Arrow Recap: ‘Laurel Lance — Always Saving the World’
This week on The CW‘s Arrow, Laurel Lance was laid to rest — but not before someone threatened to tarnish her legacy as the Black Canary.
I would think — though I will be proven wrong! — that even those who went into this hour with a cynical ‘tude had to be moved, if not also impressed, by the weight of the material. The flashbacks to the time of Tommy Merlyn’s own tragic passing — he being the first one to fall under Oliver’s watch — made some salient points while also paving the way for Oliver’s speech as Laurel’s own graveside. The callbacks to Laurel not knowing Oliver’s secret and his self-imposed re-exile to Lian Yu also were worked in nicely.
And then you had Paul Blackthorne,
taking a storyline he has played multiple times before — mournful father — and somehow putting a heart-wrenching, fresh spin on it as Quentin, having seen it all at this point, clutched onto the belief that Laurel could and would come back. Because as the past has shown him, he needs her to. “She’s always been there for me,” Quentin wailed. “She’s my rock!” But ultimately it was Oliver who convinced Lance that, alas, this time, “We have lost her.”
Also making the most of his arc within the aftermath was David Ramsey, as Diggle somewhat rightfully placed the blame for Laurel’s fate at his own feet, steadfastly standing by his H.I.V.E.-brainwashed brother Andy, while telling Oliver to “pretty much go to hell.” Felicity, after noting that he is just “one illegitimate child short of an Oliver Queen impression” with his blame game, echoes Oliver’s mantra, assuring Dig, “It’s not your fault” — though for a moment earlier in the episode she didn’t discount that, trying as she was to ignore her MIA self’s own possible role in the team’s setback.
The fake Canary plot was… a bit clunky. Evelyn Crawford (Sharp) — who in DC Comics apparently came to be the Birds of Prey member Starling — stole Laurel’s sonic scream device, (somehow) synced it to her own vocal chords and went around town… screaming, a lot… as she worked through issues pegged to her parents’ death at the hands of Damien Darhk, a tragedy she believes Arrow and Friends could have prevented. (I know that Laurel as Black Canary worked in the shadows and didn’t exactly pose for publicity shots, but you’d think someone would point out this petite poser’s physical mismatch.) Curiously, Evelyn at one point targeted Alex (hey, remember Alex?), saying, “You work for them!” Has Thea’s boyfriend/Oliver’s ex-campaign manager been playing both sides all along?
Ruve allowed this mock Canary to storm a gala and make an attempt on her life, as part of a campaign to smear the name of the real deal and her masked vigilante friends. But Oliver stops Evelyn from executing the mayor. Later, speaking at Laurel’s funeral (whereas at Tommy’s a sense of guilt kept him mum), he revealed the city’s ADA to be the Black Canary, explaining that Laurel “wanted to do more” for the people. “She was not a criminal. She was a hero.”
We then met up with the infamous flash-forward scenes, where Barry Allen checks in on Oliver at a (continuity hiccup!) more closely settled gravesite, before (continuity hiccup!) speeding away. We then see the headstone has Laurel’s name on it, underscored by the words: The Black Canary. Oliver hops into the limo, where a (too?) steely Felicity is waiting for him with the charge: “You know what you have to do, right? You have to kill that sonuvabitch.” And though Oliver had just told Barry he was resolved to “end” Darhk’s reign of terror, he admits to Felicity that he isn’t sure how to battle that powerful mix of magic and darkness.
Felicity says that one of the reasons she fell in love with him is because “you always find a way” — and he once again must, “for Laurel, for the city… for all of us.”
What did you think of “Canary Cry”?
Great episode. All Diggle and Lance scenes melt my heart. Kudos to Paul and David. can’t wait for new dynamic… this Original Team Arrow finally with some Delicity scenes, we need more Thea with Felicity, much more Lance in ArrowCave and everything will be perfect :D
Clearly the citizens of Star City aren’t bothered by size. They also bought the petit Roy as the Arrow despite the size issue.
“The optometrists have failed this city!”
lol
Yeah but they havent really seen him in person have they? And if they have they’ve constantly been on the run because if they’re arround somethings going down. Plus if they actually remember back to when Roy was captured on the underground train thing, they’d know he wasnt the arrow.
It’s a little silly though, you can clearly tell it’s Oliver Queen under the hood. It doesnt even hide any part of his identity and he’s been on camera twice as both. If the internet exists in the Arrowverse, they’d have many articles/comments about how it’s obvious it’s Oliver Queen. lol.
