“How many people can Oliver Queen lose before there is no Oliver Queen?”
The Return was exactly what it sounds like: Oliver’s return to Lian Yu. Except this time, Thea is joining him. The trip quickly turned into another battle with Slade Wilson, whom Oliver had imprisoned on the island since his warpath in season two. I thought the ordeal with Wilson was done and over with—never to be spoken of again. His presence took over a bulk of last season when he was set on avenging Shadow’s death by killing off some of Oliver’s family.
What was particularly enjoyable about The Return was the heavy emphasis on flashbacks. Most episodes of Arrow have a steady flow of flashbacks to Oliver’s travels throughout the world, but The Return played a much larger focus on them. As it turns out, Oliver did come back to Starling City sometime in the years when he was supposedly supposed to be on the island.
You are led to believe that the fierce nemesis in The Return is Slade Wilson but, in fact, it is actually Malcolm Merlyn. Slade was more or less of an unwelcome distraction for Oliver and Thea. Something to alter their focus from whatever else they were meant to be doing on the island. Malcolm wants to put Thea to the final test: to make her an official killer. He won’t be winning father of the year anytime soon.
I am not entirely sure how their return to the island and subsequent battle with Slade did anything for the show. The Return felt like a time to take a break from the standard Team Arrow business and veer off into a different territory. It brought back an old enemy that, honestly, didn’t need to be resurrected, and threw Oliver and Thea into an easy escape and subsequent victory.
Welcome back, Tommy Merlyn!
Like I stated before, the flashbacks really drive this show. They provide peculiar insight into Oliver’s mind when sometimes we just don’t understand what he is thinking. Everything he does and every move he makes is based on a previous experience—which I am thankful that we get to see as well.
The more notable flashback in The Return included the early Tommy Merlyn. Even though it was only a flashback, it was a sweet relief to see Tommy again. His smile brightened the screen while reminding everyone that his wit and charm is still alive and well. It was sad to see him leave us after Malcolm’s machine killed him, but I think his return in Thea’s past was a fitting way to show us that his legacy is still a presence in Starling City.
“…never again will I be your daughter.”
Thea Queen has finally realized how corrupt of a person Malcolm Merlyn really is. This couldn’t have come any sooner. Malcolm twisted his way into her mind and, though he did train her well, instilled a false sense of trust within her–something that has found its way back out to the light. When Thea learned about who really killed Sara Lance, the life she envisioned with Malcolm began fading.
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In the end, The Return was a decent episode. Though the plot was questionable and sometimes pointless, it was nice to see some more truths come out into the open. Thea can finally see clearly now, Oliver was able to defeat Slade once again, and Malcolm is finding his corner a little bit more empty. In the coming episodes, expect to see Ra’s al Ghul and Malcolm fight it out to the death.
The fifteenth episode of the season, Nanda Parbat, airs next Wednesday, February 25, 2015 on The CW.
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