Arrow Review: Missing (Season 5 Episode 22)

There’s a lot I like about Arrow Season 5 Episode 22, “Missing” – just as there’s a lot that I’ve liked about the last few episodes.

Sure, I’ve been wary, for obvious reasons, but I have no problem saying that this Arrow is the one I enjoyed, the one I hope continues.

But I can’t focus on the good things. I can’t focus on the way the show seems to suddenly remember about continuity, or on how good it is to see Oliver and Felicity being themselves again, or even on the unexpected feels the Black Siren/Quentin conversation brought on.

I can’t focus on any of that, because there are plot-holes the size of Planet Earth and every time I try to swerve to avoid them, I fall into another one.

Let’s start with the glaringly obvious – Oliver Queen himself.

Chase is picking off Team Arrow one by one, and Oliver knows it. Yet, Oliver is determined to do the right thing. He’s learned his lesson and no matter what, he’s going to prove to Chase that he’s not the man Chase thinks he is.

That is, until he realizes that Chase has William.

And, don’t get me wrong, that’s understandable. It really is. My issue isn’t that Oliver would give up his newfound convictions for his son, no, my issue is that he apparently wasn’t ready to do it for his sister, for his ex-fiancee and sorta girlfriend, for his best friend or for the rest of his team.

Wait, no, that isn’t even my issue. Or at least, not my bigger issue. The bigger issue here is that the Oliver I’ve known for five seasons would have done anything – and by anything I mean join the League of Assasins, break out of jail, murder and a whole host of other morally dubious things for the people he loves, and now, suddenly …he just won’t?

Except, maybe he will? If there’s like, enough people he loves in the balance? Just one won’t do it but stack them all up and it’s worth the risk? Is that how it works?

Or maybe this is how it works: We ignore all the plot holes because hey, Olicity, and hey, Laurel Lance 2.0 and hey, Lian Yu!

Well, I’ve got news for you, Arrow. I’m too old for this and my rose-colored glasses were disposed of long ago.

I see you clearly.

And the more I look the less I like what I’m seeing.

Yes, there’s always a level of writing that has to do with fan reception, with what people want to see. And yet, the more I watch this show the more I see desperate attempts to appease one side of the fandom or the other, and no actual interest in telling a cohesive story, regardless of the reaction.

And hey – I’m not here to say showrunners and writers shouldn’t listen to fans. They should. But they shouldn’t listen to all fans all the time.

Like Oliver, it’s time for the Arrow writers to pick a side. Any side, really. Just stick to one and let the fans that are not happy go on to better things.

We’ll all like you better for it. I promise.

Other things to note:

• For all that Thea and Oliver have spent a lot of time “together” without the masks this season, we haven’t gotten too many Thea/Oliver bonding moments. I like them.
• “As in a date?” “As in …I don’t know if it’s a date.” “But you’re hoping that it is?”
• Oliver, first of all, you’re transparent. Second of all – you’re transparent.
• Lord Mesa Bakery!!
• Thea the matchmaker is something I didn’t know I needed.
• “We can take it one step at a time.” “I would like that very much.” Is code for OLICITY IS BACK ON!
• To which I have to say yay and …what? Is that it?
• Though, honestly, I’d rather they’d just taken one more season to get them together in the first place than put up with all this drama.
• Worse than a shipper on a soap opera? This shows what you know, Felicity. Comic book shippers are WAY worse.
• Boy, does Chase look good in yellow.
• Oh, something happened in the flashbacks. I didn’t care.
• The Isabel Rochev flashbacks are the good kind flashbacks, though.
• I would like to take this moment to thank the Arrow writers for finally perusing those DVDs of past seasons. Isn’t continuity nice?
• “Friends are one thing, but family is family.” Spoken like a man with no friends.
• “It takes a special kind of idiot to actually get dumber with time” is, however, on point. Applies to Barry Allen too.
• “You can’t live on an island.” IRONIC.
• I didn’t expect Black Siren and Quentin to give me feels, but THEY GAVE ME ALL THE FEELS. It’s clear she lost her Dad and seeing Quentin is as hard for her as it is for him to see her.
• Oliver calling William my boy would have much more of a resonance if we knew anything about William.
• Felicity couldn’t find him, but Chase could. YEAH, RIGHT.
• “This would be easier if we could kill them.” Wait, we’re back to no killing again? Dude, Oliver, pick a side.
• HAHAHAHA husband. Not.
• Worse joke ever.
• This Laurel flashback makes all the sense in the world – something I don’t usually say about Arrow OR about flashbacks.
• “Hey kid, I’m glad you came back.”
• What reason could Slade possibly have to help Oliver? “You kept me in and Island for years, but hey, since you asked nicely?”

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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