Timeless: Season 2, Episode 1, "The War to End All Wars" - The more things change, the more they stay the same. In a good way.

Part of what makes Timeless such an appealing series for me is the sense of pulpy adventure that's generally missing in television these days (or at least incredibly rare). Having taken in all of the first season in the matter of about a week and a half before the season two premiere, there's a lot to talk about, but I think I will speak about certain aspects of the show piecemeal as I continue to review the show week by week. Although Timeless is a thoroughly episodic show in the way I like, there is also that long-running conspiracy arc that helps drive each episode, and from the season two premiere, it seems the show is still firmly planted in that story engine with little change on the horizon. And sometimes that's for the better.

That isn't to say there haven't been big sea changes - it's one of the first things you see with the destruction of Mason Industries - but it doesn't feel too much like a dramatic status quo change, rather acting as a change of setting to help facilitate character development. Much of the premiere exists mostly to restore the show back to a familiar status quo by the episode's end so it remains to be seen what interesting developments for season two are coming down the line.

There is some interesting setup for the season coming out of the episode as Carol ends up plucking her grandfather from World War 1. Nicolas Keynes appears to be the inspiration for the time travel program that Rittenhouse ends up funding via Mason Industries; having such a prominent conspiratorial figure to direct Rittenhouse, combined with Carol's knowledge of history is bound to be a dangerous path. It stands to reason that Lucy will have to act as the counterbalance to Rittenhouse's activities in season two.

Otherwise, the survivors of the Rittenhouse attack have moved into an off-the-grid, decommissioned military bunker and feels mostly like a change of scenery considering the rest of the Mason Industries workers were not much more than background dressing anyway. The timeskip of six weeks helps the show settle back into a rhythm rather than leaving everything up in chaos, although it would have been a welcome change of pace, even if it betrays the overall episodic structure for a chance for more serial, or at least non-traditional, storytelling for an episode or two. It feels like there would have been material to have been mined about how everyone moved on from Mason Industries, or how Lucy fared in Rittenhouse house arrest under her mother.

"The War to End All Wars" in essence acts somewhat like an origin story for the Rittenhouse we know and provides them with some more depth than simply some shadowy, sinister conspiracy with roots in mostly famous historical figures. There's always been some mystery to them that seems inscrutable, but being about to ground it closer with the conflict between Lucy and Carol and their broader family tree (even if it symbolizes only a branch of Rittenhouse) makes the cabal seem more easier to picture - if not relatable - than a nebulous force. There are so many dynamics at play that can be explored, so having season two seem to focus specifically on Lucy's relatives and their role in Rittenhouse (more so than just simply her grandfather in the finale) will be exciting to see as it unfolds.

As for Flynn, it's a little strange how he's still a factor unless he's going to provide support in some way to decipher Keynes' writing. Hopefully he is a more active presence given his screentime in season one. It also remains a little odd that Annie Wersching and Susanna Thompson are still billed as guest stars seeing as they seem to be the primary antagonist now that it's no longer Lucy, Wyatt, and Rufus trying to stop Flynn from wrecking history trying to eliminate Rittenhouse, and it's probably Emma and Carol representing some faction of Rittenhouse (alongside Keynes) trying to mold history in their collective imagine. Maybe Flynn will have to be brought back into the fold as an expert on hunting Rittenhouse.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

• Lucy is probably right, you don't want to smell history, especially back on the battlefields of WW1.
• Not too much to see for Jiya and Mason. Mason has an interesting arc setup for the season, but not much movement; same goes for Jiya who simply still suffers from her condition after returning from the past. And interrupting everyone.
• I really wonder how they would keep that smartphone charged though. Guess it was just for short use over the years. Or the real secret Rittenhouse is keeping from us is a smart phone battery that lasts forever.

