It’s quite funny how many annoyed people there were when it was announced that Cupid would be appearing on Arrow this season, especially when compared to how many people actually enjoyed her on this week’s episode.  I don’t expect that to ever change, but it’s still funny to note.
Anyway, this week’s Arrow was basically filler, as it did nothing to advance the overall Sara plot.  At that, the main story wasn’t even that overly memorable, though it was fairly enjoyable.  At the same time though, nerd-out moments abounded this week, and they weren’t entirely back-loaded, cramming the last five minutes of the episode.
Cupid’s material with Oliver was fairly good.  It provided some nice ties to Arrow-history, while also giving him some solo time to explore his relationship turmoil.  Personal feelings about specific relationships aside, this was easily one of the better explorations of Arrow relationships, even when it felt like a bit of a retread.  On another note, I was extremely happy to see Oliver holding back in the fight with Cupid.  After years of seeing Batman beat the tar out of the mentally ill, it was comforting to see one hero making at least this much of a gesture.
Positives
The fight scene handled the concept of her being mentally ill quite well, even if I question giving her to the Suicide Squad.  The back half of the Cupid/Arrow material was much more engaging than the first, but it was definitely overshadowed by Ray and Felicity.  I have long since enjoyed Ray’s presence on the show and watching these two together in scenes is always a treat.  Especially the “I do have a type” line.  I was glad to see Roy was still shaken up this week from what he learned back in “Guilty.”
In other news, Katana was freaking awesome.  Her sword prowess was a sight to behold.  While it was a of a bland ending to the flashback story, it was great to see them alluding to the eventual death of Katana’s husband, as that is an important part of Katana’s story.
The A.T.O.M. exosuit.  That was super cool to see.  I can’t wait for him to suit up, as I totally freaked when he mentioned the dwarf star material.
Boomerang. Â Captain Boomerang was awesome. Â It is a shame that we have to wait two weeks for more of him.
Negatives
The first half of the episode was noticeably weaker than the last 20 minutes.  Material across the board for that section just didn’t feel as engaging as the rest of the episode.  At the same time, I would have liked to see just a little bit more time spent with Roy, especially given last week.  Cutting follow-up with him to give that new DJ screen time just felt like a waste, especially since the new DJ seems like an obnoxious tool.
I could have used less matchmaker Diggle.  It just felt awkward seeing him try to pair up Oliver and Felicity this week, as he’s never really shown such inclinations before.  Even if it was messing with Oliver’s head when he was on Arrow patrol, it still felt out of character for Dig.
Not really a negative, but I wish we had gotten to see more of the dinner.  That would have felt like such a happy ending–something we don’t see enough around Arrow.  We don’t need a cliffhanger every week.
The Verdict
Arrow offered us an enjoyable night of filler this week, but this filler made some big promises via Atom, Katana, and Captain Boomerang.