Very cute Matt!
LOL!
Lmao… Love that line
A fitting send-off.
Awesome episode! Can’t wait for next week. Time to finally discover what that pesky Darkh is up to. Loved all the Team Arrow moments this week.
Yeah, I wondered what it was that Alex was trying to tell Thea before fake Black Canary showed up and attacked. Hard to miss the goof of having Barry speed away from the cemetery when we know he still doesn’t have his speed back yet.
Yep, the speed continuity issue was addressed in Inside Line: https://tvline.com/2016/04/26/castle-season-9-spoilers-rick-los-angeles-move/
Addressed is the appropriate word too because that’s a load of crap. This isn’t a situation like The Flash/Supergirl crossover where it’s two separate networks. The network screwed this one up. It’s not a big deal, but it does show a lack of effort on their part to sync up the two shows.
I have no doubt effort was made. Do you want them to contort one storyline, or both, just to make it neatly “fit”? Should Barry’s recovery be hurried, to the point his setback was meaningless? Should Laurel’s death/funeral have been delayed, forcing Oliver’s final attack on Darkh to be rushed?
That scene was filmed at the beginning,it should fit perfectly unless CW put Flash on longer hiatus than intended.
So my question is… Was this episode supposed to be pre-speedless or post-respeeded Barry?
Not the worst thing in the world. Obviously the episode either takes place before Barry lost his speed or after he gets it back.
Just cancel Arrow already CW. This show is such a shadow of its former self.
I don’t think Felicity was too steely at all — watching a loved one literally being buried in front of you is going to present you with the gravity of the situation you’re in and in that moment it was really hitting her. I thought what she said to Oliver at the end was powerful and passionate. The Canary plot was a bit clunky but it did what it needed to do in honouring her so the Darhk plot can move forward to the finale. Lastly, the acting in the character scenes were really phenomenal — I love that Diggle is going to get a spotlight finally.
Felicity was really great in the episode. Quiet and reserved in her grief but that final scene was passion and showed everything I enjoy about Oliver and Felicity together.
This sucks…bring back Laurel!
Laurel was never even as good as the Black Canary as Evelyn Sharpe was in this one episode. Sad, but true.
Um, no she wasn’t.
Incorrect.
I think you dislike of laurel is showing because she had grown in the Black Canary persona big time. This little girl has some big shoes to fill.
WRONG
Only because as Arrow loved to do they ret-conned Laurel’s fight skills just so Guggenheim could get his rocks off and give his sycophants their jollies by watching her get hit.
Finally flashbacks you wanted to see.
Wow, Diggle just killed those two guys (‘the mayors’ drivers). Dark!Diggle. Diggle and Lance brought some tears to my eyes. So emotional. —– I didn’t care for the actress who played Evelyn (the petite Black Canary). I didn’t like her on Supernatural either so must be the actress. *shrugs*
who did Diggle kill? he used tranquilizer darts on the guys in the car when he confronted Ruve.
Oh my bad. I thought he shot them. Sorry, my mistake.
It’s hard to see but you can see the tranq darts sticking out of their chest!
Could have definitely been better directed; I at first thought gunshots as well.
@Matt, yes. I thought the direction and camera work were poor in this episode.
Camerawork was sooooo shaky. Blech
An easy mistake to make. It was definitely a blink and you missed it situation of seeing the darts in their chest.
I thought he killed them too, but my guess is that it was some type of sedative gun. I think Ruve would’ve had him arrested if he killed them.
Really strong episode. Best part? No dumb island flashbacks!
Wow, great catch that Evelyn identified Alex as working for “them”. I am seriously impressed.
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I thought both Paul Blackthorne and David Ramsey knocked it out of the park. It was nice to see Ramsey finally getting some scenes worth his acting abilities.
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Otherwise, Retcon, Thy name is Canary Cry. It seems cheap to Tommy’s memory to retcon the time after his death, when the show went from Laurel telling him she loved him to telling Oliver at Tommy’s gravesite in the season 2 premier that they were done as a couple. There’s no organic way to put Oliver and Laurel cuddling and kissing between those two emotions.
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How many times will characters have to say “Laurel Lance, always saving the world” before it’s put to rest? By my count, we’ve had Tommy, Sara, Quentin and now Oliver saying it. Was it printed on her sweatshirt in her teen years? The show spent 2 seasons showing she wasn’t trying to save the world so it’s eyerolling to keep hearing it now. Show, not tell.
