Broken Dolls was an episode that took me on an emotional rollercoaster. Overall it was kind of a slow episode as it dealt us the cliché serial killer storyline, a buddy cop story, and a redemption story. After the crazy cliffhanger last week the episode picks right up where it left off. Ollie has been ambushed by Laurel and there is no escape. Well until Black Canary comes out of no-where and activates a sonic device that shatters glass and probably some cops’ eardrums. We at least now understand how Canary’s power would be translated into the real world of Arrow, and it’s not so bad. So Oliver is free and the story begins.
Officer Lance learns that old nemesis of his, a serial killer named Barton Mathus has escaped Iron Heights prison. Mathus’ MO is that he kidnaps young women and kills them by suffocating them with a liquid that hardens once it is forced down their throat. A very creepy episode as Mathus seems to escape every attempt to capture him. Even when Lance and The Arrow team up and try to stop Mathus, the storyline totally changes and it becomes the Officer Lance show, or The Arrow and his sidekick. Comical at times, it is interesting to see these two working together after Lance’s personal vendetta against him last season. So Felicity decides that its a good idea to use herself as bait which backfires and Mathus gets away. Pissed off, Mathus’ decides to go on the offensive and kidnaps both Lance and Laurel and off course Ollie saves them both, which leads to Laurel realizing that The Arrow is a good guy and that Tommy’s death is all her fault. Maybe they can move past the Tommy storyline soon, now that Laurel finally gets it. I’m not really sure what her function on the show is anymore, now that there is a Black Canary.
The island was a crazy sequence of events which ends in the bombardment of the island and Ollie and Slade almost getting blown up because Ollie ran to save Shado. Unfortunately Ollie did not heed Slade’s warning of not becoming attached and letting emotions get in the way. Last scene of the show is Ollie in a prison cell on the ship, the last we saw of Slade was him on fire I’m pretty sure. I wonder where this one is going.
But the best thing that happened this episode and totally made up for any of the lows of the episode was the introduction of Ra’s Al Ghul. Basically out of left field, a character appears at Black Canary’s hideout, in the shadows looking like the Dark Archer, yet some random guy who delivers a message from the leader of the League of Assassins, “Ra’s Al Ghul has ordered your return.”. So the upcoming fifth episode, The Demon’s Head, well I am now more than excited now to see it. And why was Black Canary working with the LOA?! I’ll try not to drop too many spoilers, especially to those of you who don’t know her secret identity. So far, I would say that this show is not playing around, and that we have some really great episodes ahead of us!
Arrow S2E4 “Crucible“
Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8pmEST on the CW!
Stay tooned 😛
~CynicNerd
