Title: Arrow: “Past Sins” Review
Release Date: January 28th, 2019
Network: The CW
Genre: Superhero, Drama, Action
When Arrow devotes itself to about only two or three storylines per episode, the show thrives as a result. “Past Sins” is yet another example of this.
The funny thing is, this was essentially a filler episode with a villain of the week as the main focus. But, Arrow doesn’t go with your typical villain of the week format all too often. That’s mostly reserved for The Flash, which uses the format as a crutch. With Arrow filler episodes like this, it felt like a break from the main storylines and we got time to catch up with our characters.
The villain of the week was pretty awesome and tied in really well with Oliver’s dilemma with Emiko. It was also cool to see more of the Queens’ horrible past come into the light. Hackett was basically here to drive Oliver’s personal arc forward and discredit Robert Queen even more. “Past Sins” may not a big deal by the end of season seven, but this episode and its villain served their purpose. My only complaint is with Dinah there at the end. She has superpowers. Why did she not use them to blast open the door or take down Hackett beforehand?
Oliver and Laurel are clearly the MVPs of season seven so far. Oliver’s entire arc this season is simply amazing. He’s trying to carve out his own legacy, away from the awful actions from his family name. As apart of the SCPD, he wants to be the hero that people can look up to and make the Green Arrow name better. As I’ve stated before, he’ll never truly become like his comics-counterpart. He shouldn’t go full comic-Ollie either. But, this slight change in personality and motivation is exciting. I can’t wait to see it continue to drive Arrow over the next few episodes.
Here’s an unpopular opinion. The best decision Arrow has ever made was killing Earth-1 Laurel Lance. Earth-1 Laurel was a decent enough character, but there wasn’t enough to get invested in and her journey to becoming the Black Canary felt rushed. Black Siren, on the other hand, feels like a more well-rounded character. We know why she’s so proficient in the field and what led her down the path to becoming Zoom’s lackey. We see her redemption from evil villain to hero unfold over the span of two seasons. Hearing about how her dad died and how she feels about her “part” in it was heartbreaking. It also helps that Katie Cassidy totally killed this scene and has owned this role since her debut as Black Siren in The Flash season two. (Sidenote: The friendship between Felicity and Laurel is absolutely hilarious and I still can’t believe it’s clicking as much as it is.)
So, I guess Arrow has a new stalker in town. I’m not sure who you all believe is sending Team Arrow these threats but, I’m going to go ahead and bank on Stanley (Oliver’s buddy in prison). Well, he was his buddy until Oliver realized he was a serial killer. Stanley already knows some members of the team and has a vendetta against Oliver. It would make total sense to see him return for an episode or two later this season for revenge.
I gotta admit. Arrow got me. For a second, I really thought they killed off Curtis. He’s never been an overly important character and I don’t think he’s popular with fans either. It wouldn’t be too crazy to see him be the Team Arrow member to bite the dust this season. I’m glad he didn’t die here though. For three seasons worth of development, it would’ve been a shame to him go out like that against Diaz (practically without a fight).
The Suicide Squad Ghost Initiative is coming together nicely. On the roster, we have Ricardo “The Dragon” Diaz, China White, Cupid, and Deathstroke Jr. I’m hoping they add one more character to this group but, I’m liking the team. Putting in their own themes when they were the focus on screen was a sweet touch as well. I can’t wait until we get to see them in action and what we find out about this Dante Organization.
Other than the minor issue with Dinah that I talked about earlier, there’s something that has to be corrected about these Arrowverse shows. Please…stop using the same sets. I watch new episodes of Arrow and The Flash in about a 24-hour period. You can easily see that they reuse the same sets over and over again for both shows. I know, it’s gotta be cheaper to just reuse the same sets but, it hurts the product of both shows in the long run.
Verdict: “Past Sins” was a fantastic episode of Arrow. Even though I would classify it as a filler episode, this week gave us compelling character arcs for Oliver and Laurel. It also delivered with an interesting villain of the week and a short tease of the upcoming Suicide Squad Ghost Initiative. Other than set reuse problems and one small plot hole, this was one of the strongest episodes of Arrow season seven.
Arrow: “Past Sins” Review
Oliver and Laurel’s character arcs
Katie Cassidy has killed it as Earth-2 Laurel
The strange friendship between Felicity and Laurel somehow clicks every time they are on screen
The villain of the week weaved in with the main conflict between Emiko and Oliver nicely
The roster for the Suicide Squad Ghost Initiative is looking great so far
Tease for a new villain in Star City
Getting tired of seeing Jitters in the Arrowverse…
Dinah apparently forgot she had meta-powers
