'Arrow' recap: 'Canary Cry'

After a bit of a rocky bump with the episodes surrounding the mid-season hiatus, Arrow kicked it into high gear these last few episodes, especially with "Canary Cry." Instead of being regaled to the side, Laurel was finally brought in and made an essential member of the team, which allowed for the hole she left after the last episode much more realistic.

The episode focused on the team’s grieving after her death, bringing in a Black Canary copy cat as well as flashing back to Oliver and Laurel coping together after Tommy’s death in season one. Despite my mixed feelings on Laurel, I think this episode was a wonderful send off; even though she and Oliver were clearly the original endgame of the show, I’m glad they evolved with Felicity’s arrival and went with what was clearly a much more organic love interest. The scenes between Laurel and Oliver were nice, yes, but they also felt a little flat.

Honestly? The distress that Diggle and Thea underwent (though the latter was much subtler in her sadness) felt much more real; while Oliver and Felicity played hooky from Team Arrow duties for five months after season three, these three stayed behind and kept the city from falling apart. They had five months to solidify their status as a team and to become a family. Even though Diggle’s emotional instability came from the fact that he ultimately listened to Andy over Oliver, it was very obvious that a lot of it was because he genuinely cared for Laurel.

Laurel + Ollie, Redux
The show left behind the island flashbacks this week (thankfully), focusing on Oliver and Laurel coping together after Tommy’s death. Considering the first scene is the lowering of Tommy’s casket into the ground, you just know it’s going to be a somber episode. Though Oliver was meant to give the eulogy, Laurel steps in his place when Oliver doesn’t show. She catches sight of Oliver standing off to the side, clearly not feeling deserving of being there. She gives a wonderful speech about Tommy and his growth from “millionaire playboy” to so much more. Moment of silence for the loss of Tommy Merlyn and all his untapped potential y’all.

After the funeral, Oliver turns up outside of Laurel’s door, not sure where else he could go. He admits that he did write the eulogy, had filled pages of their stories, but didn’t feel like he could’ve said anything. He believes he failed the city, failed Tommy, failed the second chance he was given. “You’d blame me too if you knew the truth,” he says ominously, walking away.

A few days later, Laurel and Oliver are sitting on the floor of her apartment reminiscing about Tommy. Oliver makes a self-deprecating joke about how he had believed he came back to the city to make a difference and failed, Laurel reassuring him that his chances to save the city weren’t over. “We could do it together,” she tells him, hopeful and naive.

“Laurel Lance, always trying to save the world,” Oliver replies. Their chemistry isn’t romantic in the least but it’s obvious that Ollie very clearly loves Laurel, even if it’s in a strictly platonic sense.

It makes it that much worse when Laurel walks into her living room the next morning to find a note hastily shoved under her door, containing Oliver’s goodbye and the picture he carried with him for his five years on the island, the same one Laurel kept in her wallet from then on.

Lance Family Affair
The episode picks up right after Lance walks into the hospital, coming face to face with a distraught Oliver and the news of Laurel’s death. He walks down the hallway, passing the shocked and devastated faces of the rest of Team Arrow. Lance can’t stay for long, crying out her name before running back out. Oliver heads back to the Arrow Cave with Diggle. Lyla and Baby Sara are in an A.R.G.U.S. safe house, out of Darhk’s reach.

Diggle is clearly blaming himself for Laurel’s untimely death, his guilt made worse at the announcement of her death on the news by Alex, Oliver’s former campaign manager.

The next day, he returns to the foundry with Felicity and Thea in tow, along with a surprise visit from Detective Lance. He places a newspaper on the table showing the Black Canary breaking up a gun deal from the night before. He’s convinced Laurel’s not actually dead, especially as Cisco created the device to only be functional with Laurel’s vocal chords, providing a sliver of hope for the team.

Following their hunches, Oliver and Lance head to the morgue where their hope is shut down at the sight of Laurel’s body, still lifeless and pale. An upset Detective Lance storms off, leaving Oliver behind. He talks to the doctor, explaining that someone stole the Canary’s sonic device. Though the doctor has an inkling on who might be it, her doctor-patient privilege doesn’t allow her to share who.

Bird Watching with Team Arrow
In the lair, Felicity is back at her old post, trying to track down some leads as to who the copycat might be. Diggle’s stoic beside her, positive it’s entirely his fault. Felicity doesn’t know what to say to make it better, only able to watch him walk away.

Thea and Alex are out at dinner, trying to relieve some of the tension from the past couple days. Their date is interrupted by the arrival of the “Black Canary,” who attacks Alex before Thea gets involved. She manages to unmask her and lead Oliver on her trail. She’s momentarily caught by the Green Arrow, blocked by a tall fence. When he corners her and demands to know why she’s trying to take Laurel’s place, she’s angry at the fact that he apparently left them to die at Reddington. “You have failed this city,” she snarls before jumping over the fence and running away.

Back in the lair, Team Arrow comes to the conclusion that the girl is referring to H.I.V.E. and the people that were there when he kidnapped Diggle, Thea, and Felicity at Oliver’s campaign rally earlier in the season. Though Damien claimed the volunteers were there out of their own will, it turns out that not every member was thinking straight. Two of the people that were part of Darhk’s experimentation at Reddington Factory were married with a daughter, Evelyn Sharp; both of the parents were found dead outside of the factory after the rest of Team Arrow was saved.

A Father’s Last Hope
In Laurel’s apartment, Lance is packing up some of her things while being paid a visit from Nyssa. He wants to take her to the Lazarus Pit but Nyssa explains that the pit was destroyed and there is no hope for a resurrection for his daughter. He’s still distraught and in denial, storming off about finding another way.

