Arrow: Canaries
February 12, 2015 10:31 AM - Season 3, Episode 13 - Subscribe
Truth is busting out all over! Thea finds out Oliver's secret identity and actually takes it pretty well. Laurel gets shot up with Vertigo and hallucinates an angry Sara all over the place, and... well, eventually another ugly truth has to come out.
Ah, finally Thea knows about The Arrow, and despite all the "You're going to lose her for lying" wankery that Diggle gives Ollie before the reveal, she is totally fine with it. And it's rather sweet and adorable to see Ollie admit that's the smell of C4 on him, not Korean BBQ. She's not so fine with her dad, though. And Roy does an awesome job of standing up for Thea once she knows and walks into things like seeing Laurel OD'ing and Ollie starts yelling at her to leave.
Team Arrow is still annoyed at Oliver rolling back in and trying to call the shots again, incidentally. Felicity is still frosty and good for her. Even Diggle is all "hey, we had to learn to make decisions on our own about why we're here, man."
Oh yeah, and that DJ dude working for Ra's (who Thea briefly nails) tries to drug her wine with cyanide, which Thea totally calls him out for and then five minutes later he's arrow'd and chugging his own cyanide after Roy and Merlyn bust in. (They were just...hanging around outside the door?) By the end of the episode the Queens and Merlyn are off to Lian Yu for some intense litany-against-fear training.
Oliver and Laurel bicker quite a lot about how she's an addict and getting addicted to adrenaline. Meanwhile, The Other Vertigo Guy Who's Not A Count ends up on the street within the first five minutes of the show, and he starts co-opting a lab and shooting Laurel up every time she sees him, leading to super unpleasant visions of Sara and her dad screaming at her. FUN TIMEZ.
And finally, finally, Laurel breaks the bad news about her sister--oh yeah, and that she's impersonating her, but dad figured that bit out on his own. Well, finally, the countdown on the Vulture recaps about how many episodes she's gone without telling him is gone.
In flashbackland, Oliver is told the wrong information as to where his roomies are taking off to, just in case he gets the information tortured out of him. He manages to leave his mom a message saying he's alive, which he never gets thanks to Amanda Waller neutralizing it. Also, Oliver gets tortured and totally gives up his friends, but then his bro Maseo comes to rescue him anyway...and by the end of the episode Amanda Waller is whisking Oliver off to...STARLING CITY, 2.5 YEARS BEFORE OLIVER'S RETURN? WTF?
Ah, finally Thea knows about The Arrow, and despite all the "You're going to lose her for lying" wankery that Diggle gives Ollie before the reveal, she is totally fine with it. And it's rather sweet and adorable to see Ollie admit that's the smell of C4 on him, not Korean BBQ. She's not so fine with her dad, though. And Roy does an awesome job of standing up for Thea once she knows and walks into things like seeing Laurel OD'ing and Ollie starts yelling at her to leave.
Team Arrow is still annoyed at Oliver rolling back in and trying to call the shots again, incidentally. Felicity is still frosty and good for her. Even Diggle is all "hey, we had to learn to make decisions on our own about why we're here, man."
Oh yeah, and that DJ dude working for Ra's (who Thea briefly nails) tries to drug her wine with cyanide, which Thea totally calls him out for and then five minutes later he's arrow'd and chugging his own cyanide after Roy and Merlyn bust in. (They were just...hanging around outside the door?) By the end of the episode the Queens and Merlyn are off to Lian Yu for some intense litany-against-fear training.
Oliver and Laurel bicker quite a lot about how she's an addict and getting addicted to adrenaline. Meanwhile, The Other Vertigo Guy Who's Not A Count ends up on the street within the first five minutes of the show, and he starts co-opting a lab and shooting Laurel up every time she sees him, leading to super unpleasant visions of Sara and her dad screaming at her. FUN TIMEZ.
And finally, finally, Laurel breaks the bad news about her sister--oh yeah, and that she's impersonating her, but dad figured that bit out on his own. Well, finally, the countdown on the Vulture recaps about how many episodes she's gone without telling him is gone.
In flashbackland, Oliver is told the wrong information as to where his roomies are taking off to, just in case he gets the information tortured out of him. He manages to leave his mom a message saying he's alive, which he never gets thanks to Amanda Waller neutralizing it. Also, Oliver gets tortured and totally gives up his friends, but then his bro Maseo comes to rescue him anyway...and by the end of the episode Amanda Waller is whisking Oliver off to...STARLING CITY, 2.5 YEARS BEFORE OLIVER'S RETURN? WTF?
Thea was so goddamn sensible and reasonable this episode I just about wanted to give her a standing ovation. FUCK YEAH THEA QUEEN. Here's hoping some of that good sense rubs off on the rest of Team Arrow.
and by the end of the episode Amanda Waller is whisking Oliver off to...STARLING CITY, 2.5 YEARS BEFORE OLIVER'S RETURN? WTF?
It looks like the next episode will have the present day taking place on the island, and the flashbacks taking place in Starling City, which is a nice reversal.
posted by mstokes650 at 3:03 PM on February 12, 2015 [5 favorites]
and by the end of the episode Amanda Waller is whisking Oliver off to...STARLING CITY, 2.5 YEARS BEFORE OLIVER'S RETURN? WTF?
