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 7: "Draw Back Your Bow"
Synopsis: Oliver must stop an Arrow-obsessed serial killer, Carrie Cutter, who is convinced that The Arrow is her one true love and will stop at nothing to get his attention.
In Starling City: Picking up directly from the conclusion of last week's episode, Oliver and Captain Lance talk over the body of Isaac, Ted Grant's former vigilante partner, who was killed using an arrow shaped like a heart. Diggle and Oliver rule out the killer as the same person who murdered Sara as the bodies appear staged in Arrow garb, a message of some kind to Oliver. Within the cupid arrowhead, Oliver and DIggle find an address and make their way to the location where they find an apartment full of candles and psychotic tributes to Arrow.
Carrie Cutter/Cupid reaches out to Oliver by cell phone, vowing herself to him and providing him an image of the next victim/present: a man wrapped in explosives. Back at Arrow headquarters, Roy and Oliver discuss Roy's mental state after last week's reveal that he did not kill Sara. Oliver tells him it will take time to be ready to don his Arsenal gear again. Felicity locates Cutter and IDs her as a former Starling City cop and SWAT team member and they find her in photos at almost every crime scene Team Arrow has investigated recently.
Arsenal and Arrow investigate the poorly pun named Sherwood Forest where Cupid takes Arsenal hostage along with her bomb-vested victim. Cupid says all she wants is Oliver to which he obviously refuses. As she kicks the chair out from under the victim, Oliver shoots the trip wire and removes the bomb vest, detonating it in the air before anyone can get hurt. Oliver meets with Cutter's former psychiatrist who reveals she has attachment disorder, causing her to stalk those she obsesses over. Cutter uses a local computer expert to triangulate the crime scenes Team Arrow has investigated and they all converge at Verdant, begging the question why no one thought of this before? Also, is the team that poor at covering their tracks?
At Verdant, Thea deals with the most strenuous subplot of the episode: which DJ will work out best for the club. A smarmy douche eventually comes to her rescue as Cutter arrives in a smoking hot red dress. Oliver gets the intel from Diggle where she is and makes his way towards the club. Oliver says he will meet her anywhere but the club and Cutter suggests "their special place". Oliver recalls where he saved Carrie and she reveals herself. As Oliver explains why he cannot be with Carrie, Felicity listens on, understanding the subtext in what Oliver is saying. Carrie loses it and attacks Oliver. The two fight and fall below street level to a subway track. Carrie gets the upper hand and just before a subway hits them, Oliver knocks them out of the way. Carrie looks up at her rescuer and proclaims she knew he loved her. Oh, boy. With Carrie captured, Oliver and Diggle arrange to have her added to the Suicide Squad.
In the world of Felicity and Ray Palmer, the romance element seems to be heating up as she walks into his office to find him exercising on a salmon ladder. Brandon Routh definitely has not lost any of his Superman physique as he offers Felicity a couture dress as recompense for accompanying him to a boring work dinner. Felicity's reaction to her boss and his body gives the impression that she is using him as a rebound from her disastrous date with Oliver earlier this season. Out at dinner, Felicity is torn between Diggle's urgent calls and going to bat for Ray with their dinner companions whom she sways in favor of working with Palmer.
Oliver's feelings for Felicity come back into play this week as the tinge of jealousy flares at the thought of her dating Ray Palmer. Add to that Palmer's reveal that he is rebranding Queen Consolidated as Palmer Technologies and you can imagine our favorite archer is feeling less than super. Diggle confronts both Oliver and Felicity and both dance around their feelings.
Wrapping up the episode, the douchy DJ kisses Thea, adding some depth to her difficult relationship with Roy. We also see Ray and Felicity finally kiss while Oliver looks on, thinking he has missed his chance with the woman he truly does love. Oliver and Roy, both not doing well, decide to meet the Diggles for dinner. We also get to see what Ray Palmer has been planning this whole time: an Iron Man-esque exoskeleton called A.T.O.M.. We also get a closing look at Boomerang in action.
Flashbacks: This week's episode opens with a flashback to six months prior when Starling City was being overrun by Slade Wilson's Mirakuru soldiers. Arrow intervened and saved a woman, Carrie Cutter, from death at the hands of a super-soldier, kickstarting her obession with the masked vigilante.
In the Hong Kong flashbacks, we once again see Oliver drawing the ire of Tatsu's wife when Oliver reveals he doesn't know how to do his own laundry. I continue to love how this show seems to think the value of these flashbacks is in any way helping the development of the series, but everything set in Hong Kong has been boring and watered down compared to the scenes back on the island.
Tatsu goes off on business for Amanda Waller and hours later, Oliver and Tatsu's wife await his return. Worried for his safety, the two decide to investigate together. At the docks, Oliver learns Tatsu and his family left Japan because they upset some dangerous men. They watch as Triad thugs come out of a warehouse and Oliver confronts them but is knocked out almost immediately. Tatsu's wife takes down all the thugs armed with a pair of swords and they learn former ARGUS operatives in the warehouse were recently murdered.
Arriving home prepared to tell their son that his father is dead, they find Tatsu alive and well. Oliver nods and goes off to do his laundry.
Episode Grade: 9/10
The general consensus about the third season of ARROW has been that it is steeped in mediocrity compared to the excellent first two. The promise of Ra's Al Ghul appearing and the resolution to the murder of Sara Lance has been dragging and this week was no exception. But, we do get one of the best episodes of ARROW since season two with a solid foe for Oliver and a lot of development for Felicity, Ray, Roy, and Oliver. There is some advancement with the Suicide Squad as well as our first look at Ray Palmer's A.T.O.M. suit and the next villain, Boomerang. This episode goes to show that even if you don't address the season long arc directly, you can still make a kick ass and entertaining hour of television.
Next on ARROW: "The Brave and the Bold" (Airs December 3rd) – Oliver, Arsenal and Diggle track down the location of a boomerang-wielding killer named Digger Harkness but are surprised when they come face to face with an A.R.G.U.S. team. The Arrow joins the fight and gets help from an old friend – The Flash.