Loved It? Hated It? What did you think of "Tribute?"

[KSiteTV]

We didn't have a countdown since the forums were down last night, but you can talk about "Tribute" here!

[Freawaru]

What??? I am the first ?!? How did this happen ?

Okay, I really liked this episode. 9/10 Points. It had Anatoly in it - always a bonus - and logically after his disaster in Star City and with his brother Oliver Queen last season he was in trouble. He came to ask Oliver for help but - of course - Oliver didn't get it. I wonder, was this CO Anatoly kidnapped mafia? Anatoly called them "cousins" and Oliver responded "They are legitimate businessman". Did Felicity, again, not do her job and research people Oliver wanted to meet ?

Felicity was okay, trying to find a job outside Arrowcave makes sense. She is closer to Curtis who seems to be the only person in Arrowverse to set her straight now and then (not that it works most of the time). So maybe there will be some character development for Felicity in the future.

Dinah grows on me now. Her interaction with Dig works, IMO. Diggle seems to have more than psychological problems, though I really wonder why he is not telling the team. I mean, Sara was resurrected after being dead a year and Felicity can walk. So, shouldn't he at least hope that there will be a cure for his problem eventually, too? But character-wise it makes sense, I guess. I doubt that Dig really made the jump to all the weird stuff in Arrowverse, yet.

The fight scenes were good, but I really wonder how many people team Arrow really kills. I mean, they were Anatoly's men. Oliver seemed less into killing but I didn't get if Mad Dog shot to kill or not.

The FBI agent and her investigation seems intriguing. I mean, is there no communication between FBI and ARGUS? Waller knew from the beginning that her protegee was the Hood, right? So is this investigation really what it seems to be?

Best of all: William. Finally! Finally someone Oliver listens to shows him he cannot promise things out of his control. Oliver doing this really irritated me for some time now. So really good character development for Oliver in this episode!

[BkWurm1]

A better written episode than the season opener (and noticably better directed) though not without it's flaws. I didn't like how all the characters were so locked into their little circle and not allowed to mix and match. Oliver could talk to William or hang out at City Hall with Rene and Quentin. Felicity and Curtis were a locked in duo that tonally didn't work for me in the episode. And then we had Diggle with Dinah. But Felicity couldn't have a conversation with Oliver or Diggle and god forbid she ever talk to Rene, Quentin or Dinah. Oliver wasn't allowed to talk to Diggle til the end or even have a clue anything was off about him and though he was going through a lot of big emotional issues between Anatoly, his picture and William worried he was going to get killed, Oliver didn't get to even hint at any of those things with Felicity who that show implied he was regularly talking with in the previous episode. And so to have Felicity and Curtis locked in their little comic relief side story while Diggle and Oliver are grappling with life changing stuff just felt off to me.

It's one thing to decide to have Oliver have the big conversations with Rene or Lance. Sure, mix it up, but to not even allow even a passing comment to show Oliver is talking to the other people he is closest to in his life just feels wrong.

Kind of like Diggle hiding a shrapnel wound for five months. It's not even a question of why he would do it (though really, WHY?) but HOW did he hide it? He and Felicity ran back to the plane while bombs are going off. They would be trapped in the plane for at least a couple minutes before they could go looking for Thea and Sam. How did the rest of the team not see him bleeding? I actually was thinking he was going to reveal he had some brain injury from the percussion of the bombs going off rather than an obvious physical wound.

I again had a problem with Dinah. Like last week, she was acting more pissed than concerned about Diggle and even though Diggle was hiding something important, she was being so mean about it that I was right there with Diggle wanting her to mind her own business. There's a way of being upset without making it seem like she couldn't care less if he was hurt if it didn't put her at risk. Just some odd acting choices. Again, I find Diggle keeping it a secret out of character. But then I also found it out of character for Lance to keep shooting NotLaurel a secret. The show is finally not having Oliver keep dumb secrets but the idiot ball is being passed.

The thing that doesn't make sense to me is why bother with the secrets when the truth would remain just as compelling. Just have everyone know Diggle had been injured but him only now having it be a problem, the doc called it degenerative so the storyline would fit. Let the story be the team and Diggle trying to find a work around to his problem.

Otherwise, I liked the episode well enough. Liked the FBI gal even if it does seem odd she's on the case with no smoking gun anymore (aka the picture was disproven). Seems like just harrassment to me. I kind of liked Oliver and William's scenes, specifically Oliver stupidly telling him to pick fights at school to solve his problem, lol. Curtis and Felicity's conversations about secret job and where the money comes from or went was amusing though, like I said, with the backdrop of important people in Felicity's life having big emotional struggles, it seemed wrong that she was not a part of that even in the tiniest bit.