Agree no laurel black canary storyline in the show had her wanting to save the world
LOL because fighting crooked corporations and men and helping the Arrow despite her effort to try to work within the law was totally not her trying to save the world. She didn’t even have to be tortured into trying to do good unlike Oliver and Sara.
Crazy idea but maybe Hussain becomes the new canary. She has the training and she could adopt a new identity. She could be Dinah Drake from the comic’s.
Correction, Nyssa could be the new canary.
That would be epic!
Strange episode. It dragged a bit but I can let that go seeing as everyone was in mourning. I didn’t even like Laurel but Quentin broke my heart, what a great performance from Paul Blackthorne. Diggle/David Ramsey were amazing, I really felt his anger and guilt and Oliver pulling him back from the brink was a brilliant show of how far he’s come since the Pilot.
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The baby Canary was a bit weird and I’d personally be ok without another Canary on the show (we have Sara for that anyway) but I’m also interested in where they’re going with that too.
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Finally, what was up with the retcon of Oliver and Laurel’s relationship? I’ve read the tie-in comics between season 1 and season 2 and not only was Oliver actually at Tommy’s funeral, he gave a speech. He also tried to see Laurel but she turned him away because she was so devastated. Now they changed all of that and they’re kissing and excited for the future one week after burying Tommy. How absolutely disgusting. Way to make me hate Laurel and Oliver’s relationship even more. Nothing but fan service.
Yeah like the illegitimate kid storyline their retcons rather screw up relationships, I don’t believe Laurel and Oliver were OK like that straight after Tommy’s death
Tie-in comics are only canon until they’re not, even when people from a show are involved in creating them. At least, that’s been my experience as a reader.
Does that mean the 2.5 Olicity falls in love comic will be retconned? Pretty please!
Episode was weak. It should’ve dealt more with celebrating Laurels life then using her once again to propel everyone elses storylines. Her parents felt like guests at their own daughters funeral, Lance couldve and should’ve been utilized a hella lot more. And of course it is no shocker that Lances heart condition is no where to be found.
Come on guys! Enough is enough. How can Sara not know? They could have at least brought her back for the big group funeral scene like they did with Alex Kingston.
Sara’s travelling through time. There’s no way to contact her.
Yeah, Sara couldn’t get there in time, she’s busy time traveling. Wait a second…
Normally I would agree, but I’m giving them a pass. There is no way to know what century Sara and the Legends are in at any given moment and its not like they have a special phone to get ahold of them. I’m sure this will be addressed by seasons end.
There is a photo of Caity standing by a grave and a clapperboard from LoT so this might be brought up there.
Yes, but unless White Canary dies fighting Savage, she will eventually return to her timeline right at the moment she left (that was the deal), which will be before Black Canary dies (they left for the timeline before she died). This means she will be around and she may be able to prevent Black Canary’s death.
So what that really means is that as far as the Arrowverse goes, everything you are watching now is an alternate timeline. It can only become the actual timeline for Team Arrow if White Canary dies. Or if for some reason, she chose not to be returned when she left, but at a future point after Laurel’s death. And why would she decide to do that, meaning her sister dies?
But for Flash, this may have no impact. He may not visit the funeral (since it may not happen when WC returns) and instead he watches TV that day. So not much change for Team Flash necessarily, but Legends could re-write almost this entire season of Arrow. It could rewrite Flash if Capt Cold returns and decides to go on a crime spree, that didn’t happen before. But if he comes back and lays low, and Firestorm doesn’t return to Team Flash to help against Zoom (they aren’t going to kill Firestorm) for some unknown reason.
Ain’t time travel wonderful!
All good points but, I have a feeling somehow, someway that deal is not going to be in place by the season finale of Legends. I love all three of these shows but the timeline makes my head hurt lol. Does Quentin even know what Sara is actually doing now? He took the amnesia pills last week so I’m guessing not. I have a feeling that even when they return to 2016 and Sara knows, Rip will give some crazy reason why she can’t stop or bring back her sister for continuity of the stories, I’m not saying it will make sense but I think that’s what they will do.
I’m actually curious about this. Sara and atom would have been returned to the exact time they were taken after they finish on LoT yes? So doesn’t that mean they would be around for this except they both die….
There could be other complications that prevent them from returning to that exact moment.
Arrow needs more nyssa she’s amazing
Jeez poor Quentin, he broke my heart and kudos to Paul Blackthorne, he brought it (note to LOT, please never kill Sara again, this man has been through enough!). I also liked that it was Oliver pulling everyone back from the ledge this time, to me, even though he can stumble, he has grown.
