Arrow
Episode Title: “Left Behind”
Channel: CW
Director: Glen Winter
Writers: Marc
Guggenheim and Erik Oleson
Genre: Action,
Adventure, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Runtime: 42
min
Rated: TV-14
Original Air Date: January 21,
2015
After the cliffhanger Arrow
left for the audience in “The Climb” I was very excited for the
third season to resume. We all knew going into it that Oliver's
death would be anything but final, but that the immediate effect on
those that care about him would be profound. It is in that area that
“Left Behind” was most successful. With Oliver temporarily out
of the picture this episode placed much more emphasis on his
supporting cast. Both Diggle and Roy took center stage as they
strived to continue the Arrow's work in his absence. Seeing those
two do something was a treat as they've taken a back seat in season
three.
The
writers also did a great job with Felicity's character this week.
They abandoned her usual quirkiness to allow her to really
demonstrate the loss that she's feeling. Her best moments were those
during which she shared the screen with Ray Palmer; his plan to
become a hero striking very close to her heart. Brandon Routh played
his part extremely well, displaying his seemingly limitless
exuberance all the way up to the moment that Felicity began harping
on his past and motivations. Then we got to see a side of the man
that the we hadn't before, a steely determination that is enough to
make one believe that he might just succeed.
Malcolm
Merlyn popped in and out of the episode, seemingly at random to
provide Team Arrow with theories regarding, and eventually proof of
Oliver's death. The most obvious purpose of those scenes was to
maintain the mystery surrounding the visitor to Oliver's final
resting place until late in the episode. The effort was largely
waste as it was easy to guess who that visitor was fairly early.
Related to that in a way were the Hong Kong flashbacks present
throughout “Left Behind.” It's good to see that the flashbacks
are finally serving a purpose; most of the Hong Kong material thus
far has been unremarkable. That could not be said of the scenes this
week. Besides allowing the audience to experience at least a little
Oliver screen time, the flashbacks also set up his eventual return.
Even if the reveal at the end was not very shocking.
Vinnie
Jones' introduction as the would be crime boss Brick was quite
entertaining. He has the presence required to make me believe he
could lead a bunch of criminals, and the physicality to make me
believe the could hold his own in a fight. I'll be more than happy
to see him stick around for a while and serve as Team Arrow's nemesis
while they wait for Ollie's inevitable return. The other major
reveal involved Laurel donning the Canary costume and going after her
first bad guys. I'm still not sure that I can buy her as vigilante,
and the one-liner they wrote for her was horrible, but I'm willing to
give it some time to develop.
Conclusion:
“Left Behind” was a satisfying follow up to Arrow's
mid season finale. The emotional toll Oliver's death is taking on
those that love him was well displayed. It's also very nice to see
something actually coming of the Hong Kong scenes after they had
seemed to tread water for so long. I'm actually hoping that Oliver
is away from Starling for a while, allowing the rest of his team to
shine for a while.
Rating:
7.75/10
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