Arrow season 8, episode 5 review: Prochnost

“I think I can teach them the good without showing them the bad.” Spoilers for Arrow season 8, episode 5 follow.

In order to get something to stop the destruction of the multiverse, Team Arrow must venture to Russia and hopefully it’s feeling much more friendly than the last time.

On the opposite side of the coin though, Laurel and Lyla are attempting to retrieve the same property as Oliver and company in service of the Monitor.

Like father, like daughter

From the outset of this episode, the tone is immediately set. This is going to be an episode devoted to Oliver and Mia’s relationship. The opening scene is wonderful as it shows them growing closer together, but that doesn’t last long. As soon as the team arrives in Russia, the distance between the two begins to settle in, and quickly. Having loved both characters, it’s hard to see them at odds with each other, but it’s impossible not to understand where both are coming from.

Once they’re captured by the Bratva though, seeing them going through the same ordeal, it seemingly brings them closer together in the most twisted way. Mia begins to see her father in a different light, as does Oliver. Even among their mutual captivity Mia continues to want to learn things from Oliver and Oliver wants to do everything in his power to protect her and William. Katherine McNamara, Stephen Amell, and Ben Lewis all give excellent performances and elevate the strong writing that each one is given.

Once Mia and Oliver enter the ring together though, that’s where everything hits the fan. We get to see the two work together in a very brutal way, but which is very fitting for the episode. It’s an exciting finale that lets the entire team play a part in smart ways.

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To betray an archer

Laurel, Laurel, Laurel, what will you do? There’s no love lost between her and Oliver, but that doesn’t mean she wants to betray him. But really, what choice does she have? Laurel’s dilemma is a great twist on the trolley dilemma that fits perfectly for the grandiose nature of this season and also for the character.

Really though, it doesn’t come up much in the episode, which seems like a missed opportunity. When the issue does arise though, it comes through dialogue with Mia and a couple of others and it’s written in a very intelligent way as it applies to both the situation at hand and her personal one.

It ultimately provides an extra layer to this version of Laurel as she wouldn’t have even thought twice about betraying Oliver a season and a half ago. It’s great character progression.

A renewed Arsenal

After Roy’s last appearance where he killed two security guards, it was going to be disappointing if he appeared again and it wasn’t addressed. Luckily though, that’s pretty much the entire reason why he is in this episode, to address it and offer redemption for the character. It’s kind of been a running trend with Roy where his arcs slightly feel uncompleted whenever he leaves the show, but it’s a good feeling to potentially find an end to his arc.

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By bringing Diggle in as the voice of reason for Roy as well is a stroke of genius. It very much feels like a callback to Diggle being the conscience of the show, especially during the first few seasons. To use him as that conscience again here, after having him fall off the path a bit over recent seasons, feels nice. It’s a nostalgic feeling that doesn’t rely on nostalgia to be effective. There’s not much to this portion of this episode, but it’s effective in what it does.

Arrow continues on with another great episode to its final season, keeping its momentum as Crisis on Infinite Earths nears.