Arrow, S3 Ep07 – Draw Back Your Bow

“Draw Back Your Bow” introduces Arrow fans to Carrie Cutter, a.k.a. Cupid. A notable fact about Cupid is that the character was created in 2009 by Arrow producer Andrew Kreisberg, when he used to write on the DC Comics publication Green Arrow/Black Canary. Now Kreisberg has brought his creation to the small screen in an episode that not only focuses on Cupid’s sick infatuation with The Arrow, but also on the state of Felicity and Oliver’s relationship, or lack thereof.

“Hello, Lover.”

This episode quickly establishes that Cupid began to develop her sick infatuation with The Arrow after he rescued her from Slade’s mirakuru-enhanced soldiers back in season two. Now, being the insane villain that she is, she is out and about in Starling City pretty much killing villains (starting with Ted Grant’s former sidekick) and leaving them as gifts for Ollie to get his attention. I found this plot to be pretty amusing, considering Cupid’s motives for taking up a life of crime are motives we haven’t seen on this show previously. Also, actor Amy Gumenick (Supernatural, TURN) did a decent job and seemed to revel in her performance.

A plot involving the current state of Ollie and Felicity’s relationship simultaneously played out alongside the Cupid story. This is where a lot of the heart of “Draw Back Your Bow” took place, as Felicity and her boss Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh) begin to embrace their feelings for one another. This leads to some jealous mood swings from Ollie and his eventual heartbreak when he catches Ray and Felicity kissing. That was a very cliché and effective scene, but it’s very similar to the a scene in season one where Tommy caught Ollie and Laurel in the act. It looks like the tables have turned. We can’t really be sad for Ollie for missing his chance with Felicity. It was his choice to not be with her, and Felicity is completely in the right mindset trying to move on from him.

While that subplot did have an ounce of heartbreak in it, there was still some humor seen throughout involving Felicity. I especially enjoyed seeing Felicity swoon over Ray, and coming to the realization that she has a “type” when she sees Ray on his own salmon ladder.

The Cupid subplot concluded with a well choreographed fight scene between her and Ollie, ending with Ollie rescuing her from getting hit by a train. I was glad to see that Cupid didn’t kick the bucket in this episode; at one point I thought she would have. She was a compelling enough villain that should make future appearances, and her new role on Amanda Waller’s Suicide Squad should be something to look forward to.

Felicity has a type

Diggle played an interesting role in “Draw Back Your Bow,” acting as a Cupid in his own right. Seeing how much Felicity’s dinner with Ray Palmer affected Ollie, he spends a lot of time in this episode trying to convince each party to give in and start dating. I respected him saying what he had to say to Ollie, but he shouldn’t have assumed Felicity would listen to his advice, especially after Ollie already turned her down.

The flashback scenes in this week’s episode, while not pivotal to the main plot, were also interesting. We got to learn more about Tatsu Yamashiro (The Wolverine‘s Rila Fukushima) and her past, regarding her family living in Japan and having to leave Japan for Hong Kong. When her husband goes missing we get to see some sweet swordplay from the character as she questions known criminals on his whereabouts. Fans of the character know she has some skill and it was nice to finally see it on screen. Fortunately, her husband turned out to be fine and not dead like the criminals she interrogated had led on.

Overall, “Draw Back Your Bow” was a good, fun, and emotional episode of Arrow. The relationship drama was amusing, the villain-of-the-week was entertaining, and the flashback scenes were more enjoyable than usual. We even got a glimpse at Ray Palmer’s A.T.O.M. exosuit, which you can see again here. I wonder what will become of that. They only complaints I have for this episode would be regarding Thea’s subplot, involving her new nightclub DJ that’s basically being set up as potential love interest for her. Looks like we will have another love triangle on our hands, but this time it will be between Thea, Roy, and some annoying DJ that Thea really shouldn’t be into. Seriously, new and improved Thea should’ve slapped him after he kissed her like that.

Next week Arrow will take a break so The Flash can catch up before their upcoming epic two-night crossover event. The crossover event begins with The Flash episode titled “Flash vs. Arrow” premiering on Tuesday, December 2 and concludes with the Arrow episode titled “The Brave and the Bold” premiering on Wednesday, December 3. Captain Boomerang, a new villain introduced at the end of “Draw Back Your Bow,” may play a pivotal role in the upcoming crossover. Check out the official promo for “Flash vs. Arrow” below and feel free to let us know what you thought about “Draw Back Your Bow” in the comments.