Arrow Reaction: "Honor Thy Fathers" (5x21)

Warning: Arrow is rated TV-14 for mature content. Spoilers included below.

(source)

When a crate containing a dead corpse is sent to the Mayor's office, Team Arrow has to dig into the past to find out whether Chase's allegation that Robert Queen, Oliver's father, is a murderer is true or not. Meanwhile, Derek Sampson, a former criminal, steals chemicals to create a new drug and unleash it in the city.

"The people closest to you always pay the most for your sins. You are paying for your father's. Who will pay for yours?" -Anatoly

What I Liked

Plot
Mysterious packages are never good, especially when they are filled with dead bodies. And it's even more fun when the dead body in the package leads you to a building triggered with booby traps to bury you alive! Basically, the plot of this episode was... interesting and unexpected. I like that it intertwined with Robert Queen and his past, connecting to Oliver's reasoning for becoming the Hood. It's poignant that Chase went after Robert since he wants to dismantle everything the Green Arrow is and it all started with Robert. There were also a lot of connections to Claybourne with the drugs and the lawyer. I found it super intriguing that Claybourne wanted to disown Chase because he's (wait for ittttt) crazy! Ha ha! I knew it. I knew Chase was crazy. But I was not expecting Claybourne to be so heartless after Chase basically worshiped the ground he walked on. Wow.

I suppose that claim would make anybody spend five years planning his revenge... right? (source)

Team Arrow
Team Arrow rocked it in this episode. Between kicking butt, saving the day, and digging up the past through research and science-y stuff, they did awesome.

They all look so happy! (source)

Felicity
Once more, thank you, Felicity Smoak, for existing and for always having a way with words. You are truly a gem that needs to be protected at all costs. And I'm glad Felicity is back in full strength with her moving words, her nerdy references, and her snarky comments. I've missed you.

God bless, Felicity Smoak. (source)

Flashback
Yay! We're finally back on the island and things are falling into place to line up with how the show started: with Oliver being rescued. I like that Anatoly helped Oliver get back there, gave him advice, and even provided what I think is a fake beard for him to use. (So the beard is fake after all. You fooled us all, Stephen Amell. Amazing.) And I like that despite him being ready to go, Oliver still has to deal with Kovar and the Russians. That helps draw out the tension for the last two episodes, and I'm looking forward (for once) to how it all pans out. It's going to be good.

Oliver
Green Arrow is baaaack. And I'm supers stoked. Ahhhhh! Finally, Oliver is choosing to be his own man and not letting Chase dictate whether he is a hero or not. Also, Oliver continues to have good speeches, no matter who he is talking to.

*sniffles* Siblings relationships. (source)

What I Didn't Like

Robert Queen
Can someone on this show not be a terrible person? Just one person? Please. It was kind of disappointing that once more Chase is right. Ugh. I know, I know... it's about the plot and Oliver moving past his father's legacy and call to save the city. It's about Oliver becoming his own person and hero. Yada yada yada. But still. I wish Chase hadn't been right, that Robert was a good man for the most part. Murder and covering up a murder is... not something you can easily come back from. And it's just too far, I think. There are too many characters in this show that are full of darkness and too far gone to come back that it's hard to watch sometimes. Well, at least we still have Curtis, who is an adorable ray of sunshine. Don't fail me, Mr. Terrific!

Thea
I'm tired of Thea being all "I'm a monster," and "we're monsters because our parents are monsters." (As if you have to be who your parents were.) Can you stop? Please. Can you like yourself? Because Thea, you're smart and beautiful and you have a lot of great talent, but you just let the past swallow you. I'm tired of everybody being "I'm so full of darkness." Blaaah. Just stop. Though, her sass about Malcolm Merlyn is always the greatest.

At least Thea still has a brain, though. (source) 

Rene
Come on! What? He's having second thoughts about getting his daughter back because... because why? Her foster mother is soooo great? But she clearly loves you, Rene, and wants to be back with you. Why, oh, why did he not show up for the hearing? I feel like all the progress he's made just stumbled back a few steps because of this, and it doesn't make sense to me. It's unnecessary drama. I'm tired of unnecessary drama. I don't need rainbows and butterflies everywhere, but is it too much to ask for a little happiness in this show?

Prometheus
The plot twist of Claybourne wanting to disown his son was interesting, but the rest of the episode regarding Prometheus was... disappointing. For one thing, what about William? The previous episode left us feeling icky as Chase honed in on Oliver's son, hinting he was going to mess with him in some way, yet this episode didn't even hint at it. Um, what? Also, I felt defeating Prometheus was too easy. Way. Too. Easy. So easy that the smirk Chase gives at the end of the episode has me worried. Chase is exactly where he wants to be, which is not good.

Too easy. (source)

Overall

So this episode was quite unexpected. I thought a lot of what happened in the previous episode--Rene taking steps to get his daughter back, Chase messing with William, etc.--would pan out in this episode, moving us closer to the culmination of everything for the final episodes of the season. But this episode took a different turn... a completely different turn. It was about Oliver's father, which wasn't bad. Yeah, some things are getting old, but this episode wasn't bad. It was interesting and full of action, and it propelled the plot and season arc forward. I'm feeling pretty good about Arrow lately, and I hope this keeps up for the final two episodes of the season. (And preferably beyond into the next season.)

What did you think of "Honor Thy Fathers"?