Arrow Season 7 Episode 2 Review: The Longbow Hunters
Brandon Vieira
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Desperation isn't a good look on you, Felicity.
That's what Diggle was dying to say to her by the end of Arrow Season 7 Episode 2.
I'm sure when Oliver made the deal to go to prison, he thought Diggle and Felicity's bond would grow even stronger. That was far from the case.
Diggle, being the wise man he's always been, knew it wasn't the right time to try and catch Diaz. Unfortunately, Felicity has become so frazzled after Diaz attacked her on Arrow Season 7 Episode 1, that she can't focus on any other mission.
It's unfortunate that Felicity can't see Diggle's point. If he and his squad from ARGUS tried to take down Diaz and The Longbow Hunters, they might have gotten killed.
The old Felicity would've understood, but this new Felicity is way too damaged to think clearly.
Rene: Back in town a week, and you're already sneaking out of ARGUS behind papa Dig's back. So proud.
Felicity: Thanks, bae.
Now that she plans to work alongside Agent Samanda Watson, she could very well isolate herself from the rest of the team. It's incredibly sad because the team loves her and wants to support her. Yet, her actions will most likely lead to an even bigger fallout.
Star City has never needed Oliver Queen more.
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However, he's got his hands full at Slabside Maximum Security Prison. At least now, after five months of loneliness, Oliver has found himself a new friend in Stanley.
It 's nice their friendship is blossoming, especially since Diggle and Felicity's friendship has hit a major roadblock.
The fun dynamic between Oliver and Stanley was easily the best part of "The Longbow Hunters." Stanley's slowly bringing out the old Oliver Queen, the guy who wasn't afraid to crack a smile every now and again.
Maybe it's the significant height difference between the two and the fact that Stanley is just so eager to work alongside Oliver, but I have a feeling the two could win the Arrowverse's most adorable friendship award.
The friendship is new, but I have a good feeling about the two pals.
Oliver: I need to find his pressure point.
Stanley: WWGAD?
Oliver: What?
Stanley: What would Green Arrow do?
Oliver: Oh, he'd have Overwatch gather information.
Stanley: What's an Overwatch?
It'll also be interesting to discover Brick's connection to Diaz and whether he'll help Oliver moving forward or if he's just going to be playing mind games with him.
He claimed to have information about Diaz, and would only share the details with Oliver if he got rid of Peter the Security Guard. Oliver managed to do that without hurting Peter and instead inflicted damage on himself.
Brick's either going to be impressed with Oliver's cleverness or continue to torture him until he finally returns to his dark roots.
The second scenario seems too obvious and would get old and repetitive very fast. It would be much more interesting for an alliance to form between Brick and Oliver.
This could very well be what happens, especially because Brick gives me serious Mick Rory (Legends of Tomorrow) vibes. And it's not just because they're both bald white men, although I'll admit that is part of the reason.
The other reason is that Brick may have started as an enemy of Oliver's, but there were a couple of teases throughout "The Longbow Hunters" that led me to believe that maybe he'll turn around and eventually become Oliver's ally.
I could be way off, and Brick will just remain a thorn in Oliver's side, but it feels as though he will play a much more significant role during Oliver's time in prison than Sampson and Turner.
Oliver Queen wasn't the only one making friends on "The Longbow Hunters." It seems like a slow-burning friendship may be formulating between Laurel and Dinah.
Sure, they were sworn enemies on Arrow Season 6, but sometimes enemies can become the best of friends. While Laurel and Dinah are nowhere near calling each other bestie, they are one small step closer.
Part of the reason for this possible friendship is Laurel trying her best to be a better person and truly feeling remorse for killing Vinny. An apology can go a long way, and I think that showed when Laurel finally apologized to Dinah.
They have to spend a lot more time together now that Dinah is the Police Commissioner, and Laurel is the DA. That gives them more time to connect.
The main reason I'm excited about this possible friendship is that having two strong gal pals is the one thing Arrow's never been able to accomplish.
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The closest the show ever came to portraying a solid female friendship was with Laurel 1.0 and Thea. Yet, that friendship never reached its full potential.
If Laurel and Dinah becoming friends means we get more of Black Canary and Black Siren fighting side-by-side and subsequent action sequences, I'm all in.
Laurel: Isn't babysitting a little bit below your pay grade?
Dinah: Way below, but the SCPD is going to keep you safe whether you want us to or not.
Laurel: Okay fine, whatever suit yourself. You mine as well make yourself useful while you're here and make me a coffee. Two sugars, no cream.
Dinah: Never happening.
While the heroes on Arrow all have compelling stories moving forward, the villains this season are lacking. The main problem is that taking down Diaz is becoming tiresome, mainly since all of Season 6 focused on him.
I don't mind if finding Diaz is a little storyline moving forward, but Star City needs a new villain for our heroes to fight, or else this season could end up becoming a replica of the last.
What makes Arrow exciting is the introduction of a new enemy each season. Unless the faux Green Arrow we met on the premiere turns out to be a villain or The Longbow Hunters play a much larger role than they have so far, a new villain needs to get introduced soon.
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Even though I'm concerned about the villain situation, I'm not worried about the flashforwards featuring William and Roy. Actually, I'm quite excited to see where it leads.
William could be a whiner, but the way he tells it to Roy, Oliver and Felicity abandoned him. That seems very out of character for them, so I'm curious to learn why they did that. Whatever they did has left William with a lot of issues.
Roy: Felicity and Oliver they really just left you?
William: Pretty much, and my ex-boyfriend wonders why I have commitment issues.
Roy: I'm sorry, that's awful.
William: Yeah well he was a real jerk.
Roy: No I was talking about Oliver and Felicity.
I'm also eager to find out what happened to Roy and Thea's relationship. Whatever happened to Thea caused Roy a lot of pain, and we may find answers when he takes William back to Star City.
The plot thickens!
What did you think of "The Longbow Hunters"?
Which friendship has more potential, Oliver and Stanley, or Laurel and Dinah?
What answers do you think William and Roy will find in Star City?
Are you content with Diaz as this season's villain or do you want someone new to get introduced?
Let us know in the comments below and if you need to catch up, make sure to watch Arrow online right here on TV Fanatic!
Brandon Viera was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He retired in May 2019..
