Arrow - Recap: Sniper, No Sniping!

Arrow put up what was arguably its most suspenseful episode to date with “Home Invasion.” One thing I noticed this week was that Arrow’s working-in of fresh meat mid-season has certainly been working in the show’s favor. Now that we have Felicity  (Emily Bett Rickards) and Roy (Colton Haynes) on board full-time, it allows for more dynamic storytelling that is most definitely building up a great conclusion to the show’s first season and a stellar starting point for season 2. I was never a real fan of the love triangle plot arc that has continued up until this point, but there is so much more going on around Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) that I barely notice it, even if Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell) is crying. P.S.- Your dad is a jerk.

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The episode opened with Diggle (David Ramsey) working out his aggression with some training. For once, it was Oliver who was forced to watch Diggle show off the guns. Felicity, meanwhile, had been working on helping Diggle research Deadshot’s whereabouts. Once the crew was alerted to his return to American soil, Diggle was ready to go on his own personal warpath. Oliver was happy to help his partner cross Deadshot off of his list. If you remember, Diggle had enlisted the help of an old friend, Lyla, working for A.R.G.U.S., a federal organization who’d been tracking the sniper to no avail. Diggle handed over some information the “Hood Guy” team had dug up on the assassin, hoping his connection would set up a faux hit for Deadshot. Little did she know at the time, but Diggle had no intention of letting the man who’d killed his brother get taken alive. Unfortunately, Lyla pieced together Diggle’s motives and banned him from interfering further. Well, at least Felicity got to fulfill her dream of becoming a cyber terrorist by hacking into a federal agency’s computer system. A bottle blond can dream.

Meanwhile, Oliver continued his budding friendship with Laurel (Katie Cassidy), or at least, he attempted to try. A recent case sidetracked a lunch date the two had planned. Coincidentally, Oliver managed to meet the parents Laurel would be defending, as well as their seven-year-old son, before leaving. Laurel was representing the family in a case against, you guessed it, a crooked business man named Edward Rasmus, who’d somehow stolen their life savings, including their boy’s college fund. This was all seemingly irrelevant to me, until freakin’ Gunn from Angel (J. August Richards) showed up at their apartment and blew the couple away with a few rounds of bullets. Thankfully, the little boy managed to fly the coop before he too could end up dead. A clear assassination had been ordered, and Laurel knew that Rasmus was to blame. Rather than letting the boy head into temporary foster care, she and Tommy agreed to watch over him until his grandparents could pick him up.

Back at Laurel’s place, Tommy exhibited some much-needed warmth towards the orphaned boy. Lately, much of Tommy’s arc has surrounded his coldness towards Ollie and his growing appreciation of his terrible father, so it was nice to witness him tell the boy the story of his own mother’s death in a way that put the kid’s mind at ease. Laurel seemed to appreciate this Merlyn moment even more than I did! Don’t look now, Laurel, but an evil Gunn from Angel is at your door and ready to kill. Laurel was tipped off by the fake ID number on the assassin’s badge, giving them enough time to finagle makeshift hiding spots for Tommy and the boy, while Laurel whipped out a massive gun and started firing in one of her most badass moments ever. Luckily, “Hood Guy” arrived just in time to scare the man off with a few rounds of arrows.

It was interesting to watch Tommy grapple with admitting that the safest place to take the boy next was the Queen residence, knowing that Oliver would be just down the hall in case of emergency. It’s also always intriguing to watch as Moira Queen (Susanna Thompson) act motherly in any case. By “special cookies,” did she mean “rat poison”? I kid, I kid. Diggle’s security team seemed up to the task of watching over the trio while the assassin was still on the loose.

The drama of the episode truly came into affect when Ollie was forced to make a choice. Edward Rasmus had booked a flight out of the country, according to some digging from Felicity, but “Hood Guy” was expected to partner up with Diggle to take down Deadshot at the same time. In the end, Oliver decided to scare Laurel’s target into submission, prompting him to confess to hiring the assassin. Diggle, meanwhile, was stood up at the scene of the faux hit scheduled for Deadshot. With Ollie ditching, Diggle would have to handle the onslaught of bullets and bloodshed, that ensued when Deadshot had quite obviously outwitted the A.R.G.U.S. team, alone. After a solid fistfight, Deadshot had the edge. Well, he had two guns; actual guns, as opposed to Diggle’s jacked pythons. It was Diggle’s obsession that lead him to discover A.R.G.U.S.’s plan to arrest him. Deadshot escaped, yet again, with a promise to lay Diggle six-feet-under, right next to his brother, if he chose to continue his pursuit. Back at the vigilante's lair, Felicity patched up a bloody Diggle. Oliver attempted to apologize, but Diggle wouldn’t have it. He didn’t choose Rasmus, he chose Laurel. As a result, a few men lost their lives to Deadshot. Hmm, half true, I guess. Remember, Diggle did tip Deadshot off to their trap in the first place. Still, couldn’t Oliver have sent a text?

