A large part of "Thanksgiving" exists solely to wipe the show's slate temporarily clean to prepare for the 4-part DCTV crossover next week, but the episode also manages to attempt more in the process. As it temporarily takes Diggle out of play as the Green Arrow and ushers Oliver Queen back in, it also has the desire to look inward as it draws certain characters together. Some may call it filler, but a lot of it feels like setup for events that will unfold later in the season. It's hard to forecast exactly what will happen over the course of season six, and the setup feels unnecessarily vague at the moment to really piece much together, other than drawing at familiar threads. It makes me wonder how much will be new and how much will be treading similar ground. Much like the episode's namesake, "Thanksgiving", like other Thanksgiving stories, try to find the meaning in something, or perhaps send someone on a journey of self-discovery. But also like the content of the episode, "Thanksgiving" is very much not really about the holiday but simple window dressing, so its attempts to plumb for deeper meaning fail to impress.
As for John Diggle's turn as Green Arrow, it is - at least according to the show - temporarily on hold as his nerve damage problem was exacerbated by his steroid use. If Curtis could cure spinal paralysis, it shouldn't be too difficult for some kind of solution, as the episode posits. It isn't quite so easy as Oliver is temporarily made Green Arrow again just in time for the crossover and to solve the crisis of the week, even if it means lying to his son about it for now on top of having been charged by the FBI with crimes for being the Hood/Arrow/Green Arrow over the years. The confrontations through the episode between Oliver and Diggle are just moments of excellent drama as years of experience between the two men boil up over Diggle's hospitalization.
At last, many of the things left unsaid between the two men since the shifting on the costume come to a head in a moment of frustration and anger. It might feel a little rushed, but as soon as the two cleared their heads and came to apologize, it's there we learned more about why Diggle chose to become the Green Arrow. We learn that Diggle had his own experience in last year's crossover and that his own desire to be the Green Arrow was what had motivated him to accept the job despite the risk at the start of the season. The motivation is sold well through both Amell and Ramsey, but it feels like a bit of a misstep or missed opportunity that's relegated to a line or two of dialogue saved by the performances.
The episode also tries to cover a lot of other bases and hits about the same kind of beats over the course of the hour, feeling like the setup should carry a ton of weight, only to be met with a rather shallow realization that feels like the start of something else in another episode that means to be explored in greater depth. Some of these are really only given a scene or two, like Dinah and Quentin, who muse in the mayor's offices about what it means if they don't take lives for the greater good. Or Felicity and Curtis, who get caught up in the minutiae of how to run their startup only to realize it works fine for the most part even when they act independently (other than maybe using angel investor money to bail your boyfriend out of jail on charges of vigilantism). Again, these feel like side stories or main stories that could conceivably fill an episode or give more thematic depth. Unfortunately, the nature of their small acknowledgements in "Thanksgiving" made them feel more like necessary tending to when maybe ultimately they could have stayed in the background.
It's really only with Cayden James' involvement where the episode has any substance to it, and even then it peters out in the end in its dramatic reveal. As he works to build a bomb with a massive detonation radius, it eventually culminates with the encounter in the concert arena as he makes a vague threat about destroying our heroes for a perceived slight or crime because of Team Arrow. It's maybe left unintentionally a little vague if Cayden James is speaking to Oliver directly or not (given that technically, it was established people like Helix knew his identity), especially given the timing of Oliver taking over for Diggle. It's not weird on its own but it is when paired up with the team's realization that their skirmish in the arena led to the anti-vigilante referendum to turn against them. It very likely does, though the show makes a poor job of communicating it, though viewers will have to remember that Helix knows of the team's bunker from their attack earlier this season. But for now, the Cayden James vendetta against Team Arrow feels somewhat vague.
Last but not least, the FBI investigation into Oliver Queen reached a bit of a tipping point that quite literally, had no real substance behind it. If there is anything to Agent Watson's investigation other than the fact she could get a warrant. It's a little weird to not to have anything real behind her motivations as of yet. The lack of detail makes it feel as if the show wants to head into the territory of manipulation via Cayden James or another unknown actor, but the show is not willing to show its cards just yet. On its own, and possibly in moderation, Samanda Watson might be somewhat interesting (again, if we hadn't had another Oliver's-secret-identity-is-Green-Arrow-but-wait plot) but given she's appeared in a third of the season even in glimpses, and we as viewers have been not shown anything that could give us a sense of direction, it's no surprise her appearance might cause frustration for some. Hopefully for most of what "Thanksgiving" touched upon will have something substantive to follow it in the weeks to come.
- Glad to see the Helix attack on the bunker paid off as Cayden James now has a T-Sphere to use when he wants.
- Thea is finally awake! It's more of a last minute thing, but I'm glad Willa Holland has something to do now, hopefully.
- Although some of us are glad about Oliver's return as Green Arrow (temporarily, says the show), it was a delight to have Diggle take on the role in a more semi-permanent position. It's something The Flash has lacked despite having Wally as Kid Flash especially and underutilizing him even when Barry is supposed to be out of commission. It almost speaks leagues as to which show is more comfortable with their ensemble at times.
- Not specific to this episode, but the great 4-episode crossover happens next, and hopefully it finally promises to be completely all interconnected unlike last year's, which had enjoyable moments but squeezed the events mostly over two episodes, with Arrow happening to celebrate their 100th episode and having to work into a crossover somehow.
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