Arrow 6x15 "Doppelgänger" - A focus on the past helps to produce a strong episode

 
As Oliver Queen states, sometimes good news is accompanied by bad news. In this case of Arrow, a poor episode (last week's "Collision Course") is followed with a good episode that brings Thea and Roy back into the fray to produce a strong story of the week. "Doppelgänger" works because of a much stronger focus on the main and legacy cast, providing a breath of fresh air after the sordid events on "Collision Course".
 
New Team Arrow is surprisingly absent except for Dinah's larger involvement in the SCPD police force, with Rene having no scenes, and Curtis have a quick scene with Zoe that really doesn't go anywhere or produce anything of note except to remind the audience something happened to Rene last week (despite having it shown in the previously on...). That effectively puts New Team Arrow out of commission for the time being until their involvement is needed. Given the tease and preview for the following episode, it will be at least another week that at least focuses on Thea, which is a nice turnaround for the season moving, even if for a brief series of episodes.
 
"Doppelgänger" is a fairly straightforward episode that moves at a brisk pace and has pretty much a singular purpose, and it is to bring Roy (and by extension Thea) back into the fold, at least for the time being. There's not much to muse on except for the tiny details the show has deemed to insert, with myself hoping they somehow pay off as the Diaz plot comes to fruition. One scene in particular stands out with SCPD Captain Hill giving sound advice to Oliver in order drum up money for the force (and by extension, the city) to the tune of 30 million dollars, as this could easily have been done in secret for the benefit of Diaz.
 
Black Siren posing as Laurel Lance is a very interesting B-plot as we follow Katie Cassidy through the many masks that Earth-2 Laurel has to wear as she moves from confused survivor, to well-meaning and regretful villain, and to dastardly double agent. Quentin finds himself now paired off with Dinah in another smaller plotline to root out crooked cops, giving the dynamics of the cast something interesting as it pits two people with some big odds working with one another for a greater good. There's also a lot of good character work as Oliver and Thea muse about Roy's involvement over the years and subsequent sacrifice.
 
The one big question remains though, is how exactly is Diaz such a mastermind? I'm sure the show will eventually pull back the curtain, though there is already a lot to be shown in "Doppelgänger". A lot of it is probably from surveillance recorded by Cayden James, though there are smaller, finer points - like finding Roy despite no one else being able to locate him - making him seem like a credible threat of his own accord. My main concern is how Diaz incites everything to begin with; he's basically had about a year of lead time from our heroes in the distant background, manipulating events to his liking. Hopefully the writing ends up catching up with the performance, because there is the feeling from my gut this could end up like the situation in season four (and three), where the main villain ends up being portrayed by a fantastic actor, and the performance is outstanding, but the writing doesn't feel up to par.
 
 
Miscellaneous thoughts:

• Fireworks arrow! Although it's probably too much work to think about precisely how it would work.
• The casino fight is welcome and a breath of fresh air to alleyways and warehouses. Tracking the reused arrow in a series of attacks is an interesting way to frame the action, although in this point the action sometimes feels a little lacking in any other meaning except for our heroes to exert some agency on the antagonists.
• A really minor point, but I do like they are still addressing Diggle's need to reclaim the Green Arrow mantle, though the show also is setting it up in a way that Oliver feels as if he can't give it up again for some reason.

Arrow 6x14 "Collision Course" - Not quite the Civil War we were expecting, or looking for

"Collision Course" has a fairly straightforward story but it ends up being a rather weak episode of Arrow. It's not because everyone ends up chasing a false lead, because there is some merit to that if executed properly. Much of the episode centers around everyone hunting down Black Siren thinking she's the cause of, and solution to Star City's financial woes. The inciting incident is an interesting one that carries forward the stories preceding it, but the execution and ramifications are a little lacking at the end of the hour. 

