Malcolm’s plan for the Glades and the existence of the Undertaking went from a highly guarded secret to one that quickly was threatened by Oliver on this week’s Arrow. “Darkness on the Edge of Town” provided revelations across the board, many of which, are sure to come to head in next week’s finale.
Moira’s Exposed
I go back and forth on whether I feel bad for Moira or not. When it came out that Robert was the one initially involved with the Undertaking and that she didn’t find out about it until after his death, I moved more towards her side than before. Now … I’m just not sure.
She allowed Walter to be held prisoner for six months. Who does that? Is she that afraid of what Malcolm would do to her? Okay, Malcolm did have her husband killed, so I’ll give her this one. At the same time, Walter’s decision to divorce her was entirely justified.
She’s a member of the Undertaking and therefore is responsible for their actions. She’s willing to sit back and let the entire population of the Glades be killed to protect her family. That’s not a noble or brave sacrifice. It’s weak. She’s wrong.
She should have trusted Oliver and told him the truth, but she was too afraid to do the right thing. She tried to kill Malcolm once, why not try that again? Instead, Oliver had to kidnap his own mother and force out her secrets.
It was reminiscent of when she had Oliver and Tommy kidnapped to find out if Robert revealed any of the Undertaking secrets to her son. The roles were reversed and she deserved it. I had no sympathy for her. And, she spilled everything. Finally!
Her relationship with Oliver will never be the same. I hope at some point they can be honest with each other and heal from all of their family wounds.
The Undertaking’s Plan Revealed
After Moira spilled on Malcolm’s plan to level the Glades, Team Green Arrow went into full investigative mode to figure out what was going on. At the same time, Lance and the police department were investigating the massacre at Unidac Industries.
It was surprising to see how close Lance got so quickly to have the pieces he would need in order to place blame for the Glades disaster … if it takes place. He knows a seismologist who was in contact with Merlyn Global was killed. He’ll know it’s no coincidence if an “earthquake” destroys the Glades.
Meanwhile, Felicity was able to infiltrate Merlyn Global’s computer system to find the device. It’s unfortunate that both the police now know she did that and even worse that Malcolm figured it out.
Malcolm was able to move the device before Diggle got to it. So, the Undertaking’s plan is no longer a secret, but it could easily be too late for anyone to stop it. Oliver’s confrontation of Malcolm left him captured, Diggle doesn’t have any leads, and Felicity will most likely be questioned by Lance.
Going into the finale, “Sacrifice,” it looks likely that Malcolm will succeed in destroying the Glades. Will Diggle, Moira, Felicity, the police or someone else at least sound the alarm to warn the residents?
Love Triangle Betrayal
Oh, Oliver. What are you doing? He pushed Laurel away because of his mission. He told Tommy he could never be with Laurel. Then, he got a glimpse that he could get out of the “Hood” life by preventing Malcolm’s plan.
Instead of working on finding the device and actually saving the Glades to free him from his obligation to his father, he went to see Laurel and declared his love for her. He lost sight of his quest to protect Starling City and betrayed his best friend.
Of course, Tommy saw Oliver and Laurel together, which will ready him to help his father in the Undertaking. Oliver’s weakness for Laurel has put the city in danger by losing his focus. He also has put Laurel at risk.
At the beginning of the season, Tommy was one of my favorite characters. He was fun, loving, and loyal. Now, he’s quickly becoming unlikable and I’ll be disappointed if he turns towards the Dark Archer.
Odds and Ends
- Felicity’s awkward use of words is always a highlight of the show. Nice job, writers.
- The flashback wasn’t too revealing yet, but Yeo’s execution will certainly become the turning point in that story. Will Oliver, Slade, and Shado be able to prevent the downing of the commercial airliner? And, how will that past event influence what Oliver does with Diggle and Felicity regarding the device in the Glades?
- “Everything proceeding according to your plan.” — Who was the woman with the sexy legs wearing red heels? And, why did she want the airliner brought down? Is she part of the Undertaking? Or, was that a tease for a new big, bad, nefarious organization for Oliver to target in season 2?
- Oliver’s forcefulness in protecting Thea and warning off Roy was awesome. Big brother won the day!
- Roy’s desire to meet the “Hood” in order to learn from him is understandable. And, it will certainly happen at some point. Could Roy be pivotal in saving the Glades?
- It was heartbreaking to hear Roy’s confession about losing someone in the past and pushing Thea away now so he won’t lose her in the future. Sounds familiar.
- Oliver and Malcolm’s fight was epic. Best of the season so far. These two are both well-trained and nearly evenly matched. In this case, Malcolm won. Based on the Arrow season finale pictures, he’s not going to be kind to Oliver.
- I thought Malcolm already knew that Oliver was Green Arrow, but I guess not. His final words were quite telling, “Oh no.”
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(Image courtesy of The CW.)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Contributing Editor and Writer for Collider, BuddyTV, TV Fanatic, CliqueClack, and other publications. TV criticism, reviews, interviews with actors and producers, and other related content. Founder of TV Diehard.
