Arrow Review: Brothers & Sisters (Season 7 Episode 14)
This week’s hour sheds some of the less engaging stories, sets up a pair of new, promising ones, and provides the reminder that even in the midst of a happy moment the dark future looms ahead on Arrow Season 7 Episode 14, “Brothers & Sisters,” with no real light at the end in sight for our favorite couple.
While Felicity tries to figure out how to tell Oliver she’s pregnant, Oliver seems to embrace the idea of just offering support to those he loves without trying to sway them from their decisions. I’m always a fan of seeing moments of growth for Oliver and his moment with Felicity on the couch is that moment in the episode.
It’s wonderful that he lets Felicity’s decisions stand, no matter what it is when it comes to Diaz. Their conversation also offers a moment for Oliver and Felicity to serve as a bookend for their issues with Oliver’s time in Slabside, with Oliver conveying that he understands that he doesn’t know what she went through while he was gone.
They each had their own issues stem from Slabside, and I’m glad we’re seeing them deal with it together and openly in a way that shows off growth for both Oliver and Felicity.
Felicity’s decisive moment, where she ultimately chooses not to kill Diaz, also comes with a bonus of mending Felicity and Diggle’s relationship as he declares that it’s time to side with family.
Rather, it’s a promising start to repairing the damage that Diggle’s choices made in the first half of the season, and a sign that we may be getting the Diggle we know and love back soon!
The result of this story is a short, but solid OTA moment. I will always be pro-OTA moments. Let’s hope this means we’ll be getting more of the core trio’s team up in the near future. It’s a dynamic that feels like it’s been gone for so very long.
“Brothers & Sisters” leaves us with not only hope of more OTA on the horizon but also a beautiful Olicity moment as Felicity tells Oliver the big news.
Felicity: I want our children to know that they are the most important thing to us and we would do anything, anything for them.
Oliver: You said children.
It’s a small moment, but it’s so sweet as Felicity tries to give Oliver hints about the news she’s about to drop on him. Oliver’s reaction is equally adorable heartwarmingly sweet.
While it’s a heartwarming, quiet moment where the pair get to enjoy a bit of happiness, it quickly turns into a stark reminder of what’s coming up for not only Oliver and Felicity but their children as well.
What are the odds we’ll get to see Olicity grapple with the realities of having a child after sending one away because of their mission in the present?
Speaking of the Queen-Smoak children, the depressing vibe of the flashforwards continue with the immediate aftermath of Mia finally telling people who she is at the end of Arrow Season 7 Episode 13, “Star City Slayer.”
These scenes get bleaker as we learn more and though we get promising scenes between the Queen-Smoak siblings, there’s still the fact that these perspectives on what happened to their parents and their respective upbringings is a huge bummer.
It hurts to hear the pair talk about how their parents’ choices have impacted their childhoods, but it also offers a frustrating clue that despite Oliver’s unsuccessful attempts in the present to reach out to Will earlier in the hour, something happens that leads Will to believe he was just left behind.
Mia: You knew him back then, was he a hero?
William: Yeah, he really was.
It’s obviously not the case, and It’s looking like all signs point to the grandparents and that answering machine. Now the question is, was it something they intentionally did or is it as oddly simplistic as “the old-school machine just malfunctioned”?
If this is the future we’re really getting into, then what was everything that Oliver, Felicity, Diggle, and the others worked so hard and sacrificed so much for?
There are still more questions than answers in the future which adds to the bleakness. Like why didn’t they know about each other? Why are they still talking about Oliver in the past tense? (I may know the answer to that one, but I’m ignoring that answer until confirmed) What happened to make everything so depressing?
More importantly, what’s the endgame of it all?
Random Thoughts
- The deputizing aspect of the arc has started to take its toll on the fun of the vigilante aspect of the show. When the crime-fighting gets bogged down by protocol, like it does when Oliver tries to help Emiko with her own mission, it leaves something to be desired. I get it from the growth perspective, but it still makes him look a little hypocritical at times.
- The Connor Hawke reveal is an interesting moment where it becomes another question about the future. When did the Diggle-Michaels family adopt Connor and does he know JJ or is it the Mia/William situation all over again?
- After overstaying his welcome, Diaz is finally gone. In his place is Dante whose promising introduction offers hope of an Adrian Chase or even Slade-level villain coming into the mix, especially with his mysterious connection to Emiko (which reminds me of the Slade/Isabelle story in a way), and the question of who set the Dragon on fire.
- Felicity’s got a supportive friend, and it’s unexpectedly someone who’s tried to kill her and her friends and family before. It honestly feels very on-brand for Arrow.
What did you think of this episode of Arrow? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Arrow airs Monday at 8/7c on The CW.
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Brianna Martinez
Brianna spends her time away from briefs, legal research, and pleadings, watching TV and writing about it. She generally has a lot of feelings about TV, which you can read about here and on Twitter.