Welcome to the latest Arrow Round Table!

Regarding Arrow Season 4 Episode 2, the topics of discussion include first impressions of Curtis Holt, Felicity's first week back at Palmer Tech, Laurel's decision to resurrect Sara ... and more!

Join TV Fanatics Lindsay MacDonals, Liz Estey, Hank Otero and Caralynn Lippo for a fun conversation. Go ahead and toss your thoughts into the comments to get started!

What's your first impression of Curtis Holt?

Lindsay: I think that he's got the same adorable quirkiness that initially drew us all to Felicity, but that's about all I can say so far. With no indication of where he'll fit into the story plot-wise, it's hard to say if he's a success beyond his instant likability.

Liz: I have high hopes for him. Although they really wanted us to know about his husband so he could be solidly established as Felicity's GBF. Like Lindsay I'm unsure of what his role is going to be, but hopefully he'll do something interesting to liven the show up a bit.

Hank: I had total Felicity Arrow Season 1 flashbacks as well Lindsay. He was instantly likable, even when he realized he had kind of fired himself. I honestly know nothing about the comic version of Mr. Terrific, other than he's supposed to be great at everything. I'm hoping they keep Holt more grounded by not giving him a flashy superhero costume. The masks are getting a little out of hand.

Caralynn: I like him so far! The team needs some new blood after Roy's departure. I can't tell hey how they're going to integrate him into the plot but I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Rate Felicity's first week on the job as CEO of Palmer Technologies.

Lindsay: I give her strong points on confidence and employee care, but she gets a LOT of negative points for blind faith and idealism. You can't support a company on hopes and dreams, Felicity. Promising a breakthrough when you haven't even got an idea yet is building a house of cards, even though we all know Curtis is going to crank out something awesome. I'm giving her a 7 out of 10.

Liz: Given her lack of business experience she did surprisingly well. Her refusal to fire people fits in with her character, despite how bad it may be business-wise. I'm glad she has a leadership role, I just hope she is actually allowed to come into her own. She's an integral part of supporting Team Arrow, but it would be nice to see her as more of a leader. I going with 8/10 (mainly based on my hopes for the plot).

Hank: Felicity had her work cut out for her, didn't she? That initial excitement of taking on the role of CEO faded quickly when she had to fire folks. I thought she did the best she could considering the situation, but that one board member still managed to push her around. I got this sense Ray would not have been as easily intimidated. She gets points for hiring everyone back though, so I'll go with 7 out of 10 as well.

Caralynn: The whole thing was very Felicity. I was surprised that she even went through with firing people to begin with, but I'm glad she turned it around in the end and stuck to her guns. Granted her plan to save the company is ridiculously flimsy... But I'm sure it'll come through in the end. 7/10.

What are your thoughts on Laurel's new awareness of the Lazarus Pit and throwing caution to the wind despite what's going on with Thea?

Lindsay: We all knew Sara was coming out of that Lazarus Pit this year, but I'm totally unsurprised that Laurel would want her sister back enough to disregard any murderous consequences.

Liz: Laurel isn't really known for rational decision making so her choice is hardly a surprise. Even though she's aware of what's happening with Thea, the pain of losing Sara is still very fresh for her (and her father) so similar to Oliver's decision to put Thea in the pit, Laurel is being driven purely by emotion. But seriously, why is no one reading the fine print about the Lazarus Pit?

Hank: It's funny, just when we're starting to really like Laurel she pulls a stunt like this. I was surprised Laurel knew nothing of the Lazarus Pit, but now it makes sense to me. There's no doubt Ollie kept it from her thinking she might attempt to revive Sara. If Thea was messed up by the pit, imagine how Sara's going to return. Eeeek! It's true we all knew Sara was coming back for Legends of Tomorrow via the Pit, but Laurel should know better. On the plus side, I can't wait to see Matt Ryan as Constantine again. I was thrilled to hear that news, and I'm forever in the showrunners debt for making his cameo a reality.

