Arrow: Thoughts On Ep. 5 & Season 5 So Far

"Human Target"

I've been utterly speechless by the massive improvements and return to form that Arrow has been putting out for Season 5 so far considering the hit that the series took after falling into a pit of mediocrity following its 3rd season's mid season finale. It's been 5 episodes into the new season and not only has the action elements made an explosive return to being highly entertaining and very well choreographed, but the quality of storytelling and character development is along the lines of intrigue (if not more so) that made the first two seasons as powerful and memorable as they were. 

What we are witnessing here is a series that has fallen down on hard times, lost its way for about a season and a half, but came flying right back with a vengeance saying "We're gonna win our audience back by reminding them why they loved our show in the first place while giving them something new to look forward to".

I've been enjoying seeing the new recruits in action for the most part (despite my annoyances with Wild Dog which they fortunately give some sense of redemption in this new episode). I love the fact that, aside from Rag Man who I've admired the writers for implementing a supernatural character on the team, no one ever feels abruptly overpowered nor do they feel completely useless on the team. Everyone brings their own sense of potential, skill, perspective, and unique personality to the mix making the heroic side of Arrow's roster of characters feel refreshing.

The flashback storyline for this season has been some of the strongest that the entire series has offered up in my opinion. Every episode diving into Oliver's past as a Russian mob henchman has lead to entertaining character interactions, impactful decision making moments, and a plot point that actually feels like it's leading into something fulfilling in the long run unlike the previous two seasons. Watching Oliver having to constantly dig himself deeper into a pit of questionable choices just to get his hands on a high ranked crime boss has been the most fun that I've had watching the series transition back and forth through time. 

In this week's episode, we get to see a portion of the Bravta leadership not entirely buying into Oliver's act of genuinely becoming part of the brotherhood and actually attempting to kill him. Oliver is eventually saved by someone known as "the human target" who also helps him in the present day plot of the week which was a nice interesting twist. These are the types of interweaving character introductions that I look forward to seeing and was happy that we got to see one well executed in a satisfying way this time around.

As far as the present day story, I never thought I'd be just as entertained with the Mayor Oliver Queen portion of an episode as I was with the Green Arrow's, but this episode proved that the writers aren't holding back on either sides. The idea of having the 2nd rank villain of the season so far (Tobias Church) knowing Oliver's identity and actually attempting to kill him as a mayor instead of a vigilante was not only engaging to see, but also the perfect way of utilizing all of your key story components to your advantage. 

What's the point of having your hero also become a political figure if you can't at least have a bit of fun forcing him into a corner where one side of his life encounters the other. We've seen this done to some degree in the past, but never on this level of spotlight where the city actually sees Oliver Queen getting supposedly killed off by his vigilante persona's enemy.

Not only was it a striking image visually and dramatically speaking, but the twist of having Oliver during that moment actually being the human target in disguise was an amazing misdirect for the audience as well as the characters in question. Again, this episode does an amazing job at introducing and utilizing a new character from both timelines in the most effective way possible. I also have to point out that it was great seeing Diggle back in action as not only Spartan, but the show's guardian figure helping Wild Dog redeem himself to the team (which was more than highly appreciated).

Before I get into the villainous corner of the season, I do want to briefly mention all of the other central characters such as Thea, Quentin, and Felicity who were previously coming across as unnecessary dramatic filler in Seasons' 3 and 4, but has now smoothly transitioned into new and interesting roles of their own. Although one might argue that Felicity is simply back to her old position on the show, it is nice to see that the writers aren't using her as tedious to watch soap opera filler to force in more love triangle stories that we simply do not need.

As for Thea, I absolutely loved the moment where we got to see Oliver being a badass as a mayor taking on people in the world of politics and government with Thea's help. There is enough going on here already that is actually worth giving screen time towards, so I'd like to take the this time to recognize the writers for understanding this fact and responding to the feedback that fans have been dishing out in the previous seasons. There's a time and place for everything, but not every show has what it takes to implement that mentality into its storytelling. So far, Arrow has been doing a more than solid job within the current season.

Now, as far villains go, this was one of the rarest occasions where a live action comic book property gave me exactly what I wanted out of a villain as far as character moments go. Ever since the first episode, I've been eager to see when and how Prometheus would make his grand introduction to the series that goes beyond just brief teases taking place within the ending scenes of each episode. I remember thinking to myself "It would be nice if they use Tobias Church as a formidable obstacle for the team only to have him easily killed off by Prometheus as a way to present the bigger and much more terrifying threat coming".

With that in mind, you can only imagine my reaction to the scene where Prometheus shows up, kills off the entire police force taking Tobias into custody, and eventually kills Tobias effortlessly. The way in which this scene plays out with Church being in a complete state of panic inside of the police van knowing that Prometheus was coming for him while having the brilliant use of sound design alluding to a horrible massacre taking place outside was perfect. We see brief shots of Prometheus walking towards the vehicle with nothing but dead police officers around him while Tobias and the last surviving officer inside is trembling with fear. This was the type of season villain moment that I was hoping to see and they absolutely nailed it in my opinion.

What's also great about this scene is that small possibility that Tobias just might talk his way out of things by revealing Oliver's identity to Prometheus only to be completely shut down immediately after. Who is Prometheus? Did he already know Oliver's identity? So many questions now building up with the giant spotlight shining over his character now. It's the perfect way to set up a season villain and a good sign that the writers know exactly what they're doing with his character. Now, I'm even more excited for what's to come when the Green Arrow finally confronts him/her which something tells me will be a pretty amazing scene.

Overall, this episode was a great entry for the new season delivering on mostly every single thing that it needed to in pushing the story and characters forward. Yes, there are still a couple of nitpicks that I have such as certain dialogue exchanges that I could've easily done without from characters that are usually being presented as the quippy comedy reliefs. However, due to everything else that this season has being doing an excellent job with executing, a few lines of cheesy dialogue is nothing but a forgettable minor set back in my opinion. I am now equally as excited as I am curious for the future of this season which is a feeling that I am happy to be able to experience once again for Arrow.

Bonus Content

1. Scimitar: The Assassin That Tobias Hires

Although we never really learn anything about this hired assassin (and I admittedly had to search online for his name), I do have to point out how cool it was to see a throw away villain of the week that actually looked awesome design-wise and fully served his purpose to the plot.

Episode Rating: 9/10