Arrow Conversations: Sisters Reunited, “Heir to the Demon” 

“Heir to the Demon” gave us a handful of reunions, but none more spiteful and volatile than that of Laurel and Sara. Since Sara’s return, we’ve learned that she was in fact the first one to crush on Oliver and knowing this, Laurel still went after him for herself. As we all know, she hooked him and reeled him in and thus began their “epic romance.” But when it came time to set sail, it was Sara, not Laurel, that Oliver invited along. And now thanks to some cleverly timed flashbacks, we realize Oliver’s choice may not have been as random as it seemed. Apparently Sara and Ollie had some texty flirtation going on while Sara was away at college and Laurel and Ollie were preparing to play house. I know it was suggested earlier that Ollie’s decision to invite Sara may have had to do with his cold feet about moving in with Laurel, but now I can’t help but feel that she was more than just a pawn in Oliver’s scheme to remain a playboy.

Regardless, we all know what happened next. Oliver. Sara. Shipwreck. Island. Freighter. Bombs. Cut back to Starling City six years later. After snake venom sends Laurel to the hospital under the guise of an OD, Sara is forced to fight her once-lover, save her mother, nearly sacrifice herself and eventually reveal herself to the world. But rather than be glad that her only sister (who she’s been mourning and blaming Oliver for the death of) is alive, Laurel nearly takes her head off without so much as a “welcome home.”

Sara: “I know you have a lot of questions.”
Laurel: “Nope.”
Sara: “How can you not have any questions?”
Laurel: “Because I already know all of the answers to them. How could you still be alive? Where have you been all this time? Why didn’t you call us? And the answer to all of them is because it’s Sara.”
Detective: “Baby, please…”
Laurel: “Dad, I swear, if you say one more word.”
Sara: “Laurel, look, I know you’re angry and you have every right to be but please don’t take this out on dad, if you need someone to blame, you blame me.”
Laurel: “Oh, I do blame you, Sara. Every single thing that’s gone wrong in our lives is your fault. You got on that stupid boat with my boyfriend. You didn’t call us to tell us you were still alive, even though it probably would’ve saved mom and dad’s marriage. And you brought some crazy assassin to Starling City, who nearly killed mom and who poisoned me. You, you stole my whole life away from me. Now get out.”

Honestly, I could not think of a more inappropriate reaction. I know Laurel is overwhelmed and in a dark place and her life has been difficult the past six years, but she was absolutely ruthless. Did she take a second to think of what Sara has gone through? Or how hard it must’ve been for Sara to be away from her family for so long? Nope. She just thought about herself. And to be honest, I’m not that surprised. It seems like Laurel is always blaming someone else for any problems. She long blamed her dad for her mom leaving. She blamed Oliver for Sara’s death. She blamed the Arrow for Tommy’s death. She blamed Blood for all her crazy conspiracies (okay, so maybe this one was true, but no one else in Starling City realizes it yet). And now she’s blaming Sara for…well, EVERYTHING.

“You stole my whole life away from me” seems a little harsh, no? Clearly, she is still bitter that Sara boarded the boat with Oliver, but considering all that’s gone on since and the fact that Laurel yet again had another chance with Ollie when he returned, you’d think she’d be able to put that resentment aside. Again, “ruining my whole life” is so melodramatic and self-centered….she doesn’t consider what Sara’s life has been like or what her dad’s life has been like (remember, he’s a recovering alcoholic and was demoted from detective to beat cop) or what her mom’s life has been like (as she continued to search for her lost daughter, never believing she was dead regardless of everyone telling her she was crazy). Nope, it’s all about Laurel.

In the beginning, I wanted Laurel and Oliver to be together again. I thought they were endgame. But now that I’ve seen how selfish Laurel is, I’m glad that Sara has finally gotten her chance with Oliver. After all, if Laurel hadn’t stepped in on him in the first place, this may have been how it would’ve all turned out anyways. But despite being the younger sister, Sara is the bigger person and I doubt we’ll see her throwing that in Laurel’s face any time soon.

Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8//7c on ABC.