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TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Arrow Season 05 Episode 14: The Sin-Eater

February 23rd, 2017 by Todd Black Comments

 

When Arrow decided to make Oliver Queen the mayor, we all wondered just how much into it they would go. Not so surprisingly, it started off as a mere cover for Oliver to more info about crime in his city. But as time went on, and was highlighted in last episode, it became clear that his role as mayor was growing.

With “The Sin-Eater”, we saw another great climax of that, as he had to confront multiple people as the mayor and not the Arrow (something that would never have happened in previous seasons even without the mayoral role), all the while trying to keep both his city safe, his identity safe, and trying to figure out who Prometheus is.

What I really appreciated about this episode was the idea of unintentional consequences. Oliver’s trip to the mother of Prometheus resulted in not one, but two dangerous consequences. Thea trying to save Oliver from Susan resulted in Susan getting fired and discredited. And Lance’s confession of collusion with Damien Dark is what turned Liza Warner (who arrived last season) back to the dark side because she felt she was betrayed by Lance.

It was very nice, and set up some strong character moments. It also did a number on the Susan storyline, as we were close to a nuclear option in what was going to happen, and now it’s presumably gone thanks to Thea and Felicity. Though something tells me it’s not over just yet.

As for the villainous trio of China White, Cupid, and Liza, it was cool to see an all-female villain group, even though they were very one-note. And that 180 at the end of trying to “take back the city” with the money felt kind of hokey. But still, we got to see them all in their element with their fight scenes, and I hope we don’t have to wait too long for some of them to return again.

The flashbacks were another case of short but sweet. I liked the description of Oliver being a Sin-Eater, as that’s very much what he is. And I’m glad we didn’t have to wait too long for a confrontation with Gregor. What happens next? I can make a guess or two.

Unlike that ending, which I didn’t guess at all. Again, while Prometheus may not be the best villain because of his screentime, he’s getting up there because of his “two steps ahead” approach. Because no matter what good Oliver does, Prometheus has a counter move seemingly in place. And I look forward to seeing how this plays out now.

“The Sin-Eater” was a very focused episode, and it was best because of that. Sure, not everything worked out, but that’s ok, I’m still very content with how things are moving long, and the twists that are in store.

4.5 out of 5 nerds

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!