TV Show Review

TV Review: ARROW: Season 4, Episode 14: Code of Silence [The CW]

Emily Bett Rickards Willa Holland Stephen Amell Arrow Code of Silence

The CW‘s Arrow Code of Silence TV Show Review. Arrow: Season 4, Episode 14: Code of Silence was all about trust. There were a lot of secrets to go around, Oliver’s (Stephen Amell) secrets, Damien Darhk’s (Neal McDonough) secrets, Lance’s (Paul Blackthorne) secrets. Even Curtis Holt (Echo Kellum) had a terrific secret. Code of Silence explored the challenge of honesty.

The episode centered around a political campaign debate that was turned into a battle. Well, could not be more on the nose than that. Finally, Oliver met Ruvé Adams aka Mrs. Damien Darhk (Janet Kidder),”officially”. They were definitely shooting daggers …and arrows. Instead of endeavoring to win the debate, Adams tried to blow up the building and assassinate her opponent. Overkill much! Adams even dropped a whole gang of ghosts on the team’s head when they tried to follow her from the debate. It was a deadly smooth move on her part. One could say Adams rivals Amanda Waller in her coldness.

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The team was on full alert trying to save a building from demolition by acid, which was orchestrated by Mr. and Mrs. Darhk using a team of demolition experts from around the world. We did not have much time to get to know these villains, but no matter. The true threat was revealed at the end.

Darhk has William (Jack Moore), Oliver’s son. This development was courtesy of Merlyn, Thea’s (Willa Holland) weasel father. Merlyn has apparently thrown in his lot with Darhk. It is clear he would sacrifice anything and anyone for power. Earlier in the series he traded his daughter for a ring. Now, he has traded Oliver’s son for a seat at Darhk’s table. All bets are off. What we do find out in the scene with Team Darhk is that 1) it is never a good idea to insult Darhk’s wife to his face, and 2) if you insult his wife, Darhk will teleport instantly to wherever you are and kill you.

On the homefront, Oliver and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) had an engagement party that was turning into a glittery nightmare thanks to Donna Smoak (Charlotte Ross) who by her own admission was going all “momzilla” with the party planning. Mama Smoak actually stole a bit of the show in this one since she was the focus of both Lance’s and Felicity’s world. Lance knew he was being hunted by Darhk and tried to push Donna away in order to protect her. So, then, Felicity counseled them both to trust each other. Those two together are comedy. I would actually hate to see them apart now and lose that element of the show.

Now, if only Oliver could trust Felicity. Oliver is about to marry Felicity with this huge secret in his heart, but he must honor William’s mother’s wish to keep their child a secret. The moment between Thea and Oliver where Thea confronted Oliver about the truth and supported his decision was moving. Her reasoning was sound, too. Keep William safe by keeping him a secret. Thing is, once Malcolm knew, secrecy was dead. William is in the hands of the enemy because he was not a secret to Thea’s own father. Darhk took William from his mother and I do not think I even want to know how he managed that. The man is ruthless.

Flashbacks were as clear as mud as ever. Back on Lian Yu, Reiter (Jimmy Akingbola) continued hinting at a great power that only Oliver Queen was chosen to access for him. The tattoos, the stone, the maps are all clues to discover the power, but the power remains a mystery. The best part about the flashbacks had to be Oliver “the contract killer” – or I suppose his actions could be construed as a sort of preemptive justice. Regardless of characterization, Oliver killed Conkiln (Ryan Robbins) in cold blood. Sure, he may have thought he was protecting the slaves, or maybe just wanted peace of mind. Still, just like when he tortured people, this premeditated murder by Oliver Queen was disturbing to say the least. He really can resemble a monster at times. Taiana (Elysia Rotaru) may have expressed it best, it takes a monster to beat a monster (I’m paraphrasing). Now that a monster has his son, Oliver may need to channel the monster again.

Which reminds me, the action scenes this episode were great! Again, I really appreciate when every hero is highlighted in action scenes. the look was a mix of hand held and steady cam that really amped up the action, which included quick fight choreography, aerial archery, and sailing motorcycle antics. We even saw Arsenal (David Ramsey) sporting some new tech courtesy of Felicity I bet.

Speaking of Felicity and new tech. Curtis Holt became a bona fide hero when he presented a wedding gift like no other. He invented technology that could possibly make Felicity walk again. I suspect the tech will also gift Felicity with other abilities (no, I did not miss that little quip she made about being psychic). Anyways, I felt some tears welling up a bit I will not lie. Cannot wait to see the outcome of this development.

Leave your thoughts on this review and this episode of Arrow below in the comments section. For more Arrow reviews, photos, videos, and information, visit our Arrow Page, our Arrow Google+ Page, and consider subscribing to us by Email, “following” us on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ or “liking” us on Facebook for quick updates.

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PopcornMovieMaiden

I am ...a lover of all things film/TV ...a poet with a law degree ...a D.C. native, who frequents local and international film festivals ...a couch potato with opinions.
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