The situation with Emiko comes to a head and Laurel finds herself in very hot water.

When Arrow works, and it’s working really well this season, it does so on two levels. The show has a relationship with violence unique to the CWverse, and one that ties it very closely to the longstanding belief that it’s also basically Batman: The Series. Oliver and his team, and their opponents, are extraordinarily skilled martial artists who use violence not just as a means to an end but as a means of expression. You saw that last episode in Mia’s almost feral joy at getting to cut loose, you see it here in the fights between Emiko and Oliver. When they’re training, Emiko’s seeking out Oliver’s weaknesses and using aggression to power through them. It doesn’t quite work. When they fight for real, it’s much more successful. Emiko is murderously angry. Oliver has fought for seven years to keep calm. They’re at the same place having got there via entirely different paths and we see that in how they move, how they fight and how they fight each other.

Through that we also get plenty of moments of the show’s other level: intimate character beats. This week that takes in Oliver and Emiko’s relationship or lack thereof, Emiko’s dysfunctional relationship with their shared parent and most interesting Laurel and Dinah. Laurel has never been more interesting than she has been this year and the moment where Dinah confronts her over a conveniently murdered suspect crackles with tension. Suddenly, the show reminds you that these two women first met in a meaningful way when Laurel murdered Dinah’s ex-boyfriend in front of her and the moment that’s expressed, the entire scene shifts. Katie Cassidy has always been good but has found her niche as this Laurel while Juliana Harkavy has rarely been better than she is here. Sarah Tarkoff & Elizabeth Kim’s script cleverly mirrors the conflict between Ollie and Emiko with the two women as well; both pairs are evenly matched, both pairs have reason to hate one another. But Laurel and Dinah find a way through. Emiko, despite Oliver’s best efforts, does not.

All of this is fun and the episode skips along at a nice high pace as we get more Adrian Paul, a reveal on just how high up Emiko is and the pieces moved into place for the endgame. Just as it does that and you’re relaxing though, the episode hits you once more. The sucker punch of a closing scene implies, heavily, Emiko is responsible for the shipwreck that started it all. If that’s the case then not only is her relationship with her brother even more complicated than we thought, but this is yet another brilliantly executed twist.

Verdict: Another great episode of a consistently excellent season. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart