Arrow “Fighting Fire with Fire” was written by the team of Speed Weed and Ben Sokolowski and was directed by Michael Schultz. The episode finally reveals that Prometheus is…*drum roll* Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra). This is a twist for anyone familiar with the comics because in the comics, Adrian Chase is Vigilante. I wish I could say that I was surprised. I’ll be more surprised by the reveal of who Vigilante is quite frankly.
The episode does a good job of weaving the title’s lesson throughout. What are the consequences of fighting fire with fire? We see one team member turn more towards the fire and one turn away. Ultimately, Thea (Willa Holland) walks away from the fire by quitting as Oliver’s (Stephen Amell) right hand – and really, who IS going to be acting as Mayor now? Because, really, Oliver has not been running the day-to-day of the office. I suppose this is why Quentin (Paul Blackthorne) had to return when he did.
In the episode, Thea is the one to really push for throwing Billy Malone under the bus to save Oliver – and the Green Arrow. She also considers blackmailing Councilman Kullens (Greg Rogers) – with Felicity’s (Emily Bett Rickards) help, of course. By the end of the episode, Thea realizes she is going down the same dark path as her bloodlust last season – it’s not just “politics.” I have to wonder what the show is planning for Holland because she’s had a thank-less task so far. It’s a shame that they couldn’t have let her continue to excel as the one really running the Mayor’s office because now what storyline is there for her?
Meanwhile, the show seems bent on ruining Felicity’s character. First, she seems to think that she has no culpability in Thea’s actions at all – she’s just providing the information! Diggle (David Ramsey) realizes that something is not right with Felicity and asks what she’s up to. I was surprised that she came clean to him so quickly about Pandora and Helix – but again, she insists that it’s just information, it’s just a tool. But Diggle – always the wise one! (or at least usually when the show isn’t screwing around with his character) – points out that it can also be a weapon, depending on how it’s used – like what Thea is doing!
We actually get two great scenes with Diggle and Felicity. He tries to tell her that her superpower is empathy, but she is still in mourning for Billy. Again, there was never enough time devoted to establishing the depth of her feelings for Billy – it all happened, pretty quickly, between seasons. It’s even less believable given the strong fan support for the depth and inevitability of Olicity. Diggle warns Felicity that sometimes when you fight fire with fire, you get burned.
However, the episode ends with Felicity meeting Kojo (Kacey Rohl) in an ally and pledging her readiness to join Helix.
In the main plot, Oliver is maneuvered into a corner by Prometheus to either sacrifice Billy, Chase or the Green Arrow – and he chooses the Green Arrow. And how is he now going to be able to fight crime? And what are the implications for the rest of the team? Oliver does insist that he never wanted to be a dirty politician, manages to avoid impeachment as Mayor, and finds faith in the team who save him.
The episode did have some good stunts – such as flipping the limousine and the fight between Prometheus and Vigilante. But how exactly did Vigilante survive being pushed off that building? It does seem improbable to say the least that the Vigilante could be such a good shot, be that close to Oliver, and still miss, however. I did enjoy Dr Swartz (Venus Terzo) prescribing Oliver a girlfriend to help deal with his stress.
The episode also features some cool new tech from Curtis (Echo Kellum) – I could have done with a few less “ball” jokes from Rene (Rick Gonzalez). The spheres are kind of cool, however. The final fight scene is good – but again, how is the Vigilante actually surviving being blown up? And he clearly has access to technology himself with that visor.
Oliver manages to win back Susan (Carly Pope) when she realizes that he had nothing to do with her losing her job and everything to do with her getting it back. Stupidly, Oliver seems to confirm that she’s right about him being the Green Arrow. Do we really trust her now? Meanwhile, Curtis is devastated when what he thinks is a romantic dinner with Paul (Chenier Hundal) turns out to be Paul wanting a divorce.
In the flashbacks, we get treated to Oliver once again in his season one outfit as he goes after information to save both himself and Anatoly (David Nykl) from Gregor (David Munier). The Bratva are swayed to their side when Oliver proves that Gregor was keeping money from the Bratva for himself from Kovar.
In the final scene, Chase super creepily accosts Susan at her car – she’s late for her date with Oliver. He insists, however, that he has an exclusive for her – and it’s life and death. Begging the question of who’s life?
What did you think of the episode? Do you like this new direction for Felicity? What’s next for the Green Arrow? Do you trust Susan? What’s Prometheus/Chase up to? Who do you think Vigilante is? Is Susan Vigilante??? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
