Oliver's Real Agenda is Revealed on 'Arrow,' 'The Blacklist' Gets Down to the Wire

Arrow: “This is Your Sword” | This episode could’ve been titled “Yee of Little Faith” and it would’ve been an accurate description of Team Arrow’s bungling loyalty. It’s been brought up before in this column that Team Arrow has a bad habit of losing faith in their supposed leader at the drop of a hat and they continued that pattern in “This Is Your Sword”.


Yes, Oliver has definitely done enough to warrant a few concerns over the state of his fealty, however he’s only been exposed to Ra’s’ indoctrinations for two weeks. Expecting that he’s suffered a complete break from his former life in such a brief period of time is a bit outlandish.

Felicity held out longer than the others, though she eventually succumbed to believing Oliver had betrayed them as the fumes of a fake out poison rendered her unconscious. As valid as Diggle’s anger over Oliver’s use of Lyla in his scheme to convince Ra’s of his loyalty was, he should have at least heard his old friend out. Oliver has been backed into a corner. Not to mention; Felicity, Roy and Diggle all went behind Oliver’s back, not even two episodes ago to fake Roy’s death. There’s a little hypocrisy lying beneath the surface of the team’s latest indignation. Despite his solid plan, Oliver apparently made the wrong choice in trusting Malcolm to have his back in all of this. Why he chose Malcolm of all people to serve as his accomplice, might be an indication that his mind isn’t exactly operating at 100% yet.

Side Notes/Burning Questions: Where was John Hiatt’s rousing anthem “Have a Little Faith in Me” when Oliver needed it? Roy acted with great chivalry by letting Thea go so she wouldn’t be burdened with a life on the run. Why can’t Malcolm act in a courageous or honorable manner for at least one entire episode? Isn’t it obvious that Oliver switched out the vile to something that would just knock the gang out as opposed to killing them? Will the flashbacks on “Arrow” ever end? What will it take for them to finally be over?
The Blacklist: “Karakurt” | The penultimate episode of the NBC drama, followed the FBI on their hunt for Russia’s most lethal assassin, Karakurt. During their search, collateral information about Liz’s mother came to light as doubt was cast as to whether the woman she was identified to be, ever really existed. This episode pretty much laid the groundwork for the season finale, complete with a last minute cliffhanger that served up a potential game changer. A season’s worth of plot points are coming to an exciting boil and while the series has suffered a sophomore slump, it’s been showing signs of recovery, gaining significant traction as it heads into its last leg.

The preview for the season finale teased that Liz’s long repressed memories would finally surface. Whether that means her true ties to Red will surface along with them, is the million dollar question. It feels like a long shot though. Lastly, a TV Rundown on “The Blacklist” would not be complete without a Tom/Liz reconciliation update.

Tom/Jacob suggested a “Love Affair” type arrangement that would allow them to learn where they stand with each other. Unfortunately Liz was too busy saving the world to show and stood Tom up. Why she couldn’t send him a quick text to let him know she wished she could be there (if she did) is anyone’s guess.

Side Notes/Burning Questions: Will Liz figure out that Red is her father? How long will she be on the run? In the episode “Leonard Caul (No.62)” Liz asked Tom to tell her everything he knew about Red. What did he share? Red should be powerful enough to get Harold the medical assistance he needs so he doesn’t have to rely on the shady “Cabal”.

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