Last night, people who tuned into the Arrow: Year One recap got to listen to John Barrowman’s voice as he recapped what happened last season. It was a good, comprehensive recap of all the characters and what happened to them last season.
What really impacted me while watching the recap was what he said about heroes: “True heroism is defined by sacrifice, and real heroes are the ones who give up the most.” For me, last year’s hero was Tommy Merlyn. He was introduced as Oliver Queen’s best friend and appeared to be a rich, carefree playboy, but as the season went on, Tommy’s character grew. We got to see a character with great depth. He cared for his friends and he deeply loved Laurel. In the five years that Oliver was missing, Tommy grew up, and he was the better man for it. In the end, he sacrificed his life for the woman he loved, while saving her life.
Oliver Queen has not reached the hero level yet, but I have a feeling that is what season two is going to be about. In the Comic Con trailer, he said he didn’t want to be known as The Hood anymore. The Hood was the vigilante. He is slowly separating himself from that identity, and one of the reasons he is doing this is because of Tommy. Oliver can’t stand the idea that Tommy died believing he was a murderer.
From the sneak peek that was released online earlier this week, it is evident that Oliver has gone back to the island. He has probably chosen to hide there because he feels he has failed the city, and more importantly, he has failed Tommy. Tommy was able to become the noble guy that Oliver was not. Oliver was never interested in being a hero; he was simply trying to right the wrongs done by his father. He feels as if he has failed by losing Tommy, having half of the Glades be destroyed, and watching his mother go to prison. He goes back to the worst part of his life possibly as a form of punishment.
The clip shows us Diggle and Felicity have arrived on the island via parachuting in. Here is where I would like to point out Diggle and Felicity went together. Diggle did not leave Felicity behind; they went as a team to find their other partner. We all love Felicity, but she has never been represented as the physical type of girl. Diggle has been training her, but Laurel and even Thea have been seen as more physical than Felicity. As much as she needs to be trained in self-defense, Felicity doesn’t need to be physical; the girl rocks without kicking butt.
One of the first things we see is Felicity throwing up, which furthers proves what I have already said about Felicity not being a full on physical girl. I love that they included it, even if it was not appealing to watch. A year ago, if someone had told her she would be parachuting onto an island, she probably would’ve laughed at the idea.
Diggle, being a former soldier, leads the way as he and Felicity explore the island. Then there is Felicity, probably not in the best sneakers as she sports her colorfully painted nails, following Diggle.
From all Diggle and Felicity have probably gathered, they should probably know that the island may not be the safest place, yet both of them are landing on the island together to find Oliver. Almost immediately, we get a call back to the mines on the island. This time there is no dead body to roll on top of it, so Oliver makes his presence known. Although Diggle probably has basic training in diffusing land mines, Oliver doesn’t give him the chance to try. He’s not going to take the chance of Diggle or Felicity (or both) blowing up, so he yells for Diggle to take cover before swinging down to rescue his teammate.
I loved that Felicity put her arm up when Oliver was on his way to scoop her up. She could have just stood still with terror, but this shows she trusts Oliver. It shows them working together saving her, because they are part of a team.
What I also find interesting is the combination of the sneak peek with the Comic Con trailer. Evidently, at some point before agreeing to come back to Starling City, Oliver tells Diggle and Felicity that he does not want to be the Hood anymore. Whether Felicity objects on the island or not will be interesting to see, since the trailer shows the vast improvement Felicity has done to the lair.
Diggle is able to respect Oliver’s wishes, because he has been in combat himself. He probably agrees with Felicity that the city needs saving, but unlike Felicity, he is not going to push Oliver. I love Team Arrow because they are there for each other, and they also help each other out, pushing each other to become their very best. Oliver has become a better person because he has both Diggle and Felicity.
This is the reason why I believe the team is front and center on the promo pic, because this season will be focused on them, giving and taking from each other to help make themselves and the city better.
So now all we have to do is wait patiently until Arrow comes back next week.
We Watch for the Plot 