Title: Arrow: “Due Process” Review
Release Date: November 19th, 2018
Network: The CW
Genre: Superhero, Drama, Action
With “Due Process”, Arrow made significant strides in many of its storylines. These developments could skyrocket Arrow to being one of the best seasons of its run or this could be the start of this season’s decline.
So, Ricardo Diaz got arrested pretty easily thanks to the help of the new Green Arrow. Kirk Acevedo is one of my favorite actors. He was fantastic in the vastly underrated 12 Monkeys and in the last season of Arrow, his portrayal of Diaz was one of the season’s highlights (even if his character started to lose momentum near the end).
Season seven, for all of the praise I’ve given it, has failed Acevedo and Diaz. I’m…just done with this character. There’s nothing the show can really do to change my thoughts on this right now. With the recent reveal of Diaz gaining superpowers, I thought that there was a small glimmer of hope for him to climb out of his rut. After this episode, that’s not going to happen. It looks like Oliver and Diaz will go head to head next week. Hopefully, this is the last time we see The Dragon this season and we can move on to a better threat.
Speaking of Oliver, I love what they’re doing with his prison storyline. Unlike past Arrowverse big-time arcs like Flashpoint or Trial of the Flash, Arrow has taken its time to develop this story. It really shows with the excellent results we’ve gotten to this point. They took the time to flesh out Bronze Tiger so we would feel bad when he was unjustly framed for murder. They took the time to build up Stanley as Oliver’s new sympathetic sidekick in prison, only to reveal how dark the character really was.
I’ve had my suspicions regarding Stanley. However, I just thought he was either The Demon or Diaz’ inside man. The reveal that he was a coldblooded killer who framed Bronze Tiger was both shocking and needed to galvanize Oliver’s prison story as it reaches its conclusion.
I noted last episode that Emily Bett Rickards’ performance stood out as one of her best yet, delivering a nice balance of heavy-handed drama with comedy. Even though the latter was missing from her character here, Rickards once again shined. I haven’t been this invested in her character since probably the show’s second season. She has been on a ruthless mission to not just take down, but kill the man that essentially put her husband in jail. As Oliver is learning to be more understanding and less of the “monster” that he’s been since the Queen’s Gambit, Felicity is becoming that “monster” in her hunt for Diaz.
Laurel may be my new favorite character. Which, if you told me that back when she was introduced on The Flash season two as Zoom’s lackey, I would’ve probably burst into laughter. Arrow has done wonders for Black Siren since her first appearance on this show in season five. She has gone from a crazed killer to an anti-hero that you genuinely want to root for. It helps that Katie Cassidy just kills it in the role, whether that is the comedic jabs at Team Arrow or her moving speech in the courtroom.
Everyone shouldn’t be on board with this Laurel redemption tour just yet. It would just come off as forced. Oliver’s road to trusting her should be earned and this was a good first step in that direction.
I hope you aren’t tired of hearing it, but until they prove otherwise I have to continue to praise the action scenes. From Diggle channeling his inner John Wick to the epic beatdown that the Green Arrow gave Diaz, it’s the action leaves you on the edge of your seat. Speaking of, it was cool to see the new Green Arrow finally get involved with our main story and also interesting. How did the Green Arrow know what was happening with Diaz?
Finally, we get our next set of flashforwards, which is Arrow’s most intriguing story-arc. With Felicity (who was using her father’s alias, Calculator) now “dead”, the mystery surrounding who sent William on his journey to Lian Yu has become even more compelling. Although Star City is in shambles, it’s fun to see these characters in the future as grizzled veterans. I just don’t believe for a second that Felicity had gone full villain. Most likely, she faked her death because of the people behind the impending attack on the city. That being said, it sets up for some great drama for this storyline down the road.
Verdict: “Due Process” seemed to be the first big step for all of our storylines since the premiere episode. Arrow is just about clicking on all cylinders. Almost every character has had their time to shine throughout the season. The only reason that this episode doesn’t reach a perfect score is due to its main villain, who has just become a shell of his former self.
Did you enjoy this episode of Arrow? Has Diaz overstayed his welcome as the main antagonist of the season? Let us know in the comments below!
[review]
