ARROW Season 3 Episode 3
Episode Title: “Corto Maltese”
Writers: Erik Oleson & Beth Schwartz
Director: Stephen Surjik
It’s been a while since we’ve checked in with “Arrow.” Between the mediocrity of “Gotham” and the so-far, so-good take on “The Flash,” it’s easy to forget that “Arrow” is a really solid show… with some occasionally silly moments.
The third episode of the season, “Corto Maltese” definitely had it’s share of silliness, along with some really good action and a few moments that actually had emotional resonance.
Bringing Thea Home
After six months, Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) finally decides to track down his sister, Thea (Willa Holland) and bring her back to Starling City. The only problem is that she’s still holding a grudge against him about lying to her… and she’s also being trained as a warrior by Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), her real father and Oliver’s nemesis.
Thea’s ex, Roy Harper (Colton Haynes) is pretty useless in his attempt to convince Thea to return. But Oliver manages to break through to her with an affecting account of how their father, Robert Queen died so that Oliver could live. To win her freedom, Thea takes on Malcolm in a duel, but it’s pretty clear that he let her win and he promises to see her soon….
Honey, I Blew Up The Mission
Prior to that, Lyla Michaels (Audrey Marie Anderson) practically pushed her boyfriend, John Diggle (David Ramsey) into accompanying Oliver and Roy as if she wanted the weekend to herself. Lyla basically threw a off-the-books ARGUS mission in Diggle’s lap by asking her to look in on Mark Shaw (David Cubitt), an operative who wasn’t checking in.
In the DC Universe, Shaw was one of several heroes to take the name Manhunter. But this show isn’t very kind to Manhunters… if you remember what happened to Kate Spencer last season. Mark turns traitor on Diggle and it takes a team up of Oliver, Roy and Diggle to prevent Mark from leaking sensitive info about ARGUS personnel, including Lyla.
Along the way, Oliver demonstrated his skills with a gun, which led to a very funny reaction shot from a shocked Roy.
Black Eye Canary
Back in Starling City, Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) is still feeling angry and bitter about the death of her sister, Sara. When Laurel hears that a young woman’s boyfriend has become increasingly abusive, she dons a mask and takes it upon herself to dish out some justice with a baseball bat.
In a refreshing twist, Laurel gets her ass handed to her before winding up in the hospital. Her father, Captain Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne) is mystified by Laurel’s behavior, but she still can’t bring herself to tell him that his other daughter is dead.
The CW Man
Earlier in the episode, Laurel approached a boxing trainer named Ted Grant (J.R. Ramirez) while attempting to get information on a suspect. I’ve got to ask, why is the ADA doing police work? What are the cops for if not doing their jobs?
The casting of this incarnation of Ted Grant is so CW that it’s ridiculous. He’s decades younger than he should be and he’s seemingly allergic to shirts, just like the other male leads in this show. But guess who’s going to train Laurel to become a better fighter?
The Palm of His Hand
Back at Queen Consolidated, Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh) makes Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) feel at home with her own spacious office and her own executive assistant. He even shows remarkable restraint as he overhears the bizarre phone calls in which she helps Oliver and Diggle track down Mark Shaw while also fielding a favor from Laurel on the other line. Ray even gives Felicity a few days off so she can guest star on “The Flash” next week!
But the episode does its best to make the audience suspicious of Ray, when he looks over the top secret weapons plans that were recovered by Felicity. You may have noticed the word OMAC in the plans. In the comics, that originally stood for One-Man Army Corps, but a more recent version stood for Omni Mind And Community.
Yeah… She’s Pissed
Roy really is an idiot, isn’t he? Oliver witnessed Thea’s non-reaction to getting scalded with coffee and realized that something was different about her. All Roy noticed was that she cut her hair much shorter than it used to be.
But as Roy and Oliver exchange notes on Thea, Nyssa al Ghul (Katrina Law) appears and angrily demands to know where Sara is while holding them at bay with a bow and arrow.
Good cliffhanger.
That’s it for this episode. Share your thoughts about “Corto Maltese” in the comment section below!
