Arrow New Episode Review: 'Broken Arrow' Says Goodbye to Two Main Characters

Season 3 of the CW's Arrow continued Wednesday night with a new episode entitled "Broken Arrow" that delivered two shocking moments that are sure to change the landscape of the series.

For weeks, Ra's al Ghul has been putting the squeeze on Oliver Queen to force him to succeed him as the leader of the League of Assassins. Oliver has resisted through the deaths of innocents, the public exposure of his secret identity, and the incarceration of his sidekick. But Ra's finally decided to end this little game and go for checkmate.

The Demon's Head showed up at Thea's apartment, toyed with her in a brief fight, chokeslammed her through a glass table, and stabbed her through the heart. Even if Thea isn't dead (though it seems pretty likely that she is), Oliver's only recourse here is to go to Ra's al Ghul and the Lazarus Pits for help to save his sister's life. The game is over.

Thea's death was doubly painful given that the episode made us focus so much on Roy's plight in prison. It was a misdirection all along, as the writers made us keep our attention on one character and then deliver a gut punch at the end of the episode with another.

But to add another layer to the emotional turmoil in "Broken Arrow," the writers made us think Roy was dead when a prison guard stabbed him. It was all a ruse, though, as Roy had actually planned this out in the previous episode, "Public Enemy."

This was a standout episode for Roy (and Colton Haynes, who crushed the material he was given), as he finally stepped up as a hero in a significant way and saved Oliver's life for once. The world now thinks Roy and the Arrow are dead, which means Oliver Queen is free and clear. Of course, Roy couldn't foresee Thea's demise, whch sort of puts the squash on his whole plan. Either way, Roy is gone for now, though he'll surely be back when the show needs him.

"Broken Arrow" truly pushed the throttle toward the season finale, as is Arrow's way. The final few episodes of each season tend to be just completely crazy and intense, and it seems we're finally on that path for Season 3. This is going to be a fun ride.

The rest of the episode was actually...fun. And that's an odd word to use for this show nowadays. Oliver even cracked a few jokes. Oliver!

Ray finally became a vital member of the team in this episode, as Oliver had to rely on him to help take out Deathbolt, the metahuman who was terrorizing Starling City. The theme of this episode was about Oliver letting go and allowing others to help him, and Ray was a major part of that. His effervescence injected some much needed levity into a show that has been nothing but doom and gloom for weeks.

The final few episodes of this season are going to be a roller coaster, and "Broken Arrow" was a fantastic way to kick off the ride. Let's enjoy it.

Notes:

- Oliver: "There's a good chance you and Ray are related." I laughed at something Oliver Queen said. Remember this day.

- Cisco made a surprise appearance! After the mini-crossover on The Flash last night with Felicity and Ray, the universe felt really tied together here with Ray delivering a metahuman to Starling City where he belongs. We even got some Flash development, as Cisco wondered how Deathbolt could be a metahuman if he wasn't in Starling City when the particle accelerator exploded.

- Also, Cisco and Ray are the best together.

- Another thing that helped keep the universe cohesive was Oliver's asking Felicity to call Barry to help with the metahuman, and Felicity's response that he had his hands full with Harrison Wells. Also, she said it's "hard to keep up." Speed jokes are funny.

- Oliver coaching Ray was really cool, and it helped build the relationship between the two men. It also turned Ray into more of a hero.

- "Stop calling it a team up, Ray." Oliver's exasperation with The Atom throughout the hour was great.

- "I'd say I'm sorry, but we both know whose fault this is." Ouch, Lance.

What did you think of "Broken Arrow"? Let us know in the comments section.