Warning: Spoilers Ahead!
Earlier this week, The CW’s Arrow returned after a brief hiatus. Much of the episode covered Oliver Queen’s (Stephen Amell) posttraumatic stress stemming from his near-death dual with the Dark Archer in “Year’s End.” Not only was Oliver physically weakened by the altercation, but his confidence had taken a nosedive as well. This was evident after a reluctant Oliver obliged Laurel’s (Katie Cassidy) request to investigate her friend Joanna’s (Annie Ilonzeh) firefighter brother’s suspicious death.
By Diggle’s (David Ramsey) persistent pressuring, Oliver reprises his role as Arrow and enters a burning building where he encounters the killer firefighter–Batman villain Firefly (Andrew Dunbar)–for the first time. He arrives just as Firefly tosses an innocent firefighter into a bed of flames. They fight. Arrow loses. Badly. Firefly spares him, indicating to viewers his plight is against firefighters, not harmless bystanders guised in hoods and armed with arrows.
Sidebar: This scene could have been more convincing and the editing could have been better. Firefly gave the “innocent firefighter” a blow to the head, causing him to fall over the railing. Initially, he was dangling from the top railing with one hand. In the next screen, he’s gripping Firefly’s hand. This was deliberately done for advancement of the plot (when he fell, he pulled off Firefly’s glove, revealing his severe burns and tattoo), but I think the struggle could have been more authentic. And who asks their attacker “who are you?” before falling to the pits of hell?
After the fight, Oliver’s crisis with confidence persists. He briefs Laurel about his findings on the killer arsonist and goes back into his shell of anguish. Diggle, being the frequent perpetrator of persistent pressuring, accosts Oliver about leaving Laurel high and dry.
Oliver goes to the fire station as a favor for Tommy (Colin Donnell), who’s throwing a fundraiser for the fire department at his club. He runs into Laurel, who is there to talk with the fire chief. They awkwardly discuss drawers and cohabitating and proceed to question Fire Chief Raines (Danny Nucci) about the infamous Noddel Towers fire that claimed the lives of thirty-four civilians and six firemen–one of which was a firefly. Laurel introduces a connection between the fire from two years prior and the recent deaths of three fireflies. Raines refuses to relive the tragic moment, though. Again, Laurel seeks Arrow’s aide.
Oliver talks to his trusty companion Diggle about his recent reluctance to put on the mask. While on the island, he wasn’t afraid of dying because he had nothing to lose. Now, with family and friends giving him something to live for, he’s afraid of looking death in the face because he has something to lose. Diggle encourages him that the love from his family and friends give him an edge. Somewhere in there, Oliver has an epiphany that Garfield Lynns may be the killer. C’mon writers, you can do better than that.
While violating the fire code at Tommy’s firefighters benefit, Lynns arrives and sets Oliver’s nightclub ablaze. He douses the fire chief with flammable fluids and tells his story of abandonment–he was pulled out of the flames by an unidentified her and listed in a burn unit as a “John Doe.” He then tossed a lit lighter at Raines. Why he didn’t just push him into the flames? Back from getting dressed and applying eye makeup, Arrow intersects the lighter just in time and offers Lynns help in the form of counseling. Lynns declines and commits suicide.
In the following scene, Oliver is visibly satisfied that Starling City is grateful that the vigilante has returned. He tells Thea (Willa Holland) his happiness stems from his club being even more under construction than before. Their mother Moira (Susanna Thompson) enters and reveals she took over Walter’s (Colin Salmon) position at the office. Throughout the episode, Moira was depressed about Walter being estranged.
Meanwhile, Laurel gives the phone that connects her with Arrow back to her father Detective Lance (Paul Blackthorne). He takes it briefly then returns it to her. “Maybe you should hold on to this,” Detective Lance tells Laurel. “I may not like the guy’s methods, but whoever this guy is, he’s got a habit of putting himself between danger and you.” Yes! Finally the authority is appreciating vigilante’s help! Moments later, Lance enters a room with a tech-savvy guy who will monitor Laurel’s calls with Arrow via the bug Lance had just placed. He’s basically using her as bait to bring down “The Hood.” The thought was fun while it lasted.
Of course loose flashbacks of Oliver’s time on the island were integrated. They revealed Oliver besting one of Fyers’ masked men and taking his gear. He finds a ring of keys and a map in the pockets of the suit. I’m hoping these flashbacks lead to some big eye-opener.
Ironically, this episode failed to bring the heat. Oliver’s struggle to regain his confidence was quite organic, but for the mid-season premiere, I expected to be enthralled by the “comeback episode.” However, the action was at a minimum and so was the antagonist’s appearance. An embittered firefighter that was left for dead in a burning building by his colleagues was the perfect story to potentially leave viewers morally conflicted about his motivation of exacting revenge on the people that abandoned him. Unfortunately, we weren’t privy of his story–on the show–until moments before his death, and by that time, no one cared. At least I didn’t. Still, though, “Burned” was a good episode.
What are your thoughts on Arrow’s “Burned” episode? Aren’t you glad the writers are finally making use of the supporting characters? Laurel especially?
If you missed the episode, directed by Eagle Egilsson and written by Moira Kirkland and Ben Sokolowski, you can stream it here. The next episode, “Trust But Verify,” airs on January 23rd. Watch a preview:
