TV Show Review

TV Review: ARROW: Season 4, Episode 19: Canary Cry [The CW]

Katrina Law David Ramsey Emily Bett Rickards Willa Holland Stephen Amell Arrow Canary Cry

 The CW‘s Arrow Canary Cry TV Show Review. Arrow: Season 4, Episode 19: Canary Cry opened with Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy). Wait… but… yeah, that was just a dream. Laurel Lance was laid to rest in Canary Cry. It was a memorial episode that gathered many to remember one. Her monologue at the beginning of the episode made it clear the best way to honor the memory of someone you love is to speak fondly, proudly and openly about them to anyone who would listen – no matter how much it may hurt. It was Oliver’s (Stephen Amell) lesson to learn.

Everyone grieved in their own ways, but none more passionately than Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne) and Diggle (David Ramsey). Diggle lost it, blaming himself. Even the usually sweet Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) reinforced his thinking. Digg was so wracked with guilt he made a huge mistake. He went after smug-faced Ruvé Adams (Janet Kidder) with every intent to kill her. He lost his humanity in a moment that was scary and vulnerable. There was so much going through my mind: “Go Diggle Go!”, then “Oh no Digg, that’s not you man!”, but “Well, what could it hurt?” In reality, his actions brought the weight of the law down on the team’s head. His actions caused Adams, the mayor, to rally the city against the masked heroes.

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If that was not enough, Quentin Lance, who has now lost both his daughters twice over in different ways, was a mangled mess of denial and devastation. Honestly, I cannot watch Blackthorne cry. It breaks my heart every time. He could not accept that Laurel was gone. Given what we have all witnessed with magic in this realm, it was understandable that Lance could believe Laurel’s death was only temporary. It did not help that a teenager was parading around as Black Canary doing permanent damage to people and the Black Canary name.

The team scrambled to stop Evelyn Sharp (Madison McLaughlin), the Black Canary copycat, from destroying Laurel’s legacy. She has enhanced the Canary Cry to higher pitches than the team thought possible, making her unapproachable. (There is something symbolic in that, I’m sure.) Sharp planned to kill Ruvé Adams, and although the woman richly deserved the abrupt end to her political career, it was not the last image the team wanted for Black Canary. So, it forced Team Arrow to protect their enemy – the same woman Diggle knocked senseless and wanted to shoot.

Flashbacks belonged to Oliver’s memories of Laurel. Her pain, her courage, her heart was what he was remembering and by proxy so were we. We became privy to intimate conversations that explained her feelings during the height of Star City’s tragedies, namely the destruction of the Glades and Tommy’s (Colin Donnell) death. She had incredibly big heart, which she wore on her sleeve, and although she hurt so much, she fought so hard to make things right in the world. The episode came down to WWBCD?? ahem…What Would the Black Canary Do? What exactly is Laurel’s legacy?

So, Oliver did what he was too afraid or ashamed to do long ago for Tommy. He spoke at Laurel’s funeral about her life, how much she loved, and how hard she fought for the city. (Actually, the speech was a bit reminiscent of that speech about Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight….hmmm?) In the end, Oliver revealed Laurel’s identity as Black Canary, and with Lance’s blessing, but the revelation came as an obvious shock to Dinah Lance (the always amazing Alex Kingston). Her face was an open book that mostly read as awe. She was in awe of her daughter. We all were, Mama Lance. We all were.

Canary Cry was a beautiful, somber installment. It also ended with Oliver’s much-teased promise to kill Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough), but he confessed he does not know how. Which leaves the cliffhanger of how to defeat Darhk’s magic. What does Oliver know that can help…besides burying him under eight hundred feet of rock in a cave on an island?

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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