It's an interesting choice to have Black Siren have little to no real ties or evidence to the stolen money, and that she is the only real lead anyone has to go on. A lot of the big movements are tied to Oliver and Dinah, both of whom have their reasons for tackling Black Siren. If the episode is attempting to ape Civil War in some fashion, Oliver and Quentin are the Steve Rogers to Earth-2 Laurel's Bucky, while Dinah is Tony Stark, and I guess Zemo would be Cayden James, in some sense of the analogy. But either way, Laurel is the actor that pits the teams against each other. Oliver is more concerned with using Laurel as a way to get the money back for Star City but holding out some hope she's not as much of a villain everyone thinks she is (and can be trusted), while Dinah is purely out for the sake of vengeance, in the guise of civic duty.

Quentin, in the meanwhile is wholly consumed by his attempt to reform Black Siren into some semblance of his Laurel. In a way it's almost as if it's some kind of new addiction for him, consuming his every action. There is some moment of clarity where he pulls back and grants Earth-2 Laurel her own sense of self-determination. By the episode's end, she has escaped and everyone finally learns she was never any use to save the city, and only for their souls; Quentin wants to see the good in someone like Black Siren, because for him, she is her daughter in many ways but the circumstances she was given, and wants to help her into better ones. The final scene of the episode seemed to signal that Black Siren wants to become Laurel Lance, or at least embrace the identity, though having it cap off the episode seems like a poor choice as it frames the decision as an act of malicious deception instead of someone trying to live up to a better version of themselves. I could be wrong, though, but the direction of it feels more the former than any latter.

Since the start of the Team Arrow split, the show has placed Oliver and Dinah on diametrically opposite ends, and continues into "Collision Course". The main conflict lies between them and how they want to deal with Black Siren. Oliver is somewhat boxed in thinking he can trust Black Siren through Quentin, and the need to recover the extorted city funds. Meanwhile, Dinah is on the warpath and out for vengeance (which I found relatively dull up until the actual confrontation in the woods). There's a lot of talk about lines being crossed by both teams as they try to jockey over one another to find Black Siren first, and plenty of venom between Oliver and Dinah. There's the impression given by the episode that this episode is where there will be no reconciliation between the teams, and no future where both of them will ever work together (or as they claim, even against one another). That will remain to be seen.

The main problem is though both teams try to claim the moral high-ground in their back-and-forth distrust tug-of-war, the show seems to falter when it shows Dinah on her quest to avenge Vincent. There's not much change besides an extra scene or two where she's particularly violent, though she does seem more intent on doing harm and angrier overall. It's not until Dinah has Laurel in her grasp in the woods that either the writing or performance seem to deliver on what the show has been telling us about Dinah. Otherwise it never feels like this need consumes her or bothers her teammates that much except for the odd reminder she's out for revenge. Compare this to Quentin, though he feels unhinged, feels like he has some emotional stake in trying to convince Black Siren she can be a better person. None of the teammates really stand out in the whole split, though both Diggle and Curtis both express some kind of remorse or concern that their feud is going down a dangerous path - though at the end Curtis finds himself with some more resolve that he's joined the right team. Rene has been somewhat relegated to punching bag for Oliver since the reveal that he was the traitor, though it's really just trotted out as an excuse to get everyone angry when no one wants to fix the situation but continues to work with Rene. 

Overall, "Collision Course" feels like a concept that was undercooked - the infighting amongst Star City's vigilante's over Black Siren. New Team Arrow felt like they were saddled with being the antagonist in this episode since they had a smaller stake in Laurel, with much of it tied to Dinah's revenge whereas Oliver and Quentin maintained a stronger connection to Black Siren by the simple fact of the show's history and probably rapport between the actors. By the end of it though, it seems fairly clear that Oliver has gotten Black Siren/Laurel out of his system (and by some extension of it, probably Quentin), though the episode doesn't particularly move anyone else forward, especially on New Team Arrow, anywhere or help to define them stronger. It's perfectly fine for a show to put its heroes on the backfoot, but after "Collision Course", not much was really accomplished from a character standpoint to really feel like it was worth the runtime.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

• Really odd direction in a few spots in this episode, for instance, having Dinah, Rene and Curtis investigate the alleyway in costume, whereas Oliver, Diggle and Felicity came dressed in civvies, or the scene where Dinah crushes the bug after the car chase - or trying to have New Team Arrow tail Oliver and company and immediately get made (because there were no other cars).
• Thea and Quentin's little quest to help Black Siren is at an end, so I am somewhat curious what the show will want to do with them, if they want to do anything with them at all. Willa Holland seems a bit wasted, especially if she doesn't want to wear the costume regularly with the rest of the team now, and the mayoral politics of the show is really just background dressing more than anything. (I mean, Roy is coming back and Thea is in costume next week, but what about after that?)

Arrow 6x13 "The Devil's Greatest Trick" is relying on daddy issues and flashbacks

"The Devil's Greatest Trick" feels like somewhat of a misnomer, seeing as the episode uses a lot of what I would consider storytelling clutches that Arrow falls back on fairly often to try to wrench some kind of reaction from the audience. In terms of its plot developments, it is an interesting finish to the first big arc of the season, but otherwise, the writing feels really fraught and cheap at times in an attempt to maintain the tension the show had continually told us about but failed to show us - at least until the last minute.

It seems where Arrow wants to head to involves Ricardo Diaz - played by the wonderful Kirk Acevado - though the show makes him seem more like an empty vessel and generic villain more than anything. It's one thing to keep your villains mysterious and operating in the background, but not even hinting at it makes it feel like the writers just pulled nonsense out of thin air with little work to back it up. This extends to Cayden James, as it feels as if he was nothing more than an angry cypher at times. Michael Emerson's performance definitely raised the material above anything else, but as someone who had watched his performance through Person of Interest and Lost, it was somewhat lacking in nuance of those two roles, even as he tried to imbue the character with some complexity. It's not until this episode that Arrow wants to reveal its hand regarding Cayden James, which is a shame that it took so long. The material given to Emerson finally comes through and helps provide some sympathy and nuance to what seems like just-another-angry-hacker with a dead child bolted on to justify his vengeance. 

Therein lies some of the problem with how Arrow sometimes handles its secondary characters, coupled with the fact the show decided to have two back-to-back flashback-and-they're-dead episodes, as if they needed to finally extend some consideration to the character they're killing off. It's not really brilliant symmetry, as the show posits, when it feels so manufactured. Last week's episode had already had dueling present-past stories involving Dinah and Vincent playing undercover ending in the death and re-death of Vincent Sobel. It feels as if there is no confidence in the audience with the need to show everything and cram it all in the last possible moment. It feels like a waste of Emerson's performance for him to keep so much hidden behind a line of dialogue or two up until the last second. Flashbacks have proven to be strong storytelling tools since Lost deployed them over ten years ago in arguably the most interesting manner. Arrow is no stranger to flashbacks and has always been somewhat of a balancing act in deploying them, but for their villains more often than not, it's typically deployed as a sympathizing tool sometimes too little, too late.

Perhaps that's just the nature of the superhero genre, to make sure we don't sympathize too much for the villains (until they become too popular to simply be villains), though I imagine they could've gotten a terrific performance out of Michael Emerson witnessing the video of his son's murder had the show decided to possibly show their hand earlier, for instance. Sometimes, Arrow seems more concerned about making sure that the viewer follows exactly along with Oliver and his compatriots rather than drawing a broader picture and letting the characters discover organically what the audience has already learned.

Although the show also teased Dinah's dark turn last episode, it seems entirely non-committal in trying to make Dinah seem like someone completely hell-bent on taking revenge on Laurel, and just someone who was really angry and had to take their anger out on someone. Dinah asserted maybe that justice by the bullet was truly necessary, but she still continues on with her bo staff to attack henchmen, and it's not until the final confrontation with Black Siren that she shoots Laurel with Lance's service weapon that makes her entire turn to Vigilante-inspired vengeance seem half-hearted.

