Arrow: A Matter of Trust (Review)

By: Ashley Binion (@ashleybinion)
 
“A Matter of Trust” continued Arrow’s early-season winning ways with a new villain, Team Arrow 2.0 team building, a returning villain, and more Bratva flashbacks.
 
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
 
Deadshot! That was such a dirty trick Arrow played on the viewers. I was so excited when he popped up. When he “died” last season I was convinced, and still am, that he didn’t actually bite the dust. Clearly, I’m in denial. So, when he showed up in a cell with Diggle, I completely believed it. Am I naive and gullible? Probably. But, bringing back the one-eyed gunman would’ve been one of Arrow’s best moves. He’s always been Diggle’s biggest and most interesting antagonist. However, at this point I don’t even think that it’s within the series’ power to bring back the now movie-represented Suicide Squad member.
 
I know nothing about the WWE. So, for those who are familiar with the franchise, I’m sure it was a ton of fun watching Cody Rhodes guest starring on Arrow. And, I’m sure that there were a lot of references that WWE fans would’ve picked up on throughout the episode. Every single one flew over my head. As a villain his main motivation was to reclaim his territory from Church. As Church has been one of the two antagonists this season, it’s a realistic motivation that I appreciate. It would’ve been more effective if we actually saw Church and Sampson interact in one form or another.
 
Throughout these first three episodes, Curtis has been the series’ sole comic relief. The “suit up” line was hilarious. Considering how dark the show can be at times, like Oliver cutting the guy down from that rod at the beginning of the episode, it’s important that there be some comic relief once and awhile. It looks like that job is now regulated to Curtis.
 
Felicity’s inner struggle about Havenrock and Rory was a nice little subplot. I was worried for a moment that she would keep the secret a la Oliver. Considering how much secrete keeping affected her relationship with the green hero, it would have made her look like a hypocrite if she kept the Havenrock secret. I’m looking forward to seeing how those two characters interact in upcoming episodes.
 
Thea continues to thrive away from Team Arrow 2.0. I was so proud of her when she offered up her resignation to save Oliver’s mayoral butt. Honestly, if she never returned to Team Arrow I would be okay with that. Willa Holland is perfectly capable of holding up a storyline all by herself that doesn’t involve nightly crime fighting.
 
The Bratva flashbacks continue to be superior to any flashbacks the series has had over the past two seasons. They connect well to the narrative and are actually interesting. I like that Arrow finally revealed how Oliver got all those scars on his back.
 
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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