Arrow 4×11 – A.W.O.L.

I’m not a fan of Diggle-centric episodes.

I get that many viewers might love the character, but I just find him dreadfully boring on every level. David Ramsey does great work in the role, but he’s just been saddled with the most mundane subplots of all time. The one highlight in his story this week was Reiter’s appearance in the flashbacks; this development effectively links that arc to Oliver’s journey on Lian Yu. High hopes for this; let’s hope the show doesn’t’ drop the ball with it.

On the bright side, Felicity had a somewhat intriguing arc as she began to adjust to her new reality. While I seriously doubt her paralysis will be permanent (as evidenced by Oliver’s final speech), I wish the writers would have the guts to stick with it and really commit to showcasing a badass with a disability. But alas, it’s probably just another complication in the Olicity angle. Thankfully, Emily was terrific, particularly with the appearance of Goth Felicity. You can tell she relishes playing the role, and the CGI used to place the two Felicitys in the same frame was on-point and never less than stellar.

Finally, since the show treated it like an afterthought, I shall do the same… Amanda Waller was killed off in the least exciting way possible this week. On one hand, it’s bizarre that such a pivotal character met her demise so casually, but it also makes perfect sense as DC intends to leave the character for Viola Davis in this year’s high-profile blockbuster, Suicide Squad. Talk about politics! If no one on the show seems to care… why should we?

Bits & Arrows

– Laurel being snarky with cops was unexpectedly awesome!

– I want to say I care about Shadowspier, but I really really don’t.

– So is Andy or “little Diggle” a permanent part of the show now?

– Has Spartan always been Diggle’s codename this season? It felt new to me. Felicity’s “Overwatch” however is perfect.

– I loved the Laurel/Oliver scene because they FINALLY acknowledged that they used to date. Plus she gave him love advice. Awkward.

– Nifty shot: Arrow, Speedy and Canary jumping from above in tandem.

– Oracle reference!

– What did Speedy and Canary even do at the end there? I have a hunch that the writers sent them off on their own because that fight scene would have been too overcrowded with all of them involved. Lazy.

– Will Lyla take over A.R.G.U.S. now? Cause that would be cool.

– Maybe Andy is the one in the grave? Talk about anticlimactic.

Starling Quips

Cop: I don’t need an ADA to tell me how to do my job.
Laurel: Well, I’m sure there’s a murderer out there who appreciates your lack of initiative.

Oliver: We’ve come up against some tech, the kind that you typically eat for breakfast.

Goth Felicity: I thought vomiting inside my mouth was just an expression.

Felicity: I love how playing superhero is what we consider normal.

Felicity: It’s the fault of only one man, and he has an extremely on-the-nose and alliterative name. And we’re going to stop him, not out of guilt or vengeance, or regret. We are going to stop him because it’s what we do.
Oliver: That’s who we are. That was a good speech.

Lyla: To Amanda Waller?
Oliver: To Amanda Waller.
Felicity: You remember that time that she tried to take down the city with a drone strike? Good times.

Oliver: The doctor said your condition is permanent, and I don’t think that it’s healthy or productive for either of us to live in denial, but… I have seen people speed and shrink and fly. We watched a friend of ours come back from the dead. That is the world we live in now… And I will not stop searching it until we find a way to make you walk again.

Conclusion
Slightly better than last week but still a slow-moving and unexciting hour. Arrow really needs to step it up a bit.

Nad Rating
B-