The whole episode, in fact, is about how far off the moral path Oliver has strayed since he’s been back in civilisation, and the show is moving much further along that I had expected at this stage. With Diggle now in the know, Oliver’s expectations of a fellow soldier in arms joining the cause have been dashed and replaced with a sceptical ally not entirely convinced of his partner’s mental stability. But, like he said last week, Diggle understands Oliver in a way his friends and family can’t and, as someone who’s been through similar horrors, he’s a good companion to have. With all of this going on, Arrow finds some room for a few laughs this week, mostly at the expense of Oliver’s new bodyguard. Utterly useless yet hilariously vigilant, he’s there to highlight what a great match Diggle is for him, and I doubt we’ll see much of Rob again. The other light-hearted aspect of the show, the love story with Laurel, still isn’t really working for me. Stuck in the role of the nagging girlfriend, and with a peppy co-worker explaining how tragic her life is at every turn, the character feels like she belongs to an earlier draft of the show. I also can’t believe she’s not figured out Oliver’s dual identity yet, as it’s so painfully obvious as to appear ridiculous in their shared scenes. But someone has figured out what Oliver’s doing, and the final moments of the episode see him arrested by Quentin Lance and his cronies. I have to admit that I’m unbelievably excited about this development, as I never dreamed the show would reveal his identity to the world in the first four episodes. It’s a big break from established comic-book rules and should really allow the series to forge its own unique path from here on out. The promo for next week shows the writers going through with it completely, with police interrogations, press attention and Oliver’s nearest and dearest in on the secret. Read Caroline’s review of the previous episode, Lone Gunmen, here. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
