‘Arrow’ season 4, episode 4 review: Paul Blackthorne, Stephen Amell shine in ‘Beyond Redemption’

We weren’t sure going into Wednesday night’s new episode of “Arrow” that a Captain Lance heavy episode was what we needed, but it certainly proved to be so after watching.

Is this the best episode for Paul Blackthorne in four years of the show? It may be a little too early to say that, given that the episode where he saw Sara for the first time after her previous “death” was extremely powerful. This one also happened to be fantastic, but for different reasons. The scene where he almost killed Sara was amazing, but so was the scene with him and Stephen Amell as Oliver proclaimed that one of the reasons why he wanted to be Mayor in the first place was because of the opportunity it would afford him to start to make Quentin proud for once. Like many other heroes, he now has it within his heart to try to prove that to everyone.

Eventually, Quentin and Oliver had to work together to stop a group of dirty cops stealing supplies, and they were led by none other than Rutina Wesley! Isn’t it nice to see her after “Hannibal” and “True Blood”? There was no Francis Dolarhyde this time; instead, she was present mostly to get Oliver and Quentin on more of the same page after their already-grim relationship was hampered by a variety of different things, including the reveal that Quentin had gotten into business with Damien Darhk before his monstrous tendencies were revealed.

It’s good that they got on the same page when they have, namely because Oliver officially made his campaign announcement at the end of the hour. He’s running for Mayor!

Now, let’s talk Sara – Specifically Laurel Lance was keeping her in the basement of her apartment in order for her to “heal.” That isn’t happening. We already mentioned what Lance almost did, but it’s pretty clear that Laurel and Oliver are going to need a little bit of help.

Flashbacks – Hey, at least they are better than season 3, right? We still don’t know how this story is going to end, but we’re holding out hope that things can heat up and become as thrilled as they were in season 2. As a whole, though, this was an outstanding episode. It has us excited for Oliver’s campaign, Sara’s return, and more. Grade: A-.

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