Arrow "Corto Maltese" Review/Thoughts

Oliver, Roy, and Diggle go on "vacation" in this week's Arrow. (MILD SPOILERS!)

Synopsis: Oliver decides it's time for Thea to come back to Starling City, so he packs for Corto Maltese, where Felicity has traced Thea's whereabouts. Lyla asks Diggle to go with Oliver because one of her field operatives, Mark Shaw, has gone dark in Corto Maltese and she'd like him to look into it. Feeling responsible for Thea's departure, Roy joins Oliver and Diggle on their journey.

High Points

• DC references galore! - Ted Grant (Wildcat), Corto Maltese, Mark Shaw (Manhunter), Thea using Mia as an alias, and even a Lazarus pit reference
• Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional (Wise words of Papa Merlyn)
• Brandon Routh's charm lightens up the show
• Everybody Loves Felicity (or rather needs her help)
• Thea Training flashbacks
• Black Canary Begins! (Wildcat trains the Canary)
• Emotional scene between Ollie and Thea
• Hotel-made arrows
• Thea beats Papa and heads home
• Ollie and Roy broin' out
• Nyssa!

Just look at the flowers, Roy

Low Points

• Double cross was a bit obvious
• The Shaw storyline in general was predictable
• The hunt for Sara's killer takes a backseat

Verdict: Arrow took a break from hunting for Sara's killer so that Ollie and the gang could take a trip to Corto Maltese in an attempt to convince his adrift sister to come home. It sure was amazing to see how much Thea has transformed since last season's finale when she left with Papa Merlyn. She is officially a badass and now with her returning to Starling her story is the most interesting it has ever been. Elsewhere there was an ARGUS mission assigned to Diggle while in Corto. And while I love Diggle, this Manhunter storyline was predictable part. Although I do love when Roy, Ollie, and Diggle all team up together. Meanwhile back in Starling, Laurel had one of her best character arcs. Katie Cassidy and Laurel have received the bulk of criticism aimed at the show over the first two seasons, but her arc is finally in the place where fans want it to be. She has the fire for crime fighting now and with the addition of Ted Grant, I suspect the Black Canary will be stalking the streets again soon. Go Laurel! Lastly Brandon Routh continues to bring charm and lightness to every episode he is in. Felicity and his Ray Palmer have great interplay. Overall I give this episode a 8.0 out of 10. May have not been a very Ollie focused episode, but former underachieving supporting characters like Thea and Laurel are starting to shine. Also how could I forget to mention that Ra's Al Ghul is coming to Starling next week. Caption Cold on The Flash on Tuesday. The Demon's Head on Arrow on Wednesday. #DCHeaven.

Thanks for reading. What did you think of Thea's transformation? What did you think of Arrow's third episode? Sound off in the comments. Make sure to check out our reviews every week and follow our live action tweeting of every episode @Caped_Informers and @cstrand73. 

Who's the Best Daddy?: Tyrese has become a surrogate dad to Judith on The Walking Dead, while Daddy Diggle has recently been blessed with a little bundle of joy of his own named Sara. Even Flash has two father figures in Henry Allen (though he is in prison) and Joe West. My question to you is "Who is the best Daddy on comics TV?" Personally I'm not sure who the best daddy is except that it ain't Rick Grimes. Tell us what you think in the comments.