‘Arrow’ Season 5 Premiere: An All-New Team Arrow?
Warning: This recap for the “Legacy” episode of Arrow contains spoilers.
Arrow is back and looks like it’s aiming to be lean and mean — ditching the magical elements of last season and focusing on the straightforward action and moral struggle of playboy turned killer trying to do right by his family and city. How long they keep things that way before Flash, Supergirl, and the Legends send things topsy-turvy remains to be seen, but if you like your Arrow grounded, this is the season premiere for you.
The Plot
Oliver splits his time between being Green Arrow and mayor of Star City. He runs into another vigilante, Wild Dog (Rick Gonzalez) while taking down Lonnie Machin (Alexander Calvert). Felicity thinks Oliver should recruit him and has a list of other amateur vigilantes as well. Instead, he picks up a relapsing Quentin who brings him the last four uncorrupted cops in Star City to face down Tobias Church (Chad L. Coleman) who kidnaps Oliver and other city leaders during a statue ceremony dedicated to Black Canary. Thea is forced back into the Speedy costume to rescue her brother and they return to save the remaining kidnapped politicians, though Church escapes.
The Flashback
Oliver is in Russia to repay his debt to Taiana by killing Kovar, the crime boss who ran her hometown of Krasnoyarsk. He kills a pit fighter and is about to be killed in return, but he’s saved by an old friend, Anatoly (David Nykl). Anatoly says the only way to get to Kovar is to get initiated into the Bratva gang, which apparently involves many more beatings.
A New Team?
“It’s called not being in denial. You really should give it a try.” By the end of the episode, Oliver is ready to accept that — even if the old team eventually reforms — it’s not getting back together anytime soon. So who are the new recruits?
Artemis / Evelyn Sharp (Madison McLaughlin): She was the fake Black Canary for a little while last season; now she’s back with a new name.
Wild Dog / Rene Ramirez: The hockey masked guy Curtis is looking for when he gets jumped. In the comics, his weapons are a submachine gun and a pair of shock gloves; hopefully, this new version will feel a little less vintage ’80s.
Vigilante / Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra): Otherwise known as “Mr. Ski Goggles”, he’s only seen briefly on Felicity’s Board o’ Newbies (still workshopping that name).
Rory Regan / Ragman (Joe Dinicol): The mysterious figure who attacks one of Oliver’s Anti-Crime Initiative officers. The comic version has mystic roots, so the show may not have left magic behind completely (maybe we’ll get a reappearance of John Constantine?).
Curtis Holt / Mr. Terrific: Looks like we’ll finally get to see his T-Spheres!
The Old Team
It didn’t take much to bring Quentin back into the fold. He’ll probably be a lot more fun helping in the Arrow Bunker than having his hands tied by police procedure. Thea definitely seems happy trying to be a normal assistant mayor, though. Is Oliver right to try and drag her back in? Diggle’s headspace is understandable: He looks like he’s running from the guilt of killing his brother. But maybe Thea deserves a chance at a normal life?
Is Romance Dead?
Apparently Felicity has a new man. That sound you hear is tens of thousands of #olicity fans posting death threats via Tumblr, but at least they’re used to obstacles being thrown in their way with almost indiscriminate glee by the writers. Should we even bother to learn this new guy’s name? He’ll probably be gone by episode 6 anyway. What comes as more of a shock is the that #smoaknlance is no more. Do you think it’s a permanent thing? Or are they just keeping them apart so the reunion is all the sweeter?
Quiverful of Thoughts
*Mayor Handsome isn’t the most creative name, but at least it’s not Mr. Ski Goggles or, even worse, Vigilante.
Line of the Night: “You wanna cover up this beautiful face with a mask? Paul Blackthorne is a treasure.
Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
