Arrow Season 7 Episode 6 Review: Due Process

This Arrow review contains spoilers. 

Arrow Season 7 Episode 6

Ding, dong, Ricardo Diaz is dead. Well, okay, he’s just been arrested. And apparently next week he’s going to escape and…break into prison? Whatever Arrow, can’t you just let us celebrate for once?

On the upside, Diaz is off the streets and Laurel came through, even if Oliver wasn’t released. On the downside, the new Green Arrow and the SCPD got the collar, which means no credit for the rest of our ex-vigilante team. At least Dinah and her team are happy.

Speaking of Dinah, she got to see some of Laurel’s personal growth, although Ollie didn’t buy it. It was enough for her to step in and prevent Laurel from making a mistake and Canary crying the judge, which likely helped Laurel get the deal for Oliver in exchange for helping put Diaz away. In a nice moment of paying it forward, Laurel went on to stop Felicity from killing Diaz, continuing the theme of heroism when no one is looking.

In the flashforwards, it seems Roy hasn’t been entirely truthful with William. There’s something called the Mark of Four, and it was on Oliver’s bow. He told Dinah, but they kept it to themselves. The tennis ball passcode was a nice callback to the show’s beginnings, and a logical way to ensure that only a select few could enter. I stand by my prediction that Felicity is alive, but I’m increasingly intrigued by the idea that maybe things go off the rails for her. Going by her father’s old moniker the Calculator is a juicy little detail. That conversation with Anatoly was intense, and the Oliver he knew back in the Bratva days was someone who was eager to torture – sound familiar?

Diggle might have too much on his plate right now to keep an eye on Felicity, especially if she’s keeping him on the outside, but I’m hoping that the stronger bonds she’s forging with Dinah and Laurel will keep her safe. They’re both women who take risks, but they ultimately know who Felicity is as a person, and they’ve proven that they won’t let her deviate from her values.

The Laurel problem has been a problem since, well, they killed the original model back in season 4. This episode is the first time it genuinely felt like maybe we were getting back to what we had lost, a feeling highlighted by Oliver’s lines about how she will never replace his Laurel. It’s still baffling that this character death even happened and how, especially after how hard everyone worked to get original Laurel’s character to a good place. Three seasons later, unbelievably, we might be getting back to some semblance of that, and a big part of what finally got us there is the writers giving up on trying to make a one for one Laurel swap. This isn’t our old Laurel, and she never will be. Accepting that allowed the character to find her place.

The other shoe has finally dropped on Oliver’s sniveling little prison friend. I was suspicious from the beginning, and it turns out the only thing Ollie needed was a sense of injustice and a few strokes of his ego to blind him to the truth. Well, he was never the real detective on the team, or the brains of Team Arrow. Now that we know he’s up to no good, I can’t wait to find out what angle he’s playing. Something tells me

Seeing everyone together was fun while it lasted, even though it was far too brief. There’s a lot to miss about the groups dynamics, something I never thought I’d say back when the Arrow cave was getting all crowded, but I think the group reveal of secrets was a good reminder that their rapport is the best part of getting all of those characters together. Even having Rene pop up to quip at Felicity and Laurel is welcome. This has been a strong season so far, but I didn’t’ know how much I missed seeing the team back together until we got a taste.

Based on episode titles, it’s not too hard to predict what might be coming. I’m really looking forward to the Elseworlds crossover, and I’m glad Arrow didn’t immediately let Oliver (and themselves) out of jail. I do, however, hope the show takes a beat to let the audience and our team get reacquainted before charging headlong into a team-up. We deserve it.

A few stray observations

The Silencer has been around for a while now. It’s time for the team to innovate silent comms.

The detail about William not really drinking feels like it’s going to be important.

Poor Curtis. Who throws a surprise party a week after someone’s birthday?

Anatoly talking about getting used to the demons – this is starting to be a theme.

I love Felicity’s Annie-Hall-meets-Vans-off-the-wall look.

The Longbow Hunter who shoots fireworks out of her hands really knows how to party.

Laurel looked genuinely gutted that Oliver was gone when she got the text that they got Diaz. She cares, Ollie! Even if you don’t see the character arc just yet, we do. 

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