Arrow 3×11 Review: Midnight City

There was so much going on in this episode of Arrow I that at times it was hard to follow. In the end I feel like the writers have put so many irons in the fire that it’s gone beyond keeping viewers on their toes and entered to the realm of them just throwing plot lines at a wall to see which ones will stick.

The main thing that stuck out to me was Caity Lotz’s guest star credit, especially as in the end it was just a few lines and a short appearance for Captain Lance’s benefit. Of course it was “actually” Laurel pretending to be Sara, anyway, and at this point I’m wondering how much farther Laurel will take this lie. From the beginning I assumed this whole situation wouldn’t end well – not since Laurel first lied to their dad about Sara being alive – but now I have a feeling that, if Captain Lance ever figures out that Laurel is going to such lengths to keep the truth from him, the Lance family is going to be the center of one hell of a disaster.

Meanwhile our only Oliver scenes were quick check-ins on his current situation, usually followed by a Hong Kong flashback. How he’s not only alive, but already up and walking around, is beyond me. I feel as if the show escalated things in Starling City too quickly, and also isn’t giving quite enough credit to Team Arrow – particularly Diggle and Roy. It appears that Ollie may arrive home as soon as next week’s episode, when really they could have (and probably should have) taken a bit more time to build up the issues in Starling City and put a bit more trust in the other heroes they’ve created. Yes, Diggle and Roy a.k.a. Arsenal aren’t Oliver, and Laurel as the Black Canary is very new to the game and needs to be seen stumbling here and there because of that, but at the moment the writers, in their rush to bring Oliver back, simply aren’t doing them justice.

Speaking of what’s going on in Starling City, I’m not too fond of this new villain, either. Arrow has yet to give any good reasons for Danny Brickwell’s rampage; he simply appeared on the scene in “Left Behind” and is apparently here to stay, at least for a while. Most of what’s going on almost seems like a resurrection of many parts of the Slade Wilson storyline, but without the added ‘bonus’ of Slade’s history with Oliver. Granted, as someone who doesn’t read the comics I *may* be missing something here… but in the past Arrow has done a great job with keeping non-comic-book-readers engaged, interested, and entertained. I suppose I’ll just keep my fingers crossed that something more will come of “Brick” and his seemingly maniacal actions, and soon.

One good thing about Brick’s little reign over the Glades is that it brought Felicity back into the fold, and also gave her the reason(s) she needed to finally agree to help Ray with his exosuit. I’m beginning to wonder how she thinks she’s going to keep up with Team Arrow and Ray Palmer, but hey, this is Felicity we’re talking about, so I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt for now.

And let it be known that henceforth I’m finally extending that benefit of the doubt to Thea as well. While she still gets on my nerves at times, she really shone in “Midnight City”. She’s always been headstrong and reckless, but now she’s channeling those qualities into becoming a strong, fearless woman who isn’t letting anyone – least of all Merlyn or that silly DJ boy – push her around or tell her what to do.

Although as we saw in the last moments of the episode, “that silly DJ boy” is clearly anything but. Now that he’s more than a crappy love interest for Thea – that he is, in fact, a spy for Ra’s al Ghul – I must admit to being much more intrigued by him. I just wonder how long it will take for someone to find him out…

Author: Tara Lynne

Tara Lynne is an author, fandom and geek culture expert, and public speaker. She founded Ice & Fire Con, the first ever Game of Thrones convention in the US, and now runs its parent company Saga Event Planning.

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