Television

Recap: ARROW S7 E11 – “Past Sins”

After the events of the last episodePast Sins turns the focus back on Oliver. We see him and Laurel doing some press, giving Star City some insight on the Green Arrow and their new District Attorney. Things seem to be going well, the interview was a hit. Of course, when two vigilantes go public they’re bound to get the attention of a few crazies.

All of this is happening while Diggle and Curtis argue over the ethics of restarting the Task Force X program. Putting explosives in people’s head is a drastic measure after all. Diggle and Lyla round up some new recruits for their Suicide Squad. The team includes China White, Wilson, Cupid, and of course Ricardo Diaz. I like the idea of a Lyla/Diggle lead Squad, but Curtis is completely right to question this method. Diggle is so obsessed with catching Dante that he has become ruthless.  

We also have some development with Laurel in this episode. She spends time coming to terms with the death of her father, Earth-2 Quinton Lance. She encounters the man who killed Quinton and decides she wants to investigate. Foolishly thinking he’s from Earth-2. While it’s always great to see Laurel and Felicity work together, this story was a gigantic waste of time. He’s not from Earth-2, he’s just an idiot on both Earths. It was good seeing Laurel find closer. Katie Cassidy delivered a fantastic performance this episode. That being said, this storyline still felt shallow. Even when they resolved it, it was just “Oh, he’s just a bum on both earths.” That’s not a satisfying ending.

Oliver has to deal with the emergence on Sam Hackett. He’s the son of Bob Hackett, the third person who survived the Queen’s Gambit. Sam understandably wants to get revenge on Oliver. Sam is sloppy and is clearly new to this criminal thing. Oliver and Dinah neutralize the situation fairly quickly. It does however push Oliver to admitting that his father was a murderer. Oliver sets up another interview and comes clean. This leads to Emiko returning. She is now willing to give Oliver a chance. He proved that he is nothing like Robert, and she sees that he’s trying. 

Getting back to the Ghost Initiative, Curtis uses a virtual reality simulator to get information out of Diaz. First off, this came out of nowhere. Second, when did he develop this tech? Third, why is Diggle so intent on using the Suicide Squad? Curtis gives him everything he wants without the need to put explosives in someone necks, yet he still wants the option to have boots on the ground. Isn’t that why he has field agents? it just doesn’t add up.

Past Sins brings the focus back to Team Arrow, but some strange character beats causes major problems. It’s still a decent episode but it left us scratching out heads. 

If you liked this review of Past Sins, check out all of our Arrow coverage here. And stay tuned for more Arrow coverage by following us on all your favorite social media platforms under the username WOBAMEnt.

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