*Haven't watched the episode yet? Well, don't proceed if you don't want some spoilers!*
"What's up with your family and islands?"
Tonight's episode of Arrow, "Corto Maltese," gives us a much-needed update on how Thea's handling training with her father. That may be the crux of the narrative, but the episode manages to cover plenty of ground. We get more emotion from the three male leads, there's quite a few easter eggs -- "Wildcat" being the most obvious one), Felicity begins to appreciate her new career, and Laurel attempts to deal with Sara's death. Despite having so many different focuses, "Corto Maltese" doesn't feel disjointed and only one arc didn't satisfy.
Even though there's a lot of drama in this episode, there was a surprising amount of lighthearted material, too. Much to, well, everyone's surprise, John Diggle had a couple of decent lines (one's at the one at the top of the review!) and the material with Felicity was pure gold. Arrow often has a serious and dark tone, but these little moments of levity gave the episode a nice balance. There's plenty of compelling conversations and attempts to pull at our heartstrings, but watching Felicity try to handle multiple calls -- one which has Laurel asking her to "google his phone or something" -- while basically not giving Ray Palmer any attention was a great comedic scene. It's also nice to see Felicity thriving and getting what she's deserves in a career. She's certainly earned it. I also appreciate how they promoted her upcoming appearance in The Flash with just a quick conversation. It felt more subtle and like it was just part of the conversation instead of a shameless way to plug the other show. Oh, and having "Gerry Conway" as an assistant? Priceless.
There's a subplot which basically seems like it's there to throw in a few easter eggs (e.g. Mark Shaw and there's a document with names, but I didn't spot anything) and offer a little more focus on Diggle, but honestly, it mostly came off as an excuse to get some action in this episode. Not that I'm complaining, though. The shootout was a little generic, but the hand-to-hand sequences continue to thrive. Watching Ollie drop several guards with some swift and blunt melee attacks was a joy. I mean, Oliver hits a dude in the neck (or was it shoulder?) with a laptop. Brutal stuff. Besides, having Oliver create a bow and arrows out of items from his hotel room was a heck of a feat. It just goes to show how much that island changed him.
Thea and her father, Malcolm Merlyn, were without question the highlight of this week's episode. It's amazing how in just a single episode they were able to make Thea take huge steps forward, both emotionally and physically. If anything, we left this episode feeling like she should one day become Black Canary. It was also terrific to see her encounter with Roy felt more down to earth instead of potentially going over-the-top with the drama and making viewers immediately go, "That was way too CW for my taste." Additionally, the flashbacks were used to show the contrast of how she was versus how she is now. The flashbacks with Ollie are slacking this Season, but these looks into the past were hugely beneficial for Thea's story and a very effective way to give her more depth. Added bonus: having her go by the name "Mia" was a nice little dose of fan service.
The biggest negative of this episode was the focus on Laurel. Instead of focusing on why Sara was killed or defying our expectations with Laurel's path, they're basically doing exactly what we'd expect. Some of it is a little too heavy-handed as well. For example, we knew the meaning behind the pamphlet and we saw the leather jacket placed next to her in the hospital, so to then focus on both felt like "yeah, we get it" kind of moments. The sequences were crystal clear, so adding those just felt like it was trying to make the message way too obvious. This is nothing against the actress -- she's doing fine -- it's just the material with her is a little frustrating. It's going completely as expected and almost seems to diminish Sara's death. Yes, that tragedy is what's driving her, but she's already on the path to essentially replacing Sara and it's tough to see this character accomplishing that. She can't turn to pills or alcohol, so fighting crime is the only other option? She can't work out? She can't use a punching bag? I get she's driven, but it's not like her only options are going back to old addictions or becoming a superhero.
I understand they want her to eventually take Sara's place -- or so we're led to believe -- but the handling could be more subtle and take more time to develop. Instead, this just feels rushed. I know I've ranted about this enough, but I couldn't help but remember how she randomly busted out some slick fighting moves back in Season One -- which caught me totally off-guard -- and now she seemed pretty helpless, even with a weapon. Look, I know they want Laurel to step up and take the Black Canary mantle, but it feels like the arc is happening too soon and too quickly. I'm excited to see more of Ted Grant and maybe Tom Bronson, but right now that seems to be the only upside to this arc.
The more emotionally-driven one on one between Thea and Oliver turned powerful pretty quickly. As it began, I thought to myself, "Another scene with a piano track?" But it wasn't long before I found myself invested in the dialogue and it had a nice grip on my emotions. Again, it just goes to show how much these actors have improved since the first season. As good as the scene was, I couldn't help but feel like Ollie's goodbye was pretty abrupt. Assuming he was leaving the island and not seeing her again for some period of time, wouldn't a hug or an "I love you" be appropriate?
"Corto Maltese" did a good job juggling all of Season Three's more depressing and emotional beats with some comedy and action. Whenever Thea was on the screen, it was an engaging and interesting scene. Unfortunately, I'm left once again disliking Laurel, but at least they're giving Thea a good arc and basically everything else helped counter Laurel's scenes. Oh, and you all saw the O.M.A.C. easter egg, right?!
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