Arrow season 6, episode 20 recap: The Emerald Knight falls

After a spate of lukewarm installments, Arrow got back on track with an episode that featured Oliver’s long-awaited reckoning.

To start, “Shifting Allegiances” was a deeply satisfying episode of television. It finally brought about Oliver (Stephen Amell) much deserved downfall. It had Quentin (Paul Blackthorne) finally come to terms with who Black Siren (Katie Cassidy) really is. And it saw Rene (Rick Gonzalez) get back in the saddle after being on the shelf for two months. I don’t know if this payoff was worth dedicating so much of this season’s wheel spinning but it was undeniably great to see the dominoes finally fall. Other than coming earlier in the season, I really have no issues with this installment of Arrow, which is a nice change of pace.

The episode opened with Oliver in Russia, turning over a hostage to the Bratva to fulfill an unstated bargain. Back in Star City, Rene was finally released from the hospital and he made it clear that he was ready to finish Diaz (Kirk Acevedo). Speaking of, the Dragon met with recently appointed Mayor Quentin Lance to try and strong arm into serving his agenda with Black Siren in tow. Oliver went to Anatoli and revealed that he settled his debts in Russia so he could finally return home. In turn, Anatoli knocked out and imprisoned Oliver to give to Diaz.

Even though Oliver said that he intended for Anatoli to turn him over to Diaz, it was nice to see the gangster point out flaws in his old friend thinking. No matter how you slice it, it was dumb of Oliver to think he could take down Diaz alone. At this point, his stranglehold over Star City is effectively systematic. Even if Oliver were to put an arrow through his head, that wouldn’t banish the Quadrant or root out the widespread corruption in the SCPD. Although it’s never fun to watch Oliver get beaten half to death, he needed to be confronted with the reality that his narrow-minded way of thinking just isn’t working anymore.

“Damn, it’s good to be back.”

New Team Arrow (NTA) raided a gang’s stockpile but things fell apart when Rene froze up in the field. Oliver tried to convince Anatoli to turn on Diaz but his words fell on deaf ears. NTA compared notes with Diggle (David Ramsey) and Quentin and figured out that Diaz had joined the Quadrant and was using their support to tighten his grip on the city. Concerned about leaving Zoe (Eliza Faria) fatherless, Rene quit NTA. Quentin agreed to Diaz’s demands to keep Siren safe. Diaz challenged Oliver to a fight with the loser agreeing to leave Star City.

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In addition to the Oliver stuff, it was also a pleasure to see Rene back on screen. His wry sarcasm and lack of affectation is always a breath of fresh air when Arrow gets a bit too melodramatic. I also liked that this episode delved into the aftereffects of his near-fatal injuries. All too often, superhero shows and action shows, in general, overlook the psychological consequences of violence. Tonight we got to see Rene question if the good fight is really worth potentially leaving his daughter alone in the world. Although the subplot was resolved fairly quickly, it was still nice to see the show not just brush off a major character nearly dying.

Similarly, it was good to see the scales finally fall from Quentin’s eyes. As much as he may want to believe otherwise, Black Siren is not Laurel and never will be. I think it’s safe to say that she is not a monster like Diaz, but she is a quintessentially selfish person. Her hardscrabble background left her with a mentality that justifies her worst actions in the name of survival. But as Quentin rightly pointed out, that kind of worldview can turn you into the kind of a person burns other people alive. It will be interesting to see if Siren’s desire for self-preservation will ultimately lead her to betray Diaz.

“You spent five years in hell. I was born in it.”

NTA teamed with an A.R.G.U.S. unit headed by Diggle to destroy Diaz’s supply of illegal weapons. Diaz won his fight with Oliver but only by cheating, a fact that unsettled Anatoli. Zoe quelled Rene’s anxieties and he rejoined NTA. Siren told Quentin that she lived in fear of Diaz but she ultimately chose to stay with him. The episode closed with Diaz having Oliver arrested and arranging for his criminal trial to be moved up.

It seems that Oliver’s luck has finally run out. His actions as a vigilante have once again provoked government intervention, but this time he doesn’t have a team to rescue him. Moreover, some of his frankly idiotic decisions as mayor have made him vulnerable to charges in his civilian guise as well as his vigilante alter ego. Oliver can’t just produce another doppelgänger to get himself out of trouble. And though Diaz had a hand in making his predicament worse, Oliver essentially brought this situation on himself by acting so recklessly in the past.

Next: Arrow season 6, episode 19 recap: Paper Dragon

As of right now, it’s hard to see how Oliver to get himself out of this one and that’s kind of thrilling. While Oliver has faced off against challenging villains in the past, the deck has never been this stacked against him.  There isn’t a trick arrow that will get him out from under a host of justified criminal charges. As such, I think the rumors about Oliver begin in prison during part of season 7 are probably true. And while that kind of creative shake-up is risky, it’s also laudable for series in its sixth season to try something new. Regardless, the events of the episode have given this season big arc much greater stakes and that’s a very positive development.

Arrow airs on The CW Thursdays at 9 pm.