Review: Arrow 2x05 "League of Assassins"

Original air date: Nov. 5, 2013

If they were to create a spin off show of just Sara Lance as Black Canary, I would be obsessed with it.  I’m not even kidding, it would surpass all my other favorite shows.  Sara has such a huge backstory and I am crossing my fingers like crazy that we get to see more of it (and soon).  Obviously I don’t think she’s gone for good, but well yeah I could watch 6 seasons and movie about her.

We begin six years ago on the Queen’s Gambit.  It’s the night of the shipwreck, but this time we follow Sara as she’s sucked out into the ocean instead of Oliver on the life-raft.  She’s picked up by the same freight that we know Oliver will eventually meet her on.  Can you imagine the relief she felt at being saved only to panic and fear for her life not two seconds later.  She spent one year on that freight and she had to learn how to survive because she was already being tested.  Sometime after that, she met up with Ra’s Al Ghul and swore her allegiance to the league.

After she left the league, she became their number one most wanted because they really don’t take rejection well.  That's where we pick back up in present time.  The league has found her in Starling City and if she will not go with them peacefully, then they're going to go after her family.  It turns to her, Oliver and the gang to protect Officer Lance and Laurel.  

The friendship and understanding between her and Oliver is more than words.  They’re kindred spirits.  They've both been through traumatic experiences in which they had to teach themselves to be something else, something more, survivors.  Each of them had very different experiences and came out very different people and yet they can still understand each other.  I was glad when I saw her staying with Oliver and I was sad when she left.  Unlike her, Oliver found people he could trust and people to watch his back.  Sara had Sin, but after her injury last week and the League of Assassins on her now, it’s doubtful she’ll keep her around. 

The scene that turned me into a mess of emotions (and no I did not cry.  I just had a canary in my eye!) was first the reunion and then the goodbye to her father.  Sara had been fearing the worst about reuniting with her family.  She had done things that she wasn't proud of to survive and worried her family might not accept her.  Sara worried that they might not love her the same way.  That thought never even crossed her father’s mind.  He might have been surprised but he only saw his daughter and her bravery.  I can not imagine Lance having to not only let Sara go after finally getting her back, but to not be able to tell anyone about her either.  The family has lost so much and yet they can’t rejoice in the fact that Sara is alive. 

Laurel is spiraling out of control.  Now that she’s no longer on a mission to bring down the Arrow, she’s turned all of her hate inward.  She blames herself for everybody leaving.  Laurel breaks my heart.  There’s a rock bottom she’s going to hit in the near future and I worry about it. 

Favorite bits of the episode?

• “You’re cute.” Sara likes Felicity and they should be best friends.  Sara said that Oliver was lucky to have found Felicity and Diggle and I agree.  I wish that either Sara could learn to trust them as Oliver has, or find a group of her own.
• I just really liked the way Oliver said “He made it my fight when he came into my house”.  Could watch that scene a few thousand times over.
• Likewise Sara’s “step aside or get put down.”  Diggle wants to go with her because she’s hurt and when Oliver’s hurt he’s his backup (he’s often his backup even when he’s not hurt).  Sara doesn't know Diggle though and he hasn't earned her trust yet.  Her trust is a difficult thing to earn, if I'm going to speculate on her “island” years (didn't want to say lost years, but y’all get my point).  There’s just a thousand layers to her and I really hope the writers explore her story as we've seen them explore Oliver's.  
• Lance just not being able to let Sara go.  That was just a pull at your heartstrings kind of moment.
• Oliver finally opening up to Diggle and telling him about his years on the island.  It’s definitely time he started to really let them in and I was happy to see it.

In conclusion: I LOVE Sara Lance/Black Canary.  I know this isn't the last that we’ll see of her, but I kind of wished every week was a Black Canary week.