The episode's use of Laurel is drastically more interesting as it tries to show that perhaps Lance has gotten to her, but her villainous past has still left an indelible mark on her. She tries to show that much wider range of emotions this season beyond just pure sass, following up with remorse, for instance. There's some interesting complexity in Black Siren as she does try to bluster around trying to convince everyone else she is as evil as they expect her to be, but I get the impression the show wants to move her toward the free agent route like they had planned with Slade Wilson for a long time; having a somewhat repentant villain pop up when needed but not act fully antagonistic towards the heroes unless their agendas don't align. One could argue Anatoly also fits this mold, and the show is stronger for having characters like that in their stable to work with than simple one-and-done villains.

Lastly, it's worth speaking a bit about Oliver and William, whose relationship reached an interesting point in this episode. It's not particularly in a forward motion as some of the earlier plotting of their relationship in the previous episodes (which placed most of the emphasis on Oliver trying to learn how to be a parent), but it does add some nuance to the matter. The show seems to put some more interest in William being more like his father than he lets on - the toy bow-and-arrow shooting contest, William's bravery in the tunnel attack, and also William "brooding" somewhat like his father while in the bunker as recent examples. So for myself at least, it's not much of a surprise that William might take after Oliver, which works into how he ends up at the tense standoff around the thermobaric bomb, even if it feels slightly forced if only to have Cayden James monologue about his son. Perhaps there's something on the horizon for William to become a vigilante like his father. It's also interestingly complicated by the fact that William - now that he knows Oliver is probably back full-time as Green Arrow - that he would rather be involved as much as he can with the only parent he has left.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

• Not quite sure how to feel about Oliver using Barry to help him intercept Cayden James. It felt more like a compromise on budget and runtime to not have to shoot a motorcycle/vehicle chase sequence because of all of the Cayden James flashbacks having to be crammed in. And it begs to wonder why they didn't ask Barry for help in locating the bomb in that case.
• Although I'm sold on Kirk Acevado, I'm not sure how I feel about Ricardo Diaz yet. Again, too many of his moves feel like they've been made off-camera with no regard and right up until the end of the episode, Diaz has been played mostly as a middling criminal with a small connection to Team Arrow (supplying Diggle's steroid drug) with little else of value. How someone who seems like a rising but crappy criminal businessman somehow manipulate others to do his bidding to the point of fracturing a vigilante team and sending a city spiraling, well the show has its work cut out for them.
• I am actually excited that the two halves of Team Arrow remain split; as noted before I do hope that both teams get some time to breathe dealing with some more minor threats this season before the inevitable reconciliation.
• I could be wrong, but Cayden James stealing 50 million from a pharmaceutical company is definitely a Person of Interest reference to when Emerson's character basically did the same thing, more or less. What I'm really trying to say is if you enjoyed Michael Emerson's performance here, watch Person of Interest.

Arrow 6x12 - "All For Nothing" brings its characters to their lowest of lows, in the hopes of something better on the other side

Arrow has messed around with playing with the futility of the superhero life, because naturally when it comes to superheroes facing off with supervillains, sometimes it's necessary storytelling to put the hero on the back foot just long enough so you can propel them forward again. The division of Old and New Team Arrow is something I have thoroughly enjoyed this season and has helped to serve in a way to remix old motifs and tropes the show has relied on and usually, they come out fairly refreshing. When it comes to the case of "All For Nothing", Arrow also brings back their flashback format to help hammer home some of the feeling of futility its characters are trying to fight with Cayden James in control of Star City. "All For Nothing" feels like a bit of a transitional episode even with a lot of plot being churned through, simply because it seems like the show wants to work towards an inevitable Dinah-Laurel-Quentin Mexican standoff.

Unfortunately for one aspect of the show, it's been a bit of a bummer to see the show can't really afford to use its budget to really show Star City under siege by the invisible hand of Cayden James other than Oliver having to wire money to make things less worse, a few lines from the news report reminding us of the dire straits they're in, and Thea asking everyone to pinch some pennies to make the next installment. Admittedly, the opening teaser does show how far Cayden James can reach by dispatching an ARGUS squad in no time flat, though it stands to reason the budget will be best spent elsewhere in the future for something a little more flashy and assuming Star City citizens have even given up rioting in the face of uncertainty or having their smartphone murder them while on the toilet. This is especially hard to swallow when the show was willing to show exactly how bad it can get in the previous episode's teaser that taking the city out of the equation from a storytelling perspective feels almost like dialing back the stakes.

