‘Arrow’ Review: “Kapiushon”
Nora Dominick ‘17/ Emertainment Monthly Executive Stage Editor
After five years of explosions and harrowing stunts, Arrow delivers a character driven episode that maybe one of the series best hours. After going head to head with Adrian/Prometheus (Josh Segarra), Oliver (Stephen Amell) finds himself in possibly one of the most harrowing situations he’s been in. Being psychologically tortured by Adrian, Oliver comes to terms with the man he’s become. The latest episode of Arrow entitled “Kapiushon” has some weakness, but overall gives us a gritty, harrowing episode fans won’t soon forget.
Arrow’s fifth season has had its ups and downs. By bombarding fans with new characters in 5A, our favorite character got lost in the background. Character development seemingly didn’t mattered. It appeared to be a season about one upping the other DCTV shows. Flashy stunts were more important than learning more about characters. Oliver became the shell of the character we loved, Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) was pushed to the background and Diggle’s (David Ramsey) army storyline held promise, but fell flat. All of these small elements have combined for one of Arrow’s most disappointing seasons.
We’ve said it before, but without strong characters, there’s no reason for fans to tune in week after week. Yes, explosions and stunts are amazing, but audiences want characters they can relate to. They want to see their favorite characters adapt and grow. Arrow lost its way in terms of characters, but with this latest episode, it manages to find its way back to the show we love. With one episode, Arrow takes some of its biggest risks, creatively. There’s some brutal stuff, but there aren’t many action scenes. A rarity with a show that thrives off action sequences. The episode also mostly feature two characters. That’s it. After a season of pushing character after character on us, this episode thrives because there are few characters. In an unconventional episode, Arrow manages to find its footing and deliver one of its best hours.
While Arrow’s storytelling and structure in “Kapiushon” is better than recent episodes, it’s Stephen Amell and Josh Segarra’s individual and collective performances that have us in awe. Let’s begin with our leading man. Amell has delivered some amazing performances in the past, but this is a whole new level. Talk about commitment by an actor, Amell gives an emotionally raw performance. He’s always thrived in the action heavy sequences, but this week Amell proves that he can conquer the emotional one’s too.
Finally, Adrian seemingly snaps Evelyn’s neck, killing her. Oliver drops to his knees, completely heartbroken that he caused this. Amell triumphs in a simple scene that packs one of the greatest punches. He’s an actor that has gotten better with every season of Arrow and this episode is his biggest triumph. We haven’t been given this raw of a performance from Amell since Moira was killed in season two. Both moments will surely be the hallmark moments of Amell’s time on Arrow. Both simply stunning and emotional.
Another small moment in the grand scheme of the episode, Amell gives us a breathtaking and raw moment. We can try to hid Olicity under mountains of other storylines and relationships, but deep down Oliver will still take an arrow for the woman he loves. This episode further proves that Arrow can try to bombard us with stuns, but deep down characters drive this show.
Together, Segarra and Amell are an unstoppable force. It’s amazing to witness the two of them work together. While we caught a glimpse of them together last week, “Kapiushon” gives us even more. With Segarra giving us a pure psychological performance and Amell being more emotional than he’s ever been, the duo give Arrow one of its best episode. The two of them working together is astonishing. While Amell has had his fair share of incredible scene partners, Segarra is formidable and possibly one of his best.
Overall, Arrow gives us one of its best episodes to date. Segarra and Amell are forces to be reckoned with. Amell gives a raw and brilliant performance while Segarra continues to create one of the best DCTV villains to date. As Arrow hurdles towards its season five finale, there’s a lot of promise. As fan-favorite characters step into the forefront once again, Arrow plays to its strengths.
Great show!