Jaw, meet floor. While the final revelation was seen coming a mile away, the one before it was very welcome. It adds comic book sheen to a show that does live-action comic book better than any that have ever come before it. Yes, I say that and stand behind it. Arrow is the best comic book based TV show ever. And I’m a huge fan of the George Reeves Superman series. That should tell you something.
The episode this week was very busy and the status quo was changed forever. Not just in Starling City, but on the Island as well. It was almost as if the producers were getting their affairs in order before the next episode, which finally introduces another member of the fabled Justice League of America in what will hopefully be the first of many more DCU character tie-ins, leading up to the proposed JLA movie in the future. One fanboy can hope.
1. What is it?
Arrow Season 2, episode #207, titled ‘State vs. Queen.’
2. Who’s in it?
Stephen Amell stars as Oliver Queen/Arrow; David Ramsey as John Diggle; Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak; Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance; Colton Haynes as Roy Harper; Willa Holland as Thea Queen; Susanna Thompson as Moira Queen; Manu Bennett as Slade Wilson; Guest stars this week include Celina Jade as Shado; Caity Lotz as Sara; Dylan Neal as Professor Anthony Ivo; Jimmy Jean Louis as The Captain; Kevin Alejandro as Sebastian Blood; Teryl Rothery as Jean Loring; Michael Eklund as The Dollmaker; Dylan Bruce as Adam Donner; Keri Adams as Bethany Snow; Graham Shiels as Cyrus; and Seth Gabel as Count Vertigo
3. Who made it?
‘State vs. Queen’ was written by Marc Guggenheim and Drew Z. Goldberg. The episode was directed by Bethany Rooney.
4. What is it about? (**spoilers galore**)
‘State vs. Queen’ opens six months ago as the undertaking was commencing. As Iron Heights is damaged, Count Vertigo (Gabel), the creator of the dangerous street drug, Vertigo, is able to escape. In a nice little nod, before he escapes, he frees The Dollmaker (Eklund) because he “likes his style.”
Flash forward to present day and the trial of Moira Queen (Thompson) is starting. Diggle (Ramsey) drives Oliver (Amell) to the courthouse, but Ollie sees that Digg looks ill and sends him home. Digg goes to the Arrow Cave and collapses in front of Felicity (Rickards). Felicity is able to determine that Digg is poisoned with Vertigo.
During the trial, ADA Donner (Bruce) also falls ill, and Felicity tries to pinpoint the source of the epidemic. Count Vertigo kidnaps Donner and holds him hostage. From a secret location, he breaks into the local TV broadcasts to let everyone know that they are already addicted to his drug and he is ready and willing to sell them even more.
With Donner down for the count, and Jean Loring (Rothery) obviously being the worst defense attorney in the history of the world, the trial goes on and Laurel (Cassidy) is called upon to finish trying the case, which just screams conflict of interest and she should have been recused, but that’s just me and my limited knowledge of trial law.
Laurel discovers Donner’s trump card and advises Moira not to testify (again, this has to be against the rules). Moira refuses to back down, and during the trial it comes to light that Moira and Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman) had an affair years ago.
Arrow, using clues from Count Vertigo’s TV broadcast, tracks him to his drug lab and Oliver, while rescuing ADA Donner, misses a chance to kill The Count–keeping his self-imposed promise to Tommy’s memory alive.
As Team Arrow tries to figure out Count Vertigo’s method of spreading his drug, Felicity goes on a mission to investigate a van that administers flu shots. She finds the Vertigo and Count Vertigo finds her.
With Felicity in hand, Count Vertigo puts two and two together and discovers Oliver’s secret (at least someone in this show can). As the Queens await the verdict, Count Vertigo calls Oliver and demands that he come to Queen Consolidated. Arrow, hood down and sans eye makeup, goes to Queen Consolidated to confront Count Vertigo. The Count tells Oliver that he has a benefactor and before Count Vertigo can inject Felicity with enough of the drug to kill her, Oliver snaps and sends four arrows into the Counts chest, which sends the drug dealer crashing through the window and down to the street far below.
Felicity is ashamed that she was the reason Oliver had to kill again, and Oliver admits that he would do anything to protect those he cares for.
Back at the courthouse, the verdict is in, and Moira is found not guilty on all counts. The Queens celebrate, though Oliver cannot believe that his mother was found not guilty.
In the Glades, Sebastian Blood (Alejandro)–the mysterious benefactor of Count Vertigo–hears the news and is appalled. His lackey comes to tell him there is progress and he puts on the Brother Blood mask. One of his experiments has survived and he tells Brother Blood that he feels stronger. Brother Blood says that they are ready.
After Moira is processed, she is shuffled out of the courthouse, away from the press and angry residents of the Glades, and her driver takes her to an empty parking lot. There, Malcolm Merlyn appears and kills the driver. A shocked and terrified Moira can’t believe it. Merlyn reveals that he is alive (he is a high-standing member of the League of Assassins, after all), he bought her jury, and that he knows that Thea is his daughter!
On the Island, Oliver leads Ivo, The Captain and Sara to the plane wreckage but it’s empty. Slade and Shado are now loose on the island. Ivo then directs Oliver to take them to the cave with the dead Japanese soldiers. Once there, Ivo is distraught that the mysterious stone/arrowhead is missing. The stone has the location of the missing submarine inscribed in the kanji carved into it. Ollie tells him that Shado has it and before Ivo can make a plan, Slade and an emerald-hooded Shado show up to free Oliver, and in the melee, Oliver grabs Sara as well and all four escape into the jungle. Ivo, angry that The Captain let them get away, shoots him in the head and makes the next guy in line Captain, ala Darth Vader in Empire Strikes Back. As if this show needed that kind of nod to be awesome!
5. Any revelations, tie-ins, easter eggs, etc.? (**SPOILER!**)
Revelations? How about MALCOLM-FRIGGIN-MERLYN back from the dead and back in Starling City?!?! We know he’s tied to the League of Shadows, and the first season made him one of the best, baddest members of the mysterious shadow group, so it goes to reason that maybe Talia Al Ghul would use the Lazarus Pit on him to bring him back (this is purely conjecture–and hope–on my part).
This is Arrow really playing its comic book roots card. In comics, death is only temporary, and seeing Arrow/Oliver’s greatest nemesis (arguably in the comics as well) back and healthy is cause for excitement. Speaking of death, the subject of Brother Blood’s experiments is revealed to be Cyrus Gold (Shiels), who will one day die and come back as SOLOMON GRUNDY!
Oh how I love this show.
As for the last “shock,” I saw it coming when the affair was first brought to light, so I wasn’t affected by it as much as most. Still, excellent way to close an episode
6. Will we watch next week?
Yes. Arrow takes a week off, but comes back on December 4th for the most anticipated episode in its young history. The preview made me giddy. I can even look past that Grant Gustin looks like he’s 13 years old. It’s Barry Allen and he’s going to be Flash!
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Enjoy your day of thanks next week and we’ll be back in two for more Arrow goodness!
