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TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Arrow Season 06 Episode 10: Divided

January 19th, 2018 by Todd Black Comments

Depending on how you felt, Arrow either had a very solid or very weak ending to its first half. Season 06 has been about building up and tearing down status quos, and “Irreconcilable Differences” definitely did that as Team Arrow went from 5 to 1. And “Divided” helped reinforce that this won’t change for a while.

I’ve already heard some people complain about the near reunion we had with the team at the end of the episode. But the key word here is “near”. They ALMOST got back together, and if this was an earlier season, Oliver’s words might have done the trick, but the writers knew this wasn’t the way to go, so, they made sure it didn’t happen. But, in a fun twist, Oliver supports Renee, Curtis and Dinah coming together to make their own team, and that does show growth.

I was also very happy to see that Team Arrow did find out about some of Cayden James hidden cards, including the bug in their base, and that he had allies. I’ve said it before, but Michael Emmerson is putting on a show as Cayden, but, he’s still a little too mysterious. We need to see his endgame, and soon. What’s more, he committed a serious bad guy faux paw in letting Oliver leave without much resistance. Even Dragon noted it with, “You know, for a pretty smart guy, that was a dumb move.”

The real question now is who is Oliver going to rely on to fight Cayden? Diggle got back into fighting form by the end of the episode, but 2 against 6 isn’t good odds, and we’re lowballing that enemy number, it’s honestly a lot more. We know Roy will be coming back for a few episodes, but that’s clearly a temporary solution. Maybe he’ll call his “wife” Nyssa back? Hard to say.

Thea and Quentin had a lovely little sidestory here, one that delved into the relationships they’ve had with family members, and why they need to never give up on them. These two have had a fun chemistry this season and last, and I’m glad that it’s not going to waste.

And give props to the writing team for not only bringing back the Bertinelli’s, but noting that Huntress is still alive. Maybe that’ll come back into play? I know Stephen Amell has wanted that.

Finally, I’m happy that Vigilante got outed to Dinah. On one hand, you could tell they honestly have feelings still for each other. But, that betrayal was very much a last straw for Dinah, and I don’t blame her one bit for not wanting an explanation.

Aside from Cayden’s lack of clear motive still, the other thing I didn’t like from “Divided” is the very thin reasoning that Curtis, Renee, and Dinah still hate on Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity. Even when the latter two shared info with them to help save their lives potential, they still held grudges like a petty school rivalry. Grow up people!

Still, “Divided” was a solid return for Arrow, but I do hope things pick up soon. They truly need to.

4 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!