Arrow Season 2, Episode 19 “The Man Under the Hood”
Written by Greg Berlanti & Geoff Johns (story), Andrew Kreisberg & Keto Shimizu (teleplay)
Directed by Jesse Warren
Airs Wednesdays at 8pm ET on The CW
Through the first forty-plus episodes of Arrow, we’ve watched Oliver Queen try to balance a series of identities. Suave playboy, CEO, super hero, family member, Eastern mobster: and as the series has evolved and grown, Oliver’s slowly lost control of all of them. He’s burned personal and professional bridges, killed dozens of people, given away his company to a complete stranger… the more Deathstroke orchestrates the world around him, the more Oliver’s lost his already-precarious grip on the various lives he’s trying to juggle.
“The Man Under the Hood” immediately points out just how fucked up Oliver’s life has become; the episode opens with him breaking into a building with his own name on it in order to blow it up, preventing Deathstroke access to equipment he needs to replicate Mirakuru. Although Diggle reminds him “It’s just a building, Oliver”, it’s a moment that speaks to Oliver’s desperation as he tries to keep the few remaining anchors of his life in place. At this point, Deathstroke is in full control – to the point he’s able to break into Arrow’s hide out, steal the skeleton key the Clockmaster created, and beat the crap out of Sarah, Diggle, and Oliver in quick succession (“Don’t forget; I taught you how to fight, boy” he reminds Oliver on his way out). He’s also in control of Queen Consolidated (thanks to Isabel), the entire mayoral race (supporting both Moira and Blood, let’s not forget), and all the secrets Oliver and Moira are trying to keep secret. He’s destroying Oliver from the inside out, pulling out every single support and bit of foundation he has – including Laurel, dropping the dime on Arrow’s identity to her at the end of “Deathstroke”.
And for the first time in ages, Arrow uses that reveal to give some real definition to Laurel’s character, some strength I really, really hope the show uses as a tent pole for character growth heading into the final hours of the season. Bursting with the knowledge that Oliver is Arrow, and growing warm to the fact that her sister might be Black Canary (though even she’s not completely convinced, her powers of common sense not heightened to superpower-status yet), she visits her father in prison, recovering from a beating given to him by a baddie whose face I honestly didn’t recognize (anyone? Let me know in the comments). Right before she tells him who Arrow is, Quentin stops her, and delivers one of the show’s most poignant speeches.
In a nutshell, he tells her he doesn’t want to know Arrow’s identity, for one distinct reason: knowing who Arrow is transforms him from a hero, the symbol of hope that Quentin sacrificed (well… not really; he’s reinstated already) his career, into a person, a man who has a family and weaknesses. Not only would knowing his identity cause problems for him at some point (I’m sure plenty of criminals would love to beat it out of him), but turns Arrow into a relatable creature. It’s not who Arrow is that matters; it’s what he does, and all he’s done since returning to Starling City was try and protect the ones he loved, even if it came at personal cost to him.
It’s a great speech, delivered with care by Paul Blackthorne, nailing its importance without overselling the resonance it is designed to have with Laurel, the epiphany she needs to give Oliver back one of the foundations he leans on in his unpredictable, dangerous life. It’s right in time, too, as he’s losing another important one – Thea, who represents the other end of the character-building spectrum on Arrow, in an odd flip-flop of roles. Yes, this is the whiny, childish Thea we saw a lot of in season one, and though her frustrations give voice to Oliver’s inability to maintain balance in his life (calling her to meet in a sketchy area of town, only to take a phone call… whadda jerk!) – and I’d rather just not talk about her, though her line about being the daughter of two mass murderers tickled me something fierce.
Why? Because Thea is the one weak link in one of Arrow‘s best episodes: an episode that puts Roy’s life in danger, features Felicity the Bomber, brings the particle accelerator back into the picture – and most importantly, begins tying all of the many running threads together. We finally find out why Isabel is working with Slade – like Wilson, she felt betrayed by a Queen, a disgruntled former lover of Oliver’s father (which, admittedly, is an awful way to define her character’s motivations), and seeks the ultimate revenge. With all of this awesome stuff flying around, it’s a surprise “The Man Under the Hood” actually has time to stop and examine Oliver at all – but when it finally does, is really the material that elevates the episode to all-time status.
Back on the island, Dr. Ivo makes a trade with Oliver and Sarah; he’ll tell them where the cure is, if they end his life for him. After watching Sarah struggle to pull the trigger, Oliver takes the gun and shoots Ivo twice, telling Sarah that killing someone changes you, a change he doesn’t want for her. It’s a distinct difference between his character on the island and in the present, in a post-Huntress, post-pulse world: the Arrow of the present is learning hard lessons in what comes from trying to protect everyone. Laurel finding out his identity is only going to help him in the long run; and while he protected Sarah from killing anyone then, he couldn’t stop anyone from “killing” her just as much as he could prevent her from joining the League of Assassins (where I’m sure she racked up quite a body count). Sometimes, everyone has to make their own choice and live with the consequences: for Quentin, that was sitting in a jail cell for believing in a vigilante – and for Oliver, it’s dealing with the fallout from his decision to kill Slade, rather than try and save him with the Mirakuru cure (which, of the many little “twists” thrown at the audience in this hour, is easily the most effective).
All of this fascinating character material is built around some of the season’s best fight sequences; Deathstroke’s annihilation of Oliver and his team in his lair, Oliver’s discovery of Slade’s army-building machine (which felt very much like Will discovering a death tableaux on Hannibal) and subsequent fight with him and Isabel are some of the most satisfying set pieces of the season. Each time, Oliver gets beaten, ultimately saved by the people around him who he’s trying to protect and keep away – like Diggle, who thinks he’s doing the right thing by killing Isabel (instead, he’s really allowing Deathstroke to turn her into Ravager, who we’ll see a few weeks in “City of Blood”, according to press releases). One thing is clear: the man under the hood is failing alone, and he’ll need the help of everyone (including Roy, and Thea) to survive the physical and psychological traumas awaiting him as the season reaches its climax. And given how well executed this episode was, it should be a fun ride.
Other thoughts/observations:
– Caitlin and Cisco? Try Killer Frost and Vibe (hence the gun). Wonder if we’ll see them again on Arrow, or if they’re strictly Flash material.
– we also get a passing mention of Barry’s girlfriend Iris, who eventually becomes his wife in the comics. Poor Felicity.
– Sisqo: “I define my own cool.”
– Let’s be honest: Laurel staring at a bulletin board of clues was really, really cheesy.
– If you stop to think about, there’s one thing that is really, really silly: Oliver’s father would’ve left his family if Thea didn’t fall off a horse.
— Randy