Spartan

Things heated up in Star City a lot more than expected. "Spartan" juggled a lot, yet managed to deliver on pretty much every front it wanted to, even in the most unlikely of areas.

For starters, Ernie Hudson made his great debut as General Stewart (fans must have noted the Green Lantern connection). What could have been a one-dimensional authority figure from the get-go, Hudson turned him into a complex, caring father to Diggle (David Ramsey). It was honestly a nice touch to add some dramatic depth to John, seeing as how closed he was about his family and past for so many years. It made sense and the writing backed up the father-son duo very well with a compelling conflict and a touching resolution.

What is admirable about this episode is how quickly it accelerated the plot. The Ninth Circle were prominently featured as pretty imposing foes (although I would question their recruitment process, some of their blank-masked assassins are clearly more competent than those who just walk straight into Diggle's crosshairs) and Dante (Adrian Paul) made yet another strong case for himself while he interrogated Stewart and John. Moreover, Emiko (Sea Shimooka) had her best episode yet. I've never been on board with Emiko being a full-fledged baddie, but I'm starting to ease into it. The final, shocking twist also hints at a more focused angle for the villainess going forward.

The flash-forwards were also well-done, hinting at a darker threat emerging due to Felicity's (Emily Bett Rickards) present-day Archer program. I will say, Felicity's exit is not being handled in a subtle manner and her constantly talking about her "legacy" was kind of on the nose. That ties in with the flash-forwards, where the dialogue is still steeped in melodrama. However, things are looking up there too, as we now have the Deathstroke clan in the mix.

I've recently started posting my opinions on certain directors, as season seven has ushered in quite a few newcomers. Avi Youabian definitely made a case for himself and clearly wasn't afraid to go big and brutal with the action. The opening Chinatown fight scene was beautiful and the final showdown between Emiko and Oliver (Stephen Amell) was absolutely brilliant. I would like to see him do more work in the future if all his episodes will be this well-shot.

"Spartan" accomplished a lot. It paved the way for the final stretch of the season, had fantastic action set pieces, further set up its villain and expanded on the Ninth Circle and provided a compelling arc for a series regular. What more could we ask for?

With last week focusing on Felicity and Laurel, this episode is centered around Diggle, who I feel like hasn't had his own arc in quite some time. Further cementing the fact that these shows are far too bloated with characters. The only real development we have season wise here is that Emiko killed Dante, which I guess would make her the "big bad" of this season, even tho this year has strayed so far away from it's typical formula, to its detriment. It's gotten to the point of me not necessarily caring how they get there, but I just want it to be over. It's time.

6.3/10

Arrow. That's the key word. He's not in the scenes in the future. He is a secondary figure in the scenes in the present and he has the same lines over and over. It will be a shame for this programme to be cancelled, it used to be good. Now, it's very repetitive, especially with the Black Siren side story. She says sorry after all her murdering......make up your mind writers!!!!!!! And please, someone tell Felicity that she doesn't have to talk at 500 words a second. I have to watch the show with subtitles just so I can understand what she is talking about.

3 out of 5 stars.

The episode brings Diggles father into the mix as he tries to connect with his son. The flash forward is interesting with Diggles sons and their motives. The action is entertaining. The twist with the villain is anti climatic.

I consider diggle to be one of the most underused characters of the series. There are some attempts here and there to add some depth in the character's writing, but it is not always successful. I am delighted that they could develop diggle in a non 100% filler episode.