Arrow Review: Confessions (Season 7 Episode 20)
Arrow Season 7 Episode 20, “Confessions,” tries something different but falters as the team becomes suspects after a pair of gruesome murders in a whodunnit twist to the hour.
While the style of storytelling could have been fun to watch as an experiment and deviation from the norm for Arrow, it feels out of place with just 3 episodes remaining in the season and what feels like a lot more story to cover with one of its leads on their way out.
Most of the hour focuses on Team Arrow getting interrogated by one of their own after the murder of 2 SCPD cops, with each telling of the events, the story becoming clearer. Even if the outcome has Dinah faking it to help cover for the team, the interrogations do nothing but frustrate, and I can’t quite put my finger on it.
The premise of “Confessions” is solid, but there’s something about the timing of it, and what we ultimately get out of it that feels like there’s something left to be desired.
There are aspects of the hour that stand out, but it’s because of the characters involved and the emotions it calls back to and less about the plot.
Roy’s return comes with a revelation and a complication as the final, entirely told flashback reveals that Roy is responsible for the deaths of the SCPD cops and that he falls into a fit of Mirakuru-like rage.
Turns out, though, it’s not the Mirakuru. It stunningly turns out that Roy’s time away with Thea and Nyssa, hunting Lazarus Pits also had him killed and subsequently resurrected by one of the pits they then destroyed.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen anything Pit-related, so it honestly comes as a shock that it would return now. Granted, it does provide a plausible answer about why William found Roy on Lian Yu 20 years later.
With the return of discussions of the Lazarus Pits, also comes the frustrating return of fragments of that civil war storyline from Arrow Season 6, with Dinah and Rene seemingly picking sides again when it comes to Roy.
The final shot of Oliver buried under the rubble, down to the shot of the rebar, immediately feels reminiscent of the last shot of Arrow Season 1 Episode 23, “Sacrifice.” As Emiko brings down the building on her half-brother, he lays there unconscious as a frantic Felicity calls for him over the comms.
Between Oliver heartbreakingly discovering that Emiko could have stopped the Gambit going down, Felicity’s frantic calling, and the imagery that invokes the show’s emotional final shot from Season 1, this moment stands out among the hour.
Random Thoughts
- Felicity’s pregnancy cravings add a level of comedy and lightness to her interrogation, from the gummy bears to the sudden need for cake, cupcakes, and pizza.
- Though they may be playing fast and loose to see when the rules apply, it’s great to see glimpses of Oliver’s growth in his moments with Rene and Roy, talking about taking responsibility.
- Pitting the newbies against OTA and Roy feels like an unwise choice, even for part of the hour. I also can’t believe they’re still opting to go down this route at all. It did them no favors last season, and at this point, I feel their believable dynamic with OTA is tenuous at best (with Rene being rehabilitated the most).
What did you think of this episode of Arrow? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
Arrow airs Mondays at 9/8c on The CW.
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
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.