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With Rasmus behind bars, it seemed like Laurel’s problem had been solved. The “Hood Guy” had strong-armed him into confessing, leaving him fearing for his life. Still, the assassin was not pleased. The boy had seen his face, as had Laurel and Tommy, so he had to die regardless of what Rasmus wanted to pay for. I’ll admit, that scene where the assassin gave Rasmus a little pressure push on the forearm— sending an air pocket into his heart, silently killing him in seconds— freaked me out. Is that real? No, it’s not. Right? Now, I have this fear that I’m going to lean on me keyboard the wrong way and accidentally assassinate myself. If it happens, you all know the truth. Before we conclude the episode’s central story, let’s tie up some loose ends! Shall we?

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Roy Harper returned this week, revealing a newfound infatuation with “Hood Guy” following the saving of his own juvenile delinquent tail a few weeks back. In an attempt to find the vigilante himself, he swiped a police radio and listened in for clues as to where his hero would strike next. Detective Lance (Paul Blackthorne) recognized Roy’s blaring and obvious attempt to make the connection with his savior, and set up our episode's second faux rendezvous. Roy was taken down to the station, where Thea (Willa Holland) was on hand to attempt to sort the mess out. In the end, Roy was let off. Thea questioned his motives, prompting Roy to reveal why he developed an obsession with meeting “Hood Guy” again. He feels their lives are connected, and that the key to finding purpose after nearly losing his own life seems to be attached to Oliver. Of course, neither of the two knows of Ollie’s secret identity, but they could be on the brink of making the discovery. Thea got on board, and thus, the two are on the hunt together.

Our island flashback session was interesting this week. Shado (Celina Jade) insisted on training Oliver to hit his mark with a bow, while Slade (Manu Bennett) insisted on concocting a scheme to free Yao Fei, prevent the impending war, and escape the island that didn’t involve relying Oliver’s skills as a sniper for cover. More importantly, Shado and Ollie got cozy in the woods, even going as far as to suck face. When was the last time either had brushed their teeth? No matter, for Oliver was not interested in losing focus on Laurel. Laurel had, of course, acted as his rock and tether while he remained stranded. She’s his source of hope to make it out alive. Shado understood that, but what no one understood was why Yao Fei (Byron Mann) arrived with a team of Fyres’ men to capture them. Had he truly betrayed them all, including his daughter?

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The episode closed with the assassin’s final attempt to kill his targets at the Queen residence. Of course, Ollie wasn’t about to let that happen. The ensuing combat scene was one of the best this show has put together, I’d say! In the end, it was a fireplace poker through the heart that did in the coldblooded assassin we knew nothing about, but although the boy was finally truly safe, damage had indeed been done. Tommy recognized the love Oliver still had for Laurel by the episode’s end, admitting that he couldn’t be with Laurel knowing that if she knew the truth about Ollie’s alter ego, she’d choose him. The scene in which Tommy seemingly inexplicably broke things off with Laurel for good was a tough one to watch, even though I’m not sure we’ve invested quite enough time watching them together. Once Oliver broke from that love triangle, the two would just sort of make appearances together as a couple with a few nice moments peppering the mix here and there. Then again, we haven’t really spent too much time with Oliver and Laurel as a pair either. Singledom; learn to love it, Laurel Lance.

Finally, the more heartbreaking split for me came when Diggle called it quits on Team “Hood Guy” following Oliver’s failure to be a good team player this week. With Diggle gone for the time being, Ollie is out a partner in (positive) crime. Roy Harper… where you at?

What did you think of Arrow Season 1 Episode 20, “Home Invasion”? Are you enjoying the show more and more as it progresses and adds new cast members? Do you think you’ll stick around for Season 2? Should the show back away from the romances for a while? Is Diggle gone for good? How do you feel about Roy?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Arrow Season 1 Episode 20, “Home Invasion”!