Arrow - Guilty - Review

Arrow, “Guilty,” was written by the team of Erik Oleson and Keto Shimizu and was directed by Peter Leto. New to Arrow, Leto’s other credits include Under the Dome and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. This was a solid episode with some lessons to be learned by our team members. I liked how well the flashback fed into the present storyline. One thing about the episode that did concern me is how Laurel (Katie Cassidy) seems to be being isolated from the main team. I feel like even Thea (Willa Holland) who is being trained by the team’s nemesis, Malcolm (John Barrowman), has a closer connection to the team as their training all feeds back to R’as al Ghul (Matt Nable) and we’ve known them all since the first season.

We learn a lot more about Ted Grant (JR Ramirez), Laurel’s trainer, in this episode. We learn that he was a professional boxer – who held the title and was nicknamed Wildcat. In the comics universe, he’s known to have a stunt motorcycle (betting show brings that in!) and was on the Suicide Squad – as well as in Justice Society of America. Some other quick fun facts and comic references from this episode? Grant’s gym is at 9th and Hasen and Irwin Hasen co-created Wildcat in the comics. I loved Oliver (Stephen Amell) suggesting that they call Roy (Colton Haynes) Arsenal because Stanzler (Nathan Mitchell) taunted Roy with being nothing but a weapon in the Arrow’s arsenal. They’ve been looking for a good nickname for him after all! Of course the biggest comic book reference? THE BOXING GLOVE ARROW!!! Only this show could take something that sounds so hokey and gimmicky and actually make it work! Brilliant!!!

Of course, the big reveal about Ted Grant is that he used to be a vigilante. It’s the return of his protégé Stanzler that is at the heart of this week’s episode. There is a lesson for both Grant and Oliver. When you take someone under your wing, you become responsible for them. Grant maintains throughout that he’s never killed anyone, yet he does take responsibility for the man that Stanzler killed. However, that’s not really enough. He simply told Stanzler to get out of Starling City and that he never wanted to see him again. What actually happened then was Stanzler was held for months by the gang whose member he’d killed and was tortured by them. And of course, Grant didn’t know because he simply abandoned him.

This parallels what happened with Roy last season. When Oliver didn’t want to help Roy, Slade (Manu Bennett) was able to capture him and torture him by injecting him with massive amounts of mirakuru, and this is what comes back to haunt Roy in this episode. Roy is convinced by his dreams that he’s killed Sara. Haynes is excellent in this episode as we see his anguish play out. Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) refuses to believe it’s possible at first. Then she looks at the evidence from her “virtual autopsy” – is there anything our Felicity can’t do? Based on that evidence, it seems Roy might indeed have killed Sara in some last burst of mirakuru-induced psychosis.

I was a little shocked to see Diggle (David Ramsey) lobby for cutting Roy loose. However, I did like what Diggle said about justice – which also fit in nicely with the kills being accompanied by a “GUILTY” sign in blood – guilty of torturing Stanzler. But Diggle tells Oliver: “This crusade is supposed to be about justice. We can’t have two sets of rules. One for the bad guys and one for us.” After all, this is why Diggle objected to Oliver killing his targets to begin with. Grant cautions the Arrow that “playing judge and jury messes with people’s heads,” but isn’t that a lesson Oliver has also learned?

In the final fight, Roy symbolically takes on Stanzler – it’s apprentice vs apprentice, and Roy comes out the victor. It was another stunning fight. Stanzler gets some verbal blows in, including the shot about Roy just being another weapon to the Arrow. “He’s using you. The second you do something wrong, he’ll turn his back on you. He’ll abandon you.” This is Roy’s fear and he immediately asks Oliver not to abandon him. Oliver answers “Never” without hesitation. Of course, Oliver is sure – as I think the rest of us were – that Roy isn’t guilty of killing Sara. Oliver is taking his role as mentor and teacher very seriously. We see in the previously scenes that he questions why Roy’s reaction time is off, and then Oliver tell Roy to take the rest of the night off when Roy is clearly still tired and distracted. He tells him – “I wouldn’t be much of a teacher if I let you get killed because your reaction time is slow.”

