Intergalactic Comics: Arrow: What We Leave Behind (Review)

Friday, December 9, 2016

Arrow: What We Leave Behind (Review)

By: Ashley Binion (@ashleybinion)

“What We Leave Behind” was a top-tier episode of Arrow. It had twists on twists, excellent fight scenes, clear character development, and fun character interactions.

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

Gosh, Prometheus is one fantastic villain and what makes them so special is that this person has spent years planning their takedown of the Green Arrow. They are so invested in killing the emerald archer that the stakes are much higher for Oliver and Team Arrow. It isn’t simply saving the city from disaster from villains in two past seasons. It’s personal.

The slow motion shots during Green Arrow and Prometheus’ first encounter in “What We Leave Behind” was pure gold. I adored the first shot of the throwing star slicing the arrow and then they out did themselves with the cool slo-mo flip off of the table. It was awesome. Arrow wants us to believe that this person is Justin Claybourne’s son, but for some reason I have a feeling it’s more complicated than that. And what was up with the shot of the reporter lady’s Russian vodka?

Billy’s death was a shocker. Considering how minor his character was and that no one really cared about him, he was clearly expendable. I just didn’t expect Oliver to be the one to kill him, especially this early in the season.

Through the unfortunate death of Billy, Arrow showed how it has exponentially matured. If this event would have happened in season three or four, there would’ve been a completely different conversation in the Quiver. Oliver would have hid the truth from Felicity. Or, if he would have told her the truth, she would have blamed him for the detective’s demise. It was brutal to watch Oliver tell the team, especially Felicity, about what happened out in the field. The imagery of watching the team physically step closer to Oliver after his speech was fantastic. Stephen Amell crushed that scene.

The drama between Curtis and his husband, Paul, was a development that happened out of nowhere, though I appreciate how it was handled. Up until this point, we have had little information about their relationship except a throwaway line or two. On top of that, we’ve only seen Paul once or twice. If we had gotten to know Paul, their separation would have had a much greater impact.
The drama between Curtis and his husband, Paul, was a development that happened out of nowhere, though I appreciate how it was handled. Up until this point, we have had little information about their relationship except a throwaway line or two. On top of that, we’ve only seen Paul once or twice. If we had gotten to know Paul, their separation would have had a much greater impact.

I absolutely adored the season one flashbacks in this episode. They were so nostalgic with the original Hood suit, the grease eye paint, IT Felicity, and The List. The parallels between the season one Hood killings and Oliver’s present day walk through the same location was beautifully shot. It has been said this season is the last one for flashbacks. I would tend to agree that the device has run its course. However, seeing how inventive and nuanced the season one flashbacks were, I wouldn’t be opposed to them continuing in season six. We never did see Oliver finish scratching names off of the list.

Lastly, you want a twist? The show gave you a couple in “What We Leave Behind,” but the one in the last act was a doozy. Laurel’s return was so unexpected, I audibly gasped. I don’t know what to think of the alleged return. Is she really alive? Could it be a residual result from his alien capture? Is she a Laurel from another Earth? So many questions, but we will have to wait for answers until 2017.