In their former campaign headquarters, Oliver’s thinking (or, as Felicity succinctly puts it, “Oliver speak for 'beating yourself up'”) is interrupted by his ex-fiancee. Turns out each member of Team Arrow is blaming themselves for her death, including Felicity, who believes she could’ve done something if she was still on the comms. Oliver tries to reassure her but their heart-to-heart is cut short by a call from Thea, reporting that Diggle’s gone rogue.

On her way home, Mayor Adams’ ride is interrupted by Diggle. He tries to send Darhk a message but Oliver stops him, giving her time to escape. Diggle’s grief is eating him up and the only thing he can hope to do to find justice is to get revenge on Andy. Somehow managing to be the only one making sense this week, Oliver reminds Diggle that Laurel never would’ve wanted them to become this.

The two head back to the foundry, catching up with Thea and Felicity, making it in time to watch Mayor Adams issue a request for an arrest warrant for the vigilantes, blaming them for the death of Laurel. Her first target is the Black Canary, forcing the Team to find her first.

After receiving a call from Nyssa, Oliver meets up with her and is warned of Lance’s extreme denial. However, he’s distracted by the idea of Darhk and Adams’ attack on them, explaining that he can’t even get revenge for Laurel because he’s powerless against Darhk. (Side note: this would be a perfect time for you to invite Nyssa into Team Arrow so she can fill the hole left by Laurel and Ray’s departures, Oliver Queen!)

Shortly after his meeting with Nyssa, Oliver catches up with a desperate Lance. His denial is kicking into high gear but Oliver tries to reach out to him, trying to offer comfort as Lance finally comes face to face with the fact that Laurel, “his rock” and “the only one who believed in [him]” is actually gone. Major shout out to Paul Blackthorne, who plays Detective Lance. Watching him slowly but subtly lose his faith in Laurel coming back to him, especially with how close he and Laurel were not only after Sara’s death, but through the divorce, his fight for sobriety (and eventually hers) and Sara’s return and with her letting him in on her Black Canary secret, the bond these two shared was clearly strong and it was truly a heartbreaking moment watching him break down on screen. Blackthorne displayed some of his best scenes yet in this episode and I may or may not have been crying at this point.

Catching a Canary
Diggle and Felicity are in the foundry keeping watch for any signs of Evelyn. She takes the chance to apologize for letting him blame himself, reminding him that Laurel would not have wanted him to feel that way. The computer behind them alerts them of a match on their running facial recognition software, breaking their conversation, having spotted Evelyn. She’s on a rampage to get revenge for her family’s death; though Diggle is in favor of letting her take out Darhk’s wife, Felicity reminds him that letting Evelyn-as-Black-Canary kill Adams is killing Laurel’s memory, too.

At a gala, Felicity is back in action behind the computer as Thea, Diggle, and Oliver are on the hunt for Evelyn. When a guard catches Black Canary and a signal is sent out to the other guards, Adams refuses to move, wanting her to try and get her, hoping to get what she wants.

Before she can get there, Oliver tries to stop her. She pushes through the doors anyway, getting everyone on their knees with her Canary Cry. Oliver tries to reason with her once more and she momentarily falters, Adams barely managing to stifle a laugh. In memory of Laurel, Oliver reminds her that the real Black Canary is a hero and hurting Adams would be ruining her legacy. Sharp throws down the gun and runs off, prompting the rest of the gala goers to run as well. Despite the fact that he just saved her life, Adams orders the officers with her to arrest the Green Arrow. “I’ve seen this movie before,” he mumbles before shooting an arrow at the ceiling and zip lining away.

Putting to Rest Starling’s True Hero: Laurel Lance
The remaining Lances walk hand-in-hand to the funeral, Dinah still holding hope that Laurel’s going to come back before Lance has to verbally break the news that she won’t be.

Unlike Tommy’s funeral, Oliver makes it there to say a few words at her funeral. He reveals that Laurel was the Canary, was there at the prison that night to save people. He uses this to absolve the Black Canary’s recent portrayal in the media as a criminal, reminding them all that she was more than that.

After everyone else has left, Barry zooms up to Oliver, who’s standing alone at Laurel’s grave. Oliver vows to kill Darhk in memory of his lost love, asking to be left alone when Barry asks if there’s a way he can help. After he’s said his goodbyes, Oliver makes his way back to his town car, sliding in beside Felicity, who makes him vow to kill Darhk. He finally admits that he has no idea how to go against Darhk and his magic; “every time I have gone against it, I have gone nowhere.”

Hard as steel, Felicity tells him she’s refusing to let him believe that, sure he’s going to find a way like he has in the past.

Phew. Arrow has tried to have emotionally heavy episodes in the past and they’ve succeeded in a few moments -- the episode in which Moira was killed and ending with a perfectly sweet flashback scene between her and Oliver, in particular -- but never as well as they did in “Canary Cry.” The biggest players of this episode were Paul Blackthorne’s spectacular acting as well as Alex Kingston (Dinah Lance) whispering, “our girls always come back,” after Lance breaks the news she won’t be coming back at the funeral.

What confused me was Oliver being the voice of reason in this episode while Felicity and Diggle blamed themselves profusely; though the flashback scenes certainly showed how Laurel helped Oliver grieve, Oliver is always the first to blame himself. Watching him be calm and collected during this period of mourning was certainly confusing. I would’ve also loved to see Thea truly grieving; she and Diggle spent five months with Laurel as Team Arrow that to have her absent was off-putting.

However, for a season that’s been more of a mess than those prior to it, “Canary Cry” managed to balance the emotional weight of losing a vital team member and comic book staple while not falling apart entirely. Props to the writers for nailing this episode and a very large round of applause for Blackthorne, Stephen Amell (Oliver Queen) and David Ramsey (John Diggle) who brought their A-game this week.

Can’t wait to see how the rest of the season unfolds from here.

Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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