‘Arrow’ Recap ‘Next of Kin’
Last week he received the title and this week we finally got to see him in action, John Diggle as ‘The Green Arrow’. The episode started off with Team Arrow taking on Faust, who was previously an ally to Black Siren. The team was successful in capturing Faust, with Diggle at the helm. One pretty cool ‘new maneuver’ that occurred was that Black Siren used her Canary Cry to shift Diggle through a window… after leaping down about five stories. Gee, Oliver didn’t do anything that cool!
The Team headed back to the Arrow Cave where Diggle and Dinah found themselves once again talking about Diggle’s injury. Diggle stated multiple times that he was ‘cured’ of his injury, but Dinah wasn’t the least bit convinced.
Meanwhile, Oliver was living the dad life even going as far as making William scrambled eggs for breakfast and telling William that it was permanent – he was no longer going to be the Green Arrow. However, Oliver still found himself struggling on the dad front. William was stressing about a test and when Oliver attempted to be helpful and offer some advice to William about school, he fell short of it.
Oliver headed out to City Hall where he found that the FBI Special agent was still there waiting for him. She made a point to mention that the Green Arrow was no longer ‘firing arrows’, which was raising her suspicion. Although Oliver was exonerated as the Green Arrow, again, she stated she was still there to ensure that the mayor’s office was not connected to the Green Arrow in any way. She then stated that Star City had a full police force, why would they need to protect the Green Arrow and his team? It sends a message out to the police force… to which Lance agrees.
He suggests they back a councilwoman’s bill, which states an all out search for all vigilantes operating in Star City. Oliver immediately shuts the idea down, and asks for Lance to work on a solution.
Hours later, Dinah entered the crime scene and planted a flash drive into one of their devices, giving full access of the systems to Felicity and Curtis so that they could figure out what was stolen.
Back at City Hall, Lance and Oliver continued to brainstorm how to distance themselves from Team Arrow enough to get the FBI to drop the case. Oliver then headed to Felicity’s apartment and asked her if she would help him out by tutoring William so that he could be more confident in passing his math exam. Felicity then fielded a call from Curtis, who learned that the break in at Kord Industries was to gain information from a product – the location of a specialized nerve gas.
When they get a beat on a Kord Industries truck doing a shipment that night, the team heads out. Diggle even rode in the cab of the truck as The Green Arrow with the workers. The convoy was interrupted when it suddenly stopped. Diggle hopped out of the car and stumbled upon an ignition blocker. Before he could contemplate where he came from, he was shot in the chest by Onyx.
Team Arrow immediately sprung into action against Onyx and her team. Before they even had the chance to get the upper hand, Onyx used a flash bang device which left the team blinded. She took the opportunity to have her minions steal the gas, while she took off in the opposite direction. Team Arrow turned to Diggle to figure out what their next move should be, but Diggle froze which resulting in the truck ramming into a building, causing an explosion.
Back at the Arrow Cave, both Rene and Dinah talk to Diggle about what happened in the field. Diggle was clearly distraught, continuing to apologize. Felicity informed the team that there were no severe casualties – just some smoke inhalation and two in critical condition, but it looked like they would make it.
Felicity pulls up the facial recognition and tells them the team is led by woman named Onyx Adams, a former special ops member.
At City Hall, Oliver and his council see the news report on the heist and the failed efforts by Team Arrow to stop it – resulting in an explosion. Lance gets a text message saying that the city council is moving to try and pass the anti-vigilante ordinance.
At the Arrow Cave, Dinah gave giggle some enforceful words, and that is that he needs to get his act together because the team needs and wants a leader. Felicity interrupts their conversation saying that Onyx is wiping out former members of her special ops team and there is one left to kill, and he’s in Star City.
Rene visits Oliver and asks him to come back to the field. He’s concerned about Diggle being out in the field and he doesn’t think that Diggle can handle it. Oliver heads out to the lair and has a one on one pep talk with Diggle. He tells Diggle that he is the reason Oliver even picked up the hood – the whole reason for the Green Arrow existing. He then tells Diggle that all he needs to do is have faith in himself, and he can be a both a better leader and a better hero than Oliver ever could have been.
Felicity began tutoring William, and the two of them discussed how much they both love school and how important it is, while Oliver watched from the doorway; completely moved. Felicity headed out to assist the team, and William told Oliver that he thought Felicity was ‘pretty cool’.
The team gathers at the Arrow Cave and discover that Reynolds is on the move and will soon be at a hotel in Star City, where thousands of other guests are. The team heads out, to stop Onyx before she can unleash the gas and kill thousands.
Team Arrow arrived at the hotel and start fighting with Onyx’s crew. While the team fought her minions, Diggle sought out Onyx. After taking a couple of hits from Diggle, she releases the gas. Diggle tells his team members to take out the gas, while he peruses after Reynolds and Onyx.
Reynolds managed to make it to a limo, but he was stopped by Onyx. Just as she was about to shoot him, Diggle jumped in and the two fought, inside of the limo. It was a remarkably amazing and very well shot scene. Finally, Diggle gained the upper hand and knocked her out.
When Reynolds asked Diggle who he was, he responded with ‘The Green Arrow’.
Curtis and Dinah manage to take out the gas by blowing a hole in the wall with one of the T-Spheres. After all was said and done, the team headed back to the Arrow Cave where Rene apologized to Diggle for going to Oliver – and then he calls him ‘Hoss’.
Curtis and Felicity excitedly show Diggle a new weapon they created for him — a specialized crossbow. He grabs it and shoots a few tennis balls, his tremor completely and mysteriously gone.
At City Hall, Lance tells Oliver that the vigilante ordinance has the support of almost the entire council. Oliver heads out to the council meeting, and invokes the 9th chapter, which allows a public referendum. Therefore, this gives the citizens of Star City an chance to vote on the ‘vigilante issue’ as opposed to just a few people on a council.
The FBI Agent Watson watched the news report of Oliver’s political move on the news. She then asks herself ‘who are you protecting?’, and then places a picture of Diggle up on the bulletin board.
Oliver headed to Felicity’s apartment, a present in hand. He informed her that William got an A on his exam. She opened the present to find a key inside – a key to Oliver’s apartment. Oliver told her that both his life, and William’s life will be much better if she were to become a part of it. They then shared a kiss.
Meanwhile, in an alleyway, Diggle met up with a stranger and handed him off some money. The stranger than injected Diggle with a drug that appeared to make his hand steady, proving that Diggle has not ‘miraculously’ recovered from his injury.
Arrow returns on Thursday, November 2nd at 9PM/EST On The CW.
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Julia recently published her first novel, titled; Anomic. She is currently co-authoring a novel called ‘Snow Falls’. She has a B.A in Communications with concentrations in Professional Writing and Public Relations. She is also in the United States Army Reserves as a Military Police Officer, and is currently in the process of going back to school for her Masters Degree in Business. When she isn’t writing, she is co-owner of a film production studio called ‘Valentine Productions LLC’ and she frequently spends her weekends acting in films, or being a stuntwoman.
