Arrow "The Offer" (REVIEW)
written by Justin Prince (@prince_justin)
Oh the possibilities! Just when I thought Arrow was beginning to dull, an episode like "The Offer" swoops in and saves the series so far. Continuing immediately from where we left off before the short break, Oliver is offered a seat as the head of the league, and Ra's al Ghul hopes he'll be the man to take his place. I won't get too much into how I feel about the constant Batman-ing the series has done so far, presented in the world of CW's Arrow the plot device works. Forcing Oliver to question his intentions is the perfect catalyst to reignite the hero in him.
an offer to be the Demon's Head
Back at home, Team Arrow is faced with another threat to public safety, this time at the hands of Murmur, a DC Comics villain with a serious mean streak and a name so fitting. Murmur wasn't the strongest choice for villain though, I feel that his crime wave felt more like a distraction to Oliver. After how awesome Daniel Brickwell was, I feel like Murmur was thrown in solely to fill out the full episode duration. The show runners could have tossed any nameless mobster in and the overall vibe of the episode would have felt the same. Hopefully they'll bring him back somehow, Murmur felt wasted as this episode's "criminal-of-the-week."
Oliver's relationships at home are straining like one of his bow strings, aside from being a strong shoulder for Thea to lean on, interactions with Laurel are still awkward and to make matters worse, Captain Lance gives up on the Arrow completely after learning of Sara's death. This "target of the police force" plot development feels so Batman it hurts.
Murmur... like silent death
Where the episode shines though focuses on Thea's struggle. Malcolm is recuperating at their loft and Thea still carries the guilt knowing that even though she didn't choose to kill Sara, her hand released the bow strings that sealed her fate. I felt this season has done a great job with Thea, building her to eventually be a strong partner for Oliver in the field... I could imagine her donning a hood and taking the "Speedy" name.
The Hong Kong chapter was spent mostly with Oliver and Akio running away from their pursuers, separated from Maseo and Tatsu, Olvier runs into a familiar face... I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen the episode yet... but this series sure loves to play the "you're not dead" card.
Thea's personal journey has been one to follow this season...
Arrow is still one of my favorite shows to watch every week, and with The Flash picking up every episode out, Arrow is like a slow burning fuse compared. But if previous seasons are any indication, at the end of that slow burning fuse is a big bang that restores my faith in the series and sets my anticipation for the next season. Despite the egregious borrowing of Batman plot devices, the adventures of Starling City's Emerald Archer do not disappoint, it may take a while to get to the juicy center, but anything worthwhile is worth the wait.
until next week
