Oliver and Laurel Discuss Double Standards, Arrow “Haunted” 

As Team Arrow works to get back on its feet again, the topic of trust (or lack thereof) has been an ongoing issue. It seems like each week, someone’s secret is revealed and other members of the team must come to terms with the fact that secret-keeping is a chronic problem in Star City. Not to mention that there’s a lot of pot-calling-the-kettle-black going on. If you can keep your secret, why can’t others keep theirs?

This week, of course, Laurel and Thea’s secret trip to Nanda Parbat and Operation Bring-Sara-Back-From-The-Dead was brought to light only after Sara went on a citywide killing spree that put a target on Thea’s back. And suffice is to say, Oliver was none too thrilled to discover the truth.

Oliver: Your sister is alive, she’s out there and she’s hurting people. How is she alive? Lazarus Pit? What? Did you two spend your spa weekend in Nanda Parbat?

Thea: It’s the only place we could get a reservation.

Oliver: The blood lust is worse with Sara, isn’t it? Because you brought her back from death.

Laurel: Yea and that’s not the only problem. Sara is not herself. She’s changed.

Oliver: Why didn’t you come to me with this?

Laurel: Come to you for what? Your expertise with magical resurrection or that judgmental look on your face?

Oliver: For help finding her, Laurel. Before she gets hurt or hurts anyone else. And if I have a judgmental look on my face right now, it’s because you played with forces you do not understand and now people are dying because of it.

I have to admit, I can’t really blame either of them on this point. Obviously, Laurel should not have gone and revived Sara in the first place, but had Laurel gone to Oliver, he would’ve only talked her out of it (not without good reason) or criticized her for having done it. That being said, now that what’s done is done and she knows Sara is on the loose and clearly not herself, Laurel should have known that she couldn’t handle this type of thing on her own. No one on this team can, and yet they continue to believe that operating as a one-man band is totally feasible. I understand coming back together is a process but going it alone has again and again proven unfruitful and I’d like to think that we’re at least moving along the learning curve here.

Nevertheless, the fact that Sara was after Thea (aka her killer) eventually proved surprisingly beneficial for the team, but not before Oliver and Laurel had the inevitable you-did-it-so-why-can’t-I argument in the hallway.

Laurel: I didn’t tell you I took my sister to Nanda Parbat because I knew you wouldn’t approve. Why didn’t you tell me you took Thea?

Oliver: What does that have to do with anything?

Laurel: It the hypocrisy that I can’t stand. What, it’s okay for you to do whatever you have to for your sister but it’s not okay for me do the same for mine?

Oliver: Sara was dead. Thea wasn’t.

Laurel: Then why didn’t you tell me about Thea seven months ago?

Oliver: {at a loss for words}

Laurel: Because you don’t see me as an equal.

Oliver: Oh, come on. Laurel. Of course I see you as an equal.

Laurel: No, you don’t. You never have. You never told me you were the Arrow.

Oliver: Shhh, keep your voice down.

Laurel: You saw me becoming the Black Canary and you never would’ve told me there’s a way to save my sister. My sister, she’s out of her mind right now because of something that I did. I decision that I made. Did you ever stop and think for one second about what I might be going through? I’m sorry about what happened to Thea. I really am. I love your family. I always have. I just wish that sometimes you would give a damn about mine.

I don’t know about you, but last time I checked, two wrongs didn’t make a right. That being said, I get her double standard argument that Oliver, the ultimate secret keeper, shouldn’t be able to judge her for keeping secrets. However, bringing someone back from the dead does up the ante a bit. That being said, the rest of her argument quickly goes off the rails in my opinion. Yes, she is obviously going through a tough time but when there is a crazed zombie-esque killer on the loose and Thea has a target on her back, it hardly seems like the right time to sit down and talk about Laurel’s feelings. Don’t get me wrong, Oliver could be a bit more supportive, especially since they can’t change the past and arguing about it is futile, but until the team is safe, a heart-to-heart can wait.

And then, finally, what really got me was her declaration that Oliver doesn’t care about the Lances. Really?! Where did that even come from?! Oliver has done nothing but care about the Lances. He supported Sara when she returned. He was beside himself when she died. He has time and time again attempted to win over and prove his honor to Detective Lance. He gave Lance a get-out-of-jail-free card last week and brought him on to the team after learning he was in league with Darhk. He tried to help Laurel when she had a drug problem. And even after at first balking at her turn as Black Canary, he eventually supported her and brought her on to the team. And ultimately, he has done everything he can to help and protect all of them. It didn’t always work, but that didn’t mean he didn’t try. So whatever it is that Laurel is feeling seems to be coming more from her own heightened emotions than from reality.

Fortunately, a well-placed “do you trust me?” from Oliver to Laurel during the Sara-soul-saving ceremony seemed to re-cement their bond and now that both Thea and Sara are safe (thanks to Oliver turning to Matt Ryan‘s John Constantine who helped restore Sara’s soul), it appears that they’ve recognized the importance of working together as they move forward. Especially since Oliver chose to ignore his campaign manager’s advice to distance himself from Laurel, which is insane, if you ask me. Hopefully presenting this united front on the campaign trail will be backed by a true united front on the vigilante trail.

A few other things we learned this episode:

– Holt is an Olympic bronze-medal decathlete. And reads Nicholas Sparks novels. I expect one of these two things to come in handy when he dons his own super-suit.

– Ray is alive! There’s not much more I can say about this, besides that, according to the promo, it looks like he’s giving Ant-Man a run for his money.

– It appears Diggle’s war-hero brother is not all he was cracked up to be and had a few secrets of his own. I don’t know that this justifies his murder, but it’ll be interesting to see more of this story unravel.

Be sure to catch Arrow next Wednesday at 8/7c on The CW.