The team find themselves on the run in the wake of last week’s Arrow. Following on from the Mayor’s murder, Oliver desperately tries to stop Ra’s al Ghul whilst running from the police.
One of the great things about Arrow is that it can adapt itself to a different story-line format. This week has a very thriller feel to it. Oliver and his team find themselves now relentlessly pursued by Captain Lance and the Starling City Police, with shoot to kill orders in effect.
Meanwhile Felicity stays at Ray Palmer’s side in the hospital. During the attack on the mayor, Ray took an arrow for Felicity. Unfortunately for Ray, his only options for a recovery involve his untested nano-machines that the doctors are understandably unwilling to use. We find ourselves in another situation where Felicity’s love is in question. With all the build up for her and Ray, having her mum note that Oliver makes her eyes light up feels like re-treading old ground.
Ray’s subplot seems a tad unnecessary, given how a large portion of his season 3 moments have led him to him becoming the A.T.O.M. Given the strong likelihood of him appearing in spin-off materials, killing him at this point in the show would be foolish. Also his charm is starting to wear a bit thin, as we’ve never properly seen him lose his cool or indeed take part in any overtly serious scenes.
As noted above, Felicity’s mother makes a random reappearance that again, has little bearing on the episode but is nice for the sake of continuity. While her involvement boils down to convincing Felicity to use Ray’s nano-tech, there’s a good chance that could have happened in so many other ways. That said, she is a fun character to watch, but with things building to a season finale it might not be a good time for her brand of humour.
There’s goodness to be found in flashbacks this week. With Oliver finding out that Shado had a twin sister, his running from A.R.G.U.S mirrors his present situation. Oliver learns that telling the truth to Mei, Shado’s sister, can often do more good than harm.
Ra’s decides to play hard ball this week. Furthering his campaign to obliterate everything in Oliver’s world, he tells Captain Lance who Arrow really is. Captain Lance is clearly a conflicted man this week, and steals most of the scenes with a sterling performance. The final scene between him and Oliver is an unmatched moment of drama, with the Captain even pointing out how things have come full circle.
This episode is not without action. Public Enemy features an utterly thrilling chase sequence where Oliver, Laurel and Roy try to escape a from a trap set by Ra’s. While there’s little fighting it out, it’s the chase itself that provides wire-thin tension as the audience is left wondering if any of the heroes will be caught.
The only slightly weak point is the overall ending. Roy, in a bid to make amends for his past actions, presents himself as the real Arrow and is promptly arrested. I’m pretty sure that even with this action that Oliver would not avoid prison himself as he already made a deal with the police and turned himself in.
With a few episodes left this season, this episode has an oddly penultimate feel to it. Probably because the situation Team Arrow finds itself in now is irreversible. Oliver’s identity or at least involvement with the Arrow is now public knowledge. His associates are now all known to the police, and Captain Lance isn’t backing down from it.
Is Oliver off the hook for being the Arrow? What will happen when Roy ends up in prison with a lot of people he put away? Let us know what you think in the comments below…
