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Arrow #307 - Draw Back Your Bow

3

"I'm Cupid, stupid, and I'm going to kill everyone Arrow doesn't like. That'll make him love me, right? RIGHT?!"

*This review contains spoilers!*

The latest villain-of-the-week, Cupid, brings about a very clear theme: relationship drama. We have Cupid obsessing over Green Arrow, Oliver thinking about the feelings he has for Felicity, Ray Palmer's growing closer and closer to Felicity, Tatsu Yamashiro, a.k.a. Katana, is worrying about her husband, and Thea's finding herself in another possible romantic situation. So yeah, if the relationship stuff makes you want to cringe, odds are you're going to really, really dislike "Draw Back Your Bow." For everyone else, you'll probably have mixed feelings about this one. So, let's talk about it.

I do have a fair amount of criticism, but there's a few things this episode does well, too. There's a lot of fan service in this episode and it's full of easter eggs. Not only is there a pretty satisfying development with Ray Palmer (you totally know where it's going, but it's still fun to see it happen), but there's also casual nods to Harley Quinn and even Mike Grell's work. I haven't read Cupid's appearances in awhile so I'm not sure if the line is taken from one of her scenes, but the "party pooper" line immediately made me think of Under the Red Hood. Ah, good memories. And then there's the cliffhanger which is used to introduce yet another villain. The line the character has is so cliche, but it's still exciting thinking about what'll come next. These are just some of the easter eggs and bits of fan service that I can remember off the top of my head. I'm sure there's plenty I missed or don't recall.

I love how John Diggle was the voice of reason in this episode. There's so much frustrating drama going on and he's saying almost everything we'd want to. Actually, before I go on, let me make something clear: I don't mind relationship drama... if it's handled well. But when Oliver keeps saying he can't be with Felicity because it's too dangerous and that gets dragged out, it's a little difficult to watch. I mean, Arrow is technically putting her in danger every single time they work together. Didn't Oliver just turn the League of Assassins into an enemy and they know where he operates out of? Hell, Cupid almost found out! So to see them drag this point out and hit us with very predictable beats -- like Oliver walking in right as Ray and Felicity kiss -- is disappointing. Sorry, but that tangent was necessary. Now, Diggle's been kind of distant this season (because he totally killed Sara! Okay, maybe not, but it's possible.), so to see him step up and try to fix the situation with his friends was a respectable development and it's good seeing the guy get a little more material to work with.

The Ray Palmer/Felicity stuff is all kinds of predictable, but I still find it oh-so-charming. I think they're both such charismatic characters, so it's always a joy to see someone lighthearted interacting with Felicity. There's so many stern, serious and dark developments going on, so when these two are in a scene together, it usually helps lighten the mood and bring more balance to the episode's tone. Come on, who honestly didn't laugh at Felicity's "I have a type" remark? Okay, probably some of you, but I'm guessing many of you did enjoy it as well.

The Hong Kong flashbacks were more engaging this time around. There was a little more humor (e.g. Ollie admitting he doesn't know how to do laundry and him asking question after question) and the action scene was pretty cool, but I found Katana's concern over her husband to be the most emotional part of the entire episode. They're really making it so we'll care when her husband is killed for real, aren't they?

Superman Returns... TO STEAL THE WOMAN OLIVER LOVES!
Superman Returns... TO STEAL THE WOMAN OLIVER LOVES!

The developments going on with Thea this season are very interesting and will probably lead to some great stuff, but her inclusion in this episode was easily the weakest part and it was all because of the new DJ. Firstly, having him play a song for two seconds and then that automatically fixes the scene in the club was incredibly odd. Secondly, it was beyond predictable he's there to add even more relationship drama to the scene. Is there something else going on with him? Could he be connected toMalcolm Meryln? Possibly, but I'd rather not speculate so soon. As of right now, it felt completely unnecessary, especially when there's way more fascinating material going on with the character and there's plenty of relationship developments going on elsewhere. Is the objective just to bring Roy down even more? Obviously that's not a serious remark, but the season started good for the sidekick and is quickly going downhill for him.

The over-acting and campiness is fitting for Cupid because of her mentality, but it feels like she's there just to shine some extra light on "Olicity" which really just leads to, well, more signs that it's not happening anytime soon. Nothing else really stood out or felt substantial; it was just kind of playing out how we'd expect it to and the action wasn't as memorable as the other sequences we've seen. The most exciting part was the update that she's going to be apparently become part of the Suicide Squad, a team I'm really hoping we begin to see a little more of. She wasn't one of the more memorable villains, but she could bring an interesting dynamic to the Suicide Squad.

Minor gripes, a.k.a. they don't impact the score: Did anyone else find a little odd Arrow never spotted Cupid when he was in the apartment? She was obviously watching if she called him right as he walked into that room, so it's a little baffling that he didn't even bother to look around. It's not like she was hiding well. It's also a little odd he didn't have his Batman voice modifier or seemingly change his voice (at least not that I remember) while talking to her. If there's someone you want to really hide your true identity from, it's the lethal stalker. Also, Roy gets defeated off-camera? I know he's distracted, but damn, that guy just can't catch a break, can he? And did anyone else find it a bit odd he didn't recognize the woman who beat him up when she walked right past him in the club? Maybe he was zoning out and his mind is still incredibly distracted?

"Draw Back Your Bow" puts Olicity back in the spotlight but doesn't really add much to it; it just reemphasizes Oliver's "we can't be together because hero stuff" position and, before there can be any progress, of course something blocks that from happening. No happiness for you, Oliver! That said, this should add a new dynamic to the mix as we move forward -- maybe Oliver will be less friendly towards her and maybe this will force him to eventually share how he really feels -- but that has yet to be seen. The bits with Thea didn't bring anything interesting to the table (or the club) either, but the material with Diggle, Katana, and Ray Palmer was solid. Yeah, there's some really predictable and heavy-handed moments with the theme, but overall, it's not a bad episode. Even with the complaints, it still kept me entertained and looking forward what'll happen next.