Arrow Season 6 Episode 22 Review
The Ties That Bind is a reminder of what made Arrow great in the first place. It’s refreshing to see the team reunited and working together, and Lyla is always a welcome addition to the mix. Oliver’s feelings aside, it was fun to see Felicity in the field again, and to see some of her sense of humor come through with her, “sorry, not sorry!” line bringing some much-needed levity. Diggle and Oliver’s power dynamic is still clearly in flux, and I hope to see more of that in the future. Watching two men who respect each other figure out how to transition leadership of the team could easily be fodder for interesting stories, if the Arrow creators would have the trust and the confidence to go for more realistic storylines like that. The couple theme was a step in that direction, even if the Ollicity half felt like a re-tread. The Oliver/Felicity plot was the weak link in tonight’s episode. Oliver’s having a long-lost son means Felicity needs to take fewer risks and be more careful? But Oliver gets to keep running the team, even though Diggle is perfectly capable of leading. Felicity “split his focus”? Really, Oliver? The male hero and female damsel has always been one of the least interesting aspects of the superhero genre, but with so many other properties leaving that sort of limiting, retrograde storytelling behind, it feels like a huge step backward for Arrow. It doesn’t help that it means Oliver is jumping from one obnoxious stance to another. On the positive side, I’m glad Felicity stood up for herself and her right to do her part. Even better, Oliver did learn his lesson – hopefully for the last time. Finally, it was sweet to hear Oliver refer to Felicity as a parent. She has been putting in the time to be a reliable presence for William without trying to replace his mother. Coming in as a step parent is hard, but so is losing your mom, and Felicity has always put William’s needs first. It’s great to see a positive depiction of a blended family, and for Felicity to be recognized as an important part of William’s life. It’s no secret that this season has dragged. Part of that has been the angst-fest that is the NTA/OTA schism. But the lackluster villainy has also played a role. One good thing about Diaz as a villain is that he’s realistically smart – he figures things out at a reasonable rate, like why Lyla is at the precinct, and the fact that Anatoly sold him out. In the end, it’s Felicity’s quick-thinking that saves them both. They have to trust each other and again, watching them maneuver their new roles as their relationship has changed and recalibrate the way they interact with the rest of the team could be very interesting. My favorite action-oriented shows are the ones where everyone trusts that everyone else can keep themselves safe. It’s far more interesting – plots that only exist because the guy goes back into the fire to save the girl who’s already safe are beyond mundane – and it belies a belief in all parties as competent equals. Speaking of competence: Agent Watson is back! There was no real reason for her to miss the trial, other than to keep her from being tainted by Diaz’s shadow of corruption. Still, I’m glad that her introduction will finally pay off, even if they made us wait until the finale.
