Well, here we are. Penultimate episode. As contained as "Living Proof" seemed to be at first glance, I do believe that it defied a lot of expectations and pushed season seven into a convincing final showdown.
Perhaps its biggest selling point was the return of beloved character Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell). Donnell has been a constant reminder to both us and Oliver (Stephen Amell) of who the Emerald Archer used to be and what tragedy that constituted back in the early days. Tommy was both a cautionary voice and charming friend here and delivered an emotional speech to Oliver that resonated with authenticity. In a sense, he managed to touch upon Oliver's feelings and convinced him that a violent outcome for the conflict at hand should be avoided if possible. Thanks to Donnell's charisma, some light comedy was also inter-woven into the script, which elevate an otherwise pretty bleak episode.
Team Arrow was also tested, but nothing truly meaningful happened on their front, aside from Roy (Colton Haynes) and Dinah (Juliana Harkavy) resolving past misconceptions. I didn't fully understand why the writers thought bating Roy's death was a good idea, he was clearly still destined to live on in the future.
That brings me to the weaker element of "Living Proof". The flash-forwards worked when they focused on the looming Galaxy One threat. When it came to engage it however, the compelling family drama surrounding William (Ben Lewis) and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) was all but lost. Granted, the endgame in 2040 Star City seems epic in equal measure, but the setup was slow and a little cheesy. On the topic of Felicity, I still felt as if her "legacy" talks were a little too on the nose.
In terms of action, it took it's time to build. Cinematographer Gordon Verheul found some great moments to show his keen eye for a great shot, but the action overall left me satisfied, if a tiny bit underwhelmed given how amazing last episode's were. Usually, Arrow tracks its choreography to a music beat or makes it flow more assuredly. This time, I felt as if I was on the edge of my seat for the sole reason of worrying that the choreography would slip up. Nevertheless, it was pretty well done and I appreciated a lot of what they were able to accomplish with the fights. There was also a pretty decent twist towards the end.
Arrow is in good form this year to end its seventh outing. I do feel as if there has been some waisted potential here and there and some odd choices, but overall it's been a good season. "Living Proof" sets up what looks to be a killer finale and brought a familiar face back to delightful effect.
Perhaps its biggest selling point was the return of beloved character Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell). Donnell has been a constant reminder to both us and Oliver (Stephen Amell) of who the Emerald Archer used to be and what tragedy that constituted back in the early days. Tommy was both a cautionary voice and charming friend here and delivered an emotional speech to Oliver that resonated with authenticity. In a sense, he managed to touch upon Oliver's feelings and convinced him that a violent outcome for the conflict at hand should be avoided if possible. Thanks to Donnell's charisma, some light comedy was also inter-woven into the script, which elevate an otherwise pretty bleak episode.
Team Arrow was also tested, but nothing truly meaningful happened on their front, aside from Roy (Colton Haynes) and Dinah (Juliana Harkavy) resolving past misconceptions. I didn't fully understand why the writers thought bating Roy's death was a good idea, he was clearly still destined to live on in the future.
That brings me to the weaker element of "Living Proof". The flash-forwards worked when they focused on the looming Galaxy One threat. When it came to engage it however, the compelling family drama surrounding William (Ben Lewis) and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) was all but lost. Granted, the endgame in 2040 Star City seems epic in equal measure, but the setup was slow and a little cheesy. On the topic of Felicity, I still felt as if her "legacy" talks were a little too on the nose.
In terms of action, it took it's time to build. Cinematographer Gordon Verheul found some great moments to show his keen eye for a great shot, but the action overall left me satisfied, if a tiny bit underwhelmed given how amazing last episode's were. Usually, Arrow tracks its choreography to a music beat or makes it flow more assuredly. This time, I felt as if I was on the edge of my seat for the sole reason of worrying that the choreography would slip up. Nevertheless, it was pretty well done and I appreciated a lot of what they were able to accomplish with the fights. There was also a pretty decent twist towards the end.
Arrow is in good form this year to end its seventh outing. I do feel as if there has been some waisted potential here and there and some odd choices, but overall it's been a good season. "Living Proof" sets up what looks to be a killer finale and brought a familiar face back to delightful effect.