Arrow 'The Magician' Review: Making Powerful Enemies and Strange Allies

Arrow delivered its 50^th episode tonight with "The Magician," an installment that focused primarily on Malcolm Merlyn and his return to Starling City. Nyssa showed up to work with Oliver (sort of) to track down the Dark Archer and kill him, as they suspected him of being Sara's killer. By the end of the hour, the alignments had become clear, and Oliver could be in some serious trouble.

Much of the episode felt like a Triple Threat match. Oliver, Malcolm and Nyssa kept switching sides and turning their focus on each other. Nyssa wants to kill Malcolm. Malcolm wants to talk to Oliver. Oliver wants to kill Malcolm. Malcolm fights off Nyssa. Nyssa wants to beat up Oliver for not wanting to kill Malcolm any more. The whole episode was a revolving door among these three.

One of the highlights of the episode was Malcolm's conversation with Oliver in the square. It might be hard to remember because we've followed these characters for so long and see them every week, but Oliver and Malcolm have not crossed paths since the Season 1 finale. So this showdown between them was a long time coming in their world.

The two sparred verbally and clashed philosophically to illustrate the ongoing struggles within Oliver Queen. He is no longer a killer, a rule he has had every reason to break numerous times since the beginning of Season 2. But what does he do when he comes face to face with a killer like Malcolm? Or Slade? There's also the continuous conflict of "Oliver Queen vs. The Arrow," and people like Malcolm force Oliver to confront these questions. It's a pleasure to have John Barrowman and his character back on the show, so hopefully the show continues to use him as well as it did in this episode.

By the end of the episode, Oliver had decided to put Malcolm under his protection in order to get to the bottom of Sara's death. Nyssa is so blinded by rage that she just wants Malcolm off the map, but the Dark Archer actually made a logical point. What would he gain from killing Sara other than pissing off some of the greatest costumed characters in the world? I actually wondered why Oliver didn't just point that out to Nyssa. She's enraged, but she's not stupid.

Unfortunately, Oliver's choice made him some powerful enemies. He's on Nyssa's bad side and now Ra's Al Ghul has reason to direct his wrath toward him. And what an entrance that was for the character and for Matt Nable. Ra's looks like a king and his few moments on screen carried loads of weight. I'm already scared of what this guy can do, and all he's done is talk to his daughter!

This was an extremely successful milestone episode for the show that set the table for the next part of Season 3. Normally, Arrow waits until its midseason finale to really ramp up the action, but it's not wasting any time this year.

Notes:

-       The flashbacks in this episode explained why Fiers wanted to shoot down that plane in Season 1. It was good to get some answers on that subject, and we're slowly starting to see how Oliver turns into the hardened, cold person he was at the start of the series.

-       Thea and Oliver are still lying to each other, and it's only a matter of time until this entire thing blows up in their faces. But it's good to see an active Thea rather than a reactionary one, even if her actions still aren't the smartest.

-       What is with Roy and unnecessary flips?! Did he really need to cartwheel over the hood of that car?

-       I loved how Felicity just sauntered in at the end of the episode and asked what she missed while she was away in Central City. Once again, these little touches are what will make the Arrow and Flash universe feel cohesive.

-       Every moment that Captain Lance goes without learning about Sara's death makes me more anxious and upset. It's going to be an emotional train wreck when he learns the truth. That phone call he made at the end of the episode was heart wrenching.

-       Laurel is starting her training and is moving in a more interesting direction. Like Thea, she is becoming more active, and Nyssa saw the spark within her. I'm looking forward to her development.

What did you think of "The Magician"? Let us know in the comments section.