TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Arrow Season 05 Episode 20: Underneath

I feel that “Underneath” was the perfect title for the episode for it not only represented the literal hole that Oliver and Felicity was in physically (as in they were trapped underneath a building, but also, it delved deep into the relationships that have made Arrow what it is via Oliver/Felicity and Diggle/Lyla. And while some of it was cheesy, and some of it will make certain shipping haters rage, it still was a good episode.

It just goes to show how different Flash and Arrow is that Savitar was the focus of last nights episode and he was the least effective part of it, yet with Arrow, Prometheus has been seen all of 15 seconds and he has the biggest impact on the episodes. That’s true power of a villain in a story when you don’t need to show him to feel his presence.

Oliver and Felicity were trapped because of Prometheus, Felicity couldn’t walk because of his EMP, his foresight into knowing what Oliver would do led to him making a booby trap that injured him and made for a compelling subplot. That’s cool.

Moving onto the real focus of the episode, the relationships, it was nice that they tied Season 04’s ending into the arrival of Season 05. Like how Oliver asked for a new costume because his arms were getting hurt in fights. Or how despite them breaking up, Oliver and Felicity clearly still had feelings for each other after Darhk was gone. The topic of Olicity is a very polarizing one. Half the internet is for it, and wants it back, and the other wishes it never happened and that they never reconnect…or that Felicity dies…they don’t care which happens first.

Yet, it’s hard to deny that they do work as a couple, both as friends and as more than that. Both the flashbacks and the present scenes proved that, and there is a chemistry between them. But was there trust between them? That was the question. One that got answered in a very interesting way. As both sides had to admit that they were at fault for things that happened, and Oliver admitting that it was his lack of trust in himself that made him doubt Felicity was very interesting. I don’t know if they’ll get put back together story wise, but you could argue that as friends they’ve never been closer.

Which brings us to Diggle/Lyla, who continued their morality/justice debate from last episode to this one. It’s good that they’re showing both sides of this. That Lyla has a reason for doing what she does, and John has a legitimate reason for not being comfortable with Lyla’s decisions. Like how Argus somehow got a T-Sphere and improved it…without Curtis’ knowledge. But just like Oliver/Felicity, I’m glad that they resolved it by episodes end, as it would’ve been sad to see the fracture continue.

As for that end scene with William…you kind of hoped it wasn’t going there because that’s really dark…but they did! Which once again proves how far Prometheus will go to ensure Oliver suffers.

In the end, “Underneath” did a good job of proving why certain Arrow relationships work, and though the setup was cliche, it hit a lot more than it missed. And if next weeks preview is proof of anything, it’s that the action is ramping back up.