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Arrow, Ep. 2.20, “Seeing Red” challenges Oliver in new and devastating ways

Arrow, Ep. 2.20, “Seeing Red” challenges Oliver in new and devastating ways

Seeing Red

Arrow Season 2, Episode 20 “Seeing Red”
Written by Wendy Mericle & Beth Schwartz
Directed by Doug Aarniokoski
Airs Wednesdays at 8pm ET on The CW

 

Nobody ever said becoming a superhero was easy: Arrow‘s second season journey from ‘vigilante’ to ‘hero’ has occurred in a darker, post-Undertaking Starling City, where constant reminders of who Oliver Queen used to be have challenged the man he wants to become. Those challenges have brought Oliver into a crisis of character, one we see play out through “Seeing Red” with Roy’s violent rampage drawing parallels to Slade’s similar mental breakdown (right down to hallucinating the women they love), eventually returning to Slade itself for the show’s most shocking final moment of the series: Slade killing Moira Queen in front of her two children.

All episode, Moira preached the importance of family to Oliver, Thea, and the people of Starling City: for both Oliver and Sara, their innocent families are the only things that give them hope for a better life (even though Oliver’s mother was partly responsible for killing hundreds of people with the help of her baby daddy… but I digress). Problem is, both of them are attempting to protect their families through lies: whether its family or ‘professional’ drama, both Oliver and Sara go long ways to separate themselves from their alter egos around their families. Although both would say its to “protect” them, Arrow suggests its more out of shame than nobility. For all he’s grown this season, Oliver’s still struggling with the things he’s done in the face of great tragedy: murdering people to avenge the many deaths he’s faced, or his failed attempts to keep his family safe by lying to them.

“Seeing Red” could’ve easily explored this through the juxtaposition of Oliver’s behavior on the island, and his decision-making now – what really nails it home is when the episode pits Canary and Arrow against each other, underlying the fundamental philosophic difference between the two that still separates them. As Sara points out, she’s ready to kill Roy in this episode, to make the simple, pragmatic decision without regard for the cost it has on her soul (which “I sold to the devil”, according to her) – the same decision Oliver’s continuously been faced with, whether it’s to save the life of Felicity, protect the members of his family, or stop an increasingly violent and unstable Roy

Ultimately, “Seeing Red” suggests that both Canary and Arrow are cursed in their own ways: Sara’s willingness to murder comes at cost to her morality, and Oliver’s resistance of the same thing is what cripples him (literally, in the case of Roy) and prevents him from being able to protect those in his family. His inability to kill Deathstroke earlier this season when given the chance was Oliver’s moment of growth and great weakness, a  fantastic little twist that recent episodes have begun to cash in on, to devastating effect. And there’s nothing more devastating than going after the family Oliver desperately clings onto, putting one of his swords through Moira’s heart (because home is where the heart is, don’t forget), while Thea and Oliver watch hopelessly, restrained and groggy from the collision Slade causes – “smashing” the status quo of the show in the process, someone who uses lame puns (like me) might say.

Forget the annoying Thea dramatics and thinly-written Sara arc that comes before it (more on both of those below, though): the final five minutes of “Seeing Red” use a singular scene to put the entire second season in perspective. Yes, it takes some narrative finagling to get to that final sequence (primarily Moira’s flip-flopping and Sara’s sudden, poorly-defined departure from Oliver’s life) – but it’s one of the most powerful in the series, with Slade recreating Oliver’s “moment of truth” (in Slade’s eyes, at least) with his sister and mother, and leaving with the Queen family fractured, Moira’s sacrifice (which kind of had to happen once she revealed to Oliver that she knew his secret – always a telling sign someone’s going to die) shattering Oliver’s reality in ways Tommy’s death could never imagine.

Needless to say, Moira’s death will ultimately be judged by the events in its wake: as the season closes, Oliver’s decision to not kill is going to come full circle as Roy and Deathstroke run rampant around Starling City (let’s not forget Blood or Slade’s Mirakuru-enhanced mini-army!). Never has Arrow needed to be more focused – and never has he been more distracted or unsure of himself, the allure of murderous vengeance a temptation Arrow will have to deal with. Can Oliver protect his family and his city without sacrificing his soul? It seemed the answer was definitively “yes” only a handful of episodes ago – but as Oliver’s past continues to haunt him (in the form of many, many returning enemies), it’s clear that it’s never going to be black and white like Ollie wants it to be.

 

Other thoughts/observations:

– Moira winning the election could not happen – and even though it didn’t, the knowledge she would’ve won is enough to condemn the entire civilian population of Starling City as idiots.

– Felicity, to Oliver: “Oh god, you’re heavy. Is this all real muscle?”

– Moira wig!

– boy, those fighting scenes with Roy are gruesome and effective as hell.

– ok, the whole Oliver-knocks-up-some-random-girl story is REALLY odd: not only does it open up a whole can of worms the show will HAVE to return to in the future, it doesn’t do Moira any favors in its attempts to portray how she’ll do anything for her family. $2 million and death are not equivalents.

– Felicity: not a big fan of needles.

– hey welcome back, Sin!

– OF COURSE Moira gets into a car accident as she’s revealing some truth about Malcolm (that he’s still alive?). Maybe an angered Malcolm returns in the finale to team up with Arrow to defeat his baby mama’s killer? At least there’s something besides hoods and bow skills that him and Oliver have in common, amirite?

– Moira: “Oliver, I know.” Am I supposed to believe Moira kept her mouth shut about that the whole time? Not a woman whose been known to keep her opinions to herself (and when she does, it’s because she’s orchestrating some shady shit).

 

— Randy

[wpchatai]