Caralynn: It was so predictable. You could practically see the plan formulating behind her eyes as Thea told her about the pit. Also, Thea had been dead for like a few days. Sarah has been dead for MONTHS. Laurel is behaving totally irrationally in not considering the consequences. That said, I can understand why she's doing it. I was surprised that they showed the body, though. That was gross.

It seems the flashbacks always cut away from a very important moment for Oliver that is rarely ever examined again, and rarely are the flashbacks relevant to said moments. Thoughts?

Lindsay: I think that in certain episodes, the flashback story fits in flawlessly with the current one. Last week, for example, there was a great parallel with the darkness vs. light theme and Amanda/Damien's "necessary evil" mentality. Other episodes... you've just got to burn through story, and there's not always a great place for it. It's bound to happen a few times over the course of the season, but I agree, it's not the best layout for an episode.

Liz: The flashback structure has always been difficult in terms of balance. It was more of a crutch in the earlier seasons when it seemed like they might not have enough plot to fill a whole episode. That being said, it seems like this season's flashbacks may actually have more of a plot than Arrow Season 3. Here's hoping they figure it out.

Hank: I think the writers locked themselves into the flashbacks in the first season. Last year, they were totally forced and disrupted the storytelling. The editing drove me nuts too. As Lindsay mentioned, I'm fine when there are parallel's between the past and present arc. However, this week I failed to see the deeper connection. I agree with Liz though, there appears to be a better game plan this season. At least, that's what I'm hoping for.

Caralynn: I'm very much not a fan of the flashbacks. In my opinion, they only worked well in the very beginning and then in Arrow Season 2. Season 3 was a hot mess for so many reasons, and the disjointed pointless flashbacks certainly didn't help. I'm so glad they finally got rid of his flashback wig though! Hallelujah.

Since Diggle has a mask now and is in the field, shouldn't he have an alias? Name him!

Lindsay: I've always had an issue with Diggle and Felicity not getting code names. It just seems irresponsible! If we're going off of personality traits at the moment, Diggle and Felicity get the codenames Mopey and Quippy, respectively.

Liz: I'll admit this idea is lame, but all I want to call him is Digs. Or maybe Digz for branding purposes.

Hank: Honestly, I'm not a fan of the helmet because it's way too "Magneto" for my taste. I actually liked when Diggle worked with the Suicide Squad and used the codename: Freelancer. Since Dig is an ex-Special Forces soldier, he probably had a nickname. Excavation = Dig, get it? H.I.V.E. Hunter's a mouthful, but I like it!

Caralynn: I'm going to second Liz's idea: Digz. It's really the only thing that came to mind, but he definitely needs a better code name. Haha. And I agree, Hank – not a fan of the helmet.

Oliver has decided to come out of the shadows by running for Mayor. How do you expect that to effect his personal life and activities as Green Arrow?

Lindsay: I'm never sure how Oliver handles any day job, but I expect running for mayor (and all the press that goes along with it) will get in his way soon. I actually hope he doesn't become mayor in the end though because that seems a little too hokey for me.

Liz: In addition to the fact that everyone I watched the show with was able to predict his decision, it really isn't smart to make him mayor. Then again, in some ways his secret identity was easier to maintain when he was more high profile, because he could sneak away from large events for short periods of time, and still have hundreds of people provide an alibi. I'm trying to keep an open mind for now.

Hank: My first reaction was, "oh brother it's the freakin' Moira arc all over again." Like Liz, I'm going to keep an open mind, but I can't imagine anything good coming from Oliver running for Mayor. Sure, he's badass enough to fill the role, but it's only going to make Damien Darhk come after his loved ones. Is that gravestone we saw in the premiere tied to his candidacy? I'm betting it is, and Oliver's going to regret this decision big time.

Caralynn: I don't see Oliver-as-mayor as a sustainable long term thing, so I'm fully prepared for this to be a story arc for wacky hijinks during his candidacy only, but no long term results will come out of it. Or maybe he'll become mayor and need to immediately resign for some reason? I guess I just don't really get his mentality. Being mayor of an unraveling city like Star City is kind of a full time gig. How is he going to do it all?

And here's your first look at Arrow Season 4 Episode 3:

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