Jim’s Thoughts

I may be in the minority this week, but I think Arrow outdid The Flash. We finally got a little forward momentum on the Darhk storyline, and after a week spent memorializing Laurel, the show really needed it.

It wasn’t all great. The forward momentum I mentioned came pretty easily, and rather suddenly. It also begged the question as to why it took so long for Oliver to reach out to Constantine for help on how to combat magical forces. We’ve waited far too long for the obvious solution to be the right one.

I really could have done without Felicity being the “happy place” that gets Oliver to embrace the nebulous “power of light” that helped him repel Darhk. If that’s the price we have to pay, though, for something other than Darhk “Darth Vader-ing” Ollie around the room, I’ll call it a wash.

Diggle’s finally confrontation with Andy was pretty well acted on John’s part. I’d say he pretty much carried those scenes.

Thea being locked in the “Hunger Games” sort of dome seems a little like forcing the tension. Her relationship with Mr. Politico never sat well with me, and after he went to Ruve’s camp, it became impossible to justify. Plot devices can be necessary evil in television, but they should at least make an effort not to shine the spotlight on them.

Kyle’s Take

Arrow did outdo The Flash this week. I don’t know whether or not it’s us against the world, Jim, or we’re in the majority, but “Genesis” was leaps and bounds better than the Laurel clip show last week. That doesn’t mean that this week’s episode was great.

I’ll start by saying the one consistent from last week to this week was David Ramsey (John Diggle). He’s put in back-to-back solid performances. Kudos!

So many of the show’s other elements are bittersweet—and not in the pleasant but tinged in sadness fashion. They’re bittersweet because the show ended in a good place but the reason why little of the progression made sense is due to the several things that have happened this season that leave me bitter.

Felicity being Oliver’s “happy place” reminds me of Olicity, and the toll it’s taken on Arrow’s narrative. Oliver refusing to ask Constantine for help until now conjures images of when Ollie asked Constantine to help with Sara’s soul. Constantine could’ve done more than just be the vehicle to get Legends of Tomorrow—another blight on this season—off the ground. And the show has dropped storylines for months and returned to them out of the blue, and that’s what we got with Thea going on vacation with Mr. Politico.

Despite all that, we’re left with Darhk kidnapping Thea and the final showdown is set, so everything’s looking pretty sweet. “Genesis” had more pimples than a teenager working in a fast food restaurant, but it generated momentum for the series. I hope Arrow maintains this momentum through the season finale.

Thanks for reading.