Arrow season 8, episode 6 review: Reset

“What’s the matter Oliver? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Spoilers for Arrow season 8, episode 6 follow.

After getting tranquilized by Lyla, Oliver wakes up in confusion and the rest of Team Arrow acts like nothing has happened.

Something has happened though as Quentin Lance has returned from the dead.

Time loops

It seems like every show in the Arrowverse has had a Groundhog Day type of episode. The Flash has had one. Legends of Tomorrow has had one. Now apparently, it’s Arrow’s turn to have one before the series ends. Luckily, it does so in a way that is very Arrow and not like how any of the other shows have done so.

Oliver has been shown as one of the most competent, if not the most competent, character in the entire Arrowverse, so to see him quickly understand and adapt to what’s happening felt very true to character. Unlike the other shows – where there are no real wrinkles to the structure of the episode – this episode quickly throws a wrinkle into the structure: Both Oliver and Laurel are caught in a time loop. This adds another complexity to this interpretation of the structure.

By bringing in two characters, rather than just one, into the time loop, this creates a new way for the episode to proceed. It’s not about trying to convince the other characters about what’s happening, it’s about using detective work. This creates such an interesting way forward for the episode. It’s a way that doesn’t always stack up to the conceit of the episode but is entertaining throughout.

Quentin returns to the fold

He’s back. Quentin is back. There’s been a hole in Arrow ever since he died and that hole is now filled again, at least for this episode. Everything that there has ever been to love about Quentin is present here and it’s wonderful to see Paul Blackthorne back. If you forgot about the reasons why you loved Quentin, then this episode instantly reminds you why you loved him.

His interactions with Oliver feel just like they did during the later seasons of Arrow and it’s a wonderful thing to see. For a season that has been going through all the eras of the show, to not be reminded of the journey that Oliver and Quentin have gone through together would be a travesty. Thankfully, there’s no travesty in this episode as it embraces that journey.

The highlight of Quentin’s return though is every scene he shares with Laurel. In a show already filled with complications, Laurel and Quentin’s relationship is arguably one of the most complicated of them all. But the episode does a really solid job of foregoing those complications and simply reunites a father and daughter.

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Whenever they’re together, there’s unspoken sadness between the two, but it’s heartwarming to know how at peace Quentin is. The best scene of the episode though comes from Laurel’s acceptance of Quentin’s death. It’s an incredibly sad scene, played extremely well by both Katie Cassidy Rogers and Paul Blackthorne, but it’s necessary for the character to let go, just as Oliver needs to.

The Harbinger

Lyla really begins to take on the role of The Harbinger in this episode. She’s already been a very, very different version of the character from comics, so it’s not surprising that she still is. However, we actually get to see her as an agent of the Monitor in this issue. It’s really fun to see her in a different context than she normally has been in.

To see her in a bit more antagonistic of a role brings a new life to a character that has felt a little stale over the past couple of seasons. Seeing her in action in such a new way ultimately brings more depth to the character – and even to the Monitor, in spite of the fact that he doesn’t appear in this episode.

Arrow continues its final season on yet another high note, setting the stage for Crisis on Infinite Earths well.