Arrow Review: Beacon of Hope (Season 4 Episode 17)
Laurel Lance has never been more right – it’s high time for the Arrow to be a beacon of hope for himself and for his city, instead of relying on everyone else to light his way.
That’s both an encouraging thought and a terrifying one. Finding the good in yourself, pushing others to do better, to be better, that’s the ultimate mark of a superhero. It’s not about how many fights you win, or how many people you save, it’s about how many people you inspire. The Hood was never going to be that person, and neither was the Arrow. The Green Arrow, however, he’s got a chance to be that and more.
He’s got a chance to be the man his father thought he could be, the one his mother hoped he’d become, the one Thea always thought he was, the one Felicity always believed in. It just so happens he had to lose all of them, in one way or another, to find his own way.
Oliver Queen is not a learn your lessons the easy way kind of guy, no. He’s the bash your head against the wall so many times that the lesson is tattooed on your forehead type. While he had something in the way of security, acceptance and unconditional love, he was never going to become the man he was destined to be. And really, can we blame him? Introspection is one of those things we only do in the bad times. Last year, Oliver learned a valuable lesson- he learned that he didn’t have to choose one side of himself. But there are many more lessons to be learned, and they don’t come easy, no. If they did, we wouldn’t be watching.
This year’s lesson (because, on TV, people learn ONE lesson per year, okay?) cuts closer to the fabric of what makes a hero. Can the Oliver who relies on his family, his friends, his girlfriend, to be his beacon of hope ever truly be a beacon of hope himself? The answer to that, of course, is no. Oliver had to lose it all, not to realize what he was losing, no, but to see who he could be without crutches. This is important not just for his journey as The Green Arrow, but for his personal journey as Oliver Queen. How can we expect him and Felicity to ever be in a relationship of equals if Oliver could never truly find himself without her? How can we expect Oliver to be her light when she needs one if he doesn’t know how to find hope within himself?
Well, now he knows. Or, at the very least, he has an idea of what he needs to do.
Does that mean the path is clear? No way. This is TV, the land of nothing comes easy. Oliver didn’t get here the easy way and he’s not getting out of this unscathed, especially because we have a death coming, and unless the writers are pulling a fast one on us (unlikely), smart money is on Laurel. She’s been nothing if not effective, calm, reassuring, the voice of reason, really, the past few episodes. She has become, finally, the Black Canary we all wanted – the Black Canary we deserved. And we know that sounds like good news, but trust us, it’s not. You never want to be all the things the fans want, at least not in the middle of a show’s run.
Whether it’s Laurel or not (it’s Laurel), next episode should be a dozy. We’re in that time of the year where the plot starts to pick up, things start to make sense and you finally go, oooh, Arrow, so this is what you’ve been building up to! So here’s to more surprises. Here’s to more emotions. You’ve done a good job so far, Arrow…don’t let us down when it counts.
Other things to note:
- We all sorta wanted Felicity to rejoin the team, but we’re glad she didn’t. We’re glad she’s out there, finding her way, and making a difference. We think she’s deluding herself, but we’re still glad she’s taking time to figure out what she wants.
- Also, we’re glad Oliver’s sorta giving her time. He clearly still wants her back, and he has no idea how to go about it, but he recognizes that being there all the time isn’t the way. That’s something.
- Laurel was so on point in her conversations with Oliver that she deserves a STANDING OVATION gif. Well said, Laurel. Well said.
- It’s high time to tell Donna the truth. It’s not like anyone on this show actually cares about secret identities, and at this point, it’s getting silly that she’s the only one who doesn’t know.
- Curtis finding the lair so easily was lame. He tracked the cell phone? Pleaaaaaase. Like Felicity would make it so simple.
- Why is Malcolm Merlyn still alive? There better be another reason other than: We all love John Barrowman.
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Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz
Lawyer. Writer. Columnist. Geek. Falls in madly in love with fictional characters. Hates the color yellow, misogyny, and people who are late. Can always be found with a book. Watches an absurd amount of TV every week, often, while eating coffee ice cream. She has no regrets. You can check out her blog here: Absurday. Lissete is a senior writer for Tell-Tale TV. Follow @lizziethat