Poor Felicity.

She went to all that trouble to save Oliver's exercise gizmo and only we happy viewers got to see him in action. She's been too busy acting as Oliver's Gal Friday, as each of our heroic trio struggled with their "Identity" in the new, unimproved Starling City on this edition of Arrow.

Hoodies are all the rage. Red ones, green ones. It's like Christmas. For some reason, I thought Oliver might make an announcement of his new name, but he's still The Hood, and his outfit doesn't seem like it will be in for a makeover any time soon. Would dropping the hood for a hat akin to that Robin Hood wore really fit his style? Probably not.

Black leather and blonde wigs are the fashion of the season for the ladies, and never was it more apparent than in the opening scene that there must be something more to distinguish China White and The Black Canary other than Canary's mask. Once again, I was a bit confused who was on screen. The real catch this week was another scene including Roy Harper. Give us a break, please. Women love fashion. Let's add some color for our next arrow-sporting female hero/villain.

Wolverine The Tiger didn't make much of a splash, did he? The only thing his appearance did drive home was while the Arrow Season 2 premiere was called "City of Heroes," it seems the bad guys are far better at making friends and grouping together. If it's really going to be a City of Heroes, it's time to let some others in on the game. Sure, it's a step in the right direction to use Roy as intel in The Glades, but it's not enough. If there is one thing we've learned, the evildoers always come in packs and they will continue to do so. 

It was certainly entertaining to watch Diggle and Felicity get acclimated to their new roles in Oliver's life as CEO of Queen Consolidated. Sure, Oliver has actual work to do now, but it's nothing like the degradation suffered by his sidekicks. To wit: 

Felicity: Guess what I majored in. Hint - not the secretarial arts!
Oliver: Felicity! If I'm going to be Oliver Queen, CEO, the I cannot very well travel down 18 floors every time you and I need to discuss how we spend out nights.
Felicity: And I love spending the night with you...three...two...one. I worked very hard to get where I am and it wasn't so I could fetch you coffee!
Diggle: Well, it could be worse. My secret identity is his black driver. | permalink

If the CEO, the secretary and the black driver are what they need to show to the city for now, then they make one hell of a team. Who knew there could be corporate heroes?

It would seem to me that one of the worst farces Oliver could keep up would be to stroll around town in a limo replete with driver, especially in the faces of the bereft citizens of The Glades. Their houses have crumbled and somebody is stealing their medical supplies, but he thinks showing up in a limo to tell them he'll do what he can will hold any weight. That's a conversation you can only have if you're willing to come down to their level.

Similarly, Oliver had no idea what had gone on with his friends in his absence. He didn't know about the drastic change in Diggle's relationship status. Felicity was tossing out clues like Frisbee's at a tournament, but he caught none of them as he blindly pushed on trying to reconnect with Diggle without putting forth any true feeling into the effort. Oliver is one lucky man to have friends and allies as understanding as Diggle and Felicity.

As much as everyone dislikes Laurel, at least we're getting some insight into her actions. Her discussion with The Hood (sorry, I can't call him Arrow until he does it himself) about how she saw events the night of The Undertaking was very telling. What I don't know is how she knew he was off in a duel with Malcolm Merlyn since she was trapped in a building waiting for Tommy to save her, but somehow she got wind of events and the way she read them was that he left Tommy to die. 

Other interesting things in Laurel's story came by way of her conversation with Roy when she told him she wasn't interested in anyone but The Hood and when she had him trapped at the end. She obviously has no idea who Roy saw helping the city and will change her tune when she realizes it's Sarah - and if she had listened to The Hood's words about losing a friend for whom he would have given his life, she might have gotten a clue to his identity. But she's still too torn up to hear anything but the screams for justice inside her own head.

Inspired observations:

• On the island, it seemed as thought Slade wasn't really diggin' the chemistry between Oliver and Shado. It would be a bit odd to be the third wheel on a three-man island. Could that be the beginning of the demise of their friendship?
• It was cool that Roy was able to choose Thea and yet still help The Hood, but I really want him more involved and I want Thea to be down with that.
• Felicity got Oliver his one cup of coffee. Odds that she'll get him two?
• I was so happy Oliver finally admitted he was too lost in his own suffering after The Undertaking to realize others were suffering. If he had stuck around, things might not have gotten as bad as they have. I flinched when he told Roy that he hadn't "read" Glades Memorial had suffered any damage. He should have been there.

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.