Arrow Review: A Matter of Trust (Season 5 Episode 3)

For a moment there, during “A Matter of Trust,” Arrow Season 5 Episode 3, I forgot that this show was close to a hundred episodes. I forgot all that we’ve been through. For a moment there, it was almost like being back at the beginning.

And not necessarily in a good way.

Is it entertaining? Yes.

Does the episode come full circle? Yes.

Am I emotionally invested in the new team members? Much more than I expected.

Is this what I expected of Arrow in Season 5? No.

There lies the problem – expectations. The journey of Oliver Queen had been exasperating at times; painful at others, but it had always been a straight line. We could always see where we were going.

Now, it’s a topsy-turvy mess with no discernable middle or end.

Who is Oliver Queen? What does he strive to be? Last year, I could have answered this question.

Today I’m not so sure. One day he might be a killer. Another day he might be the man willing to listen to reason and open himself up to others again.

It’s just not clear who he’s going to be in a specific moment in time.

Just as it’s not clear who this team is – where Diggle is mean to fit in – or even what Felicity’s thinking.

Because, yes, the other two members of the Original Team Arrow are just as lost as their leader. It seems fitting somehow, doesn’t it?

Diggle is easier, in a way. Diggle is crushed by guilt – and guilt is very bad at advice. He hallucinates Floyd Lawton, asks Lyla to give up on him (as if) and is generally a sorry mess of doubts and regrets.

Felicity, on the other hand, Felicity is even more lost than Oliver. She might look like the moral compass, but she’s keeping secrets (the thing that, *gasp* broke them up in the first place), she doesn’t fully trust Oliver anymore, and, more importantly, she seems to have been reduced to what she never was, even when she was introduced.

The IT girl. The comic relief.

But, she had a moment there. More than one, you’ll say. They’re going to be dealing with the repercussion of what happened in Havenrock.

And yes, maybe they are. But  their way of dealing with it could have been two conversations with Curtis and Felicity coming clean. And that’s the problem.

I don’t know. And I don’t trust the writers to tell Felicity’s story the right way. I’m not even sure I trust them to tell Oliver’s.

That’s my issue, however. The show’s is much more complex. The problem right now, the thing this show – and team is striving towards, is something we’ve seen before.

Family.

Right now they’re not one.  They used to be, but things have changed, and people have changed. They need time.

What do I need? Answers. Or, at least, clues as to what the long term plan is.

Is this supposed to be an upwards arc? Are we going somewhere?

What’s the finish line?

Other things to note:

• “Stardust” reference. Hahahah. Clever. Or it would be if I, you know, cared.
• I’m still not convinced Random White Dude #1 (aka Felicity’s BF) wasn’t played by the same actor as Random White Dude #2 (aka dead cop). Is diversity too much to ask?
• Lyla Michaels makes absolutely everything better. It is known.
• Yes, I guess in this situation Oliver and Felicity WOULD be Mommy and Daddy.
• Very hypocritical of you to worry about Oliver possibly killing one guy and then going with guns blazing when it’s your turn, Wild Dog.
• Is the footage from the news on a loop? Why is the same part playing every time someone turns on the TV?
• Has Arrow ever been cheesier?
• “Oliver and I don’t have that kind of relationship anymore” – YOU DON’T SAY, Felicity. You don’t say.
• I’m still half expecting someone to go like: If every interaction on this show seems wonky, blame Flashpoint! It’s either that or general amnesia.

What did you think of this episode of Arrow? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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