Season 8 Episode 3 “Reunited with his sister, Oliver and Thea find themselves searching through a familiar maze of catacombs; John and Lyla partner on a mission.”
What I Liked
1. Talia is back this episode. It’s so good knowing with each episode, there’s a returning character.
2. I’ve missed Thea, even Talia a little bit. Seeing these two, and Oliver fight alongside each other was amazing.
3. Mia, and William finally get along during the flash forward scenes. Fairly emotional on the flip side, but it is great to see the team finally come together.
4. Thea vs Talia. An epic fight that was edgy. Oliver was busy fighting off the League while they fought. Thea came out on top and made Talia yield. Talia goes ahead and offers Thea her students. However, more importantly, Thea declines and offers to work together to create a more “League of Heroes” instead.
5. I never really liked Lyla working together with John, I always found it incredibly boring. This week was vastly different, and I actually thoroughly enjoyed it. We also learn how Connor is introduced to the “Diggles” family.
What I Disliked
Oliver playing the over-protective big brother as per usual was overly annoying. I understand it, but I’m glad Thea’s character developed the way that it did because she never listened in this episode, and helped Oliver anyway.
Favourite Moments
1. Straight out the gate. Oliver is back to Nanda Parbat, and Willa Holland (Thea) is back!
2. A bit of dust hit my eyes when Oliver and Thea say goodbye again. You feel it, the heartache, the grief of Oliver knowing this it.
3. Wow. The flash forwards finally made an impact. FINALLY. Mia is up against a railing with JJ holding a sword to her neck. Zoe intervenes to save her, then JJ throws the sword through Zoe’s back. Similar to the way Slade stabbed Moria in season 2.
4. Immediately after that. Holy shit. Flash forward characters meet present day. I AM HYPED FOR NEXT WEEK!
The Verdict
Arrow continues the tradition this season of being absolutely brilliant. The returning characters, the cliffhangers, the storytelling, even the flash forwards were incredible. What an episode!
Rating: 10/10
