ARROW's Girlfriends Don't Play Nice

Episode 117 “The Huntress Returns”

[photos: Jack Rowand/CW]

In an earlier recap of Arrow, I said Ollie would name his bar the “Black Canary”. OK, so I was wrong. But it’s a better name than “Verdant” — even though, yeah, OK, it’s green.

And apparently there’s a strip club in Starling City that doesn’t have very good security, as Helena Bertinelli manages to walk in with a crossbow and get the drop on her father’s lawyer. Hm. Where did she hide it?

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

At least it’s a step towards the traditional Huntress outfit, even though this show’s world doesn’t embrace the idea of masks much…

This is one of those episodes that serves to alter the status quo a bit. Namely, this time around, we get a reset for Tommy and a send-off for Oliver’s girlfriend of the week. Well, girlfriend of the arc, I guess you could say.

Helena is back in Starling City because her father made a plea bargain to testify against his homies in exchange for witness protection. Which means new identity, new life, new everything that Helena feels he doesn’t deserve because he killed her boyfriend. Now, she’s probably justified feeling the way she does, but she’s not justified in acting on it with murder, is she? And I’m not sure how I feel about this particular portrayal of Huntress as a cold-blooded murderer. Yes, in the comics she’s sometimes gone over the top and bent (broken) some rules, but this is a little too violent even for this character. I have a hard time buying that she’s the yin to Ollie’s yang when it comes to deciding who lives and who dies. Oliver’s argument that he metes out justice instead of revenge rings just a little too hollow for me, given how often he’s killed — no matter if the thugs deserved it or not.

Oliver agrees to help her only because she very nearly breaks Tommy’s arm after dragging him down to the Arrow Cave on opening night for Verdant. She’s out of control, like… lots… and everyone can see it except Oliver. Because why? We all know right now he’s got a thing for McKenna Hall (who is just a place-holder, we also know), and Helena’s a loose cannon who can completely ruin the whole Hood/Green Arrow shtick. So.. uhm. Why not just make it easy for the cops to get her?

Well, they actually do, when they set up a trap for both the Hood Guy and Huntress, only they just manage to catch her. And even when she gives up the name of the Hood Guy, she does it in a way that makes it seem as if all she’s doing is taunting Detective Hall. Helena just twists the knife in with her “he’s using you” spiel — right before Oliver (one guy with no powers) manages to snuff out the power and sneak past how many cops? to get Helena out.

And what does he get for his trouble? Does she take the plane ticket to Rome? No. She forces Oracle Felicity to hack the FBI database to locate Mr. Bertinelli.

Big shoot-em-up at the safe house, with Huntress dropping everyone like flies — even the highly-trained federal agent behind her – who manages to miss every single shot aimed at her back? Wha-huh? Really? Sometimes we use comic book logic on this show. Have to remember that.

Apply it to Helena’s ability to catch Oliver’s arrow, too. Yeah, she says she’s been practicing. Which begs the question: with whom? Where has she been that she’s found someone willing to shoot arrows at her so she’s prepared for this one confrontation?

In the end, she gets away — but only because she shoots McKenna with a shotgun, forcing the cop to retire to her sister’s place in Coast City for a year-plus in rehab. Come on, we knew the relationship wasn’t going to last. It was just a question of when.

Flashback was filler this week, unless it’s leading to something spectacular, but it’s probably not.

And the B-story: The Lance Family Band gives us just a little peek into the relationship dynamic between the detective and the lady. And the whole time Paul Blackthorne is chewing scenery and Alex Kingston is looking pained and troubled, I just wanted to hear him call her “Dinah” — just once. To acknowledge to the audience that yes, this is Black Canary. Dinah Drake Lance, the first fishnet heroine. Just once. And he hasn’t yet.

But he’s willing to look at the pile of research she’s got to show that there’s a chance Sarah could still be alive.

So, Oliver’s free again. Tommy gets a taste of having to keep a secret and gives Oliver a little bit of a pass. We got a Huntress/Oracle scene, and we’re one step closer to Black Canary.

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[Official Show Site at CW]     [Previous Recap: “Dead to Rights”]