Arrow S06 E04: Reversal

With the help of performance enhancing drugs John Diggle is in the Green Arrow gear while Oliver spends time with his son and hides from the FBI investigating the possibility that he is Green Arrow.  How long can this ruse be kept up as the Black Siren attacks again, and the looming threat of the return of Cayden James?  We’ll see in this episode of “Arrow.”

I have to wonder what the endgame is with Black Siren.  What did the showrunners really have in mind when they killed Katie Cassidy’s version of the Black Canary?  Was it always planned she would come back as a villain?  Did the actress herself want this?  This is episode four of the sixth season and I think Black Siren has had as much screen time if not more than some of the regulars.  Is she the new Malcolm Merlyn?  The bad guy who’s always there in the background? 

We open on a date night with Oliver and Felicity, the former really taking advantage of his free time to spend with his son.  The date feels like at best foreplay and at worst to show the role reversal (like the episode title) between Oliver and Felicity when she gets called to Team Arrow and he doesn’t.  One wonders how long Oliver can put up with this.  Will it take John crashing and burning?  I hope not. 

Here’s the gist, the guy who’s ordering the Black Siren around is Cayden James, the super hacker I predicted would be this season’s big bad, and he’s now in the villain game.  Enter Alena, the hacktivist from Helix who groomed Felicity last season.  She of course shows up in Felicity’s apartment looking for help against James.  Apparently his time in ARGUS’ custody turns him into a master villain and he’s planning on wiping out 4% of the world’s population.  And in case you think that’s not a lot - it’s 300 million people.  What else can Felicity do?

Reversal is indeed the name of the game.  Oliver interferes with Felicity and Alena’s mission to find a tech dealer named Amnesiac, just like old times, but in this case Felicity is the hero and Oliver the one who needs to stay safe, of course on the other hand, if Felicity, playing very much the Oliver role, had shared resources and knowledge with Team Arrow, neither would be flying blind against their foes. 

Arclight seems to be the name of Cayden James’ plan to take down the internet.  The conceit is that there’s a vault that physically holds the internet.  No, seriously.  That’s where the final fight, physical and cyberspatial, takes place, with surprisingly Oliver in the Overwatch position.  I wonder if the FBI is watching.  With the internet saved, James’ plan, still vague, seems a bit clearer.  He only wanted Felicity to take down the firewall so he could upload something sinister.  Riiiight. 

I love that Curtis is an Olicity shipper, and also the Corto Maltese name drop.  I have to say that John looks very awkward carrying the crossbow weapon, but it’s a little better on his back.  We saw neither William nor Samanda this episode despite their presence leaning heavily on events here.  We also get a name a mission statement for Felicity and Curtis’ startup - Helix Dynamics.  How long before they start creating metahumans? 

For my other reviews of the entire "Arrow" series, click here. And if you'd like to discuss this episode, anything else in the Arrowverse, or anything in the Marvel or DC television or cinematic universes, please join the Marvel DC Movies TV group on Facebook.

Next: Deathstroke returns in the aptly titled “Deathstroke Returns!”

Arrow S05 E19: Dangerous Liaisons

With Adrian Chase exposed as Prometheus and on the run, with the whole city, maybe the whole country (I guess the Flash is too busy mangling timelines to help), on the look out for him, how can he stay hidden?  Still he manages to pull the authorities' chains as in the opening sequence in the arcade with Wild Dog and Mr. Terrific, nice. 

My question lies in that vein.  Is Green Arrow still a wanted man?  Would Chase's revelation really even affect that?  And furthermore, if Green Arrow is still wanted (as might be assumed by Oliver's itchy man in black ninja outfit), wouldn't it follow that Team Arrow are also wanted as accessories, if not simply for questioning?  They seem to get free rein in the opening, and it's not like they're all that hard to miss. 

Things get really bad when Felicity demonstrates just how stupid she can really be.  Why she trusts Helix is beyond me.  She was a hacker, she should know how they operate, especially after she knows they hacked her and Team Arrow already.  Here's the kicker - in exchange for their help in finding Prometheus, Helix wants Felicity to hack ARGUS for them. 

Alena (Kojo Sledgehammer) and Helix are far more sinister than we originally thought.  As a matter of fact I think this episode may actually be setting up the big bad for season six of "Arrow." Alena tells Felicity of Cayden James, who formed Helix, and is the world's most skilled hacker.  Felicity has never heard of him, and Alena's answer is that he's just that good, he's a ghost, and he hasn't been seen since ARGUS picked him up. 

Most skilled?  In a world with Felicity, Cisco, the Calculator, Brie Larvan, the Thinker from the next season of "The Flash," and all these Helix misfits?  Hard to believe, and harder to believe that both the next seasons of "Flash" and "Arrow" would involve cerebral big bads.  Perhaps Helix will emerge as something more like its comics counterpart rather than Checkmate as I first suspected? 

In the comics, Helix is something far too way out and comic booky for a show like "Arrow."  These antagonists of Infinity Inc., the sons and daughters of the Justice Society, were a super-villain group whose genetically engineered members included Mister Bones, a living skeleton with a death touch; Baby Boom, an adult in a five year old girl's body who blows things up; and Carcharo, and giant man-Shark.  Hmmm, we've already had King Shark, so maybe they aren't all that weird...

