I don’t even know where to start. Last night’s ARROW was so emotional and bittersweet and heartbreaking that I admit there was some serious waterworks going on in my living room. I’ll be honest when I say that I wasn’t a Laurel fan most of the time, but they did such an amazing job at turning her character around and redeeming her for the back half of this season, that I am surprisingly taking her death really hard.
“Canary Cry” picked up right where we left off a couple of weeks ago, so the shock and the grief and all emotions in between were still a whilwind for all the characters. They all broke my heart, but it was Dig, Felicity and especially Captain Lance that really did me in. His refusal to accept that Laurel was really gone this time and there was no way to bring her back was heartbreaking. The way he kept going, particularly after it was on the news that the Black Canary had attacked some people, was actually pretty hard to watch.
When he finally breaks down with Oliver, after he tells the Captain that there really is no bringing her back – dear god almighty, that was so, so incredibly sad. The way that they used the flashbacks to show the aftermath of Tommy’s funeral was also such a nice touch. I usually don’t really care about them, but last night was exactly what we needed. Seeing Laurel one more time, before everything happened, and also seeing what could have possibly been the first push towards her becoming the Black Canary was fantastic.
And the guilt. Guys, I could hardly stand it. Because it’s not just grief over losing one of their own. It’s that feeling that if they had done something different, Laurel would still be alive. There is plenty of guilt to go around, but Dig is bearing the brunt of it. After all, he was the one who chose to believe his brother over Oliver and now that is weighing heavily on him. That scene where he attacks Ruve Darhk was so painful to watch. David Ramsey did such a fantastic job here, because his pain was so obvious and so intense, that he couldn’t even think straight. The Dig we know would never hit a woman, but this grieving Diggle, overwhelmed with guilt, is another person altogether. When Oliver tells him to stand down and he finally breaks down… my feelings, guys. My heart was so not ready to watch this.
And then we have Felicity and Oliver. Felicity feels guilty because she wasn’t there. If she hadn’t quit the team, maybe she could’ve done something, maybe she could’ve foreseen this, and maybe Laurel would still be alive. What surprised me, however, was that Oliver – usually the king of guilt – was the one who kept the team grounded and together and working to save Laurel’s legacy. My guess is that he will only allow himself to fall apart later on. Right now, they have work to do.
Which brings us to that final grave scene. Now that we have more information, both scenes – Oliver and Barry and Felicity and Oliver – make so much more sense. If you follow both shows, you know that Laurel died probably a little bit before Barry loses his speed to Zoom, just when things were getting critical in Central City. But the scene that said a lot was the one with Oliver and Felicity in the car.
When we first watched this scene earlier this year, it looked like Oliver and Felicity were completely stranged, right? What a difference understanding the context makes, guys. Last night, I saw that scene in a completely different light – especially because we were treated to the complete scene. They are not stranged at all. They’re grieving and it will be that grief, that anger and their love – which is very much alive, thank you very much – that will help them find a way to defeat Dahrk. Oliver just needs someone to believe in him and when Felicity says just that, that’s all he needs.
These two will be working together and will be back together in no time, guys. Mark my words.
Don’t miss a new episode of ARROW on May 4 at 8/7c on The CW.