The CW's Arrow - Episode 2.20 Seeing Red
The mirakuru sends Roy into an uncontrollable rage and he unleashes on the city. Oliver must figure out a way to stop him. Things get more complicated after Sara thinks the only way to stop him is to kill him. Thea goes on camera at Moira's campaign rally to lure him to Verdant. Her ploy works but after Roy attacks her, Team Arrow unleashes on him.
At one point during "Seeing Red," Oliver talks about finding hope out of life again. When he returned from the island, he was of a singular mindset - to kill those responsible for his father's crimes. Over time, he has made connections that helped him see the light in the world again. First came Diggle and then came Felicity. Now, he's got Sara and Roy on his team. Slade is one big opponent but with all these people willing to help him, life doesn't seem completely bleak.And Oliver remains hopeful that they can get to Roy and snap him out of his new hulked out nature. He knows Roy and that he wouldn't go down without putting up a fight. Sara shares so much in common with Oliver. And yet, she's still largely closed off from the world. She has this intimate connection with Oliver. But she hasn't opened herself up to anyone else in life. She really would have killed Roy in order to stop him from killing anyone else. Thea couldn't get through to him. So in her mind, that was it. Kill him now before he becomes an even bigger threat. Sin and Oliver prove that there was another solution to their problem. They still are waiting on a cure to come. Roy is knocked out but there's no way of knowing when he'll come to again or what state he'll be in. The mirakura is slowly destroying him. It's gonna be hard for the show to reintroduce him to society without having some kind of repercussions for him to deal with. But the hope remains that Roy can go back to the guy he once was.
Moira too is hopeful that she can repair the relationships with her children. That's the cornerstone of her campaign. The angle that she is better at than Sebastian Blood. She's willing to give everything up with the election in order to be there for Thea and Oliver. She's trying to be a better person and starts revealing the truth to her children.
But the war with Slade just keeps getting worse and worse for Oliver. That closing act just emotionally hits you so hard. Moira and Thea may not always work on the show - or sometimes the show just doesn't know how to use them. But they hold a significant amount of importance to Oliver. He does have Team Arrow. But those two are his family. Losing them would be one of the most devastating things to ever happen to him. That pain is so vividly painted across his face as Slade forces him to choose which one lives and which one dies in the same exact way Ivo made him choose between Sara and Shado. It's wonderful poetic symmetry that gets even more importance once Moira stands up to face Slade. For all her words about doing what's necessary for her children, this action alone proves just how far her love goes.
Some more thoughts:
- "Seeing Red" was written by Wendy Mericle & Beth Schwartz and directed by Doug Aarniokoski.
- Loved the little back and forth between Diggle and Thea. That's an odd pairing that just works for some reason.
- Those flashbacks were just odd. They're purely setting something up for payoff later. But that's the exact opposite of what the rest of the episode was trying to do.
- Guesses on who Sara is off to see? I'm thinking someone from the League of Assassins.
- Moira knowing Oliver's secret for the past year makes her seem that much more aware but it also started the writing on the wall for that character. It was a wonderful and dramatic sendoff for her. It brings an end to the weird election story. Now, I assume Blood will just take over the town with his army. But it's also going to re-energize all the characters that much more in their pursuit for Slade which is great momentum going into the final episodes of the season.
