Arrow - Suicidal Tendencies - Review

Arrow, “Suicidal Tendencies,” was written by Keto Shimizu and was directed by Jesse Warn. The episode features the return of the Suicide Squad and the flashbacks in the episode focus on Deadshot/Floyd Lawton (Michael Rowe). The episode also features Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson) and Diggle’s (David Ramsey) wedding. It’s an interesting episode that manages to examine whether a hero can still have a family in each of its narrative threads.

As the episode opens, Oliver (Stephen Amell) is late for the wedding – or at least late for his duties as best man. Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) shows up with her plus one – Ray (Brandon Routh). Oliver is clearly hurting over losing her, but just keeps being faced with Ray saving the day. I loved when Diggle shakes Ray’s hand on being introduced and leans in to say, “You hurt her, they’ll never find your body.”

Lyla calls to say that her friend who was supposed to marry them has been suddenly deployed. Ray, of course, is a minister and offers to perform the ceremony. Naturally, he’s sweet and funny and does a great job. Lyla and Diggle’s vows were perfect. Short, to the point, and not too sappy. Meanwhile, Oliver watches as Felicity only has eyes for Ray, who has the entire wedding eating out of his hand.

Laurel (Katie Cassidy) is there in a cast. She tells Oliver she has a new trainer and she’s enthusiastic. She doesn’t tell him who she is. Felicity, of course, catches the bouquet. Anybody else notice that the bouquet seems to have taken over the fern’s place in the lair? Oliver asks Felicity if she’s happy, and she says she is. Oliver tells her all he ever wanted was for her to be happy: “You deserve a good guy and a normal life.” And then, they all get the same alert about the Arrow killing people. So much for the wedding.

Regrouping at the lair, they all agree that it’s Ra’s and the League trying to force Oliver’s hand. Oliver insists that Diggle and Lyla continue on to their honeymoon. However, that isn’t meant to be as Deadshot is waiting in the limo for them. Waller (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) needs Lyla to lead Task Force X on a mission to save Senator Cray (Stephen Culp) who’s been taken hostage at a hospital he was helping fund in Kasnia. Diggle refuses to let his bride go off without him. The only other member of the team is Cupid (Amy Gumenick), who is just as crazy as ever.

The mission goes sideways when it turns out the Senator planned the whole thing with mercenaries to make himself look like a hero. Culp is terrific as he usually is. I’m hoping we will see more of the Senator in the future. It’s a nice ironic twist to the others who really are heroes. The four on the mission provide an interesting contrast to the question of whether you can have a family and be a hero.

In flashbacks, we see Deadshot return from deployment with a serious case of PTSD. The little girl playing his daughter, Audrey Wise Alvarex, was terrific. His wife finally is forced to call the cops on him, landing him in jail with a restraining order. It’s at that point that HIVE approaches him and enlists him as an assassin with Andrew Diggle as his first target. In the end, if he can’t have his family, he prefers to at least die a hero’s death.

Lyla and Diggle begin the mission thinking that they can have a family and be heroes. Cupid is full of questions about the wedding, and when Diggle asks her if she’s seeing anyone because she’s clearly planning her own wedding, she says the Arrow. I loved Diggle rolling his eyes at her answer. Deadshot says you can’t do what they do and have a family. Lyla insists that family makes you stronger, while Deadshot insists they’re just a distraction: “Love is a bullet in the brain.”

                                                                                        Deadshot proves he's a hero several times, not least of which by saving Cupid. She immediately fixates on him as her new love. It's a great scene as Diggle tries to patch Deadshot up only to come face to face with the tattoo of his brother's name.

By the end of the episode, both Lyla and Diggle realize that they’ve risked making Sara an orphan. When Lyla tries to set the record straight about the Senator paying off the hostages, she’s blocked by Waller, and that’s the last straw. She quits ARGUS. Diggle is ready to quit team Arrow, but Lyla insists that he’s been doing good work with Oliver. Diggle tries to insist that Lyla shouldn’t give up her work because she’s so good at what she does and enjoys it, but she is resolute because she doesn’t feel what she’s been doing is good.

There’s been a lot of speculation about why they killed Deadshot (apparently – remember, no body, no death). Marc Guggenheim seemed to indicate that they were not given a green light to continue with the character from DC who, many have speculated, want the character for the Suicide Squad movie. With Lyla out of ARGUS, it would seem this is the last we will see of the Suicide Squad. I have to say that I found Cupid pretty annoying in this episode. She had some good moves fighting, but a bow and arrow against automatic weapons? And her posing to shoot? Really? I suspect she will likely make another appearance on the show but perhaps not as part of ARGUS.

Meanwhile, in Starling City, the group tries to put a stop to the “fake” arrow. Ray stuns Felicity in the press conference by saying that the Arrow needs to be apprehended. I loved the press conference with Quentin (Peter Blackthorne) rabid to take down the Arrow while Laurel keeps jumping in to say that nothing is for sure.

We get a nice shirtless sequence as Oliver works on his sword fighting. Roy (Colton Haynes) brings intel but Oliver insists on going alone because it’s the League. I loved the four Arrow fight. The fight team on this show just finds great new ways to wow us every week. Maseo tells Oliver that they are going to keep coming – if one falls, two will take his place. He tells Oliver “My master sees something in you. Don’t fight it.” Unfortunately, Ray shows up in the Atom suit and his facial recognition identifies Oliver as the Arrow.

Ray confronts Felicity and is angry at her for not telling him the truth. He tells her he thought she was someone who could be his partner in his mission and in his life. Ray tells her he is still determined to bring the Arrow to justice. I loved Laurel completely stonewalling him. I also like that they didn’t make Ray stupid. He quickly determines that Laurel is, in fact, the Black Canary.

I felt a little bad for Felicity when she also gets it from Oliver about not coming clean. Colton Haynes has the best line (and delivery) in the episode, however. He says “Roy built a super suit? That’s kind of awesome!” and then Oliver glares at him and he immediately wipes the look of admiration off his face replacing it with disapproval and finishes, “and reckless!”

Oliver tries to talk to Ray. I loved their exchanges of “Arrow” “Super Suit.” Oliver tries to explain that he didn’t kill anyone. Ray intimates that he thinks Oliver went insane while on the Island. Oliver tells Ray that he should have trusted Felicity. Meanwhile, Felicity accuses Oliver of never really wanting her to be happy with Ray. Oliver reminds her that he wanted her to have a normal happy life. He was fine with her being with Ray before he learned that Ray was just like him – and therefore not a better choice.

Ray sets a trap for Oliver. I loved Oliver’s arrow bouncing off the suit and Oliver’s quiet, “oh.” Ray blasts Roy – and Oliver doesn’t seem too concerned about it. In fact, at the end of the scene, Oliver seems to just walk away – without Roy… However, before that, he manages to find the weakness in Ray’s suit and take him out. He pulls an arrow on him and proves to Ray that he’s not a killer. He also tells him that he has nothing to prove to Felicity, and he tells Ray that she chose him. Ray should trust her.

Ray and Felicity kiss and make up. He reiterates that he wants her to be his partner in all things. Diggle and Oliver catch up over a drink. Oliver is a little surprised when Diggle toasts the memory of Deadshot. Oliver tells Diggle that they have to stop the League before an innocent is killed, and we cut to the meeting at the mayor’s office. Maseo shoots Mayor Castle (Christina Cox) and has Felicity in his sights as the episode ends.

This was a nice blend of Suicide Squad and Starling City action. It remains to be seen if any of them can maintain a balance between being heroes and family. What did you think of the episode? Do you want more Suicide Squad? Do you think Oliver and Ray should join forces? 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.