Arrow New Episode Review: Season 3 Episode 7 'Draw Back Your Bow' Introduces Oliver's Stalker Cupid

The CW's Arrow continued with Season 3 on Wednesday night with its newest episode entitled "Draw Back Your Bow." The installment introduced Oliver Queen's dangerous stalker, Carrie Cutter aka Cupid, who obsessively fixated on the Arrow to the point of lethality.

It was only a matter of time before the Arrow started to attract groupies, and it's fitting that the first one to come after Oliver would be a hot psycho chick. Amy Gumenick did a fantastic job in this episode infusing the character with just the right amount of mental damage. She was never over-the-top insane, but there was always menace and even a bit of lust behind her eyes.

Cupid left a trail of bodies and kidnapped victims for the Arrow to find, and he eventually caught up with her at the spot where he had first saved her life when Slade Wilson was attacking the city last season. It was a nice touch to tie Cupid's origin, as it were, to a significant event from the series, and it also helped explain her actions. She became infatuated with the Arrow because he's a hero, and someone with her mental condition would totally fixate on that.

The two fought and Cupid nearly outsmarted him by handcuffing him to train tracks like an old-timey cartoon villain, but Oliver dislocated his own thumb to slip the cuffs and save them both from the oncoming train. Apparently Ollie's been watching Grant Ward on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Oliver was shorthanded in this episode, as Felicity was busy with Ray Palmer both professionally and personally. Her absence affected his work, as she was not there to help him at certain key moments in tracking down Cupid. But it also affected his mental state because the man under the hood got extremely angry and started throwing things in the Arrowcave.

Ollie has never been the best at handling emotions. He refused to grieve over Sara's death for the sake of his friends. He was basically a robotic killing machine in the first season. And his one chance at love with Felicity went up in smoke. So the sight of Ray and Felicity kissing and the knowledge that she was with her boss instead of him made Oliver go a little nuts.

But it wasn't just the kiss that did it. Oliver meant what he said when he told Cupid that he has to be alone. When he saw Felicity happy with Ray, it made that reality crash down on him, and that's a terrifying experience.

Roy, too, is still struggling with what he learned last week, so he and Oliver decided to take the therapist's advice, in a way, and seek some therapy. But rather than lay on the couch, they took comfort with Diggle and Lyla, the two happiest people on this entire show. It was a sweet scene that prevented this entire episode from turning into an hour of misery for Oliver.

This wasn't the most important episode of Arrow this season, but it still worked well as a standalone installment. It took a deep breath and explored the emotional states of its characters, which is something the show can sometimes forget to do when it's busy flinging arrows and breaking our hearts.

Notes:

- The Cupid arrow in the opening title card was a nice touch.

- We had a reference to "dwarf star" and Ray pulled up a 3D rendering of the Atom suit. It's happening, people.

- I like the way Arrow has started teasing the next episode's villain at the end of the current episode. Captain Boomerang's appearance has me hyped for the crossover, as if I weren't hyped enough already.

- Everyone just listen to Diggle. All the time.

- Ray not only stole the Salmon Ladder, but he stole Oliver's opening voiceover!

- "Oh my God, I have a type." Don't ever change, Felicity.

What did you think of "Draw Back Your Bow"? Let us know in the comments section.