Black Canary on ARROW S2 E14

This may seem like cheating once again but I don't have the time or energy to do a full-on review of last week's episode of Arrow.  Thankfully, I don't have to.  The website GreenArrowTV has a great in-depth review full of spoilers and easter eggs that's as thorough as anything I could provide here.  If you're so inclined, check out their review for the season 2 episode, "Time of Death", and then come on back!

Screen cap from "Time of Death", courtesy CW Network.

My Oh-So Brief Review

Arrow has had some good episodes, but this was a very good episode.  It introduced a classic villain with tons of potential for future appearances.  It spent a lot of time with the Lance family, fleshing out more of Laurel and Sara's relationship, as well as a few character details of their mother, Dinah.  We got to see the Canary in action and we now know how her connection to Sin originated.

Unfortunately, I think the episode tried to do too much and spread itself a little thin in the action story department.  Robert Knepper was terrific as Tockman, but we didn't spend nearly enough time with him doing anything other than talking through his radio.  GATV's review touched upon the fact that the character is dying--his body is literally counting down--but that metaphor was never explored or even truly hinted at.  Likewise, Laurel and Sara's reconciliation at the end felt like it jumped a couple of scenes.  This episode could have been two episodes, which would have allowed us to spend more time with Dinah Lance, as well as Roy and Sin.

Another thing I've noticed that has to go in the complaint section: As Team Arrow grows to include Canary and Roy, and Sin and Thea by extension, we've seen Diggle pushed more and more to the side.  I think the show found its identity once Ollie and Diggle teamed up, so it's a shame that Diggle has become more and more marginalized.  Maybe he needs to get a Green Lantern ring in order to get some decent screen time again.

There are a couple of references to Kord Industries and a very blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo of Blue Devil on a poster, as well as mention of the Oblivion Bar.  All nice bits of fan-service.

Lots of threads are coming together as we near the end of the season.  And don't forget, the episode titled "Birds of Prey" is just a few weeks away!