Arrow: S03E18: "Public Enemy"

Rating: 6

In A Nutshell

Arrow is a wanted man, and tries to apprehend his former friend who is masquerading as fake-Arrow. That all goes pear-shaped after Ra Gha Gual names Oliver as the Arrow to Sergeant Lance, who then uses the evidence of an assassin as all the reason he has to issue an arrest warrant for Oliver, who later hands himself in, before Roy takes the biggest sacrifice one could (almost) by having himself caught in Arrow gear. Meanwhile, in the flashback, Oliver meets Shadow's twin sister ... sigh.

What I liked

Well, it was an interesting development. Arrow was a wanted man as usual, but this time it was Oliver Queen who was outed as the "villain". Yeah, we've been here before, see below. Anyhow, the twist that Roy does is the oldest trick in the book by donning the green suit to masquerade and get caught in action, was a welcomed development. It was at least ... different.

It was a little tense perhaps seeing Oliver's world closing in on him, with less places to run or hide. I even started to imagine a scenario where the "public" knew the Arrow was Oliver and accepted him. That's gone out the window now.

What I Didn't Like

What's your first thought when you want to evade the cops and you're on the roof of a tall building? Yup, jump off it. One can understand Arrow doing that, and Roy, but Laurel does it without any leverage of knowing she's going to survive. Both the suited and hooded men have their arrows and rope to swing to safety. Laurel, she just jumps on some blind faith that all three of them are singing off the same hymn sheet!

The "Oliver Queen is the Arrow" revelation and public broadcast carries little weight when we've been here before and we also sort of know it'll not last.

So, Ray got shot by an arrow in the chest and is ok, but for a blood clot that is all cleaned up by his nanotech within the space of ten minutes? Yeah, that was all so dull, rushed and a pointless attempt at tension.

Har, Yar, that's a lot of kicking and tripping that these fighters do.

The flashback stories are getting more pointless, dull and ridiculous by the minute. Let's just admit they've run out of ideas and bin them, ok?

The new Queen; of annoying characters that is.

Felicity's Mum ... need I say more?

Huh?

Weren't they all League of Assassin fighters that the Arrow team were fighting? I can get Arrow doing well against them, and maybe Roy, but Laurel with her limited training should have been clobbered? I'd be sacking some of those hooded assassins by now for their failings.

Shadow's twin sister, May, is now thinking of employing a housecleaner.

So, Shadow's twin sister believes Oliver's news just like that? One can get she might help Oliver and the kid at least initially based on little information, but for her to then trust the word of a complete stranger that's brought merry hell down on her flat is hard to really fathom.

And Finally

Well, those eyebrows are behind bars. What next? Surely he's in the clear the next time Arrow stops some crime somewhere? Or will Roy go down as an accomplice? This all seems so strangely familiar as to feel annoying.

Rating: 6 out of 10 (Saved from it's own lack of originality and pointless flashback by seeing Oliver on the run and that final end twist).