TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Arrow Season 3 Episode 2: Sara

Sara is dead. Any doubt that she wasn’t was washed away in the opening minutes of this episode. With her passing, Team Arrow now faces a situation they’ve never truly felt before: A loss of one of their team.

WARNING!!!: Spoilers below!

“Sara” was very much about how each member of Team Arrow dealt with their grief, and when an archer began killing people in Starling City, it was a call to arms to see if it was them who killed Sara.

Though maybe not the most action packed episode of the series, it is most definitely one of the best in terms of character moments. Whether it was Laurel or Felicity crying at the sight of the lost Sara, Roy or Diggle wanting to be the support that the others needed, or Oliver trying to be the strong cornerstone to get them through this time, it was all spot on.

Whether you love or hate Laurel, you couldn’t help but feel for her throughout the episode. My personal favorite moment with her was in the beginning where she kept saying “it isn’t fair, we just got her back”. Cause for Laurel, Sara coming back was both a bad thing and a good thing for her. And then to see her snatched away, killed right in front of her more-or-less was no doubt heartbreaking.

Yet no doubt the scene many will remember is the confrontation between Felicity and Oliver. Their heart-to-heart was not only candid and truthful, but the true “break-up” moment we didn’t get in the premiere. Neither of them were wrong for making the statements they did, and that’s what made the scene all the better.

The only real problem with “Sara” was the use of Komodo as the villain of the week. Much like last night’s Flash episode, the villain was very much used for show instead of building up a strong character for Oliver to possibly clash with in the future. And it was obvious that he wasn’t the killer almost from the get-go. That being said, the scenes with Komodo were pretty cool. Having him shoot (repeatedly) through glass gave him a distinctiveness that other villains have lacked, and he was proven to be a good archer and fighter. At one point fighting both Roy and Oliver at the same time, then getting away! That’s cool. And yes, he’s alive, so he could come back.

The other small weak spot was Laurel near the end. It was awesome to see her start her journey that’ll no doubt lead to being Black Canary. And her scene in the hospital room shows she’s got the will to do what it takes to be a hero in Starling City. However, the ending scene with Komodo was kind of forced, and a little grating.

A very interesting moment in “Sara” was the focus on Ray Palmer in certain parts. First as he tried to court Felicity to come work for him, then his speech at the pledge banquet. Both were very interesting, and both lended great insight into his character, much more than the pilot did. You can tell that he really does want to help Starling (Star) City, and that he’s willing to do what it takes to bring the city back. And now that Felicity does work for him, it’s not a stretch to say he’ll be around for the rest of the season.

And then there was Thea. One thing Arrow has done very well was showing Ollie’s love for Thea, and when Sara died, she was indeed his first call. As things escalated Roy was forced to reveal the truth, which has now set Oliver on a course to clash with not only her, but her father…

Finally, the Hong Kong sequence was a great highlight for the episode. One that brought back Tommy Merlyn! Hooray! And for those who feared why he was being brought back, relax, it not only totally worked, it tied into what happened in the season premiere. It’s still unclear what Waller has planned for Ollie, but the fact that she wanted him to kill Tommy proves it can’t be good.

In the end, “Sara” was an episode that focused on the team and showed how much this death affected them. Though there were some bumps in the episode, but I like to think the episode was very good overall.

Oh, and having Diggle name his daughter Sara in tribute? Classic.