Arrow, Episode 12 – Vertigo
I normally save my guest star shout-outs to the end of my reviews, but how can I open this article with anything but Seth Gabel?! What genius casting and what an amazing performance. His portrayal of The Count was creepy, compelling, and intimidating – exactly how a comic book villain is expected to be. Gabel (Fringe) played the part with an understated menace and his mental demise at the end will surely mean an even more twisted villain could be making an appearance sometime soon. We hope!
Photo courtesy of CTV
I enjoy when Oliver deals with the Russian Mafia because he doesn’t have to hide behind the Hood. It’s another persona to add to the collection and I found it interesting that Diggle showed some doubt in Oliver’s integrity; for a second questioning whether or not Oliver had actually killed the man the Russians asked him to. It seemed that Diggle was exhibiting a certain amount of fear around his friend but his trust of him was once again proven when he invited a drugged Oliver to fire his arrow at a tennis ball close to his head. There’s a really nice ease starting to appear in their relationship that allows for some great sarcastic banter.
Thea definitely needed bringing down a peg or two, and while her arrest (and revelations about her father’s infidelity) made her re-assess her own actions, I still think she was given an out that the judge had been trying to avoid. She has always relied on her family to get her out of trouble, as did Oliver in his wild days, and I was glad that she was going to have to face the music this time; unfortunately, having Laurel’s father come to her rescue had the same effect as if her family’s influence had helped her out. Having said that, I like the idea of her forming a bond with Laurel while she’s serving her probation, although that could be at the detriment of Laurel and Tommy’s relationship if it means Laurel and Oliver get closer through Thea.
Photo courtesy of CTV
The island scenes were interesting and I was so happy that Oliver’s mentor ended up coming to his rescue again! That twist at the end of the previous episode really upset me. The fight scenes were, as always (sorry for sounding like a broken record), outstanding and I like that we’re starting to see some of Oliver’s confidence shine through. He’s more willing to confront his aggressors, although he still shows how terrified he is at times; he now seems well on the way to becoming the Oliver we saw rescued after 5 years on the island.
Finally, I’d like to put in a plea to see more Felicity Smoak! I loved her in this episode. She manages to be bumbling and confident at the same time, and her interactions with Oliver are always amusing. She really showed some guts this week coming to him with Walter’s notebook – she is obviously concerned for Oliver’s safety and I thought overall that the final scene of the episode was perfectly done.
Arrow airs on Wednesdays at 7e on CTV in Canada and at 8e on CW in the US
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