Arrow Season 3 Episode 10 Review: Left Behind
Carissa Pavlica
at
.
Updated at
.
Yes, Oliver Queen is dead, but he won't be for long. Should we really know that already?
In other news, it won't be the most popular opinion, but I'm not running for Miss America. The best line of the night was delivered by Laurel.
This isn't the first time I've heard that Oliver is dead. He's been back before. He'll be back again.
Laurel
Diggle and Roy, as well, did the right thing by keeping up what has become Oliver's life's work, especially after they discovered there's a damn good possibility their leader and friend may never return.
However, despite the fans eating up all things Felicity because, oh the feels, in Arrow Season 3 Episode 10 she gave up on him rather quickly. It's sort of becoming a thing with her, and I'm a little annoyed with it.
So, before getting into the better parts of "Left Behind," let's tackle Felicity, the gal who has yet to tell Oliver she loves him. She's made some demands of him, yes, but never said she loved him. Here we have Malcolm Merlyn delivering a weapon, granted blood soaked, but there is no body. Why is everyone jumping to the conclusion that means Oliver is dead? Especially after his previous five year death sans body? It's kinda crazy after mere days.
It was such a surprise when Felicity let Brick's guys get away with all of the evidence Oliver had been working on getting since they put Slade away. That was a lot of work. I get that she wanted Diggle and Roy to live, but it wasn't her call to make. Everything was nuts without a lot of backup.
The win of the night goes to the boys and Laurel for carrying on and stepping up. Felicity quit. Everything. Her day job and her passion. I have no doubt she's going to rethink things, but it was a knee jerk reaction. Come to think of it, it's a very Oliver move, proving they are, indeed, the perfect couple.
Diggle: OK. The point is, if we're going to do this without Oliver, Felicity, we have to trust each other.
Felicity: You don't get it. There is no 'this' without him. It's done. I'm done.
It's just way too harsh and very unlike the Felicity we've come to know.
Arsenal and fake Arrow were funny together. I was proud of Diggle for taking off the hood and going for the Glock. The man can be proud of his usage of weaponry; everyone has their own talent.
After going through everything and Laurel losing the case due to lose evidence, however, Diggle questioned what was going to happen next. They're exchange was raw and real and was one of the best conversations Laurel has had with any member of Team Arrow, as well as giving us real insight into how Diggle feels being a part of the team.
Diggle: He's not coming back, Oliver. I know you don't want to believe it, Laurel, God knows I don't but, he's not coming back.
Laurel: Are you? Are you coming back?
Diggle: I don't know. For the first time since I met Oliver Queen I don't know what happens next. I know it's silly, but I still like to think of myself as Oliver's bodyguard. I just couldn't protect him. It's funny. He was worried something would happen to me.
Danny "Brick" Brickwell is a worthwhile adversary and feels a little like Sebastian Blood. He's looking to take over The Glades (considering it was a slum, what is it with wanting to rule that portion of town?) and run crime. Not many big time criminals are more ambitious than that, but he seems like a fun guy, and if I'm not mistaken, bullets bounce off him or something.
Stomaching Malcolm Merlyn is becoming quite a chore. Truly, it's almost impossible. When he's "training" Thea all I can wonder is who her next target will be. I'll never believe another word out of his mouth. He's a coward of the highest nature and even admitted it. Can he get any more embarrassing?
He used his own daughter to get a death warrant off of his head. To quote My Best Friend's Wedding, he's "the pus that infects the mucus that cruds up the fungus that feeds on the pond scum." Yes, he's that low. Yet, I know he's in for some kind of "hero will rise" story, so I have to sit on that and stew a while.
The enormity of everything going on around her pushed Laurel to the next level of her ode to Canary. Black Canary even has a sonic scream. I was pretty proud of her for knowing she needed an extra something to help disarm the baddies she'll be serving "the justice you can't outrun" before she pounded them with her baton and whatnot. I absolutely cannot wait for Arrow Season 3 Episode 13, "Canaries."
The Hong Kong flashbacks continue to do absolutely nothing for me, although in the final seconds they made sense, even if it really came a bit too quick for my liking. If you're going to kill off your main star and scare the pants off of your fans, then make them sweat. Instead we know someone is going to revive Oliver.
Right now it looks like it will be Katsu, Sarab's (Maseo) ex wife, as a favor for Oliver not killing someone to save her years ago in Hong Kong. I'm sure it won't be that easy, but we know Oliver isn't dying. I just wish he had been absolutely absent, flashbacks included, from the installment. It would have been far more powerful.
So there you go. Not a whole lot happened, really, but a lot will be happening during the rest of Arrow Season 3. My guess is this is the sigh before all hell breaks loose again.
So, what say you? Where do you stand after events tonight? Hit the comments!
If you missed anything, don't forget, you can watch Arrow online any time via TV Fanatic. Don't miss a minute and save them all for further viewing!
NOTE: Arrow Season 3 Episode 11 will be titled "Midnight City" and air on January 28.
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.
