Arrow
Episode Title: “Al Sah-Him”
Channel: CW
Director: Thor Freudental
Writers: Brian
Ford Sullivan and Emilio Ortega Aldrich
Genre: Action,
Adventure, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Runtime: 42
min
Rated: TV-14
Original Air Date: April 29,
2015
This
week on Arrow
we heard a new intro voice over from Stephen Amell, proclaiming that
he was
Oliver Queen. What followed was a montage of his training at the
hands of Ra's. We're supposed to believe that he was broken down and
brain washed into following Ra's orders without question. There just
wasn't enough in the montage to give me the feeling that such a thing
had happened over the course of the three weeks he'd been there.
Even with the herb they've been giving him making him think he'd
killed Diggle I didn't really get the feeling that Oliver had gone to
the dark side. After three weeks of training Oliver was ready to go
out and do Ra's' bidding, and he was sent out to deal with Nyssa, who
is apparently a threat to his heir-ship (Heir-ness? Heirity?). This
sets “Al Sah-Him” up as a villain of the week episode, with
Oliver as the villain.
The
rest of team Arrow is learning how to do things in Oliver's absence,
again. Nyssa is still training Laurel, and we saw that the training
isn't coming along very quickly as Nyssa had to step in and keep
Laurel from getting hurt. This is important to a gripe I have
regarding a moment later in the episode. Then they went to a diner
for food, which was actually a good scene. Seeing Nyssa act more
like a human was important because otherwise we wouldn't really care
that she was Oliver's target. After Laurel told her that Oliver had
accepted Ra's' offer Nyssa realized her time was short and went out
to meet the threat headed her way. Diggle carried the load for the
rest of the team, doing his best to pull them together during such a
trying time. When Laurel told the team that Oliver would be coming
for Nyssa they decided to face him and see if they could talk some
sense into them.
The
confrontation didn't go well for Nyssa. She was quickly subdued by
Oliver and only saved when Diggle and Laurel made an appearance. We
got our first look at Laurel's 'Canary Cry' and it was a
underwhelming to say the least. Laurel looked as if she was
screaming, but the sound coming out barely resembled a voice at all,
which made her look a trifle silly standing there with her mouth
hanging open. Oliver fled the scene and realized that now the team
would be protecting Nyssa so he'd need to draw her out. What better
way to get them to do what he wants than to kidnap and threaten Lyla?
Diggle did the predictable thing and advocated turning Nyssa over to
Oliver and the League.
Of
course it was a swerve from Diggle and Co. Once Lyla was handed over
they started an all out battle with Oliver and the League. During
the rumble Laurel held her own for a period of time against two
assassins, which is ridiculous after seeing her have trouble with a
single mugger. The battle turned in Oliver's favor and he was
prepared to strike a killing blow to Diggle when an arrow pierced his
arm. The camera panned over to reveal Thea, in full vigilante
regalia, with another arrow aimed at Ollie. She threatened to shoot
him in the eye, and he retreated with Nyssa as his prize. There were
moments each time we saw Oliver that make me think he's pulling a
long con on the League. He gave up easily twice when confronted by
his former friends and family, and if he's really wanted to get a
reaction out of Diggle, little Sara would've made a far better
incentive. Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I just can't see them
making him the villain in his own show, no matter how briefly he may
occupy that role.
The
flashbacks this week were more of the same. Oliver, Maseo, and Tatsu
doing their best to stop the release of the Alpha/Omega virus, and
failing. In the last flashback sequence they're trying to get out of
Hong Kong when Akio develops a nosebleed, signifying that we may
finally see what drove the wedge between Maseo and Tatsu. The
flashbacks this season have felt like there was enough content for
half a season and it's been stretched to cover all twenty three
episodes. At least the importance of the events in Hong Kon was
finally made apparent when Ra's revealed the final part of Oliver's
transformation.
When
Oliver returned to Nanda Parbat, with Nyssa in tow, Ra's found the
item Nyssa had stolen from him. The culmination of Oliver's
metamorphosis into the Heir of the Demon is to be his destruction of
Starling City. His tool for doing so is to be the stolen item, a
vial of the Alpha/Omega virus. Ra's told Oliver to kill Nyssa, which
he seemed willing to do, but Ra's stopped him at the last second to
reveal his real plan. He intends for Oliver and Nyssa to marry and
assume control of the League in his stead. Neither of the two seemed
thrilled at the prospect of their union.
Conclusion:
The flashbacks finally matter to the present day in a more important
way than simply containing the Yamashiros, but they feel as if they
were spread too thin over the course of the season. Seeing a
cold-blooded and detached Oliver do whatever it takes to get to Nyssa
was a fun concept, but I just can't shake the feeling that Oliver is
still in there and waiting to make his move.
Rating:
7.75/10
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