FULL EPISODE SPOILERS BELOW
And so, onto part two! Huzzah!
Man was this episode great! I know I usually say this after a few more context sentences, but yeah, it was great! In my opinion, it was even better than the episode from yesterday, from The Flash. Part of that, I'm sure, is that there was little need for the characters to adjust to each other. But another part of that was the increased amount of comedy, and the terrific Arrow action that we saw. Captain Boomerang was fantastic (sadly not Australian) and I hope he comes back, because he was not only a cunning villain but an adept fighter as well.
There was definitely a tone shift between the two shows, and that was probably the best part of the episode, as it lent itself to even more comparisons between the two. Thanks to some great writing, this episode allowed for the characters of The Flash to basically serve as the window for the fans, who are always talking about how brooding and gloomy Arrow is. It would be one thing for the characters to just say, "Ah, man, Oliver needs to lighten up," but it's much better when Caitlin and Cisco openly admit that their arena is more light-hearted because of the super-powers, because it feels less real. On Arrow, people die because that happens in real-life. On The Flash, some people have died but more have lived because that's what happens in super-hero stories. The hero wins, everyone has a good time. They smile!
The inclusion also felt less forced here than it did on The Flash. Considering how they were continuing their case to find Captain Boomerang, this episode could easily have not featuring the Flash and gang. The reason they were there in the first place was a little "eh" but was backed by some great comedy. I was laughing a lot in this episode, something I'm usually doing while watching Arrow. Usually it's just nerd-gasming over all the cool fights.
There was an epic nerd-gasm, but we'll get to that in a minute.
The episode starts with Team Arrow hunting down Boomerang at his house, only to find that it is actually an A.R.G.U.S. situation and they are told to butt out. Rude.
Felicity, back at "Palmer Technologies," gets a drop-in by Caitlin and Cisco, who have come to see the Arrow-cave. So, because it's been called that on Arrow, I shall now call the Foundry the Arrow-cave.
Also Cisco asks if there is an Arrow-mobile. Cisco was great this episode.
They go down to the Foun--Arrow Cave and there Cisco checks out the Arrow and Arsenal costumes, noting that Arsenal's not only looks cooler (because it's red), but that the Arrow's suit could use some modifications. Just like last year! Back at A.R.G.U.S., Diggle tries to convince Lyla to allow Team Arrow to help, since they deal with super-villains...I mean, these "types of dudes."
They are attacked, however, by Captain Boomerang who oh my goodness plows through A.R.G.U.S. We do come to learn that he is former ASIS (just like Slade) so his training is clearly respectable, but man, Boomerang rips through these guys like paper. We haven't even seen him fight the Arrow or Arsenal and already this dude is showing that he means business! Also, the boomerangs were freaking cool, particularly how he had trick-boomerangs.
Arrow and Arsenal do show up and try to take down Boomerang, who actually manages to get the jump on them and take the upper-hand, but the timely arrival of the Flash stops Boomerang in his tracks and he escapes. Somehow. Why didn't Barry go after him?
Because then we wouldn't have an epic cross-over, duh!
Lyla is forced to crash in the Arrow Cave, where she meets Barry Allen. Oliver and Barry have a talk about how they should team up again, but on Oliver's terms. And Cisco tries to get a picture of them talking. Cisco was great this episode.
They go to Detective Lance to see if he knows anything about Boomerang's supplier, Lance mistaking "Barry Allen" for "Bart Allen."
HA. Wrong Flash. Nice.
Oh, and Laurel's there. Anyway, the two go after his supplier and Oliver puts an arrow through his shoulder as a method of interrogation. Stupid Oliver. You need to ask him what color his shoes are!
If you get that reference, pat yourself on the back. Do it right now.
Barry disapproves of this method and Oliver disapproves of Barry's disapproval and man this show is a lot darker than The Flash. Oliver tries to defend himself when Barry brings up that he is always moody by saying he's had a lot of tragedy happen to him, and nobody understands him. Barry deconstructs Oliver by saying personal tragedy cannot be the only fuel for his crusade, that it can only tear him down.
They return to the Arrow Cave and Lyla asks if something is up with speedy to Oliver. Since she said "Speedy," Oliver mistakes that name with Roy.
HA. Wrong sidekick. Nice.
But seriously these references were freaking killer, this episode was great.
