Arrow 2.21 "City of Blood" Review and Recap: What Makes a Hero

    Arrow, “City of Blood,” was written by newcomer Holly Harold and directed by Michael Schultz. Harold’s credits include Smallville, Criminal Minds, Warehouse 13, and The Forgotten – a much under-rated and gone too soon show. This is another well written and directed episode, and the title echoes that of the first episode of this season: “City of Heroes.” Sebastian Blood (Kevin Alejandro) is now mayor and is about to make the city bleed real blood with his army. But the episode also centers around what true heroism is: according to Ivo (Dylan Neal), the essence of heroism is to die so others can live. This is a truly fitting segue from Moira’s (Susanna Thompson) death last week.

    The episode begins with Moira’s funeral. Oliver (Stephen Amell) is conspicuous in his absence. While we see his devastation over his mother’s death, I couldn’t help but feel less of him for not manning up and attending his mother’s funeral to honor her death and support Thea (Willa Holland). Walter (Colin Salmon) is there and tries to comfort Thea after the funeral by pointing out that Moira died to save her children who she loved more than life. Thea turns to Walter for comfort but feels guilty that Moira died thinking Thea hated her. Thea insists that it was a lie that killed Moira. Oliver knew that Slade (Manu Bennett) had been on the Island and was a psychopath and never warned them about him. She clearly blames Oliver.

    I liked that they didn’t have characters behave insincerely. Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) tells Diggle (David Ramsey) that she doesn’t even know why she’s crying because she didn’t even like Moira. In fact, she found her diabolical. Remember that Moira cruelly tried to warn Felicity off from telling Oliver about Thea’s biological father. Diggle points out that Felicity is crying for Oliver, not for Moira.

    Felicity and Diggle run into a dead end looking for both Oliver and Sara (Caity Lotz). Diggle points out that Isobel (Summer Glau) would have rubbed it in their faces at Moira’s funeral if they’d been dead. Glau is terrific as the outright evil Isobel. Diggle also attributes Isobel’s mysterious return to having been given the Mirakuru. In desperation, Diggle and Felicity enlist the help of Amanda Waller (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) to help find Oliver. Waller reminds Diggle that he’s out of favors with her, but he asks her to do it for Starling City, not for him – and she does. I loved watching Felicity geek out over the computer equipment at ARGUS. Diggle also fills Waller in on Slade’s army – setting us up for some help from the Suicide Squad in the next two episodes. After all, the moto of sacrificing yourself for the greater good is the very heart and soul of the Squad.

    Waller reveals that Oliver has a second lair and Felicity and Diggle find Oliver there. His guilt over Moira has him convinced that he has nothing left to do but die. He’s convinced that that is all Slade wants to end it. However, I think Oliver underestimates the other people he has in his life that Slade could still take away from him. Felicity tells him that he can’t just accept things. It’s a powerful scene – in which we learn a lot about Felicity’s past and her own journey to become more than just an IT girl – as she begs Oliver not to turn himself in to Slade. Oliver tells her that he was once told that the essence of heroism is to die so others can live. Diggle points out that it’s not that easy. And really, living is harder than dying when you’ve lost so many people – so many little deaths of yourself, if you will. Amell is brilliant in this scene. It ends with him limping away from his closest friends both physically and spiritually.

    Oliver’s own suicide mission is nicely paralleled by the flashbacks in the episode. Anatoly (David Nykl) manages to get the sub running but they are stuck aground. Peter (Sean Rogerson) volunteers for the suicide mission to drive the torpedo that will free the sub. He reveals that he is already dying from the after effects of a radiation experiment done by Ivo. Oliver tells Peter that he couldn’t do what Peter is doing. Peter feels he owes Oliver for freeing them from the ship, but Oliver reveals that he’d only come back because he wanted to get off the Island and go home. He was never thinking of saving anyone other than himself. He tells Peter, “it’s not who I am.” But Peter sees something more in Oliver and replies, “Not yet.” Sometimes, of course, it takes more courage to go on and fight for the living than to die for them. The flashback ends with the sub moving, but Sara, who Oliver put off the sub for safekeeping, is in trouble!

    Thea’s world also continues to crumble. Isobel shows up at the club to evict Thea because Queen Consolidated still owns the building that Verdant is in. She decides to leave town and try to get a fresh start. She tells Walter that she’s a jobless and homeless orphan, but Walter insists he’s there for her.

