In my review for Arrow, the Berlanti-DC series that
launched the whole trend, I said that the fourth season had looked like it was
possibly going to be lighter in tone than the very dark third season. I
should've known better. Last season was so dark - or should I said, Darhk,
eventually involving the death of an original cast member, Laurel Lance that it
practically made the third season seem cheerful in comparison. By the end of
the season, which nearly ended with an apocalypse instead of just a threat to
the city, even the remaining member of Oliver Queen's team had gotten to the
point where they couldn't handle being vigilantes anymore. Thea Queen gave up
her cape, John Diggle reenlisted, and Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards, by far
the heart of the show) officially broke up with Oliver.
It's small wonder that Oliver, who
ended up being sworn in as mayor in the season finale, has begun to feel the
darkness closing in. In addition to going equally hard as the Green Arrow, he
has been very reluctant to take on help. And God knows he needs it. Still
trying to take on the duties as mayor, he is now dealing with a gang-runner who
seems determined to take over the criminal enterprises (Chad L. Coleman,
familiar to those of us who watched The
Wire). Add to that a more deadly
archer only given the code name 'Prometheus',
and you can see why Oliver is finally giving into the need to get help.
It's taken him four years, but he finally seems to realize that his going it
alone approach isn't going to work. The fact that he's finally willing to admit
his failings, albeit to another vigilante who was enpowered by the critical
failings of last season, makes you realize that there is at last some hope for
progress. And given his final willing to trust his new team, including tech
Curtis, a science geek, who as Oliver puts it "speaks Felicity",
there may be some hope that he's about to get himself pointed in the right
direction.
It's a good thing, too, because
some of his other friends desperately need the help. Quentin Lance (Paul
Blackthorne, still this series secret weapon), who took some of the most
driving blows last season, has lost his job, his girlfriend, and his battle
with the bottle, trying instead to face up to the duty of being deputy mayor.
(Considering that Oliver's admitted he got the majority of his political
experience by binge watching The West
Wing, I have a feeling this could be a full-time job.) And Diggle has run
into major trouble in the army -framed for trying to steal a nuclear weapon by
a superior officer, he now faces a court-martial and prison, a fate he somehow
thinks he deserves because of how he killed his brother late last year.
Admittedly, Arrow remains the darkest series of all of Berlanti's work. But the
show is starting to fire on all cylinders. Even the flashbacks, which have been
a weakness of the series for the past two seasons, have begun to seem more like
they are relevant. Dealing with his time in Russia ,
a plot point that has been discussed but never fully explored, they actually
seem relevant. It's something of a pity that this will be the last season where
they take place, as this is the final year before his time away from Star
City
It's not a perfect series, and its
still a little dark than all but the most fervent Arrow enthusiasts might be willing to tolerate. But it remains one
of the real winners on TV. Makes you wait for the inevitable crossover between
all four series due to come in November. I know I'll be waiting with breathless
anticipation.
My score: 4 stars.
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