Arrow Season 7 Episode 3 Review: Crossing Lines
Brandon Vieira
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He's back!
No, I'm not talking about Green Arrow 2.0; he's still mysteriously absent. I'm talking about Badass Oliver Queen. That's right, our old friend who's been missing for years has finally returned gloriously on Arrow Season 7 Episode 3.
Oliver Queen has always been a badass, but not in the same way he once was. On Arrow Season 5 and Arrow Season 6, Oliver started changing. He was no longer the anti-hero turned full-fledged superhero we fell in love with. Instead, he became a self-righteous, "we must do things the right way" kind of guy.
Frankly, that guy was kind of boring.
Related: Arrow Season 7 Episode 2 Review: The Longbow Hunters
However, Slabside Maximum Security Prison is bringing back the Oliver Queen we once knew. The guy who took no prisoners and did what he needed to do to get the job done.
That Oliver Queen was a total badass and now that he's broken a few arms and stabbed a guard in the eye, it's safe to say that he's back and quite possibly better than ever.
I still can't believe you stabbed yourself. Did you hit anything big, like your liver or something? Right, you probably don't even have a liver, just muscle.
Stanley
The action sequences on this episode were top notch. As a wrestling fan, I appreciated the fight between Oliver and Sampson (who is played by professional wrestler, Cody Runnels).
It was a real throwback to Summerslam 2015. Stephen Amell is such a gifted physical actor, every punch he throws looks legitimately painful.
A lot of people had their doubts about the whole "Oliver in prison" storyline, but it's one of my favorite stories being told on television right now. He's spent five months trying to be a hero while inside, but he can no longer be that hero if he wants to protect his family.
Related: Get HBO via Prime Video Channels for Addictive Dramas, Hilarious Comedies & Hit Movies!
Each time Oliver performed a dark act, he had so much pain in his eyes. As the darkness within him continues to come out, especially now that he's going to Level 2 to meet The Demon, that pain will eventually vanish and turn into something else.
And soon Oliver Queen may become the most dangerous man at Slabside. The other inmates should beware.
You're never going to be able to stay a hero. Not in this place.
Stanley
The only light during this dark time in Oliver's life is Stanley. Oliver may not want to admit it, but Stanley's the best friend he's got right now. At least that's what it seems like on the surface.
TV Fanatic commenters on my review of Arrow Season 7 Episode 2 had a few theories about Stanley that have me both intrigued and worried. A few of them suggested that Stanley might betray Oliver.
Perhaps he might even be The Demon or someone even higher up in the ranks.
After "The Longbow Hunters," I begged for Arrow Season 7 to introduce a new villain so Diaz wouldn't be the central focus again. Stanley could be a fantastic villain, but selfishly, I don't want to see the Oliver and Stanley friendship end.
There's something about the bond they formed that makes me very happy. I'm a sucker for a solid friendship, and if Stanley ends up being a villain, their friendship will come to an end.
Related: Arrow Season 7 Episode 1 Review: Inmate #4587
I'm torn. Please help me.
Whether Stanley winds up being a villain or not, I'm excited to see what happens with Oliver. I haven't been this intrigued by an Arrow storyline in a very long time.
I also really enjoy the unholy alliance that's formed between Felicity and Rene. Felicity was a tad annoying in "The Longbow Hunters," but she managed to turn things around on "Crossing Lines."
Did she use Agent Watson and cost Watson her job to get one up on Diaz? Absolutely. Yet, just like her husband, Felicity's embracing her dark side. Felicity's no longer miss goodie-two-shoes. She's willing to cross a few people to get what she needs.
With Rene's help, she managed to do that and now has The Silencer in her grasp.
The fact that Rene was the one who helped Felicity get The Silencer means their unholy alliance isn't ending anytime soon. Rene and Felicity have the potential to be a fun, quick-witted pairing.
They share way more chemistry then Felicity does with Curtis, who Arrow tried to make Felicity's bestie. However, I never bought into that friendship. It felt way too forced.
Felicity: I backtraced The Silencers hack.
Rene: We're calling her The Silencer now?
Felicity: Better than the belt lady.
Rene: Noted.
Felicity and Rene have this natural flow and connection between them that doesn't exist with Curtis and Felicity. Rene and Felicity working together to take down Diaz are exponentially going to help get me invested in this story because I'm already kind of sick of Diaz.
Hopefully, he's caught and defeated by midseason, because a whole season of hearing each character say, "we need to catch Diaz," is going to kill all the momentum Season 7 has right now.
While Oliver and Felicity both progressed on this episode, Diggle seems to be spinning on his wheels. I adore his and Lyla's relationship, but their entire adventure with Curtis seemed super pointless.
The two had another conversation about trust and honesty, a conversation they had plenty of times before. ARGUS has never been the place for exciting storylines. Their missions are never that thrilling unless the Green Arrow is involved.
Diggle: Why would she hide this from me?
Curtis: Sometimes secrets are good in a marriage. You know, keeps the spice alive. Actually, don't quote me on that, I'm actually divorced.
I appreciate Arrow trying to give Diggle and Lyla a chance to shine, but it needs to be in a way that's never been done before. The episode would have been better off addressing storylines that got introduced previously.
It would have been nice to see more of the William and Roy flashforwards and to learn more about Green Arrow 2.0. Seriously, what happened to that guy? His presence hasn't been addressed for two straight episodes.
That needs to change soon or else Green Arrow 2.0 will be nothing more than a distant memory, and that would be a real shame.
What did you think of "Crossing Lines"?
Do you think The Demon is someone we know?
Would you prefer to see Stanley as a villain or Stanley as Oliver's BFF?
Are you Team Felicity/Rene or Team Felicity/Curtis?
Let us know in the comments below and if you need to catch up, make sure to watch Arrow online right here on TV Fanatic!
Brandon Viera was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He retired in May 2019..
