Episode 6.4: Arrow

As much as I love the character of Oliver Queen, and get that he is supposed to be one of the greatest archers in the world, I am totally not buying that he can shoot a bullet out of the air once fired from a gun. That's far too much of a stretch, even for Smallville.

It's fun seeing Lois really getting bitten by the journalism bug. Her obsession with tracking down the Green Arrow, or the Green Arrow "Bandit" as she calls him, mirrors the similar obsession she will later develop for a certain kryptonian. How she reacts to Green Arrow is a great reflection of the ways in which his methods differ to Clark's. He is of the mind that "the ends justify the means", which is something Clark refuses to believe in, so it's telling that Lois wants to capture Green Arrow. It's a completely different reaction she will later have for "The Blur", who she will look at as a hero. This speaks volumes to the level of hope that Clark instills into others.

I like the episode's overall exploration of heroism. Clark and Oliver are essentially fighting for the same thing, only Oliver has committed himself fully to the cause. He's a great character to have in Clark's life because he becomes a catalyst to make Clark think about his true calling and what he has to offer the world. We see this in their final conversation during the closing moments of the episode.

Lana is truly showing signs of having been around Lex too long. They say that when two people stay together they grow more alike. Two become one, that kind of thing! Well Lana is definitely becoming more ruthless and devious. Lex appears, to her at any rate, to be a lot more open with his secrets and I think this makes her become more involved in his plans and more invested in his methods. But it's all a lie on Lex's part. He shows her only what he wants to show her. And the information he allows her to be privvy to in this episode is all part of some test to see if she will betray him. She doesn't. But how much of that is down to her love for him, and how much of it is down to her investment in the alien tech he has access to, remains to be seen.

We learn that Lionel was in on the testing of Lana, which leads to a comment from Lex that suggests Lionel may not be a changed man after all. So there's a lot of different emotional conflicts that are set up in this episode without being resolved. Lois zeroing in on Green Arrow. Clark and Oliver disagreeing on the methods they should use. Lionel possibly being up to something truly devious. And Lex manipulating Lana, who seemingly has no clue. As a result 'Arrow' feels a bit like the middle part of a greater story, in which there are multiple threads left hanging. That certainly doesn't make it any less entertaining. But it does build a lot of intrigue for what is to come.

9/10