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TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Arrow Season 04 Episode 03: Restoration

October 22nd, 2015 by Todd Black Comments

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Restoration

If Arrow has been anything this season, it’s consistent, and I mean that in a good way! While this season has made some game-changing twists, and no doubt will continue to do so, it’s also doing a great job of doing consistent storytelling and continuing to build upon those twists. Which is something it failed to do last season.

“Restoration” wasn’t the most “impressive” episode of the season, but it did tell a lot of good stories, all the while developing on the characters we all know. From Ollie and Diggle beginning to work out their issues that started last season, to Laurel and Thea going to Malcolm for a fix to their problems, Felicity getting back to her epic self, it was all good stuff.

While the villain may have been a little silly (though epic in his own way) the arrival Double Down (who somehow escaped Central City and met the Flash…?) did a good job of showing off some of the characters. I’m glad that they waited a few episodes to delve into the problems between Ollie and Diggle. Yes, we know what caused the problems, but Oliver has been awfully repentant since his return, and it seemed odd that Diggle would still hold a grudge. Yet when it was revealed why, it honestly made sense. Not that it didn’t before.

Also, Dig finally got to talk with Ollie about the HIVE lead he got in season 2. And it was interesting to see the pain Diggle felt when his one lead had died, and he blamed himself because he didn’t trust his backup. The best part for me though was when Felicity stepped up and all but demanded the talk about their problems. This is basically the opposite of the weapy Felicity we got in season 3, and I’m glad she’s back. Oh, and that scene with Holt and Double Down in Palmer Tech? Epic. Oh and…T-SPHERE!!!! Just saying.

Also though, Damien Darhk again got to show what kind of man he was, all the while proving he’s not a one trick wonder. It does make me wonder about not only the limits of his powers, but why his “partners/associates” (who were mentioned before…) don’t put more stock into it. It’s clear he’s for real.

And then of course there was the Nanda Parbat field trip! Where Laurel wanted Sara resurrected, and Thea wanted to be cured of her bloodlust. There were multiple tidbits here that played not only into what occurred in season 3, but also DC Comics lore. For example, according to Malcolm, the pit had never been used to revive a fully dead person, which is a bit different than the comics…but that changed quickly of course. Then there was Nyssa, who (for good reason) knew that the pit should not be used to bring Sara back…no matter how much she wanted her back. I dug how she took matters into her own hands later on and contaminated the pit, noting that her father had a backup plan just in case.

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Thea’s story was good, as she all but begged for Merlyn to give her a way out of the bloodlust without killing people…of course Merlyn doesn’t do things easily. But it was still fun, and hopefully a plotpoint that’ll continue to grow.

The flashbacks were a little more intriguing, as we got to see what was going on in the camp, as well as Ollie showing off his “dark side” to get information, but still saving lives when he could. Still not sure where this will all go, but it’s a start!

“Restoration” was good overall, and again kept it consistent without dipping too much or dragging the storyline. There are a lot of wheels turning and we’re only three episodes in. Let’s hope the momentum stays the course.

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Todd Black is reader of comics, a watch of TV (a LOT of TV), and a writer of many different mediums. He's written teleplays, fan-fictions, and currently writes a comic book called Guardians (guardians-comic.com). He dreams of working at Nintendo, writing a SHAZAM! TV series, and working on Guardians for a very long time!