ARROW “Sara” Review

The third season is most definitely underway. But does the second episode live up to the quality premiere? Read on to find out.

The official description from the CW:

A mysterious archer known as Komodo appears in town and begins skewering businessmen. Meanwhile, Oliver worries about Thea, which forces Roy to tell him the truth about why she left town; and Ray Palmer pursues Felicity. In a flashback, Oliver is assigned his first kill and the target is his best friend, Tommy.

The world of Arrow has always centered on this idea where there were precursors to the iconic characters that many fanboys and fangirls know from their continuous years of reading comic books. And from that perspective the ultimate fate of The Canary (Caity Lotz) was never in question, but it didn’t lessen the shock value that came at the end of “The Calm.” I’m happy to see that this outing attempted to deal with the ramifications of that event, in a slightly unbalanced, but nonetheless engaging affair.

Starling City has been through a lot . From the moment that our billionaire playboy found himself trapped on the island Lien Yu events were put into motion that made the emergence of our current world, vigilante included, all but unavoidable. And in the aptly named “Sara” we see the aftermath of someone who already died in the eyes of her loved ones fall once again as each character is forced to face what that means to them. The creative team keeps it together for the most part as they play in their wheelhouse but some of the decisions, especially with a particular sidekick, seemed a bit rushed.

When I tuned in the two performances I was eagerly anticipating lived up to my expectations. Both Stephen Amell (Oliver Queen) and Katie Cassidy (Laurel Lance) experienced raw emotions that can only be properly conveyed with years of familiarity with their established personas. Emily Bett Rickards (Felicity Smoak) had to sell what felt like a predictable and even annoying arc, and as the dust settled she mostly succeeds. I honestly felt like David Ramsey (John Diggle) and Colton Haynes (Roy Harper) were downplayed to the point that I wish the script would have given them more to work with. And I hate the fact that Paul Blackthorne (Quentin Lance) is ultimately left in the dark about all that’s happened to his family in the last few days.

Even so this outing of Arrow offers action, heart and character development. It may not be wholly perfect but the cast and crew work together to convey an honest series of sequences that further set this season on a downright personal spiral. And so “Sara” comes recommended.