In a rather surprising twist, the Arrowverse theme of the week seems to be common sense. In a world of running head first into danger, the teams are starting to think first and jump later. With Wally under threat from Alchemy, Team Flash locked him up for protection. And now it appears that Team Arrow is about to do something similar.
New Faces
You know the way Predator sees the world? All shades of red and with weird breathing? The latest in crime-fighting seems to be one such menace. When the bloodbath ends — with the victim spared — the bodies are strung up outside SCPD in a V with V’s carved on both faces. Very vindictive of the veritable villain. But no, it’s not V. When the team is called out to a bank robbery, they find one dying robber who can only tell them a vigilante attacked him. Obviously, that is now the name of the new vigilante — Vigilante. They should really put Cisco on speed dial.
Mayor Queen is also having problems of his own. With his drinking growing out of control, Lance hands in his resignation. When Thea goes to call him on it, he reveals the fallout of drinking too much. He’s been blacking out and now finds a throwing star after waking up with blood on his hands. Instead of going down the ‘were-assassin’ route — because we’re being sensible now — the pair realise that Prometheus is probably screwing with him to get at Oliver.
Hitting the Town
By tracing back the bullets to a buyer, Spartan, Wild Dog, and Terrific go one way as Artemis and Ragman look up associates of the robber. Even with the strain of being a fugitive, John is unusually aggressive. It’s John Junior’s — his post-Flashpoint baby — birthday, and he’s missing the party. After uncovering a lead, the team locates the robbers at their next heist and encounter Vigilante. Unfortunately, he sees people as with/against him. Guess on which side Team Arrow falls.
Having turned over one of the robbers over to SCPD, DA Adrian Chase is able to get some clues about the last member. Oliver instantly heads over to the possible hideout and is immediately under fire. Guess what? We’re done with the sanity because he has a bullet-proof-net arrow! Seriously, a grenade is used to get by it. At roughly the same time that Oliver is taking shots, Thea is persuading Quentin to join a rehab program to resist taking shots. In possibly the most human moment yet, Quentin breaks down. His drinking only became a problem after losing Sara. Getting her back only to lose Laurel and learn that there was no return this time has broken him beyond repair.
Unexpected Turns
Having been invited for drinks by the reporter who is out to ruin his career — who also knows about him being in Russia — Oliver actually finds himself growing quite fond of Susan. Just before it gets too serious, John calls with a plan: rob a bank. Considering that Terrific is a genius and Artemis has street smarts, how did nobody see Vigilante walking up right behind their van?! Guys, use your mirrors. Awareness saves lives — mainly yours.
With a captive Curtis as bait, Vigilante forces Oliver into a standoff. He’s willing to let them go their separate ways, but Batman Green Arrow doesn’t like competition in his city. After a brief fight ends with his victory, Oliver attempts to unmask Vigilante only to set off a boobytrap which lets him escape.
For Russia, the flashbacks don’t have much action in them this week but plenty of development. Kovar claims that the world is complex so he might not actually be an overall bad guy. He also reveals that the Bratva arranged a deal which is how he caught Oliver. As if that wasn’t betrayal enough, Artemis later has a secret rendezvous on a roof — with Prometheus.
Observations
- Vigilante is a great character both in DC and the Arrowverse, but the frequent use of the word makes him seem more like a joke now.
- Even with police training, hero training, and previous experience, Quentin Lance dealing with his grief is absolutely heartbreaking.
- Considering the Russian Bratva are all about brotherhood, their betrayal makes little sense right now. We’ll have to see how things play out.
- Holey-moley! A mole! A moley mole to be precise. But how exactly is Artemis in cahoots with Prometheus? What a cliffhanger, the suspense is palpable.