Although Thea and Quentin have mostly carried on with C-level plots through the season, their journey brings them closer and closer to maybe turning Earth-2 Laurel into a neutral character (how Slade Wilson/Deathstroke stands now). It eventually leads into some kind of revelatory moment for Quentin and Earth-2 Laurel that they can make each other better people if they only tried, right up until Cayden James demands loyalty from Laurel and the rug is pulled from under Quentin. The show makes no secret that Laurel feels a bit more regretful as she is asked to murder Vincent, but that shot seem reserved mostly for the audience (and James) and not so much Dinah or Quentin. Quentin has always had a poor time recovering from bad news involving his family and it will be interesting to see how Dinah complicates things.

Dinah meanwhile, continues this season with much more definition than last season as she comes off just as headstrong as Oliver can be and acts almost as a de facto leader of New Team Arrow. "All For Nothing" is somewhat of a headliner for her as Juliana Harkavy has to run double time in the present and in flashbacks to just before the Central City particle accelerator explosion five years ago. With flashbacks on Arrow being absent for much of season six, they have been deployed in a much more pointed storytelling method rather than feeling like plot that sometimes needs to be played forward for its own sake. In this case, this episode shows the parallels from Dinah and Vincent's undercover stint for Sonus and how it went down contrasted with how it ends up affecting the present. Dinah's the one that thought that even with Sonus aware of an undercover cop in his employ that the two of them should see their mission to the end; Vincent was the one who was wary. The tables are turned possibly because of Vincent's metahuman ability to regenerate while Dinah becomes extremely protective of Vincent as a result of her past mistakes. In the end though, Dinah is forced to relive watching Vincent die for a second time as the extreme demands of Cayden James citywide ransom forces everyone's hands to this conclusion.

Make no mistake, "All For Nothing" never dips so far low to the point of absolute futility for our heroes, but for Dinah's sake, trading Vincent's life for a bunch of data rather than his bomb was not worth it for her in the long run. As for Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle, having access to James' treasure trove will likely put the heroes back on the hunt as they have real leads to move on even with his bomb still in play. As for the forged video of the murder of Cayden's son, it seems rather poorly put together to work as a real motivating factor for Cayden James and more as a foreshadowing of someone behind all the events that have played out. Although it's not to dismiss the simple distress of a parent losing their child to make them blind to anything but simple (or in Cayden's case, extremely advanced) revenge.

The show also seems to want to move Dinah in the direction of carrying on Vigilante's modus operandi of simply snuffing out criminals instead of working to assist law enforcement. Whether or not any of Old or New Team Arrow will be able to help her walk back her newfound stance will be interesting to see, as the show seems determined to put her on a collision path with Laurel and Quentin in her quest for vengeance.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

• Loved the shot of Earth-1 Laurel in costume superimposed over Earth-2 Laurel's face in the projector.
• I absolutely cannot get over how silly the forged video is on multiple viewings and how a simple criminal can evade a shot from the Green Arrow like a ninja. Although perhaps that speaks to how events might unfold coming up, or is telling about who might be involved.

Arrow 6x11 "We Fall" - a strong purpose - and crisis - binds all of Arrow's separate parts together

What interests me most about season six of Arrow is their committal to breaking up the team and actually having them operate separately. The only real downside is that the show makes it seem pretty obvious it is just "a phase" at times and the division of the team is really eventually going to come to a head at some point in the season. There's not going to be a moment where Dinah, Rene and Curtis spin off into their own show (if it were comics, they might) because the logistics behind television production simply won't allow it. But for the moment I will enjoy what the show will have to offer.

