I know Arrow isn't a subtle show, but the parallels between Ollie/Roy and Ted/his useless apprentice were much too heavy handed. It's like the writers didn't even try to be the least bit nuanced about it, and instead decided to pound this episode's lesson over our heads with a sledgehammer. Also, why is Oliver suddenly so judgmental about killing? Has he forgotten all the lives he took way back in season one? His holier-than-thou attitude was out-of-character and ridiculously unbelievable.



Honestly I'm disappointed that Roy didn't kill Sara. That horrifying twist would have actually made his character infinitely more interesting as the writers have struggled with him since the moment they introduced him on the show. He just never felt like an actual person to me - always relegated to playing Ollie's sidekick or Thea's on/off boyfriend. I just doubt the fact that he killed a cop is going to be much of a thrilling plot development going forward. Talk about a missed opportunity. 


Speaking of characters that don't feel believable, Ted Grant is simply not working for me. From a pure plot perceptive, he serves his purpose as Laurel's trainer, but J.R. Ramirez is a pretty wooden performer, and I have yet to find myself intrigued by anything he does. Maybe if he eventually suits up as Wildcat, he can start making some impact. 



In other news, the Hong Kong flashbacks continued to move at a snail's pace. In their quest to capture China White, Maseo and Ollie tried to unlock the latter's memories of a dead drop message. It was all pretty boring and unexciting, and in yet another example of lame parallels, Ollie used the same technique to unlock Roy's memories. I use the word "technique" with caution, because that's a strong word for lighting a candle and telling someone to breathe in from their nose.


And finally, although I appreciated the fact that you could spot Cupid throughout the episode, that ending with the flame-haired archer's arrival ("I'm Cupid, stupid") was beyond atrocious and cheesy. Are we supposed to take this character seriously? Because even in Arrow's comic-book world, I don't think I can buy her and whatever tone the show was going for.