'Arrow' Review: "Restoration"

Nora Dominick ‘17/Emertainment Monthly Assistant Stage Editor

This week’s episode of Arrow had several game changing elements. Laurel (Katie Cassidy) and Thea (Willa Holland) travel to Nanda Parbat in an attempt to revive Sara (Caity Lotz) using the Lazarus Pit, while the Original Team Arrow is going through a rough patch back in Star City. Arrow continues to up the intensity in season four and the latest episode entitled, “Restoration” takes things to a whole new level.
The Original Team Arrow or as Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) calls them, “The OG’s… The Original Gangsters,” were in full swing in Arrow this week. For long-time Arrow fans, this episode was reminiscent of season one when it was only Oliver (Stephen Amell), Felicity and Diggle (David Ramsey) fighting crime in Starling City. Rickards, Amell and Ramsey continue to work together effortlessly and it was refreshing to see the core trio of Arrow working solo once again. Although the original team is back together, it’s far from back to normal.
When an A.R.G.U.S agent arrives at Diggle’s front door letting him know that a woman named Mina Fyad (Carmen Moore) ordered the hit on Diggle’s brother and is in Star City, he springs into action and doesn’t think of the consequences. This season focuses heavily on Diggle and his struggle with finding his brother’s killer, a plotline that was introduced in season one of Arrow.Ramsey has come into his own in season four of Arrow. He masterfully plays every side to Diggle and continues to add layer after layer. When Oliver goes into the field alone to fight Jeremy Tell/Double Down (J.R Bourne), a meta-human who throws deathly playing cards, Felicity decides it’s time to talk some sense into Oliver and Diggle and finally resolve this feud.

Emily Bett Rickards shines in this episode of Arrow as she delivers soon-to-be classic one-liners left and right. The young actress had several memorable scenes in the latest episode of Arrow, however one of the best comes after Oliver and Diggle are both injured in the field. Felicity delivers one of her most passionate speeches this season when she says, “This is the part where I talk and you two listen. The both of you nearly got killed out there tonight because you didn’t have each others backs.” Rickards has flourished tremendously during her four years playing Felicity Smoak. The work she accomplishes on Arrow defies expectations and it’s no surprise she is one of the most important characters on Arrow.
In a moment several seasons of Arrow in the making, Diggle finally opens up to Oliver about H.I.V.E killing his brother. Amell and Ramsey play off each other effortlessly on Arrow. Whether they are leading an action packed fight sequence against Double Down or having a heart-to-heart in the Arrow Cave, Amell and Ramsey give it their all. By episode’s end, the duo finally reconciles when Oliver “takes a bullet” for Diggle in the form of a lethal playing card. Amell and Ramsey continue to showcase new sides to their characters this season on Arrow and it’s hopefully a trend that will continue as the season progresses.

Emily Bett Rickards shined in her scenes with Original Team Arrow this week, however her scenes opposite Echo Kellum maybe some of her best. This week Arrow dives deeper into the new work-relationship between Curtis Holt and Felicity Smoak. Long-time fans were in for a treat when Felicity goes to Curtis with one of Double Down’s playing cards and asks him to analyze it. This scene was very reminiscent of Oliver coming to Felicity in season one and asking for help. Could this be a nod to Curtis joining Team Arrow down the road? Fans sure hope so! Echo Kellum is already melding into the world of Arrow perfectly and with this only being his second episode, fans cannot wait to see where he will take the character of Curtis as the season continues.
Of course nothing involving Team Arrow ever comes easy, while Felicity and Curtis are analyzing the playing card, Double Down appears and what ensues is a typical Arrow fight sequence, but this time Felicity is in the spotlight. Over the course of Arrow, fans have watched Felicity take down bad guys by hacking into their bank accounts, hurling tablets at them or even whacking them over the head, but nothing could’ve prepared fans to watch her use a machine gun and attempt to gun down Double Down. Emily Bett Rickards has truly come into her own and has turned Felicity into her own version of a superhero. Curtis Holt sums it up best when he asks Felicity, “Since when are you such a badass?” to which she replies, “Since always.”

While the Original Team Arrow was kicking butt in Star City, Laurel and Thea travel back to Nanda Parbat to seek Malcolm (John Barrowman) and Nyssa’s (Katrina Law) help with bringing Sara back to life. Cassidy shines in her scenes opposite Law as they both fight to help Sara in their own ways. Laurel will do anything to get her sister back, while Nyssa thinks the best thing is letting Sara stay dead and treasure her memory. The duo have some of the hardest scenes this week as they fight to do what they think is right for Sara.
While Laurel pleads with Nyssa, Thea is struggling with her own inner demons. When she brings this up to Malcolm, he tells her that her bloodlust will only be subsided if she kills. John Barrowman is back in full-swing in the latest episode of Arrow. He continues to astound audiences as Malcolm. Barrowman does an amazing job at riding the fine line between good and evil. Barrowman and Holland have some of the most gut-wrenching scenes this week as Thea simply wants her father’s comfort while Malcolm wants to do everything he can to save his daughter. When Malcolm sets up two guards to be killed by Thea, it’s the last straw for her. As she tries to persuade Laurel to leave, Malcolm finally agrees to save Sara, much to the dismay of Nyssa.

Since her shocking death in season three, fans have anxiously been awaiting the hopeful return of Sara Lance. Caity Lotz is a fan-favorite actress on Arrow so when it was announced she would be playing Sara on Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow fans waited with baited breath to see how she would be resurrected. Of course as fans have seen with Thea, nobody that goes into the Pit ever comes out the same. Much to the dismay of Laurel and Nyssa, Sara comes out crazy and ready to kill.
Earlier in the episode, Malcolm warned Thea that the only way her bloodlust will be cured is if she kills the person who killed her. With Sara now back from the dead and Thea being the person that killed her, this could create a very interesting dynamic between the two characters. Caity Lotz is back and better than ever and fans cannot wait to see what happens next week and how all of this will lead to her role as the White Canary on Legends of Tomorrow.
By episodes end, Felicity has told Curtis she works with The Green Arrow, the Original Team Arrow enjoy some victory cocktails, Sara is chained up in Nanda Parbat and Nyssa has destroyed the Lazarus Pit. Arrow continues to up the stakes and with this only being the third episode, fans cannot wait to see what will happen next. Arrow is taking fans on a crazy ride this season and it’s definitely one of their strongest seasons to date.

Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW

Overall Grade: A-

Check out the trailer for next weeks episode entitled “Beyond Redemption”

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