"We Fall" follows Team Arrow and Team New Arrow (what a name!) responding to a huge electronics hack attack by Cayden James against Star City. There's a couple of interesting threads that emerge out of the attack as part of it. Oliver and William's relationship comes to a head, Dinah and Vincent's relationship shifts slightly, and the audience and characters learn a bit more about what truly motivates Cayden James. The episode has a nice setup as it allows all the disparate parts of Arrow to come together in a stand-alone way but keeping many of its continual arcs on track.

The episode eventually culminates in a showdown at a community centre-turned safe zone following Cayden James' electronic hack attack on the city. The episode makes an interesting choice by having the large fight scenes narrated over by Felicity as she explains to William what his father does, and tries to assuage his fears about his father taking up the mantle of Green Arrow despite his wishes, as she draws on her own personal experiences. It never takes on the demeanor of adult-lectures-child as Felicity treats William more of a capable individual, if not an adult. It happens to work on top of that because of the school bus-tunnel scene where the show implies that William has perhaps inherited some of his father's more heroic traits. As Oliver and Diggle rush to rescue William from the tunnel attack, the show explicitly shows us William is at least not a hapless child as he takes charge of the situation, even in spite of the bullying he suffers from some of his peers; like the relationship between Team Arrow and Team New Arrow, the personalities involved are able to rise above their differences to help those in need. It means that when William accepts that Oliver and the Green Arrow are intrinsically tied, there is some implicit understanding within him that agrees and appreciates what his father does. I did wish there was some acknowledgement of it, but I'm also glad the show doesn't spell it out, as most of William's heroics happened out of eyeshot of Oliver and Diggle.

On the subject of the two vigilante teams, it stands to reason that any following episodes in this particular status quo will ultimately lead to some kind of team-up or ultimately having their threads colliding with one another. Part of me also hopes the split stays for longer for the show to examine the two teams and their professional relationship outside the likely many Cayden James-fueled crises. Perhaps something as simple as a metahuman in town creating chaos, or smaller criminal factions connected to one another, to see both teams operating almost entirely independent of another. This does happen in "We Fall", but more so in the context of the two teams (and for Team New Arrow in their inaugural dilemma) working in tandem to keep the city together. There's little begrudging done on both sides as with the crisis of the week, both sides agree it's too much to handle alone at times. I have my position on this element of the show fairly set, so I do hope the show allows this time to breathe as it did with Diggle-as-Green-Arrow earlier this season.

Dinah is a particular strong personality as well in this episode as she makes her discontent with Vigilante from the previous episode, as well as after it's revealed he provided intel for two attacks to help win back Dinah's trust. The new team does temporarily feud on how to best act on his intentions, but the show does seem very intent on making Vincent Sobel/Vigilante a double agent within Cayden James' organization. By the end of it, Dinah is relieved and the two of them meet in secret to resume their relationship. It makes me wonder if there are more twists and turns in store for the two, but at least there is some more substance to their interactions mixed with some intrigue.

Lastly, there is the matter of Cayden James' motivations. A lot of it is left to words throughout the episode, and any attempts to find the source of the forged information that was left for him happens off-screen. Part of me wonders if the forged proof of Cayden's son's death is one last gift from Prometheus last season (which would cement him as the most hilarious but best villain Arrow has had). It stands to reason Felicity especially will try to get a hold of the information but with Cayden's incredibly onerous demands on the city, perhaps it will come too little too late for Oliver as he ends up giving into his demands to keep his city together as much as he can as mayor. It makes me wonder how long it can continue.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

• Much love for Thea and Quentin, who always have great chemistry together. They don't have too much to do again this episode, but having Thea back to help Quentin as almost a third daughter is always delightful to see.
• Although he was generally a background character, it kind of sucked to see a character like Pike basically get killed off before the title card.
• Cayden James' alias for getting into Oliver's office was Ben Gale, which was a nice nod to Emerson's two character names on Lost - Benjamin Linus and Henry Gale.
• "Suit up" is getting a little worn out but I guess they really like to commit to it with Curtis.
• This episode is the combo breaker for every episode beforehand having an extended single-cut action sequence, but makes up for it with the speech from Felicity.
• There is a bit of sadness in Diggle's eyes when he has to put on the (new!) Spartan costume rather than the Green Arrow one.

