TV Review: Arrow Season 8 Episode 5

Arrow Season 8 Episode 5 “Prochnost”

Director: Laura Belsey

Starring: Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Rick Gonzalez, Juliana Harkavy, Katherine McNamara, Ben Lewis, Joseph David-Jones, LaMonica Garrett, Katie Cassidy, Audrey Marie Anderson, Andrea Sixtos

Rating: TV-14

Runtime: 42 minutes

“Prochnost” (named after the Russian for strength, which is also the word Oliver and Anatoly always use in their toasts) feels like the closest to a regular episode of Arrow we’ve gotten all season.  It’s certainly the most low-key, and it plays out as dozens of other episodes have throughout the year.  Oliver and company are on a mission but Ollie himself and other characters (here Mia and Laurel) are distracted by their emotional issues but ultimately everyone pulls it together and manages a win while also progressing in terms of their personal relationships with one another.  Even the final stinger is less bombastic than those in the last four episodes as we as viewers don’t learn anything new, even if Oliver and Diggle are let in on the secret of Lyla’s allegiance.

As you can probably guess from the title, the show stops in Russia this week for, presumably, the last time.  Oliver is there (along with Laurel, Mia, and William) to find the plans for a device that can be modified into the anti-matter weapon the team plans to use against the Monitor.  Being back in Russia predictably shakes our Emerald Archer and it leads him to, you guessed it, try to retreat into himself and push people away.  It’s another subtle testament to his character growth that he doesn’t go the same extremes in doing so that he has in the past, however.  He’s fine accepting help from Anatoly (David Nykl returned of course, and is as delightful as ever) and Laurel, ironically enough considering what’s going on with the latter.  It’s just his kids Oliver’s avoiding here, and while they assume it’s just him being overprotective again his real reasons are much more complicated and sad.  Oliver’s stint in Russia, including both his time in the Bratva and creating the Hood persona with Talia are some of the darkest stretches in a life full of them and he’s afraid of that darkness affecting his kids and changing the way they feel about him.

This episode continues to devote a lot of focus to Oliver and Mia’s relationship and it cleverly makes it so that both are concerned about different things than the other is upset about.  Oliver is worried about Mia judging him if the details of his violent past come out but she’s really worried that she doesn’t measure up to the heroic standards he and the rest of the team set.  While Katherine McNamara was even slightly more compelling in “Leap of Faith” this is easily the best written Mia material the show has ever produced, making her not just more sympathetic than ever before but, dare I say it, maybe even a little complex.  The scene in which Laurel advises Mia also works well to complicate the latter’s choice.  Mia describes how Laurel is just as revered a hero as the rest of the team, which clearly touches Laurel, leading to her decision to reject the Monitor’s offer and warn Ollie and Dig about Lyla.  Katie Cassidy and McNamara are quickly developing a strong rapport, which should serve them well if the possible spin-off also starring Juliana Harkavy gets picked up.

Elsewhere, Diggle is tasked with finding a supply of plutonium (needed to create anti-matter, apparently) and he recruits Roy Harper (Colton Haynes), who’s returned to life as a mechanic after going on a Lazarus Pit bloodlust-fueled rampage last season, as a back-up.  While it’s nice to give Roy a shot at redemption and just have him back on the show, as he himself points out Dig doesn’t really need him to get the job done.  He’s clearly just trying to avoid dealing with his own issues with Connor.  Unfortunately, the show doesn’t follow this storyline through to a satisfying conclusion.  Aside from the Lyla stuff everything having to do with the Diggles is a drag on the season, despite the best efforts of the actors.

“Prochnost” is a reminder that as fun as it is to see it go big, small-scale Arrow stories can be just as delightful.

Notes:

• Anatoly gets easily the best send-off of any returning guest star so far.  Him talking about how he and Oliver are finally free to be “real family” is utterly touching, especially since we know Oliver won’t likely be around to spend time with his brother for long.  And Anatoly is 100% the kids’ fun uncle.  The jury’s out on if Thea or Sara is the fun aunt.
•  I like the idea of Roy believing he’s at his best on the team and it’s clear the real answer to this question is that the show needed him for more episodes this season but there’s no compelling in-show reason why Roy wouldn’t just go back to Thea.

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