Arrow "Year's End": The Investigation Of A Copycat

In the history of a television series there has to be a Christmas special of some sort, and Arrow doesn't waste time in bringing the Christmas spirit this year with Year's End. In addition to bringing in an opponent that will challenge Oliver this time. Year's End juggles three plot points this episode as it straightens out for the second half of the season as Arrow hits hiatus after this episode. Once again though, Arrow is still not hitting that high note it set for itself a while back as it comes to conclusions from half answered questions. Arrow are you trying to move the pace along?

Year's End begins with the death of Oliver's first name on the list, Adam Hunt, and a mysterious figure in a hood in the doorway. Back at HQ, Oliver and Diggle are training with knives (with shirts on I mind you)  as Oliver once again bests Diggle. After Diggle mentions that he is going to take his niece to see Santa, Oliver has a Christmas flashback on he used to spend the holidays before the island. Oliver ends home where, (my name for the gang) Team Evil, plus Walter, are having dinner. While discussing the Hood ("I agree. How about 'Green Arrow'?" "Lame." Ha!), when word that Adam Hunt has been killed arrives and Oliver soon finds that there is a copycat in town. Needing help, Oliver enlists Quentin Lance for help on identifying the arrow that the copycat is using.

 Elsewhere Walter continues on digging into the mystery of the list of names, and finds out that the vigilante's targets are on the list. When he talks to one of the potential victims, it tips the organization (Team Evil) off that Walter is getting too close. Later the copycat strikes again, and Quentin decides to help the Hood by giving him the arrow. Oliver follows the lead into a trap. Things take a turn for the worse when the copycat takes people hostage.

The whole purpose of this episode was to set the rest of the season's main arc up nicely, and making more that just the list. The moments of Year's End came from one liners and moments like Laurel and her dad spending time together on Christmas. In fact, no relationship in this episode was damaged in any way as they were all safe in a way. I am also continually fascinated by John Barrowman's character as we really dive into the dark hole that is his character and personality. The real treat of the episode belonged to the appearance of the Dark Archer who was similar to Oliver, but was willing to take the extra step that Oliver wasn't going to; killing. In way this ups how bad the Dark Archer is in a way. Who saw what happened to Walter coming as well? We all knew he was getting too close.

For the most part of the episode, it felt like canon fodder, as Year's End threw in a Christmas story to fill in the empty spots that fill the episode besides the Dark Archer scenes. Tommy was thrown into the Lance den to prove his devotion and then pull Laurel away from father/daughter bonding time to go to a party. A party where Tommy shows Laurel off to her ex-boyfriend Oliver. Ya that is so not awkward. Another issue is that Arrow is somehow getting it's characters to make truths out of half truths. Throughout the whole fight scene between Oliver and Dark Archer, it wasn't mentioned anywhere about a bigger organization, or someone had complied it, but Oliver got this somehow through interpretive movements.

Despite the filler moments, and the family breakthroughs, Year's End gave Arrow a good send off for the new year. It also gave me one of my favorite fight scenes in Arrow so far. Although I have a feeling that Arrow is about to get more intense in the new year as Walter is out of the picture and Malcolm sets his plan into motion (let's hope its not control of the city or world domination). Would also like to thank Arrow for shortening their opening down and for once keeping the workout session to just a friendly duel between friends. Arrow will return in the new year on January 16, 2013.

Did the identity of the Dark Archer surprise you? Are you going to miss Walter?