Arrow S05 E04: Penance

We open on Team Arrow (sans Ragman, probably still pondering Felicity blowing up Havenrock) tracking a thief at Kord Industries. Again a screw up and again a harsh reprimand from Mr. Warmth, the Green Arrow. This is followed by Ragman's resignation from the team. He just can't look at Felicity without seeing his dead friends and family. Well then.

Regardless it doesn't look like these are things we'll have to worry about in this episode as Oliver is determined to break Diggle out of prison, whether he wants out or not. Let's be clear here, Oliver has a problem. He is obviously brain damaged somehow. We have watched him repeatedly learn lessons, hard lessons, and then just a few episodes later this information is forgotten.

Oliver is the child who touches a hot stove, waits a moment, then touches it again. Seriously, I can't be the only one who wants to slap the crap out of him, right? It's one thing for it to be a character flaw, it's an entirely different thing when it makes me not want to watch the show any more. How about Oliver goes for a dirt nap and the rest of the season we watch Felicity and Team Arrow.

Well, that would be great if Felicity, channeling Oliver and his guilt complex, would get over Havenrock. Yes, Havenrock is a horrible tragedy, but she saved Monument Point. Focus on the positive, saving millions over thousands, and move on. Why she had to tell Rory is beyond me, unless she has a death wish.

That said however, while Oliver is off being pig-headed, and after he beats the hell out of his new team for trying be sensible, Felicity actually does take lead on Team Arrow. The item stolen from Kord was meant to be confiscated. It was a bomb to blast open the police evidence vault where all the AmerTek weapons from "The Recruits" were stored. Tobias Church gets them anyway. Felicity sends the team to the streets to see what his plans are. No matter what they are, be assured that Oliver won't be around to stop it. I'm not sure what are worse, Oliver-isms or Barry-isms.

It's a credit to Felicity's ability to not be Oliver that she tries to not only talk with Rory, but also tries to re-recruit him. In the exchange, we learn that the Ragman is a legacy, passed down from father to son for who knows how long. Odd that no one has heard of him, not even as a myth or urban legend in all that time. Watching Felicity's Team Arrow in action only strengthens my thoughts above.

Throughout the episode, the A plot has Oliver breaking into prison with Lyla's help to rescue John. If I'm honest, I didn't care. I was bored, both with the plot and with Oliver. Meanwhile Team Arrow, with Rory, attack Church. Indications wee that it was a suicide mission but with Ragman's powers, the odds are evened up a bit.

That said, Curtis is wounded, and to get away, Wild Dog takes on Church alone. He doesn't do as well as we might have hoped. He's been taken by Church, tortured, and if the scenes from next week are any indication, Wild Dog will be broken.

In the rest of the Arrowverse, the Bratva flashback goes on and on, Thea continues to cover for Oliver, Quentin acts wonky to make everyone think he's drinking again, and Adrian Chase moves closer to thinking like a 'vigilante.' And yeah, I absolutely hated the end of the Diggle story where John tells Oliver not to change. Groan.

For my other reviews of the entire "Arrow" series, click here. And if you'd like to discuss this episode and anything else in the Arrowverse, please join the Arrow Discussion Group on Facebook.

Next: Human Target!