Not too shabby of an episode.

There were a couple of interesting things happening there… 

First off, Evelyn takes on a bigger role—stepping out from the background and moving into the foreground of the recruits. 

Up until this episode, the “stronger” personalities of the other team members sort of kept Artemis as an afterthought.  But some of the events in the episode seemed to propel her to the focal point of the episode. 

Which, actually, I had mixed feelings about and I’m curious to know what you guys think.  Let me explain…    

I’ve said in the past that I found the recruits a little “soft” when it came to the training methods of Ollie—both mentally and physically.  They won me over a bit the past few episodes, but tonight kind of had them looking like stereotypical TV twentysomethings who pout if something doesn’t go their way.

Take a look at their reactions when they discover Oliver and John didn’t fill them in right away about Prometheus.  Then when Oliver’s “kill book” is discovered, the division between the recruits and Oliver and John widens.  Even after Oliver explains himself and John backs him up, the recruits are still angry—most notably Artemis.  The mistrust they feel with Oliver comes out even more when the young guns meet up privately to talk about the situation, with Artemis walking away unsure if she can continue working with Oliver because he’s a killer in her mind.  The tension continues when Artemis and Oliver talk before heading out to protect Prometheus’ potential next victims.

Obviously, by the end of the episode, we see Oliver and Artemis get on the same page with a heart-to-heart talk, but it has me wondering: Will it last?  How long will we go this time before the recruits find something new to not agree with?  I mean, I don’t want my hero protégé(s) to be mindless robots and drink the Kool-Aid of whatever the master tells them. However, I think a little trust that the master knows what he/she is doing is important.  Sometimes, the recruits won’t know everything going on and they shouldn’t.  Many times it’s for their own good or safety.

That’s my two cents on that. You may disagree, but I just think if this thing is going to work, the recruits will have to put aside their petty anger and start trusting Oliver and John.

Since Artemis stood out in this episode, I think it would be good to delve a bit into her history.

There have been a couple of women who have used the Artemis name over time in the DCU.  One was a fierce Amazonian warrior.  Another was a deadly archer in Darkseid’s Female Furies.  Artemis Crock was another one.  The most recent incarnation of Artemis Crock is the fan-favorite, arrow-slinging crusader in the animated series Young Justice.  Evelyn, the Artemis we see in Arrow, is most closely aligned with this version.  Both characters are quick and strong hand-to-hand combatants who operate as skilled marksmen—err, markswomen—with a bow and arrow.

Needless to say, these skills were on display when she went toe-to-toe with Prometheus and did a good job of holding her own. So, it’s never a bad thing to have an expert archer or two on your team.  Nice work to Oliver for recruiting her.  

Of course, I couldn’t write about tonight’s episode and not mention two of the sweetest words known to man…

Dolph Lundgren.

I’ve told you guys before that DC keeps a pretty tight lid on things and I try to avoid the Internet and social media because of the obvious spoilers those tend to bring.  So, when I saw Dolph on the screen tonight, I was pretty pumped! 

The guy is bad to the bone and I’ve always liked him in his “tough guy” roles.  He’s perfect playing the strong villain of Eastern European background.  I like his approach to the role so far.  He looks to be playing this sort of cold and cool, but calculated guy.  He seems like he’s a viper—you never know when he’ll strike.  He keeps a calm demeanor, but there’s an underlying meanness there that keeps you on your toes.  Basically, even though screen time has been pretty short so far, you know he can take care of business when he needs to.  I think he’ll help add some intrigue and interest to this season’s Russian flashbacks. 

Until next episode—where my gut tells me there will be some good action (and more Dolph)!

Cheers,
Matt

Matt Ross covers Arrow as a part of the #DCTV Couch Club. Catch new episodes of Arrow Tuesdays at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. CST) on The CW.