They manage to track down some more goons but come up short, finding out instead that Boomerang is going to attack the Arrow Cave. He does so, injuring Lyla by putting a Boomerang in her collarbone and Felicity manages to force Boomerang to flee. Yeah, you run from Felicity.
Barry brings Lyla to a hospital, a serious buzzkill on everyone. Up above Cisco considers hitting on Thea but Roy and Felicity tell them it's a bad idea. Cisco was great this episode. Caitlin shows up and here is where we have that little comparison I mentioned earlier, about the two shows having different tones. It was almost like a meeting between four fans, two from Arrow and two from The Flash. Except, probably a lot calmer and with far less comic book references than normal.
Barry and Oliver talk again, this Barry manages to help Oliver out by saying he's full of crap. Thanks Barry, great talk. Nah, Barry tells Oliver that he needs to move past this, that he can be better than all the guy's he's fought in his past and be a hero. Felicity manages to track down Boomerang too. It almost felt like that was an Adrian moment in one of the "Rocky" movies, where Rocky is all down and then Adrian shows up.
And you know what happens next.
Arrow and Flash track down Captain Boomerang in a freaking sweet moment. Just to see them all standing there is like a nerd's dream come true, especially such iconic characters. Boomerang plays a dirty trick, saying there are five bombs around the city that are set for detonation. Flash goes to stop the bombs while Arrow goes to kick Boomerang's butt. And indeed he does so, pinning him against a pillar and has him at arrow-point, Boomerang asking if he's really going to kill him, since he's clearly been there before.
Flash finds one of the bombs but Cisco and Felicity tell him that all the bombs need to be stopped at the same time. So, Barry does the logical: since there are five bombs, four people in the Arrow Cave, and one of him, he puts them all in position, and at Cisco's count, they deactivate the bombs and save the city.
Just as Boomerang gets free when Oliver decides to let him live, Flash shows up, going to stop Boomerang from attacking. However, Oliver puts an arrow through his hand. Classic Arrow.
The episode ends with Diggle and Lyla getting engaged (there was a running joke about them not being married but hey guess what that's finally a thing now), and then Team Flash says their goodbyes to Team Arrow. Oliver shows Barry a third glass-case for the Flash outfit should Barry come by again (Flash on Arrow again confirmed, win) and Cisco gives Oliver a newer suit, albeit keeping the original hood. This one doesn't appear to be that different, it just has shoulder-pads on the side that sort of resemble Green Arrow's "Injustice" outfit. Sadly, Roy gets nothing. Sad day.
The two go off on their own to settle the score between who would win, and in classic fashion, the episode cuts to black right as the Flash charges at the Arrow.
Also, we had flashbacks this week. They were pretty good, too. Amanda Waller captured a man and decides to use Oliver as an interrogator, and tells him to use his arrows as a torture method to get the information of him. Oliver, though, is unable to go through with it, and as a result, a couple of bombs go off. Waller goes off on Oliver, saying that in the world he is a part of now, there is little choice but for him to exercise torture. Thus, she sets up a similar scenario, and we are led to believe that he goes through with it this time. The flashbacks interacted well with the current stuff, better than they had most of the season (the exception being with Tatsu's candle trick in "Guilty") as there were shared lines of dialogue. They also went to show how cruel Amanda Waller is in tight situations to newbies, and furthers the point that Oliver will come to have Amanda on his list of people to kill. I'm still expecting her to have a hand in the potential creation of Katana, but that has yet to be seen.
The episode as a whole is definitely one the strongest of not only this season of Arrow, but the entire show. It was the culmination of what these CW DC shows have been building up to, which was an epic crossover event. It had all the good of Arrow blended with the growing goodness of The Flash. Elements of the episode, like yesterday's also promise that these shows will remain connected through some story elements, such as how Caitlin is going to analyze one of the arrows that killed Sara.
This episode was hilarious, it was action-packed, it served as a great look inward between the shows and pointed out both show's flaws rather harmlessly, even poking fun. It advanced the story of Arrow in regards to the flashbacks as well as with Diggle's life, and was a much needed episode. Arrow had been running a little slow, and this definitely picked up the pace.
Plus, with Ra's Al Ghul and the League of Assassins coming next week, best believe things are about to get super real in Starling City. And Reverse Flash is coming to The Flash! So much stuff is happening AND I CAN'T FREAKING WAIT!
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