Arrow "The Offer" Review

Ra's Al Ghul offers up the position of the Demon's Head, while Ray Palmer offers up the promise of steak dinner in an all new Arrow. (SPOILERS!)

Episode Description: Still weighed down by his last meeting with Ra’s al Ghul, Oliver returns home to find a new villain and his crew have started terrorizing Starling City – Michael Amar AKA Murmur, a man whose mouth has been sewn shut. Meanwhile, Laurel and Nyssa bond over their issues with their fathers and Nyssa make Laurel an offer. Thea is forced to come to terms with her father after Oliver brings Malcolm to the loft to recover, and Lance shuts out both Laurel and the Arrow.

High Points

• Thea feels strong guilt for Sara's death. She has really been put through the ringer.
• Nyssa Al Ghul beats on Roy and Laurel in the Arrow Cave.
• Lazarus Pits exist and Ra's has been using them. (Why couldn't this have been revealed by reviving Ollie in one?).
• When Black Canary, Arrow, and Arsenal all team up, I get tingles in my bathing suit area.
• Officer Lance expressed his anger with the Arrow for not telling him about Sara's death and how Laurel has now become the Canary. Paul Blackthrone always does great with this kind of emotional material. Him and Joe West really need to meet up sometime and vent about these damn superhero kids of theirs.
• Ray Palmer is suave as hell. He makes me want to go on a steak dinner with him.
• Ollie got friend-zoned.
• Thea's mid drift is back and better than ever.
• Daddy Diggle always has to play the role of Oliver Queen's psychiatrist. Where would the Team be without him.
• Malcolm tries to be a supportive dad by telling Thea to kill him. #FatherOfTheYear
• Felicity gives one of her old school pump up speeches. #OldSchoolFelicity
• Cops are absolutely useless in the Flarrow universe and its hilarious. #FuckThePolice
• Nyssa saves the day!
• Awesome action set piece at the precinct Laurel, Arsensal, Arrow, and Nyssa kick some mute ass.
• Oliver Queen doesn't dance. "You know I don't dance".

• Ollie rediscovers why he is a hero.
• Laurel and Nyssa are gonna train together. Laurel has become a great character. Her, Nyssa, and Thea have really become #TeamDaddyIssues.
• Thea like anyone would seeks the comfort of Roy Harper. 
• Ra's is posing as the Arrow to try to hurt Oliver's reputation.

Decisions ... Decisions

Low Points

• Boring opening that had Ollie chat with Ra's about shit we already knew.
• Can someone explain how Ollie "defied death"? Was it really just because it was cold.
• What the hell is Ollie talking about when he said "All the guys we put away are back out"? You stopped plenty of people who are still locked up (ex. Slade, Boomerang, Brick).
• Ollie is actually considering Ra's offer just so we can fill up an episode.
• Murmur went out with a whimper. He was a villain who couldn't speak, so it was not surprising he wasn't overly compelling.

Live look at Murmur getting booked at the precinct.

Verdict: For a month, I have been ranting and raving about how Arrow continues to steal elements from Batman's universe. When Ra's Al Ghul offered Ollie the position as leader of the League of Assassins, I lost my shit. Shouting complaints to anyone who would listen. And then I began posting this picture anyplace that would listen to my tirades.

But as most fanboys do, I think I overreacted. The ending of "The Offer" just sent this story into a direction that I didn't see coming. Instead of Ollie rejecting Ra's offer and the League subsequently launching an attack on Starling, the writers threw us a curveball by having Ra's Al Ghul impersonate the Arrow. It was a cool twist that was reminiscent of a Batman/Ra's storyline. The Demon Head's late nights in the hood will definitely affect the Arrow's reputation in Starling and lead to a much more interesting clash between the League of Assassins and Team Arrow. 

          As for the rest of the crew this week, many of our favorite characters were left to deal with their daddy issues. Laurel is having trouble with Lance after she repeatedly lied to him. Thea wants to kill her dad, Malcolm. And Nyssa is pissed that her dad would choose an outsider over her to lead the League. Each character sought comfort in someone to talk about their issues which led to the awesome team up of Nyssa and Laurel. This will be huge for Laurel. She can finally receive some hardcore training and be ready to kick ass on the streets just like Sara did. Not to mention it will get Ollie to stop saying she needs more training.

         For the villain of the week, Murmur didn't factor in much. He couldn't speak so it's not like he would be able to say anything anyway. Unlike The Flash's Weather Wizard from last night, Murmur made zero impression. Just don't bring this weirdo back.

          "The Offer" did not have a final 10 minutes like last night's The Flash, but it did offer a twist of it's own. So by surprising me with their direction, Arrow gets a solid 7.5 out of 10. Who is excited for the return of the Suicide Squad next week?!

Thanks for reading! What do you guys think of Ra's pretending to be the Arrow? Have you ever been friend zoned? Would you get a steak with Ray Palmer? Let us know in the comments or tweet at us @Caped_Informers or me @cstrand73. And make sure to tune in next week for "Suicidal Tendencies".