Arrow - Midnight City - Review

Arrow, “Midnight City,” was written by the team of Wendy Mericle and Ben Sokolowski and was directed by Nick Copus. This episode marks a real shift in the dynamic of the show while still underscoring the themes that have made the show great from its first episode. It almost feels like when Oliver (Stephen Amell) rose from the metaphorical ashes last week, the other characters also had to have part of themselves burned away to become something more, something better.

The theme of family, what one will do for them, what constitutes family, and how a family makes you stronger runs through every element of this episode. What makes this a new beginning is that the characters are moving beyond death. They are moving beyond exacting revenge or avenging the dead to protecting the living, the family they have left.

In the flashbacks, we see that Maseo (Karl Yune) is willing to risk the lives of thousands in order to save Tatsu (Rila Fukushima). He tells Oliver that there’s nothing that he wouldn’t do for his family. Meanwhile, we are still being taunted with what happened to drive Maseo and Tatsu so far apart. Tatsu tells Oliver that “the line between grief and guilt is a thin one” and Maseo still blames himself for whatever happened. We can only surmise that it may have been their son’s death. Tatsu draws a distinction between Maseo and Sarab – the persona he’s adopted. Indeed, it is both grief and guilt that push the other characters to avenge the loved ones they’ve lost.

Brick (Vinnie Jones) attacks the meeting between the aldermen, mayor (Christina Cox), Ray (Brandon Routh), and Quentin (Paul Blackthorne). Brick manages to get the aldermen, but Laurel (Katie Cassidy) manages to save the mayor – AND nail one of the criminals hands to the wall with her stiletto heel before punching him out! On the other side of the room, Ray jumps in front of Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards), and he and Quentin take out another of the henchmen. Ray turns to Felicity and says “that’s why I need a techno-suit!” Honestly, he has the best lines!

Afterwards, Felicity takes care of Ray. She asks him if he’s ok because she assumes he’ll be shaken up by memories of the gunmen who killed Anna. Ray admits that at first he thought of Anna, but then just wanted to protect Felicity. He then concedes that Felicity was right about him wanting to avenge Anna’s death when he started working on the suit, but now all he wants to do is protect the people he cares about – protect her.

Laurel manages to get a location out of the guy she nailed with her heel. I loved the scene as she uses her lawyer-smarts to get him to talk – she doesn’t have to resort to physical means. Unfortunately, the entire plan goes badly, resulting in an alderman’s death rather than saving the three captives. I really, really like that we see Laurel in the field three times in this episode and she gets hurt two of those times. They really are making her pay her dues. I especially liked in this scene when she jumps down onto the van it is completely ungainly and she lands in a heap – not lightly on her feet like a cat.

Laurel is watching the news afterwards and is devastated by the fact that they got the one alderman killed – retribution for Roy (Colton Haynes) shooting Brick with an arrow. Felicity shows up to check on her. Both Rickards and Cassidy are fantastic in this scene. Laurel tells Felicity she’s not going to have to talk sense into her because she’s realized on her own that she’s not strong enough to fight for Sara. But Felicity surprises her. She tells Laurel that maybe they’ve been doing it all wrong, fighting for the ones who are gone rather than fighting for the ones who are still with them. The two give each other strength. And that’s one of the big themes in the episode – we are stronger together, stronger as family, and family doesn’t have to be blood.

Roy is also feeling guilty about the Alderman getting killed. Diggle (David Ramsey) tells him it’s not on him but that it’s on Brick. Then he shares the after drink tradition. Roy muses that Felicity was right. They can’t do “this” without Oliver. But Felicity and Laurel arrive at that moment and Felicity says she was wrong. But she also clarifies: “I was wrong when I said Oliver’s mission was over because it’s not. It’s not just Oliver’s mission, it’s ours.” And when they work together, they get the aldermen out!

Ray and Felicity are simply adorkable – I know this may enrage the Olicity fans, but it’s true. Routh and Rickards do have chemistry – I loved when she asks if he’s talking about the city and he says no, he cares about her. But their best scene is when Felicity sticks her head in his meeting and then asks to borrow his helicopter. Their banter is priceless! In the end, Felicity does fix the chip for Ray’s suit because she realizes that with her help, it might just not be a suicide mission. She helps him to keep him safe – or at least safe-er.

The theme of protecting the family we have left has been behind Laurel’s refusal to break the news of Sara’s death to Quentin. It was great to see Paul Blackthorne back – even in a still somewhat limited capacity – as we’ve seen so little of him lately. Laurel had to know that once reports of the Canary being back in town started to surface that Quentin would wonder why Sara hadn’t called or stopped by. I thought it a bit funny that it’s Felicity and not Laurel to check on Quentin’s heart after the attack at the mayor’s office. And really, if he can withstand that kind of stress, would news of Sara’s death actually kill him? With Felicity’s help, Laurel is able to talk for Sara using a program to changer her voice to Sara’s. It’s heartbreaking as she is in tears pretending to be her dead sister. Cassidy really delivers a terrific performance throughout the episode.

It’s also nice to see that Laurel isn’t just instantly a great fighter. She doesn’t win any of her fights definitively and really only gets away from Brick the last time by fighting dirty and kicking him in the groin – she’s also helped by his being a bit squeamish about hitting girls. I did love her jumping out the window onto the ladder – having to trust her team, her new family, completely. Vinnie Jones is doing a fantastic job as Brick. I loved him quoting Shakespeare and taking the Glades hostage. It's also nice to have a villain that we get to see for a few episodes, so he actually gets fleshed out as a bit of a credible threat.

Thea (Willa Holland) is also dealing with family. Malcolm (John Barrowman – who continues to be a revelation in this part) insists that they must leave town. Thea, however, insists that he tell her the truth about why they have to leave. Malcolm tells her a version of the truth. He tells her about the vendetta that Ra’s al Ghul (Matt Nable) has for Malcolm and his family because of The Undertaking. He still doesn’t tell her about Oliver, however. I also liked that Malcolm rejected Roy for not being family, but Roy knows Thea better than Malcolm in this instance. He knows Thea is smart and stubborn and won’t quit until she gets the truth. In the end, Thea may have surpassed the teacher. She tells Malcolm that she’s not afraid of Ra’s and he should be either. Rather, Ra’s should be afraid of them!

The episode contained one final surprise. Creepy DJ Chase (Austin Butler) was giving off creepy vibes for a reason. He’s reporting to Sarab who is reporting to Ra’s! Tatsu tells Oliver that he survived because of the cold and because of his will to live as much as because of her herbs and treatments. But is it possible that Ra’s never intended to kill Oliver? I’m curious to see how this will play out.

The episode had a number of fight scenes. As I’ve already said, I like that they aren’t having Laurel look smooth and polished. However, the fight scenes themselves were a bit choppy and fragmented for my taste. The fight in the China White’s (Kelly Hu) bar, for instance, was so fragmented it was almost hard to make sense of it. Longer shots please! This stunt team doesn’t need smoke and mirrors to look good!

What did you think of the episode? Do you think the team will be able to carry on without Oliver? Do they need a clear leader? Do you think Felicity is going to introduce Ray to the rest of the team? What happens when Oliver gets back? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

About the Author - Lisa Macklem

I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Forever, Defiance, Bitten, Glee, and a few others! Highlights of this past year include covering San Diego Comic Con as press and a set visit to Bitten. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.