Arrow: Oliver is in over his head, and only one former teammate can help him
I’ve been waiting for this episode. The one where the writers bring it full circle. ‘Checkmate’ has been the best that we’ve so far in season 5 and for so many reasons. The main reason is that for a split second we caught a glimpse of the old Oliver, the one that first put on the hood and showed little to no remorse about anything or anyone.
But, just as quick as it came it was gone with one arrow to the leg by his former teacher turned enemy, Talia.
From the beginning of Season 5, I was skeptical of all the new faces and the position of Mayor. It seems as if there were too many storylines to keep up with but then we were thrown for a loop when we discovered that Adrian Chase, the District Attorney was actually Prometheus. Arrow has had to deal with all kinds of criminals over the years but what made the Prometheus character stick out was the unknown.
We knew who Slade Wilson was, we knew who the Ra’s al Ghul and Malcolm Merlyn was and the non-mask wearing Tobias Church but Prometheus was a mystery along the lines of Pretty Little Liars. When Oliver learned that Chase was Prometheus it changed the landscape of the show to a more personal feel they way Slade’s character did. In addition to Chase being somewhat in the inner circle, he seems to be on the same fighting level as Oliver, smarter and that has made his character the best one of the best villains we’ve seen so far.
But, how does Arrow beat him?
That’s tricky due to his allegiance with Oliver’s former teach, Talia who also happens to be the daughter of Ra’s al Ghul. The two of them are a deadly force and as much as he likes to think so, his current team is not capable of defeating the duo. It’s clear that Oliver needs help. Not an army but a clone.
In later episodes, we learn that Oliver escapes and calls the Bratva for help but they’re gangsters. Oliver needs a killer by his side and there is only one that fits that criteria.
Sara Lance.
Sara is somewhere traveling through time but if Oliver were to call and say he needed her special skill set, she would come with no hesitation. Now, you may be wondering why Sara and not Speedy or maybe with the return of Roy? As good as both are they are not as lethal as Sara. Speedy was there with her blood thirst she has basically given up the hunt. Roy’s good but he’s not a killer.
Prometheus and Talia are playing with no rules and for a brief moment, I thought Chase had a weak spot until he killed his wife. Right there was the moment when Oliver knew he couldn’t beat him as the person that he’s become. He needs to reform back to the killer that Talia made him out to be. As for Talia, what can Oliver do that she doesn’t already know? She trained both men and that alone makes her THE deadliest villain he has gone up against.
Sara is also trained in the ways of The League of Assassins and will be a formidable opponent for Talia while Oliver takes on Chase. This is the only way this showdown should go down and I hope the writers do not let Rene or Mr. Terrific try to take them on because that will destroy what has been a great build up this season.
Time to fight fire with fire.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
