Back before Oliver (Stephen Amell) or Team ARROW had a mission to save their city, Danny Brickwell aka “Brick” had a plan to conquer The Glades, a rough neighborhood of Star City.
Before Laurel Lance died… before Tommy Merlyn died… before Maseo and Akio Yamashiro died…before Shado died…before Slade Wilson or Moira and Robert Queen died…
…before so many favorite characters died, Rebecca Merlyn was killed by Danny Brickwell as part of a gang initiation. A common street thug, Brick killed Rebecca because she was begging for her life.
This one act of incomprehensible cruelty and cowardice helped point Malcolm Merlyn down a tortured path to become the flawed human being that he is today. Malcolm’s plans to destroy The Glades to “revitalize” and set something different in motion, ended up with the most ironic death of all…his wife’s.
Killing for killing’s sake tends to have unfavorable repercussions, and if there is justice, those who kill for indefensible reasons, should get their comeuppance.
Killing to provide a new “landscape” for those designated to remain alive, whether it is The Glades, Dahrk’s Genesis plan to kill off most of the world and keep a select few, or another motive for a “good reason,” defies decency.
But, the world is nothing if not ironic, so how will Malcolm (John Barrowman) react to Brick’s escape from lockup and to Brick’s relationship with Dahrk?
We find out that Malcolm is the reason that Thea (Willa Holland) was kidnapped to the Stepford-world on her vacation with Alex. The “perfect” town also is a bunker that protects her from Dahrk’s nuclear blasts. Is Malcolm really content to let the world go up in flames as long as he and his daughter survive? Or will his actions at The Glades and the memory of Rebecca’s death stir any humanity within him?
Another irony is the pairing of Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and her evil mastermind (with a few redeeming qualities) father, Noah Kuttler (guest star Tom Amandes).
When Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson) explains that, even as Director of A.R.G.U.S., she cannot access the nuclear codes, Felicity realizes that the only person who can help is Noah, aka The Calculator. Noah has a few questions for Oliver that leave Green Arrow unsettled.
Als0, Daddy Dearest has broken more than a few laws in his lifetime, but the realization that Dahrk has the nuclear power to decimate the world (including Felicity), may make him an asset to Team ARROW, at least for tonight. They will need him to hack A.R.G.U.S. to help stop the nuclear launch that will destroy the world.
Then, there are those other nagging points…Danny Brickwell’s name was on The List compiled by Robert Queen and handed down to Oliver. The list contained the names of corrupt individuals who were dedicated to destroying Star(ling) City in The Undertaking. Is The Undertaking making a comeback, or are Brick’s ties to The List and to Dahrk just an evil coincidence?
It could be a coincidence, but everybody knows that Brick is a bit touched in the head (possibly from being shot in the head). In the comics, Brick kidnaps the mayor’s child and kills the mayor. If that storyline carries over to tonight’s episode, “Monument Point,” will Brick hit Dahrk where he lives? The Dahrk one loves his wife, Mayor Ruvé Adams (Janet Kidder), and child. Will the big-bad get out-badded?
With so many bad guys in the mix, let’s hope that something good can spring from less-than-honorable minds? Maybe they are hoping for Anarky (pun intended).
ARROW also stars Katie Cassidy (still listed in the credits), David Ramsey and Paul Blackthorne. Also guest starring in “Monument Point,” is Christopher Ang.
“Monument Point” was written by Speed Weed & Jenny Lynn and directed by Kevin Tancharoen.
ARROW airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on The CW in the U.S. and on CTV in Canada.