We see Oliver guide Roy through the meditation technique that he learns from Tatsu (Rila Fukushima) in the flashbacks. The scenes are nicely parallel - student on the left, teacher on the right. The scene in the present is beautifully shot. Roy and Oliver sit across from each other with the candle between them. Both are in their civilian clothes – not in their disguises – but those personas are seen right behind each of them in their respective cases. It’s a nice way of closing the distance between them. I also like how the disguises are almost shrine like. It’s not something to be taken lightly or for granted – it’s something to aspire to. Unfortunately, Roy remembers killing the police officer even though he does realize he didn’t kill Sara. He tells Oliver “I am a murderer.” But that’s why we know at heart Roy is the right man for the job of protecting Starling City – he feels guilt and responsibility for what he did even though he wasn’t really in control of himself. It’s also why we know Grant is a good guy – he feels responsible and he became a vigilante in the first place to help families in the Glades feel safe.

Laurel also talks about justice in this episode, specifically by the end of the episode, she asks Grant to continue her training to find justice outside the courtroom. I think Katie Cassidy is doing a really great job this season showing Laurel’s growth. In general, I think the character is much better written this season as well. But I can’t help but be disappointed that we don’t have the Lances – Quentin (Paul Blackthorne) and Laurel – fighting the good fight from within the system. I realize she is still an ADA, but this is a clear indication of even her lack of faith in the system. But then that’s why we need superheros, isn’t it?

I loved how the fight scene between Laurel and Grant played out through the episode. She’s getting good at the basic boxing, so Grant throws in a new move and throws her to the mat. He tells her to expect surprises in a fight and not to let it rattle her. It’s the patience and calm that we’ve seen all the students have to learn. I particularly liked Cassidy’s reaction when Roy told her that he’d killed Sara – it was very controlled – not really what we might have expected. When Laurel goes back to Grant at the end of the episode, she tells him that she should have been scared and rattled when Stanzler was holding them captive, but she wasn’t. She’s proud of the fact that she did what needed to be done – she dials Felicity to give away their situation and swerves the car to dump Stanzler out.

Oliver tries to dissuade Laurel from continuing her training. She tells him that she’s not helpless and he maintains that he’s never seen her that way – he simply wants to keep her safe and protect her. I loved the scene between Arrow, Grant, and Laurel when he wants to know how they know each other and Laurel says they used to date – and Oliver rolls his eyes. But then she goes on to point out that she’s not on his team and therefore not under his control. Oliver tells her she’s playing a dangerous game which she maintains she can handle. He then points out that she can’t because she hasn’t realized it’s not a game. I think he actually under estimates her here. I think she is taking it seriously. It’s Grant that gives Laurel agency – he asks the Arrow whether he asked Laurel what she wanted when it came to her training. In a sense, by not training her – something Laurel calls him on as well, Oliver is abandoning her.

Laurel’s character continues to be somewhat uneven for me. Why doesn’t everyone assume Grant has an air-tight alibi when the ADA is vouching for him? I would have thought that Oliver and Quentin at the very least would have taken her word on it. And while it was nice to see Laurel really be instrumental in defeating Stanzler, did her driving skills have to be quite so poor? Once again we see Oliver carry her to safety from the burning car. My hope is that we will continue to see the build up of her character. One thing I really do like is the possibility of her having a very unique fighting style – less martial arts and more fisticuffs – not that I don’t love the martial arts and parkour on the show – you know I do!

A few final comments on some really terrific moments from this week. Did I mention the boxing glove arrow?!?! I really loved the scene in which the Arrow gets the information out of the guy and then just tap him out with a backhanded punch. The motorcycle chase was also brilliant. They do those chases so well, again, I hope we see Wildcat break his out! I loved the scene between Tatsu and Maseo (Karl Yune) in the flashback. Yune was really terrific in the scene. I also loved Oliver confusing stenography with a stegosaurus! And finally, “I’m Cupid, stupid.” Amy Gumenick as Cupid is going to be brilliant in the next episode! Love her – and did you notice her lurking in several scenes throughout the episode? Brilliant!

What did you think of the episode? Do you think Roy should still turn himself in? Do you think Oliver should just take over Laurel’s training? Can we trust Grant? Are you looking forward to Cupid? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

About the Author - Lisa Macklem

I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Forever, Defiance, Bitten, Glee, and a few others! Highlights of this past year include covering San Diego Comic Con as press and a set visit to Bitten. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.