“Dead to Rights” had a bit of everything to entertain the audience this week. There was a nice dose of Slade on the island, a generous helping of father/son angst with Tommy and Malcolm and sneaky hints at the proposal of a Canary sighting coming to Starling City. What else? Let’s check it out.
Alright. I’ve had it. I’m done with Detective Lance. Absolutely finished. The Hood called him to tell him there was a hitman out to kill someone high profile the next day, requested his men put someone on it and his answer was to enlist McKenna to aid him in taking down the vigilante. At that moment my wish was for the blind dude hired by China White and his refreshed eyes (an assumption) to shoot at Malcolm and take down Det. Lance. Just kill him already. He is not worth my time. I had to get that out.
Two interesting things happened relative to DC Comics Green Arrow canon tonight. First was the reference Laurel made to the canary her sister was given by her father and the second was the introduction of Dinah Lance. In the comics, Laurel was passed the helm of the Black Canary from her mother, Dinah. And, waddya know, mom gave her a ring during the episode. Alex Kingston (ER, and most recently of Doctor Who) was cast as mama Lance, and she made her first appearance by knocking on Laurel’s door with the news that Sarah may be alive.
What?! In the comics, Laurel had no sister, so it’s possible some of her birth story might be mish-mashed with Sarah’s to make a complete character, and one who will take over for her mother. I am merely theori ing, of course, but it would flesh out the family history a bit more and tie Sarah into the lore. After tonight, I have no doubt they’re fully intending to explore the Black Canary with either mama or daughter originating the thematic character.
With Dinah’s supposition that Sarah is alive, that might mean she has been in the super hero business, and is ready and willing to pass the torch to her daughter. We do know, from the kick-ass scene in “Betrayal” when Laurel’s only trouble with Cyrus Vanch’s henchmen turned out to be an aversion to tasers, that she’s ready for the job.
At the heart of the episode was the relationship between Oliver and Tommy and their respective fathers. While Tommy still struggled to find some sort of common ground with Malcolm, Oliver expressed his deep anger with his own father, but admitted he’d give anything to have him back in his life. It’s really hard to understand, while you still have a chance to rectify things – even if you don’t think you’ll ever take it – that one day that opportunity will cease to exist. Tommy almost lost his chance to forgive and get to know his dad.
When the hit on Malcolm was in progress, Tommy got to see a different side of his dad. He was dumbfounded at his father’s ability to fight and just as Malcolm opened the door to reveal his secret as the Dark Archer to his son, he was shot.
Even though I predicted something would happen to Malcolm because I expect Tommy to eventually be pitted against Oliver a la Peter Parker and Harry Osborn in Spider-Man, I still didn’t imagine it would be quite as violent as it was, and I never expected it would lead to the conclusion it did.
Oliver revealed himself to Tommy:
Tommy: Why should I trust you?
Oliver: Because you always have.
Tommy: Oliver. | permalink
We ran into a little snag after that, because when Tommy asked Oliver if he’ll ever tell him what happened to him on the island, he said no. No. Not maybe or some day – a flat out no. As much as Tommy trusts Oliver, and is no doubt grateful for saving Malcolm’s life, something tells me that “no” will pound away at him. Each time Malcolm talks to him, he’ll question what he knows and believes and since Oliver won’t fully share with him, and has told him that, he’ll start to side with his father, who he’ll start to trust.
Thoughts on that?
A few more things to mention:
- Felicity is in the gang for good, it seems. She’s taking combat lessons from Diggle and continuing to verbally spar with the boys. It’s so refreshing!
- The island scenes didn’t add too much to the overarching theme of the night, but Slade was good for more noteworthy Arrow quotes. Every time he opens his mouth, gold slips out. I can only hope that he makes it to Starling City soon and that his wit has remained in tact!
- The romantic path with McKenna just isn’t cutting it. There is no spark between her and Oliver. When I thought she would be an Arrow ally, I was excited for her arrival on screen. Now? She’s just a barrier between Oliver and someone he can really relate to.
Suit up and hit the comments. Did this week shine as the promos promised? Post away!
Carissa Pavlica is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.
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