Arrow: Lost Canary (7x18)

So... I have a theory, but maybe it's a stupid one, or maybe I'm missing something? Let's discuss.

Cons:

If we look at this episode in a bubble, there was so much to love about it, particularly the main plot with Laurel, Felicity, Dinah, and Sara. But at the same time, there's a tiny little subplot with Oliver and Diggle that is supposed to continue the Emiko story-line, and we get the slightest glimpses of the future plot, with Mia trying to take down the bad guys, and both of these smaller plots really left something to be desired. I honestly think there might just be too much going on this season. I still don't feel satisfied with the number of questions we still have, related to the number of answers we're just barely starting to get.

Okay, my off-the-wall theory, one that I've seen some people float earlier in the season but I never really took seriously? Is the future we've been seeing all this time the future of Earth-2? Reasons why this might be the direction they're going: Laurel says she's going back to Earth-2 at the end of the episode, and unless she decides to come back, maybe she stays and that's why we're seeing her in the future? Also, this would give them an easy-ish way of fixing stuff, by copping out on the full angst of what this future holds. But that's also why it would be pretty stupid if they did this. If we find out that this is just alternate versions of all of our beloved characters, I'll be even more annoyed at the time we spent building up the future timeline, only for nothing to go anywhere satisfying.

I'm not trying to stop Felicity from being a bad-ass here, but it is a touch unrealistic to me that she would put herself in such danger, given that she's pregnant. I get her wanting to help Laurel, I get her running the mission from the bunker. But going in to danger and running from not one, but two different exploding bombs... like... Felicity, what the hell are you playing at?!

Pros:

It is so amazing to see Sara again. I love her. I have enough TV to watch as it is, but I'm always tempted to check out Legends of Tomorrow if only because of that one character. When Sara pokes back in to Arrow, she comes across as a person who has her shit together. It's fun to see her being confident and calm. She's willing to help out Earth-2 Laurel, for her father's sake and also because Felicity asked her to. She manages to save the day, and hopefully helps Laurel find some closure and peace. My favorite Sara moment was definitely her little scene with Felicity, where they flirt and hug. Very precious. Nobody is immune to Sara's charms.

I mentioned that I was a little frustrated by the level of risk Felicity was taking on in this episode, but for the most part I really enjoyed her role here. You could say that her optimism about Laurel is naive or even deadly, but she has a really good point. She reminds Dinah of who she was when they first met her, and how far she's come, but I couldn't help thinking of another obvious example of character growth. While the main plot is staying rightfully focused on the ladies, we've also got Oliver hunting down bad guys to get information on his sister. What's Emiko's crime? Working with bad people to get revenge for the loss of a parent. That's vintage Oliver. It's really important to note that here in the later seasons of the show, Oliver is helping to rescue others from the same poisonous behavior he started out with. Felicity knows that if Oliver could grow and change, if Dinah could... then how can they not give Laurel that same opportunity?

Dinah had an interesting role to play here. There's the temptation to boil down Dinah's character arc this season as one of vigilantes vs. police. We could see her loyalties being pulled one way and then another. But this episode proves that Dinah is up to the task of bridging that gap. Sure, she doesn't trust Laurel, and thinks Felicity is wrong to give her another chance. But instead of Dinah and Felicity betraying each other or trying things behind each other's backs, they still work together, even though they fundamentally disagree about Laurel. This episode reaffirmed Dinah's role leading the SCPD, but at the same time, it gave her back her Canary Cry, as Felicity has found a way to modify Laurel's old collar for Dinah to use. I think in this situation, Dinah truly can have both.

I'm not going to go overboard and claim that this show has achieved peak gender equality. After all, women still make up less than half of the main cast. But I think it's appropriate to praise this show for what it was able to achieve here. Felicity, Dinah, Laurel, Sara, even Mia, and the villain Shadow Thief, are all distinct, separate women with motivations as complex and varied as any of the men on the show. It didn't feel like a stretch to populate this episode almost entirely with women. It didn't feel padded, because the show has put in the legwork to make each of these women a fully realized character.

Of course, I've got to mention how cute Oliver and Felicity were there at the end. Both of these people can have the tendency to be overprotective, so I liked this moment where each of them came back from risky work, and just sat together and drew comfort from each other's presence. Oliver being all sleepy and telling Felicity he would take care of her was honestly so adorable. And that foot rub... so cute! I know that Felicity will be leaving the show after this season's finale, and at this point it's really making me wish we weren't getting a Season Eight. How in the hell are we supposed to have this show without her?

So that's what I've got to say about this one. I loved the Girl Power aspect, and I thought there was a lot to enjoy. But ultimately when you look at how this episode fits in to the larger picture, I'm still left frustrated by the balance of this season as a whole. Just a few episodes left of this season!

7.5/10