TV Review: Arrow – Season 3 Episode 18 “Public Enemy”

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Join us each week as we review the latest episode of ARROW. Warning: the following review contains major spoilers for the newest episode of the show.

Episode 18: "Public Enemy"

Synopsis: During an attack on the mayor’s office, Ray is critically injured. Felicity is pleasantly surprised when her mother, Donna Smoak, shows up at the hospital to offer her support. With the SCPD out in full force looking for the assailant, Oliver and his team work hard to stay one step ahead of the police to find the man responsible. However, things come to a head when Ra's al Ghul kidnaps Captain Lance.

In Starling City: Picking up directly where last week's episode left off, Arrow looks poised for a gamechanging moment as R'as Al Ghul's plan to convince Oliver to take his place at the head of the League of Assassins kicks into high gear. With the Mayor dead and Ray Palmer critically wounded, Captain Lance reinstates the Vigilante Taskforce and places a warrant for the arrest of Arrow and all of his accomplices. 

Oliver and company obviously want to prove their innocence and seek out Nyssa Al Ghul to pinpoint the location of Maseo. This in turn leads them to R'as who restates his offer to Oliver who then restates his objection. Lance and a virtual army of SCPD officers chase Arrow, Arsenal, and Canary through the city. Lance comes face to face with Laurel and seems prepared to take her in as a criminal when Nyssa saves her. After entire seasons of Starling City praising and cursing the Arrow, it doesn't seem to have taken much for them to blindly fear Oliver's alter ego despite all the good he has done for the city.

The team realizes they have underestimated R'as Al Ghul and his plans for Oliver as Captain Lance continues to push for the capture of Arrow. As he demands more officers, Lance is taken by Maseo to meet R'as Al Ghul. Initially pissed to see the man responsible for Sara's secret life and death, Lance is soon shocked by the revelation of the true identity of the Arrow: Oliver Queen. Upon learning this, Lance dispatches officers to every place Queen could be, including Verdant, and releases Oliver's name as the Arrow to the public. Oliver then realizes there is only one thing he can do and turns himself in.

At the hospital, Felicity tends to Ray who is informed by the doctors that he has a blood clot that could kill him if not operated on but may be too weak to survive the procedure. Ray suggests using his experimental nanotech, but the hospital has a policy against unproven medical technology. Felicity's mother arrives and gives her the push needed to inject Ray to save him, which she does. Recovering, Ray tells Felicity he loves her but she is unable to say it back. Her mother tells her it is because she loves Oliver and she now has a hard choice to make.

The team arrives at the jail to see Oliver, revealing their allegiance as Team Arrow to Captain Lance. Oliver says they shouldn't have come as he plans to get them immunity in exchange for his sentence. As they argue with Oliver's decision, he asks them to follow him a little further as the truth is more powerful than they can imagine. Back at the Cave, the team struggles to figure out what they can do next but are at a loss. Oliver is transported via motorcade. Lance reveals that R'as told him that Sara was on Lian Yu and wants to know why Oliver lied. Oliver offers the truth and says he wants to save the people of Starling but Lance says he is nothing more than a villain. At that moment, the truck is attacked by Roy in the Arrow hood and claims that it is he, not Oliver Queen, who is the true Arrow.

Flashbacks: In Hong Kong, Oliver and Akio run from Waller's men when they run into a woman who looks exactly like Shado. She is conveniently Shado's identical twin sister, Mei, who takes the two to her apartment. Oliver tells her his name is Tommy and claims not to know why the men are after them. Despite claiming he knew Shado from medical school, Mei soon sees the same tattoo on his shoulder as Shado had. Mei calls the police, but soon lasersights enter the room and bullets begin littering the room. Oliver fights back and is soon joined by Maseo and Tatsu as they take out the last of the mercenaries. After cleaning her home, Oliver tells Mei the truth about her sister and father and she thanks him for giving her closure.

Review: At it's worst, Arrow has been disappointing this season. There has not been an immediacy at all this year aside from a spot here and there. But, this story is by far the highlight of season three. The fear and mystery of Oliver Queen's secret life is back and the threat of capture from a city that fears him is in full force. The cohesive nature of Team Arrow is on display now and each character carries their weight. Oddly, the weakest aspect of this episode was Felicity who is usually always a solid part of each Arrow episode. The flashbacks were once again pointless, something they have been during the whole season, but you cannot argue that the reveal of Oliver's true identity to Captain Lance is a game-changer, that is, if the twist ending holds up. Definitely a great hour in an otherwise uneven season.

Final Verdict:

Next on ARROW: "Broken Arrow" airs April 8th: Lance continues his mission to take down the Arrow so Felicity orders Oliver to keep a low profile. However, when a meta-human named Jake Simmons, who kills people with blasts of energy and plasma, starts terrorizing Starling City, Oliver is forced to ask Ray for help. The unlikely duo is forced to team up to save the city.