It looks like the next episode will have the present day taking place on the island, and the flashbacks taking place in Starling City, which is a nice reversal.
posted by mstokes650 at 3:03 PM on February 12, 2015 [5 favorites]
The Other Vertigo Guy Who's Not A Count
Peter Stormare, who is working a lot in American TV these days.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 3:06 PM on February 12, 2015
Peter Stormare, who is working a lot in American TV these days.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 3:06 PM on February 12, 2015
They resolved so much of the stupid stuff that's been going on this season this week. So glad that they finally told Dad Lance about Sara (and I loved that he already knew it was her out there as the Canary) and so glad to see Oliver get told off for his high-handedness. And it was great to see Caity Lotz back, even if it was only for a few brief moments, and for Laurel to get some closure with her even if it was only in her head.
posted by immlass at 7:30 PM on February 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by immlass at 7:30 PM on February 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
I enjoyed Thea taking it well - though I feel like some "I am still irked at this" would have been called for - but felt like she then turns on Merlyn way too quickly, given what she already knows about him and the deception he's undertaken in the past. Also, has she ever been aware that he was behind sinking Dad and Ollie's boat?
I'm fine in concept with her being prepared for forgive one deception and not another because of the underlying reasons, but that needed better elaboration of her thought process.
that DJ dude working for Ra's (who Thea briefly nails)
Now, now - we don't know how brief it was.
posted by phearlez at 10:29 AM on February 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'm fine in concept with her being prepared for forgive one deception and not another because of the underlying reasons, but that needed better elaboration of her thought process.
that DJ dude working for Ra's (who Thea briefly nails)
Now, now - we don't know how brief it was.
posted by phearlez at 10:29 AM on February 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Okay fine, so they ended my When will Thea find out about Ollie and the basement? vigil.
This merely gives me more energy to shake my fists at the flashback scenes shouting Shut the fuck up. I do not care. Explain how Oliver is Bratva.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:08 PM on February 13, 2015
This merely gives me more energy to shake my fists at the flashback scenes shouting Shut the fuck up. I do not care. Explain how Oliver is Bratva.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:08 PM on February 13, 2015
I wanted to enjoy this episode, if only because of the secret walls that were torn down between characters. However, as much as I liked seeing Sarah back, I was just distracted by Laurel playing Canary. I'm still not sure how she ended up dropping the bad guy who had nearly choked the life out of her with one punch. Her fighting style is kind of the opposite of all the other fighting women currently on television, as it just isn't very convincing.
There actually were a few scenes that were nicely set up for perspective and symmetry in tonight's episode, something that must just make the director giddy with two archers, such as Oliver and Roy standing on opposite cargo containers, or flying out of the windows at the same time.
I do like the relationship now between Thea and Ollie. I think the only "secret" identity relationship left is between Captain Lance and Oliver, and that's okay, because Batman.
posted by Atreides at 2:54 PM on February 14, 2015
There actually were a few scenes that were nicely set up for perspective and symmetry in tonight's episode, something that must just make the director giddy with two archers, such as Oliver and Roy standing on opposite cargo containers, or flying out of the windows at the same time.
I do like the relationship now between Thea and Ollie. I think the only "secret" identity relationship left is between Captain Lance and Oliver, and that's okay, because Batman.
posted by Atreides at 2:54 PM on February 14, 2015
I do like the relationship now between Thea and Ollie. I think the only "secret" identity relationship left is between Captain Lance and Oliver, and that's okay, because Batman.
It is simply impossible at this point for Lance to know about his daughters and Harper and Felicity and that Laurel knows who the Arrow is and not know that it's Ollie. The only sensible explanation is that his telling Laurel that it was better he not know was an implied but not said "... for sure."
posted by phearlez at 8:19 PM on February 15, 2015
It is simply impossible at this point for Lance to know about his daughters and Harper and Felicity and that Laurel knows who the Arrow is and not know that it's Ollie. The only sensible explanation is that his telling Laurel that it was better he not know was an implied but not said "... for sure."
posted by phearlez at 8:19 PM on February 15, 2015
Enjoyed the episode, but given the timing of Roy and Merlin's interruption of DJ's attempted assassination of Thea I can't help thinking that both of them had been hanging around in the corridor outside waiting for the right moment to strike.
Which - between the mutual mistrust, ex-boyfriend-meets-dad and likely sound of Thea sex noises - must have been the most awkward thing ever.
posted by garius at 6:12 AM on February 16, 2015
Which - between the mutual mistrust, ex-boyfriend-meets-dad and likely sound of Thea sex noises - must have been the most awkward thing ever.
posted by garius at 6:12 AM on February 16, 2015
I think Merlin just pretty much sits outside in the hallway waiting for the perfect time to enter the room, a la the assassination attempt AND when Oliver is telling Thea that he needs to train with her father.
posted by Atreides at 9:07 AM on February 16, 2015
posted by Atreides at 9:07 AM on February 16, 2015
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
posted by gimli at 11:04 AM on February 12, 2015