After a week off for the NCAA Finals, Arrow returns tonight with the first of its last set of third season episodes. Full disclosure: I missed last night’s The Flash because I’d unplugged the DVR during a lightning storm and forgot to plug it back in, so if it has any bearing on the next new episode, I’m loopless.
In “Public Enemy,” we had a dual-track episode as Oliver & co. dodged SCPD and Felicity kept a vigil alongside Ray, who recovered from his arrow wound but suffered a clot that could travel and kill him. He offers up his nanites but the doctor shoots them down. Thankfully, Mama Smoak descends and pep talks Felicity into doing it herself.
She injects Ray, he heals, and then he tells her he loves her. And she doesn’t say it back. She says it’s a lovely thing to hear and then she bolts the room and counsels with her mom, who educates her that she doesn’t love Ray because he’s not Oliver. Felicity is exasperated because she feels like she should — Ray is perfect and looks like a Disney prince (she’s not wrong).
Oliver is busy elsewhere because they’re being hardcore pursued by Quentin, who is still very, very angry. They’re all nearly caught and then Maseo grabs Quentin. He puts him in front of Ra’s, who tells him what he always suspected was true — the Arrow is Oliver. Quentin puts that on media blast and Oliver decides the only way to address that is to give himself up, so he walks right in and surrenders.
The crew comes in to talk Oliver down from doing this because it was proven false the last time, but he’s adamant that he’s ready to end it. He tells them all to go home. Back at the lair, they aren’t having it.
As Quentin rides in the police van with Oliver (in the middle of a ridiculously huge police escort), he spews forth all the vitriol he’s buried since losing Sara the first time, going so far as to punch him, and Oliver just takes it, accepts it. Then the motorcade is jumped and the van stops. Quentin isn’t happy and asks Oliver if this is his people, and he says no, he told them to stand down.
A hooded figure starts shooting arrows and jumps down off the roof of the van and says they have the wrong man. He flips the hood back and surrenders. Roy.
And that sets us up for tonight.
I know we’re supposed to be afraid of Ra’s but he’s just sort of a hilariously petulant child at this point. If Oliver doesn’t want him, he’s just going to burn him all the way down.
I feel bad for Ray. Even though he’s a smartypants, he’s love dumb. One moment in a room with Felicity and Oliver could have told him that everything Felicity was putting into words was a lie, even if she didn’t know it. It’s sweet that he’s gullible but it can also be dangerous. It’ll be interesting to see if he falls in with them for the greater good.
I do love Felicity’s mama, though.
Here’s a sneak peek of tonight’s new episode, and a fun Fight Club riff that went up earlier this week. Enjoy!
Photo and videos courtesy of The CW