Arrow: Confessions (7x20)

This was one of the best episodes of Arrow ever!

Cons:

It was a little silly that Roy was the group's best solution to the problem with the Ninth Circle. They said it was because Emiko and the others already knew all their faces, so they needed to bring someone new in. But if that were the case, could they not turn to someone in ARGUS or an undercover cop? It didn't seem to really matter much that Roy was an unknown - they all went in together, and made no attempt to hide their identities. What I'm saying is, I loved seeing Roy, but the justification for getting him here seemed a bit flimsy.

Pros:

Where to start?

This episode seriously surprised me. Usually I'm a good guesser when it comes to twists, but I think I just let myself be in the moment for this one, so the reveals totally took me by surprise. Through most of this episode, I was getting ready to be pretty critical of it. I was so annoyed at the inconsistent, nonsensical characterization of Dinah. Why would she be questioning her team like that? Why would Oliver not have told her the plan? None of it made any sense, and I was getting ready to be frustrated at this apparent retcon of Dinah's development this season. And then? Turns out, she was in on the plan all along, and working with Team Arrow to protect Roy. That was a great twist!

Also, the twist that Roy had died and been resurrected, leading to his blood lust, was a great way to bring this episode around in a surprising and unique way. The first "reveal," that Oliver lies to the police about, is that Emiko is the bad guy who killed the guards. Again, I was about to complain about a rather lackluster conclusion to the story. But then? It's Roy. Of course it's Roy. Instead of Oliver wanting to protect Emiko and then reluctantly giving her up, we have a story of Oliver being willing to throw Emiko under the bus to protect Roy. So much more interesting and clever.

Emiko isn't necessarily an interesting character, but here, I was interested in what she represented for various other characters. Oliver is her older brother, and he has every reason to be emotionally invested in this fight with the Ninth Circle. But it's Rene who we have seen positioned as a potential ally to Emiko, Rene who believed in her and is trying so hard to keep the faith, against all evidence. That makes it all the more powerful in the moment when he and Diggle separate on the mission, as Rene is adamant that he be the one to go after Emiko. We also get the delicious fact that Oliver, who is loyal to his family above all else, is willing to make things worse for Emiko in order to save Roy. We know who he sees as his family - he may feel guilty for what his father did to Emiko, but he's not going to take responsibility for all of her actions just because they share blood.

Sometimes these types of plots can be a little tiresome, where we're seeing the same build-up over and over again, waiting for the reveal, as each character tells their side of the story. This time, it worked really well, because at first I thought Roy had done it, but there would be a good reason - the guards were secretly Ninth Circle members, maybe. Then I thought Oliver had done it, for the same reason, but couldn't tell the police. Then, I was let down by the reveal that it was just Emiko, someone we already know to be pretty evil. And then, back around to the first and most obvious guess, but this time there's the added twist that Roy had given in to blood-lust because he was killed and resurrected. I was kept guessing the whole way through, and it really worked.

I only started reviewing Arrow towards the beginning of this season. If I'd been writing these reviews all along, you would know that Roy Harper is a favorite of mine. I love him a lot, so any chance to see him is always a gift. In particular, I love the way he and Oliver's relationship developed. We don't get a ton of time to explore that dynamic, so you can imagine my utter delight at the scene between them at the end of this episode. Oliver is understandably a bit stern with Roy for not telling them about the Lazarus Pit, but when Roy says he didn't ask Oliver to cover for him, Oliver replies, instantly, that Roy never needs to ask. Roy is a part of the team. Always and forever. I am made of emotion about this.

I'm kind of incredulous that the rest of the team hasn't pieced together that Felicity is pregnant yet, but I'm finding her awkward attempts to hide it to be really endearing, so I don't mind dragging it out. Felicity eating her way through several meals at the police station provided a nice bit of levity to an otherwise serious episode.

And that ending! Oliver crushed inside of the building, nobody able to reach him? And what about John and the others? Was anybody else injured? I'm so excited to see the angst next week.

I think that's all I've got to say for this one - this was a pleasant treat, here towards the end of the season. It's made me realize how much this season has kind of been dragging for me. I hope the next few episodes can capitalize on this momentum!

9/10