“Ya got trouble, my friend, right here, I say, trouble right here in Starling City!”
Damnit. Every time John Barrowman does a guest appearance, I’m dropping showtune references for weeks afterwards. The man has a strange power over me.
But they do sure got trouble! A shadow squad is operating from within the ranks of the police force and doing bad stuff. This is a lot less interesting than the show’s dramatic moments.
You heard me right. The drama was actually better than the action this time. I’ll let that sink in a moment. The episode was directed by Lexi Alexander (Punisher: War Zone), and features some of the best performances seen on the show to date. The writing is solid, and the over-the-top moments are true melodrama as opposed to ham-fisted daytime soap fare. Good melodrama I have no issues with. In fact, I don’t think you can do a superhero show that isn’t melodrama. All I ask is that you keep the performances honest, and be true to the characters. Also, if it’s not too much to ask, avoid tired clichés. All of which “Beyond Redemption” delivers on. Most of the time.
Hands down, the evening belonged to veteran actor Paul Blackthorne as Detective Quentin Lance. The man had at least four or five showcase scenes; the most moving of which shows him breaking down as he contemplates shooting his newly resurrected daughter, Sara. It was a very sincere, touching moment. But that’s not all! We also get to see him break down as Oliver confronts him over his alliance with Damien Darhk. Oliver really gave it to him, too. Merciless. And you know Oliver was enjoying that shit.
There are two scenes between the detective and Oliver that mirror one another. The first being Lance’s admission of his guilt over working with Darhk. The second is their kiss-and-make-up scene. This is some of the best character development we’ve seen on Arrow yet. For the first time, these two men were more than just one another’s foils. They were real people with whom I could relate. I found it very touching and insightful to learn that Oliver sees Lance as a father figure. He’s been busting his ass trying to earn the detective’s respect. So much more then this betrayal must sting. Lance finally cracks and lets us see the stress that he has been laboring under in this city on the verge of collapse. They were wonderful, heart-felt performances.
Wait! There’s more! We also get to see Detective Lance talk down a deadly former police officer with a dramatic speech so affective that Oliver cribs it for his campaign announcement.
{Oh, yeah. Oliver is running for mayor. (Mayor Queen? That’s weird.) First he is running. Then he’s not. Then he is again. You guys do what you want. Honestly, I don’t think I can vote for him.}
Neal McDonough makes a quick and nasty cameo as Damien Darhk. He’s just so stone cold. Detective Lance seeks out Darhk desperate for some way to help Sara. Darhk tells him, as one father to another (really???) that if he loves his child, he will put her down. BOOM! Drops the mike and walks away. SO COLD!
Meanwhile, back on the Island That Never Dies, Ollie does some stuff and people die. No one cares. He doesn’t even seem to care. None of it has any relevance to anything else on the show. End scene.
Ray Palmer’s suit is sending coded messages to mobile devices and shit. There’s some hooplah about how this could be his last message and could shed light on how he died. Okay, I’m just going to say it since no one else will. We know Palmer ain’t dead. He just got small. Real small. Like, oh, I don’t know, an ATOM?
That’s all I have to say about this episode. It was aight. I didn’t hate it. I’m saving up my energy for the next episode featuring Matt Fucking Ryan as John Fucking Constantine. Oh, man. So stoked.
Till then, bloody cheers, mate. Nevermind the bollocks and smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.