Arrow - S6E3 - Next of Kin

Previously on Arrow, “Tribute”

Oliver’s sabbatical from vigilantism (because I think we can all agree that this role change is temporary) was off to a rough start this week, with Diggle’s first mission as the Green Arrow (at least since the last time he donned the hood to save Oliver’s skin) not instilling great confidence in his leadership abilities. Diggle’s indecision delayed the pursuit of a truck full of explosives, allowing it to blow up a building, although given that Team Arrow were only just out of range of the blast, Diggle’s “poor leadership” may well have saved their lives.

The Good

It was interesting to see the role reversal between Oliver and Diggle, with Oliver having to give an inspiring speech to a brooding Diggle. No matter who’s wearing the cowl, it seems that the real Green Arrow costume is a frown.

Felicity’s attempts to name her and Curtis’ startup crashed and burned, with Oliver shooting down ‘Bit by Bit’ as sounding like the name of an ’80s sitcom. Maybe she’d have better luck if they actually decided what the company will actually do?

The fight choreography was top notch this week, with a particularly cool fight scene taking place around and then inside of a parked car. There was also an impressive scene of Diggle jumping off a building and then getting blown to safety by a Canary Cry. It’s pretty ludicrous to pretend that would be survivable, but I’ll let it go because it was fun to watch. The episode was directed by Kevin Tancharoen, whose name may be familiar to those who straddle the DC/Marvel divide as, his sister is Maurissa Tancharoen, showrunner of Agents of SHEILD and wife of the less famous, but hopefully more faithful Whedon.

The Bad

Did I completely miss the return of Olicity at some point?

After a hopeful resolution to Diggle’s first week on the job with champagne and a cool new crossbow, it was certainly disheartening to see Diggle shooting up in an alley immediately afterwards. They couldn’t have waited even an episode before beginning Diggle’s descent into darkness?

Quote of the Week

Curtis – “Insert our toy and let us do our thang.”
Felicity – “You keep saying thing wrong”