It should come as no surprise that “Streets of Fire” opens with Laurel trapped under rubble, much as Tommy Merlyn was during last season’s finale. “Streets of Fire,” the second part of a hugely ambitious three-part finale, is a great example of the Arrow formula: when in doubt, blow the shit out of Starling City. I had hoped, earlier in the season, that the finale this time around would be more of a personal nature – after all, you can’t go back to the same destructive well too often, and Stephen Amell and Manu Bennett have such great adversarial chemistry. But alas, spectacle draws more viewers than drama, and this is the CW we’re talking about. It’s amazing that Arrow is as good as it is.
That said, “Streets of Fire” was still pretty good. A lot happened, but for the first half hour or so it was mostly explosions. Slade’s Mirakuru army is running amok through Starling, and if Quentin’s method of disposal is any indication, it takes at least three grenades to kill one of them. That’s my main problem with the Mirakuru army: fights lack tension because the Mirakuru soldiers are functionally invincible, so the fight ends one of two ways: the Mirakuru soldier gets blown up or electrocuted, or says something ominous and leaves (that last one only applies to Slade, though). Also, it’s said that every member of Slade’s army is just as strong as he is. So what reason do they have to follow his orders? If anything he’s at a disadvantage; no matter how long he’s been wearing that eyepatch, his depth perception will never be on par with that of someone who has both eyes. But I digress.
Sara returns, and randomly saves Laurel’s bacon (proving the comic book maxim that no matter how big the city is, you will always run into the person you’re looking for). The Lance sisters have a great scene together, and for the first time this season I 100% bought Katie Cassidy and Caity Lotz as sisters. The heart-to-heart culminates with Sara rescuing a child from a burning building. “Who was that?” the mother asks. Laurel replies, “The Canary.” Chills.
Malcolm returns as well, to save Thea’s bacon (Thea strikes me as more of a shrill vegan though). Hmm, I’m starting to notice a theme here. This is as good a place as any to mention that director Nick Copus has also helmed several episodes of I Shouldn’t Be Alive, which makes him an ideal candidate for an episode like “Streets of Fire.” He and Thea have a heart-to-heart, and – shit, this looks really repetitive just typed out like this. Thankfully it wasn’t quite so chronological. Thea wants nothing to do with Malcolm, and for good reason. He is, as she says, a terrorist and a pyschopath. But he does save her from a Mirakuru soldier, only to get shot by his daughter for his trouble. Needless to say, this was a hell of way to close out the episode, and put a nice cap on the whole Thea Merlyn subplot.
Sebastian Blood comes to his senses and makes an attempt at redemption. He steals the Mirakuru cure from Slade and hands it over to Oliver. Kevin Alejandro gets some good final scenes in, and you get the sense that Blood is a fundamentally decent man who’s been irrevocably corrupted. No matter how good of a gesture it is to give the cure to Oliver, this is still a man who killed his father and handed the city to Slade on a silver platter. But Alejandro wrings enough pathos out of Blood’s delusions that it still sucks to see him get run through with two swords by Isabel (thankfully not wearing her she-Deathstroke mask).
But ultimately it’s a good thing, because Oliver has the cure. He decides to use it on Roy only after confirming with Amanda Waller that ARGUS intends to cut Starling City off from the rest of the world, because she just saw The Dark Knight Rises, apparently. All in all, as part twos go, “Streets of Fire” wasn’t bad. It’s a step up from last week’s “City of Blood,” and a nice setup for what will hopefully be a hell of a finale.
A Few Thoughts
– One personal gripe: Slade says “Nero sang while Rome burned.” NO HE DIDN’T. Have you ever heard the expression “Nero fiddled,” Slade? As in, someone who watches idly by while their city is destroyed? Well, that’s what it refers to. And it may or may not be historically accurate, but I can tell you one thing for sure, Nero didn’t goddamn SING
– If I was running STAR Labs, and someone came in to apply, and that person’s name was Sisco, that person would be laughed out of my office
– Good to see Quentin get his detective’s shield back. Looks like Arrow plans on keeping him around for a bit
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