Intergalactic Comics: Arrow: Fighting With Fire Review

Saturday, March 4, 2017

Arrow: Fighting With Fire Review

By: Ashley Binion (@ashleybinion)

In an unexpected move, Arrow revealed the identity of Prometheus in the latest episode, “Fighting Fire with Fire.”

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

Let’s start with the big reveal. Throughout the season, Prometheus has been a lingering, mysterious presence. One of the biggest questions surrounding the current season has been the identity of the Throwing Star Killer. Arrow finally revealed the identity of the villain to be none other than District Attorney Adrian Chase. This is quite surprising considering his comic book counterpart is actually Vigilante.

There has always been something off about the district attorney. When he was introduced toward the beginning of the season, I had a suspicious feeling that he was Prometheus. However, once Vigilante was introduced, I changed my hypothesis because of comic book lore. I should’ve known Arrow doesn’t always adhere to comic book canon. Now, more than ever, the question becomes about the identity of Vigilante. Could it be Curtis’ divorce-seeking husband, Paul? Or, could it be Frank Pike?

Maybe more than the reveal itself, I was shocked at the placement of the unmasking. It was so early in the episode. From a storytelling perspective, it worked very well. For the rest of the episode, it built suspense about what he would do in relation to Oliver’s impeachment hearing. It also added another level of eeriness when he confronted Susan at the end of the episode. The scene between the two was fantastic.

Including “Fighting Fire with Fire,” this is the third time in the series’ history that the The Hood, The Arrow, and now The Green Arrow have become public enemy number one. This particular trope may have become overused. It has always been a fine line for the series’ protagonist between vigilante and hero. It’s hard to believe that a mayor has such an influence on the city’s residents that declaring the Green Arrow a killer will change the minds of his constituents. Green Arrow has a proven track record when it comes to saving the city from disaster and villains more so than the almost-impeached Mayor Queen.

Sending Thea away at the end of the episode was an unwelcome development. She has been a wonderful presence in the mayor’s office. Keeping her apart from Team Arrow, and instead in city hall, was worrisome at first, but she has thrived in her new environment. It has shown more of a spotlight on her fighting her inner demons apart from her superhero costume. Comparing her political tactics to her bloodlust last season was an interesting parallel. Much like her bloodlust, her political tactics were becoming too extreme, enough to cause her to resign.

On a final note, Curtis finally made his T-Spheres. The ball jokes throughout the episode were getting really old. Hopefully they don’t continue.