Title:ย Arrow: โThe Demonโย Review
Release Date: November 12th, 2018
Network:ย The CW
Genre: Superhero, Drama, Action
I really canโt believe what Iโm watching. Seriously. Is Arrow back to being a high-quality superhero series again?
Based off of what Iโve seen this season, including this episode, I would have to say yes. I barely even realized that we didnโt see any flashforward or Green Arrow developments this episode. That’s because, unlike โCrossing Linesโ, this week gave us some interesting stories to follow.
Most notably, Oliverโs time in Level Two. Turns out, The Demon is none other than Talia Al Ghul. She teamed up with Diaz to get revenge on Oliver for killing her father. Oliver despises Talia for her role in Adrian Chaseโs plan on Lian Yu, which resulted in the death of Williamโs mother.
So, these two arenโt on the best of terms and it made for some fantastic television. Stephen Amell and Lexa Doig have some great chemistry and it shined when the two hashed out their issues with each other. Talia was a huge question mark at the end of season five so it was nice to have that plot thread tied up. It was also just great to see the character back in action, along with some pretty sweet on the nose Batman references.
With Bronze Tigerโs speech in โCrossing Linesโ and Taliaโs remarks about Oliverโs change in attitude, it seems that Oliver is slowly but surely on his way to being less antagonistic towards the people heโs put away. This will be a good change in character for him and could potentially set him on an exciting new path.
That being said, we may see a more โsympatheticโ side of Oliver later this season but he wonโt lose any of his brutality. Thereโs something about the way Amell screams out โMy name is Oliver Queen!โ that just gets you hyped up for what happens next.
Special thanks to Arrow stunt coordinator James Bamford (nicknamed โBam-Bamโ) and new showrunner Beth Schwartz. It is obvious that there is a big focus this year on Arrowโs action and I credit that to them. That scene with Talia and Oliver, in particular, was extremely impressive. It wasnโt a one-shot hallway scene akin to Netflixโs Daredevil but it makes up for it in well-done fight choreography.
Finally, I want to touch on the episodeโs villain, Dr. Parker. He gave off a Hugo Strange kind of vibe to me that makes me question if that was what the character was originally supposed to be? Not a complaint, just generally curious.ย He was a fine antagonist for Oliver and actually brought up a few solid points on how tainted his original crusade was. Luckily, the series didnโt drag his character out too long and gave him a satisfying death at the hands of Talia.
Another strong arc this week comes from Felicity, Laurel, and Dinah. Felicity and Laurel make a surprisingly hilarious pair. The addition of Dinah into things couldโve ruined this dynamic. However, I came out of this episode wanting to see these women featured together again, maybe even as another version of the Arrowverseโs Birds of Prey.
Other than some questionable decisions in โThe Longbow Huntersโ, Felicity has had a strong arc this season. Sheโs becoming more one-dimensional in her hunt for Diaz. I havenโt been the worldโs biggest fan of Emily Bett Rickards in the role but she actually shined here. She balanced the strong drama and desperation with her comedic moments well.
Felicity is dead set on taking down Diaz by any means necessary. Itโll be interesting what happens when she actually sees The Dragon again.
In probably the most shocking Arrow development since the flashforwards reveal in the premiere episode, the series has finally given Curtis something to do. By this, I mean that he is actually developing a personality that isnโt โthe male Felicityโ.
We see why Curtis barricaded himself at A.R.G.U.S. and how large a toll being a vigilante can take on someone. Now is he my favorite character? No. Not even in the top ten. But, he is making some great strides towards becoming his own character with this episode.
Like the last episode, Diggle is basically there to churn out advice for whoever needs it. With Jesse L. Martin (who plays Joe West in the Arrowverse) taking a leave of absence on The Flash for health reasons, they might as well just move Dig there for the time being. Maybe he can give Barry some much-needed parenting advice.
Obviously joking but Arrow has got to come up with something meaningful to do with this awesome character soon. Luckily, it seems that Ricardo Diaz is starting to crawl out of that same hole. His new powers (which I think is Mirakuru?) and his capture of Anatoly are intriguing. Hopefully, Arrow can turn this into a worthwhile conclusion to The Dragonโs story.
Verdict: Fantastic performances from the cast, a focus on action scenes, and a possible Birds of Prey team up all headlined what made โThe Demonโ a great episode. I can now confidently tell you that Arrow is back!
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