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Television

Recap: ARROW S7 E12 – “Emerald Archer”

If you told me that Arrow’s 150th episode would take inspiration from The Office, I would’ve have thought you were crazy. Yet here we are. Emerald ArcherĀ takes a look back at Arrow’s long history. Paying tribute to our favorite hooded vigilante hero. The episode doesn’t start with Stephen Amell’s usual: “previously on Arrow.” Instead, we are treated to the classic Warner Bros. fanfare Follow by a special intro for the episode.

Narrated by Kelsey Grammer, we see interviews and clips from people who worked with Team Arrow. Quinton Lance, Thea Queen, Sara Lance, Rory (Ragman), Ricardo Diaz, Cindy Simone, and even Barry Allen are interviewed for the special. Oliver’s legacy and what vigilante’s mean to Star City is the primary theme of the episode. All of this is taking place while Oliver is going after this new masked baddie. He’s hunting vigilantes. Think Cicada from The Flash, but in a Crossbones (Captain America: Civil War) costume. He’s already gone after Huntress and Rag Man. Now, he’s after Wild Dog, Emiko, and Oliver.

Oliver is dealing with the media, and the mayor trying to take away his badge. Ollie is dealing with trouble on almost all fronts. So of course, this is the perfect time to throw family drama into the mix. William finally returns to Star City. Will doesn’t get a lot of focus. We know that he’s angry that Felicity sent him away, and made no efforts to reach out to him. We know that he’s close with Zoe, and that they’ve been communicating regularly. I want to see more from this plot thread, but it feels like it’s going to get shelved soon.

With our mystery man wanting Oliver’s head, the group is faced with a decision. Oliver is having a press conference with the Mayor. Do they cancel it or risk 100 people’s lives? In the end they go ahead with the whole it. Diggle, Rene, and Curtis serve as back up to Oliver and Dinah. With the stage set, both Ollie and the mayor have a debate on vigilantism. Now, we all knew this thing was going to be attacked. Who were they kidding? The team works together so well you’d think they’ve been doing this for years. Remember, Team Arrow has been disbanded for almost a full year.

Arrow is finally returning to its bread and butter. The entire team is now deputized, they return to the Arrow cave (did we ever name that place?), and now they can operate freely. That and the ending scene sets up the some interesting things for the flashforwards. Emerald Archer is everything you’d want from a show’s 150th episode.

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Michael Thomas
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