 2 perhaps…

Seeing Felicity give the men a dressing down for putting their feelings before the mission was excellent (and probably several seasons too late). It was also hilarious seeing Felicity being the CEO giving silly excuses to her tech guy. How the tables have turned.

Worst

I’m sorry, Felicity is amazing but I am skeptical that even she would be able to hack a digger. Does it have WiFi?

The card throwing was cool, but were we really supposed to believe that someone would be killed instantly by cards sticking about a centimeter into their chest? They have heard of ribcages, right?

I love Merlyn purely based on John Barrowman’s charisma, but I am sick of how often the characters act as though he isn’t the mass murderer who murdered Sara. Making him the new Ra’s Al Ghul just seems completely out of character for Oliver; just a dues ex machina to keep the character around without any story basis. That said, it was fun to see the dynamic between him and Nyssa.

Quotes of the week

“Sister in law!” – Nyssa’s sarcastic greeting to Laurel

“Felicity refers to the ability to find appropriate expression for ones thoughts, which is not exactly something you’re particularly good at.” – Curtis, making an astute observation.