TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Arrow Season 06 Episode 07: Thanksgiving

With “Crisis On Earth-X” now literally days away, it was going to be interesting what Arrow did to set it all up, and “Thanksgiving” was not only very good in setting stuff up, they also delivered some amazing characters moments as well.

Oh, and yes, that really was Billy Joel.

Anyway, what made this episode work was that the descent into darkness as it were came right at the beginning, where Oliver was arrested for being Green Arrow. Which set in a crisis of its own, for as Diggle wisely noted, if all the bad guys thought Green Arrow was locked up, then what’s holding them back?

Both Diggle and Oliver really shined here tonight, especially when Diggle’s injuries mounted and he had to be taken to the hospital, which of course led to Ollie finding out about his condition. It was a very tense scene, but it worked in all the right ways. Both had good points, and both had blame to be had.

So, with Diggle out, and Cayden James and Black Siren threatening to blow up a Billy Joel concert (the nerve!!!!), Ollie had to “sub in” and take matters into his own hands to ensure everyone’s safety.

Which…honestly was a bit of a down point for the episode. I get that Cayden is brilliant enough to plan a trap just to meet Green Arrow, but the fake bomb? All the tension for basically no payoff? Yeah, it rang hollow. True, the events led to the anti-vigilante bill passing, but that’s a long-term thing, not a short term.

Other great character moments tonight involved Dinah and Quentin confiding in one another about their personal issues, and Curtis and Felicity basically comes to blows because of their company which Felicity has been “guiding” a bit too much. While it may seem odd that this happened on the surface, both really worked, and they both resolved in a very good way.

Same with the resolution of Oliver and Diggle, which led to the surprise awakening of Thea. Unnecessary? Maybe. But, it allowed the episode to end on a positive note, and no Thanksgiving episode should end on a sour one.

“Thanksgiving” had a lot we should be thankful for. Do remember, Arrow will be on Monday next week as part of the Earth-X crossover, so if you can’t watch it when it airs, be sure to tape it!