Arrow Review by Nadim S.

Arrow 3.05: The Secret Origin Of Felicity Smoak

Arrow 3.05: The Secret Origin Of Felicity Smoak

Written By:
Ben Sokolowskiand Brian Ford Sullivan
Directed By:
Michael Schultz



With all the narrative momentum and various subplots running in tandem, an episode dedicated to the backstory of Felicity Smoak was always going to be a distraction from the main arc. I get why this had to be done, but the timing was all off.




Instead of focusing on the Sara mystery and last episode's reveal of Ra's Al Ghul, Arrow brought everything to a halt in a bid to shed some backstory on our favourite blonde whiz. Thankfully Emily Bett Rickards was fantastic, and she capably brought flashback-Felicity as well as her present-day anguish to life.


Her chemistry with Charlotte Ross' Dona Smoak was spot-on, and although their dynamic didn't offer a new twist on the whole estranged mother trope, both actresses did a great job with the material and managed to produce a couple of genuinely moving moments. I particularly liked Felicity coming to the realisation at the end that she's a survivor like her mother, and that they're more similar than they ever thought. Such character moments are always welcome, but do I wish this was a more explosive hour. 




Compared to the past few episodes, Laurel had her weakest moment yet. That's unfortunate because her vigilante arc had been extremely effective thus far. Watching her assume the District Attorney rule and sic the riot team on poor Starling inhabitants could have been a good subplot to explore, but it wasn't given nearly enough attention. At least she got to pick "black" at the end (hint hint, The Black Canary). I'm pretty sure we'll be back on track by the next installment. 


I must say I'm finding great enjoyment in watching Thea play her big brother. Our hero still has no idea that Thea's summer was so Malcolm-heavy, but he's bound to figure out soon now that she used her daddy's money to buy herself a pretty sweet loft. Will Oliver actually move in with her? Which brings out the question, where has our favorite vigilante been staying at the past few weeks? 





The greatest thing this episode has going for it is its cliffhanger, which was directly related to the Sara mystery and it literally made my jaw drop. I'm not sure if it'll end up being a red herring, but it sure looks like Roy murdered Sara. Whether he was in a Mirakuru-induced rage or under some sort of hypnotic control, it's a brilliant move that's remarkably unexpected. In addition, it finally ties Roy to the main arc as he's been on the sidelines for far too long.


Our Grade:
C
The Good:
  • Emily Rickards gets a lot of time to shine
  • Thea is playing Oliver to perfection
  • That cliffhanger is brutal
The Bad:
  • This is the wrong timing for this sort of episode
  • Laurel takes a step backwards
  • Felicity's mom is a walking cliche

Nadim S. is a regular contributor of review for Critical Myth; The Critical Myth Show is heard here on VOG Network's radio feed Monday, Wednesday & Friday. For more commentary from Nadim, go to NadsReviews.com. You can follow him on twitter at @nadsreviews.

Arrow by - 11/6/2014 8:06 AM214 views

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