Anatoly is always a pleasure. Love his version of being a good person, pointing out to Oliver how much worse his enemies could be. Still, while I get why he's not going to kill him, not sure why he couldn't maim him a bit. Or just knock him out.

I wonder, was this CO Anatoly kidnapped mafia? Anatoly called them "cousins" and Oliver responded "They are legitimate businessman". Did Felicity, again, not do her job and research people Oliver wanted to meet ?

The cousins comment wasn't about them being mafia or like the Bratva, but that their nationality which was a made up country near Russia. Also, Oliver meeting with the Markovian delegates was City Hall business. Why would Felicity being vetting Oliver's work in the Mayor's office? If he asked her to, sure (and apparently they were legitimate so there really isn't a problem) but Felicity as Overwatch isn't there to do the Mayor's or City Hall's job.

[BkWurm1]

Oh. really liked the new opening with the individual symbols for the other team members. Liked it on Legends and like it on Arrow as well.

[Freawaru]

Oh. really liked the new opening with the individual symbols for the other team members. Liked it on Legends and like it on Arrow as well.

I forgot, I liked this, too.

I also forgot to mention some nice touches like Oliver sitting the whole time he was talking to the FBI agent in front of the first drawing of the Hood.

[Freawaru]

Anatoly is always a pleasure. Love his version of being a good person, pointing out to Oliver how much worse his enemies could be. Still, while I get why he's not going to kill him, not sure why he couldn't maim him a bit. Or just knock him out.

At least we know why he does not put an arrow into Anatoly: he would have to be his teacher afterwards.

The cousins comment wasn't about them being mafia or like the Bratva, but that their nationality which was a made up country near Russia.

At first I thought he meant it this way, too. But Oliver clearly didn't. Also, it is odd that Anatoly killed the CEO after Oliver healed him. There was no reason to do that if the CEO was indeed just what Oliver thought he was. Anatoly may be ruthless at times but he never seemed inefficient so far.

Also, Oliver meeting with the Markovian delegates was City Hall business. Why would Felicity being vetting Oliver's work in the Mayor's office? If he asked her to, sure (and apparently they were legitimate so there really isn't a problem) but Felicity as Overwatch isn't there to do the Mayor's or City Hall's job.

And I think that is just the problem. Oliver is as much in danger as mayor as as GA. Maybe even more, because as GA he is the hunter, while as mayor he is the target. Remember he ran for mayor because all his predecessors were assassinated. So if I was Felicity and in love with Oliver I would also try to eliminate possible threats to him as mayor. Which includes finding out everything about people Oliver meets in person. And: people working at City Hall are bound by the law and Felicity has more sources than them. So even if City Hall cleared that CEO it does not mean he was not mafia. Point is: I would trust Felicity's research more than the one of City Hall.

[President_Luthor]

The best parts for me were the Oliver - Anatoly scenes and those with the tough-as-nails FBI agent.

That scene where Anatoly broke it down to Oliver what "honourable" means to him, that was great stuff. It was something like a one-act play.

I'm actually surprised it took the feds this long to circle around the goings-on in SC. I guess they finally realized not to put too much stock or trust in SCPD's investigative prowess, haha.

I'm glad Curtis brought up the lingering question of how everyone earns their keep. With he and Felicity working on non-Team Arrow projects going forward, I'm hoping/praying(pleading?) this means he and Felicity will be getting some bona fide additional character development unrelated to Arrowcave business. (And for those following the "fascinating" ups-and-downs of Curtis and Paul's marital implosion, he didn't take a dime from Paul in the divorce -- hence his practical and reasonable need for side gigs.)

Makes sense, otherwise I have this ridiculously amusing notion of Oliver doling out allowances every week -- cash of course, no paper or electronic trail -- to keep all team members afloat.

I've wondered how Diggle makes bank post-Army career ... and I guess it turns out they're going with 'Lyla makes lots of money as ARGUS director'. I would have also rolled with any vague references to 'private security consulting' for the mayor's office etc.

That twist in the end with Diggle and Oliver, I'm sure it made sense to Oliver at the time as he gets that family are going to be automatic targets for any of GA's enemies. But I don't like the secret-keeping angle revolving around Diggle, even though we now know why Diggle has been less than effective in the field now. Secrets and lies, the well the show keeps dipping into.

If there is a future falling-out between Oliver and Diggle in a 'Civil War' sense, I can see how it will have begun here.