Arrow: Confessions

April 29, 2019 7:58 PM - Season 7, Episode 20

When they learn of an upcoming attack on the city, Team Arrow calls Roy Harper to help them stop the Ninth Circle. However, things go awry and there is massive collateral damage. As captain of the SCPD, Dina investigates what happened in an episode that takes on a true crime narrative and tone.

TV Line Recap: Roy Returns to Star City With One Craaazy-Ass Secret

posted by oh yeah! (10 comments total)

In today's episode of not-Batman, the role of Lazarus Pit dipped Jason (Red Hood) Todd is being played by fellow Outlaw Roy Harper.

I was trying to figure out if the name of the subway station had any significance. I thought the reporter said it was Hugh Dillon Maguire station, but the sign on the building looked more like J. M. Macguire. Taking that as my cue, I figured it was a call out to two of the people who worked ( (along with co-writer Keith Giffen) on the the infamous Justice League International run (which didn't feature Oliver, but did have Dinah in her 80s Black Canary outfit): J. M. DeMatteis (co-writer) and Kevin Maguire (artist). I get the feeling however, that I'm lost in the weeds in my Easter egg hunt on this one.

Despite the sheer amount of action in this, somehow I was bored to tears by this episode. I don't know if it's because it was obvious that TGA was lying and that Dinah was in on it or if it was something else (too much mission not enough TGA interacting with each other maybe?). Perhaps it's because I've just never got invested in Emiko as a character and I don't really care what she does or how much of an emotional toll it is taking on Oliver. Although Roy is absolutely correct, Oliver should have told Thea about Emiko long before now, but hey, I guess nobody has ever taught Oliver a lesson about keeping secrets from family members or anything.

I'm sure this is a long shot (and one I could easily solve on my own by looking something up on IMDB, but since I'm typing away here I figure I might as as pose the question to fellow DCCW viewing MeFites. Does anybody here watch NCIS:LA?

The reason I ask is that a few episodes back (the Dekes and Kenzie wedding episode), Dekes identifies a potential kidnapper saying something like, "I think I recognize him from Arrow." In response Nell tells Dekes, that yes, the person they suspect is the kidnapper is also an actor who has appeared in a number of TV shows, including Arrow, and that he may be part of a plot to fake a kidnapping. (It's a long story.)

The thing is, the guy didn't look at all familiar to me, so I'm not sure if he's some random background actor who played a non-name mobster back in season one or two, or somebody who has had a more significant role, and I'm just not placing. I mean it's absolutely not an important question, and as I said, I know exactly where to find the answer. I just mainly haven't been bothered to look.
posted by sardonyx at 8:47 PM on May 1, 2019

I was also bored as hell and wondering why they were putting on this charade until the reveal. Then it was a HOLY SHIT moment. And then that ending! I care enough about Emiko's story since the Queens' drama have always been a good intrigue in early seasons to keep me hooked with the show. And I liked the clarification that she wasn't the one to bomb the Queen's Gambit, but didn't warn their father.

So is the team out of commission? I wonder if we're going to have the same stunner as the other seasons where it ends with basically the whole team almost falling apart, but this time because they were defeated.
posted by numaner at 9:28 PM on May 1, 2019

Maybe I've missed it but what is Emiko's motivation for hating Oliver, a person who didn't know she existed until recently, so much?

The sergeant being in the interrogation room through me out of the story. I don't recall him being there, asking questions, in previous interrogations, so his presence was like a big flashing "plot device" sign to me.
posted by plastic_animals at 6:51 AM on May 2, 2019

I really, really hope we're not headed toward a finale with the team all apart. I mean it certainly looks that way with Felicity being written out before the end of the season and Laurel being back on her homeworld. Roy is currently the most expendable because he's not deputized, and according to the future flash plot, he exiles himself on the island, so there's an easy way to get rid of him (sulking off to cope with his guilt about killing those two guards).

That leaves Dinah, John and Rene. And of course Oliver, so about half of the team. I'm sure there are easy ways to split them up (John can end up chasing after Lila after an op goes bad, for example), but I really don't want to go through another season, especially the last season with a fractured team. That new team Arrow versus original team Arrow was torturous enough the first time around.

I guess the easiest way to chalk up Emiko's vendetta against Oliver is jealousy. He got everything she wanted (being part of Robert's family, having his attention and love and recognition, etc.). Now he's the one who has to suffer for the sins of the father. Overall, however, it's not a very compelling plot, and I don't, know if it's the writing behind it (they didn't set Emiko up strongly enough) or the actress or a combination of factors, but I just don't feel the story is landing the way it should.

I will say, however, that making her take the fall for Roy's pit-rage murders is pretty sleazy for such a righteous group of heroes.
posted by sardonyx at 8:40 AM on May 2, 2019

This is seems like the set-up for the flash forward future of, 'Vigilantes Destroyed Star City,' and possibly a way of dumping Oliver into an exit that involves the coming Crisis, some Velocity-9, and Barry not dying since that series is still going.
posted by Ignorantsavage at 9:28 PM on May 3, 2019

"Hey, let's do a Rashomon episode! But with a twist!" I feel like I've seen this exact same narrative device used before, including the way the supposed interrogator was in on the coverup, but I can't place where. FWIW I guessed Dinah must have been in on it about 3 minutes into it, with the unexplained cop in the interrogation room and Oliver and Dinah working so hard to sound convincing for him. They did a nice job injecting occasional lies and leaving out little omissions though, it was well written.

2 more episodes this season, then 10 more of a short final season and it's the end of Arrow. I'm ready. I hope they contracted to bring Thea back in a meaningful way; her absence was really painfully visible this episode.
posted by Nelson at 11:11 AM on May 5, 2019

Sardonyx: Fellow NCIS:LA watcher here. In fact, my wife and I watch all three shows - NCIS, NCIS:LA and NCIS:New Orleans.
posted by Roger Pittman at 6:41 PM on May 5, 2019

So did you recognize the guy? I swear I should just look up the IMDB entry and put this thing to bed.

Okay, here's my NCIS progression: I started with JAG despite not really being a fan of military shows because I was curious to see Canadian David James Elliott playing such an American stereotype. After that was over I started watching NCIS, but finally gave up on that when they brought in the blonde. I just couldn't cope with her character. I kind of fell into watching LA, but even though I tried, I couldn't enjoy NO. I like Bakula, but that accent gets on my nerves.
posted by sardonyx at 8:04 PM on May 5, 2019

Not at first, but it did hit me after a while. Interestingly enough, Elliott will be reprising his JAG role next week on NCIS:LA.
posted by Roger Pittman at 8:28 PM on May 5, 2019

Yeah, that should be interesting. I always felt like DJE should have been tapped to play some sort of caped hero. He had the stature and the looks to pull it off. I figure he would have made a great Bruce Wayne even if I don't know if he could have pulled off the Dark Knight half of the job.
posted by sardonyx at 8:00 AM on May 6, 2019