Over the course of two seasons, Arrow has killed off its fair share of characters. Tommy, Oliver's mother, and his father for that matter. They died suddenly, and necessarily. I mean no disrespect to the fictional dead, but those two had to die so Oliver could grow as a human being, and also to raise the stakes for each of the finales. The death of Sara (Caity Lotz), in which she was arrowed several times in the closing moments of last week's episode, felt like unearned shock. Not only was Lotz the far superior of the two Lance sisters (in terms of character and acting), but it felt less like necessary storytelling and more like Lotz wanted to go onto other things.
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If 'Sara' were nothing but the personal grieving processes of each of the members of Oliver's team (who all should be called the Quiver, by the way), then it could be great. Where it falters is the needless injection of yet another hooded archer that is introduced and cast aside almost as easily. The incessant need for plot and for a mystery foe for our heroes to tackle threatens to derail the sometimes great character work Arrow can achieve. I understand it's a superhero action show, but it's managed to always be just a bit more than that; the running around, hunting the oh-so-convenient Komodo is there simply to give a physical manifestation to the character's grief in general, and Laurel's in particular.
Most fans of Arrow will agree that Laurel is the weakest link of the show. For the past two seasons, she's been a love interest, a thorn in Oliver's side, an enemy, an ally, many things, as is her right but we've never gotten the feeling that she should be anything other than window dressing. With the ever growing cast of characters - more interesting characters I might add - Laurel keeps getting pushed further and further to the sidelines. And so they kill the other Lance sister instead?
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Sara's death, however, lights a fire under Laurel. Her moment of emotional honesty at the beginning of the episode, where she reminisces about her sister's favorite stuffed animal when they were younger, gives us a better sense of the character than any tough lawyer act she goes through later on. Maybe rebreaking a suspect's arm is what Sara would do; Laurel does assume the mantle of Black Canary in the comics, but could we see a little more of the sister than the superhero? Give us something to care about with Laurel, you're almost there show. Arrow works because everyone has always been a person first, and a masked warrior second.
Oliver's reaction is one of a subdued rage and sadness. It's perfect for Amell, who appears far more comfortable with the character over the years. What would have appeared simply as stilted poutiness in the first season comes across as a man barely keeping it together.
So it is strange that while Laurel is out dealing in a very 'written' way, it is Felicity who is left with the burden of emotion. Emily Bett Rickards is just the best thing about the show and she shows it here, stumbling through a range of emotions. She deals with Sara's death as I imagine we all would; she isn't a fighter, she's a tech, she has an incessant need to make sense of things. As of yet, we have no reason for Sara's death and that leaves Felicity unmoored. She's lost Oliver in her own way, her good job with Queen Consolidated, nothing is quite working out and worst: she's lost sight of what she wanted. Oliver is right, the chances of this line of work ending in a freezer because 'we don't know what to do' are high. Is it any wonder she accepts the job from Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh)?
On Routh, where was this charmer in the Superman movie? I am sure there is some nefarious scheme happening behind the scenes with Palmer, but for now I like the character. He's more Superman in his few moments in this episode than he was in the entirety of Returns.
And what of poor Captain Lance? The Arrow characters have made it a point that they shouldn't keep secrets from one another. How quickly that promise goes down the drain when such devastating news needs to be delivered.
The action, like the soap, is ramped up. Oliver and Komodo exchange arrows like Japanese samurai atop motorcycles. And that's not even the ridiculous part. Later, they square off against one another and shoot, their arrows collide IN MID-AIR; afterwards, Komodo fires again, Oliver CATCHES THE ARROW AND THEN SHOOTS IT BACK. Even seasoned Arrow watchers will throw up their hands and call foul. The panache feels out of place for what is supposed to be a somber episode.
I understand what the Hong Kong scenes this week were attempting to do, juxtaposing the sudden loss of Sara with the conscious decision to cut Tommy out, but while I appreciate seeing Tommy, the Hong Kong scenes still have me less than enthused. They're my signal that it's time for social media more than anything.
'Sara' is less about saying hello to the future story than it is about saying goodbye. There will be plenty of time to find the archer responsible for Sara's murder; cramming the Komodo side-plot, however well intentioned, rang hollow. I know these are characters that solve problems by doing, but for once, a little more conversation, a little less action please.
Background Noise is GameNGuide's television column.
