Contains Spoilers!
This week’s episode of Arrow is full of twists and turns as the team must race against time to stop Cayden James from detonating the thermobaric bomb that’s hidden in Star City. Felicity and Alena must prove that the video showing Oliver killing Cayden’s son is fabricated and that someone else is behind his murder. Meanwhile Quentin is still trying to win over Black Siren, but Dinah is intent on tracking her down and getting revenge for Vince’s death.
‘The Devil’s Greatest Trick’ kicks off with Cayden James vowing to detonate the bomb as Oliver broke their deal by working with Vince, so Felicity and Alena must find out who’s behind the fabricated video using their ‘hacking’ skills (pfft!). Somehow they find out that an assassin was hired and instructed to use a bow and arrow to kill Cayden’s son to frame Oliver, so with the help of The Flash (damn that was the fastest cameo ever!) Oliver and Diggle show him the real video to exonerate team Arrow. Cayden examines the video and somehow deciphers that one of his three partners was the real traitor, he then orders Oliver and Diggle to round up Black Siren, Diaz, and Anatoly and bring them to him or he’ll still blow up Star City. And guess what, they actually go along with it and work with him!
The manhunt for the three ex-partners picks up the pace nicely in this episode, as Team Arrow and Quentin track down Black Siren, colliding with Dinah and her revenge mission in the process. Dinah’s loyalty to her former team mates are tested in a solid action sequence, with Green Arrow eventually disabling both Black Siren and Black Canary. Oliver then sets off to capture Anatoly while Rene and Curtis handle Ricardo Diaz. Meanwhile, Cayden’s backstory is the focus of this week’s flashbacks as we discover his failings as a father due to his commitment to hacktivist activities. Just as he’s trying to make things up with his son by attending his basketball game he is arrested, and in a pretty emotional scene his captors have to tell him of his son’s death.
Once the main players are assembled for Cayden’s trial of the cabal, things are obviously going to go wrong, and surprise surprise, they do! Laurel’s power-dampening collar deactivates and she escapes, but incidentally runs into Dinah and the two have a canary cry-off, with Dinah eventually shooting her. The rest of the team try and round up the rest of the villains while Cayden has a change of heart seeing Oliver trying to reassure William, which felt a little contrived. Also surprise surprise, Ricardo Diaz was the traitor in the team all along, his plan was to take over the city and kills Cayden to do so, which is a bit of a disappointing twist.
I’ve enjoyed watching Michael Emerson in this series, and although Cayden James was a bit of a predictable villain, I’m going to miss Emerson. I’m not sure what direction the writers are going to take the series in now, but switching up the main villain for Diaz is a risky move as he’s only really been a minor player so far. What are his motivations for taking control of the city?! Also does anyone else think that the b plot of Quentin and Black Siren is dragging on a bit now? Still, at least team Dinah, Rene and Curtis are redeeming this series with their rebellion!
