CWWell that was just upsetting.
Team Arrow spent tonight's episode mourning Laurel (Katie Cassidy), all while dealing with an angry teen who decided to steal the Canary's sonic device and use it to go after anyone and everyone she saw responsible for her suffering or whatever.
Her presence was irritating and felt a bit out of the blue, but she did serve a purpose. Oliver (Stephen Amell) didn't want Laurel's legacy as the Black Canary to end up in the hands of this kid, who was deemed a criminal by the mayor, so he made the choice to reveal to the world (and Laurel's mom, Alex Kingston) that she was the true Black Canary. He even made sure it was engraved on her tombstone, which was a lovely touch (and we'll have to see what that means if the mantle is ever passed on).
The rest of the episode found the team grieving in their own ways, and for once in his life, Oliver was the one with the most level head. Both Diggle (David Ramsey) and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) were blaming themselves, and it was really heartbreaking to watch, but it was nothing compared to Quentin's reaction.
First, he was just sure that the new, fake Black Canary was really Laurel, and that she wasn't really gone, and then he sought out Nyssa (Katrina Law) in the hopes of using the Lazarus Pit, only to find out that she destroyed it. He just couldn't understand how, in a world where so many people (including his other daughter) had come back to life, Laurel was the only one that couldn't. It's a good point, and one that will be hard to get out of our heads in future episodes, but it seems that Laurel is really, truly gone.
Oliver is now more determined than ever to kill Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough), but has no clue how to do that, given how powerful the guy is.
Tonight's sweet flashback story focused on Oliver and Laurel's relationship after Tommy (Colin Donnell) died, and just before Ollie sent himself back to the island, leaving Laurel with a letter and that picture of herself that she had kept. It's interesting that Tommy's death inspired Oliver to pledge not to kill anymore, and now Laurel's death is driving him to make an exception to that rule.
As for whether he'll succeed—and whether his attempts will result in any other casualties—has yet to be seen, but the last few episodes of the season are definitely going to be intense.
What did you think of Laurel's send off? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on the CW.