The thrust of the episode is that Felicity is working for both Team Arrow and Helix even when their objectives clash.  Helix wants their founder Cayden James released from ARGUS, and he coincidentally has tech that could find Prometheus. Oliver of course takes Felicity to task for doing what he always does.  Man, is that kettle black. 

There's also a forced subplot of Quentin trying to get Rene and his daughter back together.  There are great performances here by both Rick Gonzalez and Paul Blackthorne, but in the end, another forced subplot to give the character something to do. There is a reunion, and it's great to see Rene smile, but the resolution seems fuzzy, and if it works out I fear we'll lose Wild Dog, one of the best parts of this show from "Arrow."

As to the identity of Cayden James, it occurred to me that it might be Felicity's old college boyfriend, after all the inspiration for Helix was Felicity herself.  Another possibility might be, and this is a long shot, Roy Harper.  Think about the name Cayden James, it sounds an awful lot like the actor's name, Colton Haynes, doesn't it?  Either way, I don't think we'll find out for a while. 

In the end, Cayden James and Helix are in the wind, and have kicked Felicity to the curb.  I suppose we may see them next season as I guessed earlier.  They did leave her some idea of where Chase may be.  I'm still wondering however, with all the on and off this episode, does Felicity need her glasses or not? 

We close with a hell of a cliffhanger.  John and Lyla are in dire straits as are Oliver and Felicity.  It seems to me that a little bit of listening instead yapping might cure both couples' ills.  Felicity and Oliver don't have to worry about it though, cuz Prometheus blows up the Arrowcave, with them in it. 

Next: "Underneath!"

For my other reviews of the entire "Arrow" series, click here. And if you'd like to discuss this episode, anything else in the Arrowverse, or anything in the Marvel or DC television or cinematic universes, please join the Marvel DC Movies TV group on Facebook.

Arrow S05 E18: Disbanded

Mentally and physically beaten and defeated by Prometheus, Oliver limps to the Arrowcave and proclaims Team Arrow and the mission shut down, it's over.  The rest of the team disagrees.  As they retool and regroup, equipment courtesy of ARGUS and Felicity's apartment as secret lair, Chase continues to taunt Oliver at the office.  Now, not that I'm advocating such behavior, but what's to stop Spartan or Wild Dog from just shooting this son of a bitch from across the street?  Seriously. Game over, Chase. 

While Oliver walks around like he's getting ready for his own funeral, it's nice to see he hasn't completely given up as he contacts Anatoly, the KGBeast in the Bratva, for a favor - kill Adrian Chase.  With five episodes left, I doubt they will succeed, but still good try, and nice tying up of loose ends.  Their price however is high. 

Felicity turns to Helix for help, but they keep wanting more and more in exchange for their help, namely her hacking skills.  They discover that Prometheus uses a scrambling program that prevents him from being recorded visually.  Once Felicity has hacked Kord Industries for that unreleased tech, Helix can reverse engineer it.  What happens when the price for all this free intel exceeds what Felicity can pay? 

Meanwhile, Team Arrow sans its Arrow is on the move with their new itchy ARGUS ninja suits.  They run afoul of illegal drug operations run by Anatoly, allowed by Oliver in payment for his favor.  Diggle is not pleased.  He tries very hard to be Jiminy Cricket to Oliver's Pinocchio, but the mayor tells him one last time to stand down. So Oliver has let Bratva have free run of Star City, in exchange for a job they haven't done yet? 

Things get crazy when the Bratva does try to take Chase down, as Team Arrow stops them.  In the confusion Chase bumps into Curtis, beats him down rather brutally while taunting him about his husband.  So is he a hate criminal as well as a super-villain?  That was a bit disturbing.  There was an ulterior motive however, as Curtis planted the anti-cloaking device on him. 

The flashbacks continue with Oliver contemplating returning home after his wild five-year adventure.  They parallel the current storyline only with both Oliver and Anatoly wearing different wigs.  Gotta give props to the hair people on this show, for most of all five seasons, good work.  It's a shame that their relationship is about to come to an end. 

In some of the best character bits in quite some time, John convinces Oliver that the team is on his side and will stand by him, both against Prometheus, and in helping him be a better man.  Meanwhile, at the behest of Helix, who have figured out their identities, Felicity and Curtis break in to Kord Industries (are we ever going to see Blue Beetle?). It's a good back and forth sequence as ninja Oliver and Team Arrow clash with Anatoly and Bratva. 

In the end, the team succeeds in obtaining footage of Adrian Chase as Prometheus.  While finally outted, and on the run, he is still dangerous and the baddie to beat this season.  Anatoly has returned to Russia after the tiff with Oliver, but has left his best men in Star City, all hungry for revenge on the vigilantes that betrayed them.  And Helix is just waiting in wings to be the new baddies on the block. 

I always get scared with this show when it reaches a moment like this.  When things are status quo, seemingly back to normal, and everyone is getting along - it's usually time for everything to explode.  Yeah, it's time. 

For my other reviews of the entire "Arrow" series, click here. And if you'd like to discuss this episode, anything else in the Arrowverse, or anything in the Marvel or DC television or cinematic universes, please join the Marvel DC Movies TV group on Facebook.