Into The Arrowverse: The post-Crisis world is bright

Photo: Jack Rowand/The CW

Arrow Episode 809: “Green Arrow & The Canaries”

Who votes that the CW immediately put in a series order for Green Arrow & the Canaries?! I do, I do! And I know you do too.

I have no idea where to start with this backdoor pilot, but it was everything I personally wanted from a post-Crisis episode for the series. The only complaint I have is that we didn’t get to see Stephen Amell in the series’ penultimate episode, but once you watch it, it makes absolute sense why — and it works.

The episode picks up in 2040 with Laurel Lance on the lookout for someone we’ve never seen before: a socialite named Helena. Apparently, she is kidnapped and her death is what transforms Star City from a safe place to one of the most dangerous in 2041.

Laurel has knowledge of this gloomy future and comes to 2040 hoping to get Mia and Dinah’s help. To backtrack, Mia has no recollection of what’s happened and has been living her life as a socialite all these years. She grew up with William and revered her father who sacrificed his life for Star City.

Dinah, on the other hand, woke up in 2040 following the Crisis with no idea how she got there and all her memories in place. In fact, no one had heard of Dinah in this new world, so she decided to open up a bar and become a singer. Personally, I love this storyline for her.

Arrowverse fans will thoroughly enjoy Katie Cassidy’s performance throughout this episode because it’s obvious how much fun she is having. In fact, the same can be said about Juliana Harkavy and Katherine McNamara. I think this is precisely why Green Arrow & the Canaries will make a perfect standalone Arrowverse show.

The moment where Laurel zaps back Mia’s memories is sad, because before that, she was living the good life. Before this moment, Mia was engaged to J.J. (aka the incredibly evil Deathstroke, but sure) and recently graduated school. But once her memories are back, life feels pretty darn awkward. I mean, being engaged to a murderer isn’t exactly the type of thing that you want to realize.

I’m happy to say that despite her hesitations, Mia decides to join Laurel and Dinah in finding Helena and taking down whoever was responsible. The chemistry between these three is incredible, and I want to see more of it. They just work in a way that other Arrowverse teams don’t. I can’t quite put my finger on it but they’re amazing.

By the episode’s end, Green Arrow and the Canaries defeat the man behind Helena’s kidnapping (her boyfriend, Trevor, who was wearing the Deathstroke mask). One can understand why the blame immediately fell on J.J. considering he was/is Deathstroke.

The final moments of the episode reveal someone zapping his memories back, which won’t bode well for anyone.

And speaking of cliffhangers and OMG moments, William and Mia are attacked while standing in front of their father’s memorial…and William is abducted. What’s curious here is that Trevor’s tattoo matches that of the iconic arrowhead stone associated with Oliver, something Mia realizes moments before they are attacked.

What does this mean? Who is Trevor really? And is everyone just super evil in Arrow? Oh, and whatever will J.J. do now that he remembers who he is?

Also, did anyone notice that Dinah lives in a clocktower? A shout out to Birds of Prey!

Give me a Green Arrow & The Canaries show now, please.

Grade: A