*Yes, there will be some spoilers in here. Don't worry, the major ones are covered in spoiler tabs.*
"I'm more of a glock kind of guy."
The midseason finale ended on one hell of a *ahem* cliffhanger. What went down will impact everyone back in Starling City and "Left Behind" manages to chime in on just about everyone. It has a lot of ground to cover: Felicity's reaction; Ray's mission; team Roy Diggle; Laurel's path; Malcolm and Thea; the past to justify the present; a new villain. Yeah, the episode is packed and, because of that, it could feel unfocused, but the writers do an able job connecting most of the links.
I'm all for watching Diggle and Roy fight crime without Oliver. Both have their own advantages, but neither is quite as formidable or as diverse in talents as Oliver and they makes for way more entertaining -- and sometimes even funny-- action scenes. There's a greater sense of tension and danger when these two are out in the field. You're confident they aren't going to die, but you aren't confident they'll succeed, either. With Oliver, you know he's a boss and often finds a way to overcome. With these two, you're left guessing what'll happen and Diggle's brief time in costume produced a few good laughs. Roy may not be as skilled of an archer or as gifted of a fighter as Ollie is, but damn, that dude sure is agile. Now, sometimes his swift moves seem over-the-top and unnecessary -- at least two flips come to mind in previous episodes -- but in this one, it was simply badass watching how this guy is able to bounce between objects and race away from gunmen. There were more than a few solid shots and stunts that really helped us appreciate just how nimble this guy is.
This seems like an episode that'll have people divided on Felicity's actions. Considering we're talking about the "death" of the guy she loves, her actions were understandable and they did a good job handling her arc. After all of the absurd stuff Oliver has been through and given how she feels about him, it's understandable she'd hold onto hope for as long as possible and then be completely shattered by the realization that he lost against Ra's al Ghul. The episode also did a fine job moving these emotions over to Ray Palmer's story. The dynamic between them is often more lighthearted, but I found these interactions to be way more engaging and seeing Palmer's serious side shine through in one moment was a very welcome change of pace. That said, did anyone else think it was very uncool of Felicity to turn off the lights when Diggle and Roy were still in the basement? Look, I get it. Her turning off the lights means the team doesn't exist without Oliver and the operation is shut down, but that was just inconsiderate! Now, as viewers, we know her decision is only putting Roy and Diggle in more danger since they'll probably want to continue fighting crime, but come on, she's human and, just like any human facing a terrible loss, her emotions are overriding logic. I have no doubt she'll be by their side sometime soon. Or at least I hope so. Once she has more time to think, she has to realize they need her.
Arrow has a few of great villains (Deathstroke, Merlyn, Ra's), and a fair amount of... well, let's just call them forgettable ones. Thankfully, Brick (Vinnie Jones) is looking like he has what it takes to become one of the great ones. Making him durable against bullets yet weak against arrows is very, very odd to me (not to mention I'm left wondering why he's so durable), but Jones has the presence required to come off as a crime boss that'll make you pee your pants if you wind up on his bad side. From his physicals to his demeanor, he's simply a dude you wouldn't want to piss off and the show can really use that kind of intimidating villain once again. Plus, his "honor system" of dealing with problems is loosely inspired by the big fight between Green Arrow and Brick in the comics, so credit where it's due. In the comics, Ollie challenged Brick to a fight for control of the city and the durable dude accepted and then told his goons to let Oliver go free if the archer wins. He's a violent and greedy man, yet there's a small bit of honor in there. Or maybe it's just confidence due to his durability, so I guess we'll have to see if that sense of "fairness" fades away when he suddenly realizes he may not win a fight. At any rate, I'm glad they're having him appear in the next two episodes because he's a character who certainly deserves that kind of attention.
Could this be an episode in which Laurel isn't frustrating and I kind of want to root for her? No way, that's impossible, right? Well, it looks like it's not impossible and, aside from one silly line, I'm feeling surprisingly optimistic about her arc in this season. In fact, I kind of wish she received a little more focus in this one before rushing into the costume. "But Gregg, she's a terrible fighter. If Roy and Diggle are struggling, what is she going to do?" Thankfully, it looks like her missions will be limited to "the ones that slip away" in the court room and, fear not, she's not just running around and challenging people to hand-to-hand combat. "Come at me, bro!" Would I prefer to see Sara in the role? Yes. Am I curious and a little optimistic about what this can mean for Laurel and think it'll help redeem our impression of her? Much to my surprise, yes.
I can't shake the feeling that the backstory is just there to eventually work Amanda Waller (and the Omega/Alpha) into the last few episodes of the season. Sure, as of right now it's there to expand on Oliver and Matseo's bond (as well as reveal Tatsu's story), but when you have such compelling material going on elsewhere, I'm left wanting to spend more time in the present and less time in the past.
Seriously, we couldn't go a full episode without
"Left Behind" is an incredibly crowded episode, so that means some plot elements don't receive the kind of focus they deserve, but this is still a really good return for the show. Even though we don't feel the emotional weight about what happened to Oliver (