Review: Arrow ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’
Episode 22 of Arrow, ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town,’ is one that I've been looking forward to. Most series have a tendency to really break down all the bits and pieces come episode-before-last, and Arrow has plenty to get resolved before the big finale. They've got Oliver, his mother and the Malcolm Merlyn situation to deal with, along with how Tommy and Laurel may play into that. They also have Diggle’s hunt for Deadshot, though that may get pushed into the next season (which has already been approved). Plus they have to bring the story arc of Oliver on the island to a satisfying pause, if not necessarily a complete end of the five-year period. All-in-all, the writers have their hands full.
This episode begins with Merlyn, in his Dark Archer getup, breaking into a lab and killing a fistful of innocents. But why, you ask? Well, The Undertaking is near at hand and he has to tie up some loose ends. Oliver, meanwhile, is torn after finding out that his mother and Merlyn are in cahoots and planning to take out a huge section of the city. Oliver resolves to confront his mother and, with a little sneaky help from Diggle, finds out all about Merlyn’s ultimate solution. In a stroke of cliché super-villain genius, the writers have decided that the end of The Glades will come via a… wait for it… Earthquake machine! Thumbs up to whoever brought this one to the table.
So Arrow and company must set out to find said doomsday device and take it down before thousands of people lose their lives. In order to do this, Felicity must hack into Merlyn’s mainframe. But that’s easier said than done and once again Felicity, with the help of Oliver, must go undercover to infiltrate. After a successful mission, they make their final move. Arrow goes after Merlyn while Diggle tracks down the machine. Another battle between Merlyn and Oliver ensues, with complicated results.
Naturally, the Oliver and Laurel storyline continues as well.
In the rest of the show, Walter gets pissed over being kidnapped and files for divorce, Thea and her boyfriend continue their hunt for The Hood and, in the past, the crew is taken as captives and find out their enemy’s master plan. Apparently, he wants to tank the Chinese economy by blowing up a commercial flight in a terrorist attack that will cause panic. Oh, and a major character dies this episode, though I won’t say who.
Once again, the Oliver and Laurel story arc just bugs. I can see where they could be going with this, but it’s about as cliché as they could get, and not in a good, classic way. If my ESP powers are correct, we’ll see Tommy going bad after Oliver steals his woman and then, in the climax, kills his father. If the writers don’t come up with something better than this, I will be severely disappointed.
The best thing about this episode was that Felicity was once again used as a primary character. I've said it before and I’ll say it again, I really hope she gets a bigger role. She had already secured her place as my favorite character of the show and I would love to see more of her in an active position.
Aside from the great points and the really bad points, this episode was paced well and did an excellent job of bringing most of the main plots to a point bordering on resolution. Where they take it in the last episode remains to be seen, but I can’t imagine them dropping the ball too badly. I’m also guessing we’re going to get one hell of a season-ending cliffhanger. Be prepared to be grumpy until Season 2 finally arrives, because it’s looking like there’s no way around it. For a sneak peak at what is awaiting next week, check this link out.
Arrow still courtesy of fanpop.com
0 comments