“Arrow’s” 100th episode — part three of the CW’s four-day crossover event of their superhero shows — features cast members both past (Katie Cassidy) and present (Stephen Amell and David Ramsey). (The CW)
The CW’s “Arrow” tends to be at its best when not relying on supernatural effects.
So how would the sometimes uneven series (its fifth season has been a creative corrective) tackle being part of the network’s four-day/four-show superhero crossover event this week?
On Wednesday evening, as “Arrow” celebrated its 100th episode, the show’s writers deftly managed to participate in the crossover fun while still investing more heavily in character depth than supernaturalism.
Specifically, “Arrow” used the week’s alien-invasion arc as an opportunity to pay homage to the elements that have helped make “Arrow” great.
Those aliens, the Dominators, captured the Green Arrow, the White Canary, Speedy, John Diggle/Spartan and the Atom, placing them aboard a spaceship and keeping them in comas while toying with the minds of the heroes.
Each sleeping hero was connected to a dream world that was too good to be true — but ostensibly too tempting to deny.
This unified superhero dream featured an Oliver Queen who made a better man of himself without having to spend five years on an island.
In this world, Diggle is the Green Arrow; Oliver’s parents are still alive; and he’s about to marry Laurel Lance, the recently deceased Black Canary. Except that in this dream, Laurel never had to become a vigilante.
Ray/The Atom is engaged to Felicity, and Sarah/White Canary is happy to see her sister get married.
Even though this is all a dream, it’s tempting for viewers to see a hoped-for scenario in Oliver’s marrying Laurel.
Creatively, love has seldom worked well on this show; when Olicity (Oliver and Felicity) took over the series, the stories became unbearable.
The only time the potentially romantic aspects really paid off was when Oliver and Laurel were together. So to see them happy one more time was a nice nod to fans who might still be heartbroken that Laurel won’t be there whenever this show ends.
The deaths on this show have stung, but have also been fuel for turning Oliver into the hero he is today. Those heroic traits are brewing inside as he realizes that his ultimate dream scenario is a lie.
Oliver is able to help the others fight free of the trance (while helping the others battle every major villain that has appeared on the show, from Deathstroke to Damien Dahrk). Yet before that happens, viewers are given a strong reminder of what made this show great when it first launched.
Kudos to “Arrow’s” producers for devising a way to pay homage to “Arrow’s” own special origins while working within the demands of a crossover event.
At 100 episodes, “Arrow” can still flash reasons it’s vital to the CW’s superhero lineup.
