At the halfway point of “Heir to the Demon,” new mayoral candidate Moira Queen says to Felicity, “We all have to keep secrets, Ms. Smoak.” Secrets are not only the dramatic currency of the superhero genre but of the television soap as well, and this show exists somewhere perfectly blended between the two. I expressed concern last week over the development that Moira Queen would be running for mayor, and of course it goes to show the ultimate futility of “judging” a newly introduced plot-line in an episode of television until you are able to wage the larger impacts and ramifications it has on the series as a whole. Moira’s journey throughout season 2 has been a tumultuous one, and we have seen her character deviously shift her persona to fit whatever the current scenario requires. With the turn of a hat she can be a weak woman victimized by a man who threatened her family’s safety into action or a master manipulator who had control the entire time. But of course Moira would make a great politician; she is, as Oliver says to her tonight after discovering the secret of Thea’s father, a liar. The entire mayoral race seems to have been designed to make us once again question Moira’s motivations, in particular as seen through Oliver’s eyes. Slade tells Moira’s opponent Sebastian Blood not to underestimate Moira, and that is undoubtedly true. Malcolm Merlyn may have controlled Moira (to an extent), but Moira never truly lost her hand. A television commentator, in a slightly wink wink fashion, notes that perhaps Moira’s run for mayor isn’t so far fetched after all. Despite my thoughts last week, I am inclined to agree. Blood and Slade have an uphill battle in front of them, and Slade is on the war path that I can’t wait to watch unfold.
For all intents and purposes “Heir to the Demon” serves as a thematic/narrative sequel to this season’s 5th episode “League of Assassins” and thus it is not surprise that this is excellent. The Lance family is the focus, and their many secrets and bottled up emotions come crashing to a head when Nyssa al Ghul (daughter of Ra’s al Ghul, head of the League of Assassins) comes to Starling. And what an entrance she has! The episode opens with her fighting off a handful of TSA agents at Starling Airport; Nyssa is a security threat but she uses her skills to gain access to the country. Throughout the course of the episode the inevitable finally occurs as both Dinah Lance and Laurel discover that Sara is still alive. Both women react drastically differently, with Quentin stuck in the middle as the stalwart backbone of the Lance family. It must be noted that Paul Blackthorne does terrific work in this episode. Dinah is simply thrilled to see that her daughter is alive, but Laurel’s reaction is far more complex. For the first time in as long as I can remember an episode of Arrow does not feature island flashbacks but rather flashbacks to the Lances in the days leading up to the shipwreck and eventually their reaction to the news that Sara was also on the boat. Laurel never really had the time to process her feelings about the fact that Sara had lied to her and ran away with Oliver because she was overwhelmed with grief. Now, with Sara back in the picture, Laurel is hardly thrilled. In fact, she blames everything (including her recent pains) on Sara. It is a chilly reunion.
In the last episode we assumed that Laurel got too drunk or overdosed on pills and passed out on the couch. In actuality she was injected with snake venom by the League of Assassins. The long lingering threat comes to a head as Nyssa, who it turns out is in love with Sara, wants her to return. Much action occurs between Sara, Arrow, Nyssa, and League members- excellent, intense action, that is designed and shot better than many feature films, especially a car/motorcycle chase/fight – until Nyssa finally agrees to let Sara go. Nyssa sees the love and unfinished business Sara has with her family, but I suspect that R’as will not see things in the same light as his daughter. The League of Assassins is very likely not finished with Starling City.
Roy is missing this week, obviously off somewhere dealing with his new secret knowledge about Oliver. As the second season progresses the writers are doing a marvelous job of balancing the multitudinous stories and making it all feel part of a larger whole. Threats linger and relationships deepen. Felicity continues to be incredibly sweet, snarky, and loyal and for the first time we discover that her father abandoned her as a child. As the main character, Oliver is somehow tied in all directions, with Felicity, Moira, his sister, and both Lance sisters vying for his attention. Stephen Amell continues to improve with each episode, and he has a terrific scene in this episode in which he has to give a conflicted speech about his mother. He conveys all of his emotions through pauses and looks, and it is a tight moment that I’m not sure Mr. Amell could have pulled off quite so well last season.
Sara Lance continues to be the most baffling and perhaps intriguing thing about this season of Arrow, and Caity Lotz is delivering in every regard. She is the polar opposite of her sister and a kindred spirit to the man Oliver is now. She can even rock the salmon ladder. As the episode comes to a close, Oliver and Sara engage in a passionate kiss and embrace the consequences of which will surely be exciting. Yet we now have a 3 week wait until the next episode. Until then…
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