Arrow has officially gone global. By that I mean that this episode actually dealt with a potential global catastrophe, and that ended up hindering my liking of 'Monument Point', but that wasn't the only issue with the episode.
Damien Darhk's entire Genesis plan is ridiculous. We all know that. But this week I felt like the direction they decided to take his plan and the execution of it, didn't fit with what I hope Darhk would be as an antagonist. I tend to dislike the stories with heroes saving an entire world or galaxy in favor of something more personal and grounded, which is why Arrow has been so brilliant in the past. But with Team Arrow, plus Felicity's father, having to stop nuclear missile's from hitting various points across the globe, we lost that intimate hero-villain dynamic that made previous seasons work so well.
On a lighter note, Quentin and Donna shared some nice dramatic moments this week as the former dealt with his affidavit involving his daughter's time as the Black Canary. It's always nice to see Blackthorne on the show and Donna complements him very well. It's a romance that's starting to grow on me.
Brick and Anarky made their unwelcomed way back into the world of Arrow as side villains who distracted Team Arrow from their goals. Brick was a stupidly painful villain last year while Oliver was 'dead', so I was less than enthused to see his return. Besides being in the way of Green Arrow and Spartan, he didn't do a whole lot. Anarky showed up inside of Darhk's 'safe-house-neighborhood- thing', mostly to give Thea something to do, but for no other real significant reason. However, both of them were a part of some great fight sequences. If it weren't for the fights, tonight's Arrow would have been a complete waste.
When they weren't stealing things from Palmer Tech or fighting Brick, Oliver and Diggle had some much needed screen time together. If it wasn't clear already, Team Arrow is falling apart, and Oliver is doing everything he can to keep everyone's conscious in the right spot. Their discussion over whether Dig should tell Lyla the truth about Andy's death was an important one, but I still don't see why Lyla would care all that much.
If anything else, this episode had a nice rapid pace to it. I felt a sense of urgency from each scene to the next, exemplifying the fact that we only have a few episodes left to go. It still seems strange to think Team Arrow will find a way to beat Darhk, especially with his seemingly added power after the bombing. Which, was also quite unexpected. I just don't like the fact that this episode felt too ambitious in its reach. But I do expect to see the bomb going off in Havenrock to have some repercussions come season 5.
+Quentin not making Oliver's mistake
+Fights
+Sense of urgency
-Too global
-Side villains leave me wanting more Darhk
7.5/10