Arrow - Season 1 Episode 7 - Recap and Review - Muse of Fire

The Huntress rolled into Starling City this week on Arrow, and simply put, I loved her. In “Muse of Fire,” Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) met his match in Helena Bertinelli (Jessica De Gouw), a woman built very much in the same vein as Arrow… but with a twist! Can revenge masquerade as justice? Honestly, Helena made a solid case for herself. I hope she’s in this for the long haul because I’m liking Ollie paired with her much more so than Ollie paired with Laurel (Katie Cassidy), and this is only her debut!

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The episode opened with Ollie running late, again, for lunch with his mother Moira (Susanna Thompson). As it turns, tardiness came at a cost this time around. Moira was in the process of turning down a lame business proposal on the steps outside of her building only to narrowly miss a drive by shooting. The man she was rejecting, unfortunately (fortunately?), wasn’t so lucky. Ollie sprinted after the helmeted shooter as they sped away on their motorcycle. Apparently, Oliver learned to run as fast as motor vehicles on that island, too. I run a lap around the block and I feel like throwing up. Unfortunately, the cyclist got away.

See, look how angry:

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So angry.

At the hospital, Moira was diagnosed with a minor concussion and prescribed some bed rest. Oliver’s fury already began percolating inside of his vigilante brain, and Thea (Willa Holland) had a different target in mind. Fed up with Ollie’s antics, she questioned why he’d leave his mother bleeding on the pavement just to record a license plate number. Also waiting in the wings was Detective Lance (Paul Blackthrone) who informed Oliver that his mother wasn’t the target. The man she was with was indeed the one the shooter meant to kill. Well, that was a surprise. Oliver’s mother is secretly awful.

From the hospital bed to an apartment that belongs on Friends, Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell) showed up Adele- style, out of the blue and uninvited, to Laurel’s apartment with fancy sushi in hand. Laurel had already ordered gourmet pizza. I have to sit through this mock date hungry. In reality, Tommy wanted to ask Laurel out on a legitimate date. Everything they do is backwards, but it seems to be working.

Back in the lair, Oliver pummeled some poor training dummy into oblivion before Diggle (David Ramsey) showed up to provide some mercy. I don’t think we’ve ever seen Ollie train that hard. The shooting was linked to the Bertinelli “construction” company a.k.a. Mob buddies, and the dead man was named Paul Capone… really, writers? Oliver was dead set on killer vengeance after his mother got caught in the crossfire, while Diggle suggested he just be there for his family. What an awful suggestion, Digg. That would be such a boring episode. The scene then cut away to a scene of the motorcycle shooter crossing off Paul’s face on a board. The helmet was removed to reveal… a stunning woman!

Speedy couldn’t go clubbing that night because Oliver had “something to do.” Speedy got all done up to go “clubbing,” her term not mine, but ended up banished to the pits of Moira’s bed for a slumber party of doom. There, they talked crap about Ollie and how five years on an island doesn’t grant him a free pass to have a more seclusive life. I thought pre-island “Lindsay Lohan” Oliver was supposed to be pretty heinous? Tommy dropped by to offer his sympathy after Ollie’s mother fell down kind of hard at work, and to inform him that he was starting to seriously date Laurel. Best wishes, Tommy! Haven’t we had this conversation before?

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Oliver’s plans were, of course, to meet with Bertinelli and his business pals at his house. Under the guise of business, Oliver dug his way into the mob. Bertinelli wanted some contract to construct the applied science division of Queen Enterprises. At this point, the CW screwed up and played a commercial for the News over Arrow, so forgive me if I missed something important within those thirty seconds. Anyway, we came back from the screw-up to see that Oliver had met Helena, Bertinelli’s daughter… and the shooter! Wow, that woman has skills on a bike. Basically, Bertinelli set the two up on a dinner date to get aquainted. While Oliver and Helena were dining, Bertinelli and his pal Salvati met with China White and the Triad to throw shade back and forth over accusations surrounding the murders. At this point, I realize Bertinelli kind of looks like Joey from Full House. If things fall out between the mobs, all Hell breaks loose. Meanwhile, Detective Lance listened in via a bug.

