Arrow: Season 3 Episode 7 "Draw Back Your Bow" (REVIEW)
written by Justin Prince (@prince_justin)
The season has been slowly picking up with tease worthy reveals at each episode's close and more members of the greater DC Universe making their debut. In the last episode, after Ollie and co turn Ted "Wildcat" Grant's former sidekick in to the police, a surprise appearence of one of Green Arrow's most promient foils makes her debut... solely to put an arrow in the kid's chest.
Cupid is this week's "baddie of the week" and boy what an episode was it! Going into the longbox discussion, Cupid in the comics acts as a constant thorn in Ollie's side... all the while expressing her undying love for the Emerald Archer; basically... think basic instinct with masks and quivers. Carrie "Cupid" Cutter is obsessed with the Arrow, during the events of Slade Wilson's mirakuru feuled destruction romp through Starling City, Oliver saves Carrie from one of Slade's roided out mirakuru hench-men. This of course starts the lass spiraling down a whole lot of crazy as she grows more and more obsessed with the for vigilante turned hero of Starling.
The show has made some serious concessions with other characters that have appeared... namely the drug based powers of Count Vertigo (that is until this season) and the tech based "Canary Cry," not to mention the whole Sara Lance bit (spoilers: Dinah Laurel Lance was Black Canary in the comcis). When it comes to Cupid though, her origin story and driving force behind why she takes up the life of a murderous archer fall pretty much in line with her comic page character. But of course this could also be since Andrew Kreisberg, Arrow's Executive Producer, created the Cupid character back in 2009 when he wa writing the Green Arrow/Black Canary books.
Cupid's involvement in the episode plays front and center, her unrelenting obsession of the Arrow brings her to utilizing her unique skills to even track down (at least geographically) where his hideout is. While Arrow vs Cupid plays the primary struggle of the episode. Sans-Mask sees Oliver dealing with his feeling for Felicity while Ray Palmer, after renaming Ollie's former company Palmer Technologies, goes full on into courting her.
Roy saw more action this week, still coming to term with his dream and realizing that he killed a police officer while under the influence of mirakuru. Ollie begins to play the role of mentor, being right there for Roy when he needs him... and given what Ollie has been dealing with... Roy was just what he needed.
On the Hong Kong front, we see a bit more from Maseo's wife. Tatsu Yamashiro finally shows her comic book roots brandishing her unparalleled skill with a sword. Fitting, since she is the superhero Katana and im the current DC Comics continuity plays a major role with the Birds of Prey led by Black Canary. Here's to hoping she eventualy can become Katana in the present day, I've really liked Rila Fukushima on the show.
I enjoyed how the episode was paced, from the more exciting Archer vs Archer sequences to navigating through their daily lives. Life goes on even after you take the mask off. I haven't enjoyed a guest on the show this much since Helena "Huntress" Bertinelli during a few episodes in the first two seasons. Cupid fits perfectly in the CW-Verse DC Universe and I'm hoping to see more of her in the coming months.
While I wasn't as forthright with the little spoielr at the end... I can't contain the excitement...
Looks like next week's Arrow will see one of the Flash's main villains on Arrow, with the surprising appearence of Captain Boomerang. Till next time guys!
