I am sure that I've mentioned several times what not-a-fan I am of Jessica De Gouw, so I guess you all know how I feel about her character's return to "Arrow." I must admit to being puzzled by this episode's title, because, even though most comics fans know that Helena Bertinelli is the Huntress, they have never yet called her that on the show. At least Oliver was referenced as Green Arrow once, even if it was a throwaway comment.
In the opening sequence, Helena corners her gangster father's lawyer in a strip club. She's looking for her father who's in an FBI safe house. In a nice touch, Helena is wearing a pseudo-stripper costume quite similar to one of the costumes the Huntress wore in the comics. And of course, she still has her crossbow. And like former flame Oliver, her taste for blood.
Filed under subplots and soap opera, Laurel's mom, played by genre favorite Alex Kingston, is back in town after a long absence, and she insists that her dead daughter, and guilt foundation for Oliver, Sarah, is still alive. Quentin, over-reactionary as always, isn't buying it.
Also in that folder, Oliver's club is about to open, and he's getting more than serious about McKenna, sounds like the perfect time for psycho ex-girlfriend vigilantes to come calling. Oh yeah, and Mia ran into Roy again, and tried to get him employed at the club. Is there a romance between the two potential Speedies brewing? It's funny, but they'd be perfect for each other. They like all the same stuff...
Helena is in town to kill her dad. Apparently he cut a deal and will be getting a new identity. She drops in on Oliver just as he starts looking for her. She says she needs his help to get her father, as she can't do it alone. Helena as a character here on "Arrow" is certainly unstable, and sadly Jessica De Gouw's acting has not improved. Remarkably, she's become even less likable now. Appropriately, Oliver and Diggle are treating her as a villain.
Tommy is having a bad day. He's on the outs with Oliver cuz he can't trust him any more. Helena beat the crap out if him. And Laurel has called it quits cuz he can't be honest with her. Whereas at first I thought that Tommy becomes Merlyn the Magician, now I'm thinking perhaps his death is what cements the enmity between Arrow and Merlyn. Thoughts? Let's face it, no matter what happens, Tommy is no Jimmy Olsen.
Nice touches this episode include the name of Oliver's club (Verdant means green), Roy Harper being afraid of needles, the shout out to Coast City, and of course the all too short cameo of DJ Steve Aoki. And at last, somebody (Quentin Lance in this case) finally calls Helena the Huntress. Finally also, spoilers for those who haven't seen the episode yet, but I'm gonna miss McKenna a lot.
Just because you don't like De Gouw doesn't mean she's a bad actress. She snagged one of the leads in NBC's Dracula revival partially due to her earlier Arrow appearance, so obviously not everyone agrees with your assessment. She's strongly loved by the producers, cast and crew, and she loves appearing on the show. So you should just accept that she will be making a couple of appearances annually throughout the run of the series. You can dislike the portrayal of the character, but the repeated De Gouw bashing is out of line and unjustified.
ReplyDeleteWhat you've overlooked regarding Helena the character: this episode obviously is "rock bottom" for her, and her next appearance will start her on the path to redemption. Also overlooked with all the Helena/De Gouw bashing is that Frank Bertinelli is now in the wind. Most likely the next Huntress installment next season will be Frank hunting Helena, which is the one development that would persuade Oliver to get involved. And Frank's eventual death will snap Helena back to sanity. This will be a long story arc since the producers know they have the luxury of a popular series and multiple seasons to work with.
You're certainly entitled to your opinion, as am I. I have been unimpressed with her performances in "Arrow," and think the quality of them has not improved.
ReplyDeleteTrust me, I would like to be proven wrong. I wish her the best and look forward to her future appearances in "Arrow" as well as her turn in the new "Dracula," hoping she shows me something I have yet to see.
Her acting is not only terrible, but it makes Stephen's worse. Stephen is already struggling to find another approach other than *stop before saying really hard thing to say, purse lips, take deep breath, then say really hard thing to say in a quieter voice* and her terrible chemistry with him on top of terrible acting just pushing every Huntress episode into un-watchable.
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