One of the things I liked was Oliver telling Felicity that he blames himself because at least then there is an explanation for why things went bad..
More self-awareness than he’s ever shown before.
That was a good moment for him, to realize that.
I wasnt moved, I didn’t feel much for Katie Cassidy’s character, I felt sort of sad for Captain Lance though. Good episode either way
Odd that Donna Smoak was not there to help comfort her boyfriend and daughter.
Agreed
I’m glad Donna wasn’t in this episode. The grief really belonged to Quentin and Dinah.
I keep thinking that Laurel will come back at some point.. the way they did her death scene was either really shoddily edited or they were hiding something.. Her talking to Oliver cutting away and then coming back with her in the seizure? Doesnt make sense unless Oliver is somehow involved in faking her death.
You have flashbacks, you have Earth 2, there are many ways to see more of Laurel. They could even have a situation where unknown to everyone, including the audience the Earth 2 Laurel switched places with Arrow’s Laurel, so it was she who was killed. They can bring her back if they chose to.
Doubt Guggenheicwould though. He’s made his disdain for Laurel quite clear the way she’s been handled this season for his precious ” Olicity ” storyline
I’ve wondered: was all that Oliver/Laurel scenes from the funeral to the flight approaching the island Earth-2?
That aircraft looked more Earth-2 for one thing.
Just got an “off” vibe from every one of those scenes. Maybe just too much Flash… Lol
If they make the new character a different hero (Starling) the one she is in the comics and not a new canary that would be great and not disrespect the comics. The author of these comics is weeping.
They just wipe their ass with these characters and mold them and will kill every good one until Felicity and Oliver are happily married. STUPID, I can watch soap operas anytime.
So there are no relationships in the comics? No marriages, divorces or even anyone going on a date? I’m glad I don’t read them. They must be emotionally stale. Action isn’t everything and comics mean nothing to a tv show. Go read the comics and leave this tv show with it’s adult relationships alone.
And yes, I’m aware this is a rude comment but really – the author of these comics is weeping? Talk about a soap opera!
Uh Karen, the soap opera is what you are watching…These shows are just adaptations of the comics or based on comic books. This show gets all emo on the relationships and the emos love that…Oh everything should be about love and yada…enough with that b/s. When one thinks of superheros they think of kicking ass etc….If I wanted to watch a sappy emo drama, I would turn into the Vampire Diaries or Reign..
All of the original creators (Berlanti, Kreisburg and Guggenheim) have stated that comics are essentially soap operas for boys.
Except they don’t become completely overrun by the soap aspect they way Arrow has done. Strange how The Flash manages to do well in that aspect and Arrow fails so miserably.
Guggenheim!!!
I’m of the opposite opinion. I love Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow but I’ve given up on the Flash because it’s essentially the story of Barry and his many fathers (Run, Barry, run).. Joe’s relations with Barry and now Wally are important while he didn’t even ask Iris if she was okay with Wally moving in, and Cisco gives new meaning to Mary Sue. Meanwhile Iris and Caitlin are only important in terms of the men they help and Linda and Patty were disposable
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Give me Arrow and LoT every time. It’s funny how Supergirl is so good in doing relationships between the female characdters but on Flash Kreisburg does some of the worst on TV. I guess it’s Berlanti’s influence that makes women on Supergirl important.
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I kind of feel that Flash and Supergirl are both very similar while Flash is heavy on the male relationships to Barry and the female characters all do take take a back seat to that. The only real difference is Supergirl switches the gender roles and plays on the female relationships while Winn and James take a backseat.
That was pretty much what I was trying to say. I’m just sick of people saying that a show based on a premise from comics should be devoid of relationships. They are not the only focus of the show but people are getting so fixated on them that they don’t see the action that also happens. In this particular episode which deals with a character’s death surely anyone would expect to see how that impacts on people. And there was still action happening too.
Loved seeing Nyssa and I hope she sticks around because Team Arrow could sure use her help. As for Alex, when they first introduced him on this show I never trusted him. The scenes with Quentin once again have tugged at my heart strings just as they did two weeks ago. As for Evelyn, that poor girl needs guidance so I hope that Oliver will give it to her. The preview of next weeks show made me cringe seeing John captured and it looks like Andy is helping to torture him.
This season’s going to end with another dead mayor isn’t it?
Fingers crossed!