TV Show Review

TV Review: ARROW: Season 2, Episode 7: State vs Queen [The CW]

Seth Gable Arrow

The CW‘s Arrow State vs Queen TV Show Review. Arrow: Season 2, Episode 7: “State vs Queen” tied up one of season two’s ongoing plot threads, while tending to a loose end. Moira Queen (Susanna Thompson) got her day in court, with A.D.A Adam Donner (Dylan Bruce) set to play his trump card and Laurel (Katie Cassidy) in tow. Thea (Willa Holland) served as his warm up act. By getting her to admit an initial hatred of Moira (for her role in The Glades tragedy), he supposedly undermined Moira’s defense. The lead chair (and Donner’s trump card) was passed to Laurel, by D.A. Kate Spencer (Chelah Horsdal), when Donner fell ill. All the while, Diggs (David Ramsey) had been undergoing the same ordeal: withdrawal symptoms of Vertigo addiction.

Apparently, The Count (Seth Gabel) was sprung from prison by the quake (releasing Dollmaker (Michael Eklund) in the process ) and had been rebuilding his enterprise this whole time (his escape was kept a secret). In a scheme that would make Michelle Bachmann smile, The Count managed to get Vertigo into a sizable portion of the city’s population, and abducted Donner. Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) sleuthing got The Hood (Stephen Amell) to The Count’s base and Donner was rescued, but The Count took advantage of Oliver’s no-kill policy and was left at large. The Count was handed a shot at payback, however, when Felicity carelessly followed a lead solo. The Count knew Oliver’s secret, and set up a hostage confrontation. Oliver did not hesitate a second time. Sebastian Blood (Kevin Alejandro) lamented the outcome of his guidance of The Count (no more Mr. Nice Hood), but had a more pressing – and positive – matter to attend to.

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I hate it when brilliant people do dumb things. Felicity could have at least messaged Oliver about her findings (or Diggs could have, for that matter, after she went around him). The Count’s cam-cast with Donner seemed derivative of Heath Ledger‘s Joker rampage, and his scheme reminiscent of the Jack Nicholson version. Either way, such comparisons do not help to clear Arrow from the shadow of Batman. Even if The Hood couldn’t bring himself to kill The Count during the Donner rescue, a few arrows through key joints would have at least put him out of action – maybe even facilitate his capture.

Back at the trial, Laurel shared Donner’s trump card with Moira in the hopes that the defense would not force its details into light. They came to some sort of arrangement, but Laurel still made a convincing case. So convincing that she found Oliver’s continued concern for her baffling (literally running away from it). Laurel is a basket case. Never stand between a Lemming stampede and a cliff, I always say. Then, again, Oliver does represent idealism at its best and worst.

Star county was mentioned, in the reading of the State vs Queen verdict, but not the State (anyone know which?). I have no paralegal background, but I figure if a jury can be asked to share Thea’s rage, over her mother’s actions, then they can also be asked to share her forgiveness. Ultimately, it did not matter, as Moira Queen was acquitted. I would not consider that a spoiler, as the real surprise came in the hows and whys behind her acquittal. With those hows and whys in mind, it was likely that Kate Spencer strongly disagreed with the verdict. Not so likely, the prospects of her becoming Manhunter as a result, though.

As important as it was to get past the court case, resolve the (current) Queen family issue, and take one more axe away from Laurel’s grind stone (mercifully), I thought the “State vs Queen’s” flashback story was the more interesting of the two. I found myself waiting for the next installment, and thinking that the main plot kept breaking the momentum.

The flashback storyline picked up with Oliver leading Ivo (Dylan Neal), Sara (Caity Lotz) and co. to the plane. The plan was to ambush Slade (Manu Bennett) and Shado (Celina Jade), but they had already gotten clear. Slade was in bad shape, but the pair got the drop on Ivo’s party and made off with Oliver – who, in turn, made sure to grab Sara. The significance of the arrow head was explored, and subjecting Slade to Ivo’s “miracle” cure came up. With nothing to show, so far, Ivo had the Amazo’s Captain (Jimmy Jean-Louis) pay the ultimate penalty.

While it was nice to see Slade and Shado at work again (for what it was worth), the getaway bothered me slightly. Even with a reputation for inaccuracy, multiple Kalashnikov rifles, on full automatic, should have had more of an effect on four near-medium range targets running in a mostly straight line. Oliver was quick to sideline Sara’s significance, to Slade and Shado, but I wonder how long this “Ollie in the middle” dynamic will play out. As “subtle” as Shado’s treatment of Slade’s burns turned out, in relation to his source identity, I couldn’t help but be encouraged by talk of applying Ivo’s miracle to him.

That “miracle” brought viewers back to the main plot, where a viable candidate emerged from Brother Blood’s panel of subjects/ victims: Cyrus (Graham Shiels). I assume he was Cyrus Gold, and not Cyrus Vanch (S1E13: “Betrayal”), in which case, wait for it….

The closing scene of Moira and her court case benefactor was a genuine WTF moment (and something of a vindication to fans who got all excited over that first glimpse of The League of Assassins). Before collective head scratching, and talk of Shark jumping sets in, I offer one note of encouragement: Lazarus Pit.

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Sam Joseph

Sam is an Avid consumer/observer of Geek culture, and collector of Fanboy media from earliest memory. Armchair sociologist and futurist. Honest critic with satirical if not absurdist­­ wit with some experience in comics/ animation production.
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