     This is a fantastic scene with Amell and Holland as Oliver shows up at the mansion before she can leave. He supports her leaving and tells her to get as far from Starling City as she can – it’s one way to attempt to keep her safe. He tells her “you are the best of us. You have the purest heart. Don’t ever lose that.” He also tells her that there hasn’t been a day since she was born that he didn’t cherish her as his sister. Thea finally seems to have thawed somewhat toward Oliver and tells him she’ll call when she’s settled.

    Laurel (Katie Cassidy) really comes into her own in this episode, and it was great to see the character back to being more interesting. I still feel like Laurel’s journey this season was unnecessary, however. I understand that each of the characters is supposed to go through their own personal crucibles to emerge as a hero on the other side, but it really feels like with Laurel, they’ve just come back mainly to where they started with her. Surely Tommy’s death was enough. Cassidy is great in the episode, and I was happy to be able to root for Laurel again.

    Laurel tells Thea that she’s there for her. It’s a nice reminder that Laurel and Thea had gotten close when Thea worked for Laurel last season at CNRI, not to mention how close their families are. Regardless, she has figured out that there really is something suspicious about Blood and goes to Quentin (Paul Blackthorne) again. She points out that Blood wouldn’t be mayor if Moira hadn’t died. It’s a nice scene between Cassidy and Blackthorne as she gets him to trust her gut feeling about Blood. Laurel bugs Sebastian’s office and she’s the one to figure out that his press release about Moira’s death was written before she actually died, proving he knew.

    Laurel is really the one who is instrumental in getting Oliver to go on and fight. I wonder if to some extent she will be taking Moira’s place in this. I loved Oliver waking up after being drugged on the pier to see Felicity and then Diggle waver into focus – and then the look on his face as he realizes Laurel is there too. Laurel reveals that Slade told her about Oliver being the Arrow. It’s another great scene between Amell and Cassidy as she works out that Oliver almost told her himself that he was the Arrow on the night of the Undertaking. She also realizes that Tommy knew and Oliver was with him when he died. Laurel tells Oliver that he can’t just give up because his death will destroy Thea. Laurel tells him that she knows him – she knows who he is in his bones, and she knows that he would never give up. I don’t think there is anyone, other than Moira, who can make such a claim. Laurel tells Oliver that Sebastian is working with Slade, who killed Moira to make Sebastian mayor.

    I loved the scene in which Diggle and Felicity interrogate Blood’s bodyguard for the location of Blood’s lair. Instead of the typical interrogation with Diggle physically threatening the guy, Felicity uses her computer-fu to threaten the guy’s bank accounts and even those of his parents and he gives up the information. Meanwhile, Oliver confronts Sebastian. Sebastian still believes that he merely wants what’s best for the city. Oliver tells him he’s naive if he thinks that Slade will ever let him have free rein to do as he wants. Oliver also reveals that he is the Arrow. Alejandro and Amell are also great in this scene as they spar.

    In the end it is Felicity, Diggle, and Oliver who set out to take down Blood. Laurel wants to come, but Oliver insists that she stay safe. In what will no doubt have thrilled a number of fans, Oliver states that it started with the three of them and it’s time they got back to that. Blood is gathering his army and he’s already deployed most of them by the time the team arrives to bomb his lair. Felicity is concerned that bombing the lair is manslaughter and Oliver has worked very hard not to kill. Oliver maintains that the soldiers on Mirakuru are no longer men, however. This becomes an even more interesting question in light of Oliver’s earlier concern over the fact that everything that is happening now is a direct result of Oliver NOT curing Slade five years ago. Are these events a direct result of him not showing mercy to Slade? We know he tried and failed to kill him then. Will it, in fact, be mercy that saves all of them now?

    I was a little disappointed that Oliver seemed to have completely recovered from his injury – not a hint of a limp as he sneaks up on Blood’s army. The episode ends with a couple of terrific fight scenes. Laurel helps to save Oliver. But then Oliver has to start a cave in to save them. Meanwhile, Isobel is dressed in her own Deathstroke costume and is about to exact revenge on Diggle – and yes, Glau looks pretty darn badass in it! The number of Blood soldiers crossing the bridge at the end seems to indicate that they stopped no one.

    Everyone seems to be in peril by the end of the episode, even Sara in the past. Thea is at the bus station – taking an economy seat! – when the army attacks. Quentin is also in peril as one of Blood’s army has allowed himself to be arrested and springs to action as the attack begins. Of course, where the guy got his mask from is an annoying question... Felicity takes a call from Cisco at Star Labs – Do they finally have the cure?!

    What did you think of the episode? Do you think they’ve come up with a cure? Maybe Barry is awake? Do you think help is on the way for Starling City? Do you like Laurel’s new role? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Bonus pic as a shout out to the fabulous stunt team!