Arrow 6x10 "Divided" - Sometimes, some things are better broken, even temporarily.

One of my hopes for Arrow's return from the mid-season finale was having the show commit to the splitting of Team Arrow, and it seems like "Divided" delivers on the promise, or at wants to truly entertain the idea of it. It's not much of a surprise when the newcomers will have to rejoin Team Arrow having learned something along the way, but my main interest will be the path they take getting there. Cliché or not, the journey is as important as the destination. The fact that Arrow operates on a 22-or so episode season means the show can spend more time on exploring different status quos.

That's not to say "Divided" is a particularly great episode, but it does a lot to move the show forward to a position where the Green Arrow is not the only person running a vigilante team in Star City, which interests me a great degree. The show maintaining real-time as it went into the winter break (about five weeks or so) is an interesting choice but somewhat hampers the storytelling, as it puts everyone in a holding pattern despite the fact that Cayden James and his associates quietly consolidate power while Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity don't really do much but patrol, and Curtis, Rene, and Dinah mostly return to their normal lives until the episode gives them a reason to return to duty, albeit, on their own path.

Most of the episode involves the characters learning about things the audience already knows, but luckily it is framed in a way that gives everyone some agency throughout the episode. Oliver wants the team to go it alone and thinks they can ambush Cayden James alone before discovering he's vastly outnumbered. Meanwhile the episode whizzes by Rene and Dinah (and some extension Curtis) trying to just keep to their day-to-day lives until they're pulled back in knowing Cayden James knows everyone's identity and likely pulled strings to force Rene to testify against Oliver to the FBI. Feeling like Cayden James is also the reason for their newfound woes, the three newcomers take it upon themselves to form their own vigilante team.

There's not a lot to say about "Divided", as it acts more to tee-up a status quo where Wild Dog, Black Canary, and Mister Terrific operate separately and try to go their own way separate from Oliver. Much of the episode also focuses on Oliver trying obstinately at times to win the day with little help except with Diggle (who can't be out in the field yet) and Felicity, but ultimately failing. Cayden James' team is the stronger right now, but cracks and fractures are starting to form, especially around Vigilante, now that the secret of the bunker surveillance is known to everyone. The show continues to be vague about Cayden James' secret motivation and the unfortunate lack of Samanda Watson and the FBI breathing down Oliver's neck makes the whole FBI plotline feel like a half-hearted reason to divide the team, especially given the show decides to forego something as simple as playing the audio clip that Curtis discovers in the FBI database.

Either way, if the previous status quo this season was anything to go by (Diggle as Green Arrow), I hope that Arrow can keep up the momentum by exploring other varied aspects and taking advantage of the longer episode count. I can see potential stories already, exploring how the newcomers have to fail and learn from out from under Oliver's wing, while Oliver might increasingly have to realize he cannot carry his crusade alone. Hopefully they last for a decent length to give the characters time to take their journeys.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

• Again, as much as the FBI investigation plotline seems to be the plot device that spurs Diggle as Green Arrow or the team splitting up, it feels barebones as all it does is act as a plot device. The show wants to communicate that it is danger for Oliver as mayor and Green Arrow but never really provides any true weight to the danger.
• There's a small plotline with Thea and Quentin worth mentioning, but that also tees-up a possible fracture point with Black Siren and Cayden James, but it's fairly subdued but a nice performance from Willa Holland and Paul Blackthorne.
• They're getting a lot of mileage out of the Helix HQ set at least.
• Glad to see Curtis is probably the most insulted of the newcomers, seeing he was basically on the team longest of the three and still treated like he hasn't been through some of the same stuff Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity have been through.
• There's another long single take action scene, so it's nice to see it being continued through this season.