TV: Arrow – “Human Target” – Takeaways and Predictions

What’s in store this week for Green Arrow and his team?  Will they be able to save Wild Dog?  Can they gain the upper hand on Tobias Church?  Will Prometheus make his presence felt again?  Read on to find out!

Photo Courtesy of CW/WB. H

Photo Courtesy of CW/WB. H

Mayor Queen – Oliver is trying to win over reporter Susan Williams so that she will stop writing negative articles about him.  He promises that if he does win her trust within one month, she can continue to verbally attack him.  He ends up getting her personal phone number.  Smooth.  Oliver begins to flex some of his new political muscle as he blackmails an individual who would not approve his rezoning plans for low-income housing.  As Oliver is leaving his meeting, Church’s hitman kills Oliver’s body guard and shoots him 4 times!! 

Deputy Mayor Lance announces in a press conference that Mayor Oliver Queen was pronounced dead at 1:23 a.m.  Viewers are given a fun twist as Oliver is in the base, and a look-alike comes in dressed as the “dead” mayor.  It ends up being Christopher Chance aka. The Human Target who is one of Diggle’s friends.  Staying close to the source material, The Human Target, “…impersonates individuals who are usually the target of an assassination” (Wikipedia).  We come to find out that Chance had been playing Oliver ever since he got Susan Williams’ number!  Like the comics, Chance completely engulfs himself in his client’s life in order to be legitimate.

Oliver holds a press conference apologizing to the community for his apparent death, but that it was due to Intel which would lead to apprehending Church. 

Prediction – Oliver looks to be gaining more experience in politics.  Susan Williams seems interested in him, but look for her to  use her connection to Oliver in order to uncover more dirt on him.

 

Photo Courtesy of Vertigo/DC. 

Photo Courtesy of Vertigo/DC. 

Green Arrow and Team Arrow – Green Arrow, Artemis, and Ragman hit the streets searching for information as to Church’s whereabouts.  I like Ragman’s character, but I have trouble understanding what his muddled voice is saying. When they do not receive the information they want, they return back to their base and Diggle arrives to help behind the scenes.  Felicity tracks where Church has Wild Dog and tells only Green Arrow per his orders.  Wild Dog is digging his own grave when Green Arrow saves him, but Wild Dog has bad news.  In his torture, he told Church that Oliver is Green Arrow!  I like that Oliver’s decision to have a new team and send them into battle early is having repercussions.  Wild Dog’s brash nature in battle lead to him getting caught which then lead to him giving Green Arrow’s identity. This is not only interesting, but realistic.  Diggle tells Oliver that even though he was in favor of a new team, the team Oliver chose is not close to what he thought it would be. 

While Wild Dog is healing he stays at the same location as Diggle.  The writers have done a good job using Diggle in a mentor role.  They both share personal stories of torture and their time in the military. Through his mentoring, Diggle helps Wild Dog remember information regarding where Church is meeting.  They all suit up, Spartan (donning his new helmet) and Wild Dog included.  The team crashes Church’s meeting. Wild Dog goes back after church, while Artemis and Mr. Terrific fight Church’s hitman.  The Human Target is also there as he shoots the hitman while he is posing as one of Church’s men. 

While Church is trying to escape, he runs into Green Arrow and a fight ensues. Before Oliver finishes the fight, Church warns him of Prometheus and that he is coming!

Prediction – The Human Target is an interesting character who would be great in a reoccurring role.  I hope that they use him in a sparring role, but they will probably give him the Constantine treatment limiting him to one episode. 

Photo Courtesy of CW/WB. 

Photo Courtesy of CW/WB. 

Tobias Church – Church begins the episode torturing Wild Dog.   Church shares that the reason he came to the city was for the docks in order to sell drugs.  Due to finding out Green Arrow’s identity, viewers find out that Church knows it is easier to kill Oliver Queen than the Green Arrow.  Prometheus comes to pay another visit to Church.  When he shoots an arrow at him, another masked man stands in front to take the arrow.  Church states that he hired his own “freak” to kill the mayor.  Prometheus tells him that this is his second warning and that there will not be a third.  After Church is apprehended and being transported to Iron Heights, the unit transferring him is under attack by Prometheus.  Church tries to save face telling him that Green Arrow is Oliver.  When he asks Prometheus if they are cool, he receives a ninja star in the neck signaling the end of Church!

Prediction – I enjoyed Church’s limited role.  He did a good job and gave the audience a realistic, brute of a villain.  Much like Brother Blood in Season 2, he played a connecting role to Prometheus who will now take over as the main villain.  It worked in Season 2 and it worked in Season 5.  My gut is still saying Tommy Merlin is Prometheus, but others are speculating that it is Felicity’s new boyfriend, Detective Malone.  I still hope it is Tommy as a background story is already known rather than creating one the throw at viewers.

Photo Courtesy of CW/WB. Photo Courtesy of CW/WB. 

Photo Courtesy of CW/WB. Photo Courtesy of CW/WB. 

Felicity – Felicity’s new boyfriend, Detective Malone, joins Oliver’s Anti-Crimes unit.  Usually these scene wouldn’t matter, but I’m just glad there is not more Olicity.  She does do a fun impersonation of Oliver with the fake face The Human Target had.  Much to Oliver’s surprise, he is not aware that Felicity is dating anyone, even though she told her boyfriend that Oliver knows.  They end up talking it out.

Prediction – Look for Detective Malone to play more of a role in the coming episodes.  I feel he will eventually create a divide in Felicity and Oliver’s relationship, or do something that will affect Oliver’s Anti-Crimes unit.  Maybe he is working for Prometheus?

Photo Courtesy of CW/WB. 

Photo Courtesy of CW/WB. 

Flashbacks – Oliver is brought to the leaders of Bratva where he is told that he has to completely neglect his former life.  Some of the members of Bratva are not completely sold on Oliver’s allegiance to the group.   The individual who doesn’t trust Oliver sends two men to kill him, yet he is saved by another man who claims that Oliver’s leader still owes him.  The man who saved Oliver turns out to be The Human Target!  Anatoly had hired him in order to watch, and protect Oliver.  This was interesting in connecting a flashback directly to the current episode.  This is advanced in the present day when Susan Williams is seen paying an insider for information.  The insider shows her a picture of Oliver in Russia 5 years earlier when he was supposedly stranded on the island.  He also stated that Oliver and Chance new each other then, which is how they were connected in the Oliver “death” earlier in the episode.

Prediction – The flashbacks are good this season.  They finally seem to matter, as they tie directly to characters who are the focus of the present time period.  Look for Williams to dig deeper into Oliver’s connection with the Bratva and try to use the information against him as mayor.

 

What’d you think of Arrow: “Human Target”?  Do you agree with my predictions?  As always, leave your thoughts in the usual spot, and thanks for reading!!

 

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