The dinner date between the two turned out excellently. They both prejudged each other upon first meeting, but a little conversation revealed that Oliver is indeed not the female lead of Liz and Dick. He’s not even a party boy! Actually, they’re a lot alike. Helena guessed correctly that Oliver had times of solitude he purely enjoyed on the island. Those are times he actually misses. Helena opened up about her signature cross necklace that was given to her by her dead fiancé. In summary, both disagree with the way their families do work in the city. Next thing you know, the two were enjoying the restaurant in the afterhours before Diggle called to ruin everything with a tip.

Across town, Tommy and Laurel were on a somewhat different date at an Indian restaurant of Laurel’s choosing. Tommy wasn’t feeling it. Laurel, Indian is risky for a first date. Tommy wished that their relationship could be like seeing his favorite movie again for the first time. That actually made perfect sense. He wished they could start fresh. Then, Tommy’s credit card was confiscated leaving him mortified. There goes your fresh start, Merlyn!

After Thea left girls’ night with her mom, a man showed up to scare the Bejeezus out of Moira in her sleep. There was a slight threat in his visit, as he wanted to make sure that Moira still had her “conviction.” When her husband had to die, he had lost his way. Moira didn’t flinch. She passed the test! The next day, Tommy ran to his father to solve his money woes, and we discovered that his father was the man who questioned Moira! His father is involved in the boating disaster and his father is way, way worse than Oliver’s mom as of now.

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The tip Diggle picked up on led Oliver straight back to the restaurant where he’d eaten dinner with Helena. Salvati, Bertinelli’s partner, was there to collect a double payment from the restaurant owner. Just before some fingers were broken, Arrow showed up to rescue the crew. Arrow wasn’t the only one, though. Motorcycle Woman a.k.a. The Huntress a.k.a. Helena showed up looking like the black Power Ranger. Before we knew it, the two were enthralled in their own fistfight until Arrow shattered her helmet. Her identity revealed, and Oliver shocked!

In the lair, Oliver and Diggle went back and forth on her motives. Diggle could give a crap if she had valid motives because she’d been killing people. Oliver argued that her reasoning must have some validity to it. He really fell for her over dinner! Killing Salvati would send her father on a warpath that could ruin the city. Oliver promised to play it cool, but Diggle knew that he was being lied to now, too.

Detective Lance picked up footage of Ollie and Helena on the restaurant security tape and popped in at the Queen’s to warn Oliver. Apparently, he’s done accusing Ollie of being “that guy in the hood” and was more concerned that he was spending time around Helena. That night, Oliver stalked Helena all the way to her dead fiancé’s grave. Her explanation as to why she’s been killing killers made sense. If you lose the one you love the most, it leaves hate. She’s a passionate one, that Huntress! Death changed her. Oops! Salvati, without regard to Bertinelli, seized the two at the gravesite. He found her necklace at the restaurant!

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Confined to chairs with zip-ties, Ollie and Helena both struggled to break free while Salvati slapped her around and called her dirty names like the b-word. Helena revealed that her father had her fiancé murdered, while Salvati argued that he deserved it for being a rat. He mistook Helena’s laptop filled with evidence that could convict them for her fiancé’s! He blamed her for her fiance’s death! Don’t you know how fast Arrow can break out of those lame-o plastic ties? This lady is his match! The two broke free ready to put an end to Salvati’s shenanigans. After the usual karate match, Helena pretty ruthlessly cracked Salvati’s neck. She can’t have her secret getting out! After finding out about this recent killing, Detective Lance’s partner argued that they better hope Bertinelli blames Arrow, or a war with the Triad could destroy their city even more so.

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The episode came to close with three budding romances. Tommy ran to Laurel for support after being completely cut off. Pizza fixes everything! Walter returned home to his wife, Moira. Lastly, Oliver took Thea’s advice to find someone to confide in. Oliver ran straight to Helena, eager to share his truth with her. She figured out that he is Arrow in half an episode. Seriously, when she said she saw it in his eyes, I thought she meant she literally looked right into the hood. Things got hot and heavy pretty quickly, and the episode came to a close. Their father's made them so angry!

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Feel free to comment below! What did you all think of the episode? Are you hoping to see more of The Huntress? What are Moira and her partners up to? Which romances are you hoping to see work out?