In its first episode of the new year, Arrow sees its characters grappling once again with Laurel’s loss – and perhaps finding a way to move forward.
It’s nice to have you back, Arrow. After that gut-punch of a midseason finale, which saw two relationships abruptly ended, the long winter hiatus felt like salt on a wound. To our relief, “Who Are You?” proves to be worth the wait.
We pick up right where we left off, with Oliver discovering Laurel seemingly alive and well in the Arrow Cave. The lawyer-turned-vigilante-turned-martyr explains that her sister Sara brought her aboard the Waverider (the time-traveling ship featured on Legends of Tomorrow) and used science-fiction technology to save her at the last minute. “She gave me a second chance,” Laurel says, foreshadowing the episode’s central theme.
Even in a superhero show, this stretches credibility. Those of us who watch Legends know that Laurel hasn’t appeared on the show, much less spoken to Sara. And the description of death as a place of angelic white light doesn’t fit with Arrow’s gritty vibe.
But Oliver and Felicity appear to buy it, proclaiming this “a miracle.” The team (minus Diggle, who’s stuck in jail, and Thea, who’s busy doing mayor stuff) gathers to celebrate. It’s subdued as far as parties go; everyone’s still reeling from Billy’s death and Evelyn’s betrayal, not to mention anxious about Prometheus. Only Oliver seems genuinely happy, which might be a first. “I hoped it wouldn’t be just the dark times that brought us together,” he says in a toast. “It’s important that we embrace the miracles too and that we remember they’re still possible.”
Later, Rory finds Felicity in the lab. It turns out that the party was a ruse to swipe Laurel’s DNA for analysis. The test indicates a match, but Felicity quickly realizes what’s going on: this isn’t the Laurel we know and love, but her “evil twin” from an alternate universe – Black Siren. Right on cue, “Laurel” enters and demolishes the Arrow Cave with her patented cry.
The team deduces that Prometheus recruited Black Siren as part of his crusade against the Green Arrow. Is she really evil, though? After an argument with Prometheus, Black Siren contacts Oliver and claims she wants to help. They agree to meet by the Black Canary statue. Needless to say, things don’t go as planned. Convinced the meeting is a set-up, Felicity goes behind Oliver’s back and tells the recruits to attack. The ensuing fight damages the Black Canary statue, but they capture Black Siren and lock her in the Arrow Cave cell.
Here begins the most compelling part of the episode, as Oliver and Felicity debate whether they should trust Black Siren. Oliver is moved by her sob story about struggling to move on after Earth-2 Oliver died and offers safety in exchange for information. After all, no one understands the pull of darkness more than the man who just (accidentally) murdered the lover of his one-time girlfriend. “Someone told me that circumstances can make something poison or nectar,” he explains. In other words, it’s possible to change, if you choose.
Still, Oliver isn’t always the best judge of character, as Felicity points out in a tense conversation with Black Siren, niftily staged by director Gregory Smith. He is blinded not only by his love for Laurel, but also by his guilt over her death. By redeeming Laurel’s lookalike, he could redeem himself. Felicity, on the other hand, thinks Black Siren “should get used to living in cages.”
Yet, she trusts her fellow team members enough to let Black Siren go – after putting a tracking device on her, of course. Sure enough, she leads them to Prometheus, and another beautifully choreographed action scene ensues. The big bad escapes (we still have more than half a season to go), but more important for now is the confrontation with Black Siren. Trying to stop her from killing Felicity, Oliver reiterates his desire to help her recover “the part of yourself that existed before you lost your family.”
“She was never there,” Black Siren responds.
Luckily, Curtis is nearby, armed with a dampener that stifles Black Siren’s powers. That enables Felicity to take her out with a hard punch (“I kept my wrist straight,” she tells Oliver).
Afterward, Oliver and Felicity survey the ruins of the Black Canary statue. It’s time, Oliver decides, to fulfill Laurel’s last words and find someone to take on the Black Canary mantle. The episode’s closing scene gives us a clue as to who that might be. In a Hub City bar, a woman interrupts two men who are sexually harassing another patron. When they challenge her, she uses Canary Cry technology to send them flying through the restaurant window. We like her already.
In other news…
District attorney Adrian Chase agrees to defend Diggle, who is facing a court-martial. Using a lawyer outside of “the military infrastructure”, Oliver argues, is the only way his friend would get a fair trial, since he’s being framed by a superior officer. It takes some maneuvering (and a few fisticuffs), but Adrian manages to take Diggle out of General Walker’s custody and transfer him, at least temporarily, into his own jurisdiction.
Adrian informs Oliver that he suspects Prometheus manipulated the Arrow into killing Detective Malone. However, he wants to keep the investigation quiet for fear of instigating a city-wide panic.
Curtis is taking his fallout with Paul hard. When Rene, oblivious to the circumstances, teases him (“you’re supposed to be the happy one”), Curtis lashes out. He no longer feels like he can make a difference; for him, Team Arrow has only caused suffering. He reveals what happened, and Rene apologizes for his insensitivity. Besides, Rene mentions, even if Curtis isn’t terrific at combat, he has skill with technology, which is still valuable.
The flashbacks show Oliver and Ishmael Gregor questioning each other’s loyalties. Ishmael supplies the line about circumstances, wondering why Oliver feels guilty about the things he has done to survive. They get interrupted by an attacker, a hooded woman who wields a bow and arrow. She introduces herself as Talia, a name that should be familiar to DC fans and those who have seen The Dark Knight Rises.
Best line
Curtis, wondering what his Earth-2 doppelgänger is like: “Oh God, what if I’m straight?”
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Arrow airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on The CW.