Arrow: Training Day (7x15)

I am of course delighted by Oliver and Felicity being all cute and excited about their baby. In fact, there were tons of things about this episode that I really adored, but when you look at it as a whole, there are some problems to discuss.

Cons:

First off, we learn in this episode that it was likely Emiko Queen who killed Diaz in his cell. Laurel is on the hunt and threatens to tell Oliver and crew about Emiko. I just... don't care that much about this. This plot thread honestly reveals one of the more fundamental problems with this season. Diaz was supposed to be this horrible threat, and then this season he's just been kind of... around, for no good reason. Last week, his death was practically an afterthought, and the fact that Emiko killed him doesn't really intrigue me all that much. I think part of the problem is that Emiko has felt so disconnected from the main story of the season. Her existence feels like an afterthought. Oliver spends this episode talking about protecting his family with Felicity, seemingly completely forgetting that he has this new sister that he's supposed to be cultivating a relationship with.

The main tension of this episode is SCPD vs. Vigilantes. Rene, Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle are all put through training to be official SCPD deputies, but wouldn't you know it, their styles clash and things go poorly out on the field. I really wanted to enjoy a story exploring the tensions and complicated situation going on here. Instead, I feel like both sides came across really stupid in this instance. If the SCPD is going to make Team Arrow wear police uniforms, use standard-issue equipment, and take all orders from the cops, then... what's the point of having them at all? They made absolutely no concession to the special circumstances that got them in this position in the first place. But on the flip side of that, Oliver and Felicity going after Midas on their own was idiotic. Yeah, they got results, but since Oliver is working under the auspices of the law, supposedly, an admission of guilt under threat of torture isn't exactly likely to hold up. Obviously. Instead of this conflict feeling like two interesting sides of a complicated debate, it felt instead like two groups of childish idiots unwilling to budge an inch. Frustrating.

Pros:

This episode is going to be a difficult one to grade, because I found the premise itself so dull and annoying, but there were moments aplenty that I totally adored.

First of all, I like seeing the camaraderie between Rene and Dinah. I'm missing the trio with Curtis, but it's nice to see that friendship still featured. Dinah is struggling, because her recent injury has deprived her of her Canary Cry. Her identity is important to her, and she's coming to realize that being an SCPD captain is all she has left. Rene and the others help her to realize that she's the Black Canary, with or without the super power. I like Dinah. She's an interesting character who sometimes doesn't have a lot to do, so I liked focusing on her sense of self here.

The big draw of this episode for me was Felicity and Oliver being adorable. Oliver is determined to make the city a safe place to raise their kid. He tries to toe the line with the SCPD, but quickly gets impatient and wants to save the day in his own way. Felicity is kicking ass as always, using incredibly fancy tech to save the day, while dealing with nausea and pregnancy cravings.

The highlight of the episode for me was definitely when John found out about the pregnancy. It was just Original Team Arrow, and Diggle was so excited and happy for them. Later, he gives Felicity some ginger candies that helped Lyla with her nausea when she was pregnant. He's such a considerate friend. I also love how Felicity tells John, and then says "we're not telling people." I know technically Laurel already knows too, but John is the first person that Felicity and Oliver chose to tell, and that's just precious to me for obvious reasons.

We see Oliver and Felicity picking out baby names, and my eyes immediately started watering when Oliver said he liked "Mia" for a girl, and Felicity said immediately "short for Moira." That's the cutest thing I've ever heard. It hadn't occurred to me that Mia was named for her grandmother, and the fact that Felicity and Oliver were on the same page about the name right away was just so, so, sweet.

I'll admit that seeing Mia and William work together is somewhat touching. I will continue to lodge my complaint that the flash-forward material is moving too slowly, and that I want more answers so I can more concretely judge how I feel about this season as a whole. But for what we got, I'm really enjoying it. They make a good team, and I like that they are united through love of Felicity, even though they have such different experiences with her. There was this lovely moment when William said that Mia had just reminded William of their dad. Obviously we still don't know what happened to Oliver, but it's clear by this point that Mia wasn't raised by her dad. I'm reluctantly intrigued.

So that's that on that. It looks like Arrow will be wrapping up after a shortened Season Eight. As much as I've loved watching this show, I'll admit that it might be time for the gang to wrap things up.

6/10