'Arrow' Review: "The Candidate"
Nora Dominick ’17/Emertainment Monthly Assistant Stage Editor
“I had to become someone else… I had to become something else… I had to become The Green Arrow.” Arrow kicked off this week with Team Arrow suiting up and continuing to fight the elusive Ghost criminals. Oliver and his relationships are taking center stage in season 4 of Arrow. Last week focused on Oliver and Felicity and their budding romance, but this week turned to another important relationship in Oliver’s life: his relationship with Thea (Willa Holland). Holland and Amell are continuously adding layer after layer to their sibling relationship. The duo went from having a strained relationship in season one to a crime-fighting duo this season. Holland and Amell have both grown tremendously as actors and Oliver and Thea’s relationship reflect this.
There were several key moments for Thea and Oliver in this week’s episode of Arrow. When The Green Arrow and Speedy are out fighting crime, Oliver notices that Thea fights to kill, not to disarm. Once they return to the Arrow Cave, Oliver finally tells Thea that there were severe consequences for being resurrected using the Lazarus Pit. This season Amell is playing the softer side to Oliver Queen and it’s a side that is exhibited through his interactions with Thea. Amell and Holland play effortlessly off of each other and continue to add layer after layer to their characters. After this revelation, Thea yells back at Oliver saying, “You left and it doesn’t qualify you to judge me or anyone else.” Holland has masterfully transformed Thea Queen into a courageous female character that doesn’t need anyone to tell her what to do, even Oliver. Holland is shaping up to be one of the heavy hitters on Arrow season four and it’s something fans have been waiting for.
DC Comic Book fans already know about Curtis Holt’s alter ego is Mr. Terrific. In the comic book universe, Mr. Terrific is known for inventing the T-Sphere, an artificially intelligent device that he controls with his mask and earpiece. The device can fly, create holographic images, release electrical charges and most importantly it constantly cloaks Holt against detection and recording of his image by any and all technological means thus making him virtually invisible to anything but human sight. By episodes end, Felicity tells the board at Palmer Tech that she would not fire Curtis and he will build a revolutionary new project in six months in order to save the company. Chances are the T-Sphere will be this revolutionary new product. Kellum is a triumphant addition to the cast of Arrow and his scenes opposite Rickards add an extra layer of comedy to the already quirky and hilarious character of Felicity Smoak. If his storylines continue to grow from here, chances are Echo Kellum could go the route of Emily Bett Rickards and becomes a series regular by seasons end.
With Anarky causing trouble for the Davenport campaign, Team Arrow springs into action especially when Anarky kidnaps Jessica’s daughter, Madison (Tiera Skovbye). The action sequence with Team Arrow crashing through the ceiling to save Madison is another testament to the incredible stunt team behind every Arrow episode. With Diggle (David Ramsey) and The Black Canary (Katie Cassidy) bringing Madison to safety, The Green Arrow, Speedy and Anarky engage in a fight that exemplifies everything the stunt team has to offer. In the last minutes of the fight, Speedy has lost her way due to the effects of the Lazarus Pit and sets Anarky on fire and sending him to the hospital. Calvet proves to be a formidable foe for Team Arrow and he helps add another layer to the Damien Darhk storyline.
Of course an Arrow episode couldn’t go by without some adorable, gif-worthy Olicity moments. Amell and Rickards continue to explore the relationship dynamic on Arrow and it’s something very satisfying for long time fans of the show. In this episode of Arrow, Oliver surprised Felicity with a “’First Day as Boss’ Fern,” a nod to the “Love Fern” that sat in the Arrow Cave last season. The juxtaposition between the action sequences and the cute, innocent moments between Oliver and Felicity help add a lighter tone to Arrow this season. Rickards and Amell continue to be the heart of Arrow. By episodes end, Oliver and Felicity share a poignant, domestic moment in their loft where Oliver announces to Felicity that he’s running for Mayor. He wants to offer the city hope and inspiration. Amell’s acting has progressed tremendously throughout the four seasons of Arrow and his work opposite Rickards continues to be outstanding.
By episodes end, Oliver is running for Mayor of Star City, Felicity has found her footing as the CEO of Palmer Tech, Anarky escapes and Diggle confides in Laurel about his knowledge of H.I.V.E. A lot was jammed into this episode, however one of the most intriguing moments comes at the end of the episode when Laurel and Thea exhume Sara Lance’s (Caity Lotz) body and prepare to bring it to Nanda Parbat. Arrow is continuing to grow in terms of storylines and action sequences. With each episode adding more and more exciting characters and upping the stakes, Arrow is continuing to grow into a powerful entity on The CW.