Same Geek Channel, ‘Arrow,’ Season 3, Episode 22: This Is Your Sword

Corrina here by myself this week, as my sparring partner’s day job pulled him away.

The next-to-last episode of a network show is traditionally where all the plot lines come together, where the viewer thinks, aha, that’s what that meant!

Arrow definitely put all the pieces together in this episode, but, instead of being impressed, as on Person of Interest’s, I was befuddled.

I have so many questions. I’d hoped Mordechai would supply answers, but I’ll have to do my best.

Question: Why does Roy have to leave Thea after they’re happy and reunited?

Answer: Oh, right, spin-off. Actor wanted to leave the show? It doesn’t matter because it was unconvincing, to say the least.

Question: If Ray has a suit powerful enough to take out an jetplane, why doesn’t he just fly into Ra’s headquarters, grab Ra’s and take him off to say, the ridiculous metahuman jail in Central City?

Answer: Because this show (and The Flash) isn’t consistent about anyone’s powers or fighting skills, else Laurel, with only months worth of training, wouldn’t be able to take out several members of the League of Assassins. Well, she might, if she used the Canary Cry, but she didn’t.

Question: If the whole thing is a feint and Ra’s has the Arrow gang surrounded, why do we have a scene in which Katana kills Maseo? It made for a great moment–suicide via wife– but felt distinctly unearned.

Answer: Their son died in the flashbacks, so it was Maseo’s time.

Then there are the bigger questions:

Question: Why did we even have flashbacks this year when the plot can be explained with “Ollie, Katana, and Maseo fought to stop a virus from being released and their son died.” The end.

Answer: Because the show always has flashbacks, I guess?

Question: Why would Ollie ever trust Merlyn?

Answer: Because Arrow wants to keep John Barrowman as part of the cast.

Question: Why would Ra’s trust Ollie ever?

Answer: As I said last week, I’m convinced this is a fake Ra’s Al Ghul, which explains his incredible incompetence and lack of menace.

Question: Why would Nyssa not just kill her father rather than try to kill Ollie to stop the marriage?

Answer: Because if we don’t have the marriage, we can’t have continued Oliver/Felicity angst next season.

Question: Why we were greeted to a cliffhanger that we know is a fake-out?

Answer: I admit, wondering how Ollie pulled this off–supposedly killing his friends via virus–is somewhat intriguing. I’m guessing he somehow slipped them all the antidote.

Question: Why am I still watching a show that’s fast becoming as much of a hot mess as Gotham?

Answer: Nyssa. Laurel’s Canary cry. Ray, the only grown-up, who, when asked to help his ex-girlfriend help her current boyfriend save the city, jumps right in.

Bad-ass Thea.

But the show won’t keep me around if they’re mired in ridiculous plotting. The best example of the show’s inconsistency is that while the entire Arrow team angsts for nearly an entire season about whether they should kill or not, they have no problem taking out masked members of the League of Assassins and building one heck of a body count.

The fights looks cool, though, so that’s all that matters.

I guess it’s like Maseo said: they’re already dead.

Next week: Oliver saves the city. But I bet Felicity stays mad at him. Because he’s a dumbass.

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