Team Arrow goes all in as the final confrontation with Brick approaches. The team struggles to fend off Brick’s rampage in the glades, only to find a potential ally that no one is certain they want to team up with. When they decide to go it alone, they call in the Glades itself, as the population teams up to take down Brick. Really, it was not actually an action packed episode of Arrow. This week was truly not about action, but about Merlyn.
Back in the past, specifically 21 years ago, we see the early stages of Merlyn’s descent into darkness. We get some interesting moments, specifically with Tommy (assuming you are rather accepting of questionable child actors) but also the omission of the voicemail from Rebecca. Through all of it though, we do get the seeds of his League name “The Magician” as we get to meet little Nyssa.
Oh, and Oliver is finally back in the Arrow suit. Yeah.
Positives
Ted Grant! Seriously, it would have been completely idiotic for him not to be involved in this uprising. The fact that he got to punch the crap out of Brick, before being thrown into a car himself, was an excellent way to bring him back in. He’s a great character with a lot of potential.
Malcolm did a great job of really anchoring the story this week, both in the present and the flashbacks. John Barrowman has done excellent work with the character and over time he has truly transcended his role as villain to something else. He’s not a hero, and even with his decision not to kill, I don’t expect him to become one. But I will definitely continue enjoying the ride with him. In a similar vein, Roy’s talk with Thea, and support of teaming with Malcolm was excellent, and totally in fitting with the attitude and personality I’ve come to expect from Roy.
Lots of other smaller fun things happened this week as well. Sin’s return was fun, as was Lance’s snarky jabs at Roy/Arsenal. Some great fun in a more serious week.
Negatives
Holy crap was it anti-climactic. Seriously. Ollie just shows up in the Arrow suit at the end. A few scenes ago he was far away in some place that was never really geographically explained. It looked to be either in Asia or South America. Still, he showed up and killed the momentum at the end. The Arrow wasn’t needed. Someone else could have talked down Merlyn. Heck, someone else probably should have. The “break-up” or whatever you want to call the last fight with him and Felicity left me audibly shouting “That’s it?” Not how I expected this arc to end, nor should it have. Felicity has just been a bit obnoxious the past few weeks. Sometimes it has been justified. But her “moral high-ground” didn’t hold much weight when she was totally fine with Oliver doing “anything he had to” to kill Ra’s.
What happened to Ted Grant! Is he dead? That was ignored after Oliver showed up, and it is still driving me nuts!
The Verdict
Arrow delivered fairly well with “Uprising,” even with a bit of a sour ending of awkward returns and needless relationship drama.
