Arrow: Divided review S6 E10

Maybe I was a little too hasty writing this season off? Divided felt much more like the can’t miss show I enjoyed last year. One episode does not turn an entire season around, but maybe there’s some hope for Season 6 after all?

While Cayden James’ ultimate end game is still up in the air enough, everything else about Divided was such a great surprise.

Oliver was still in his feelings about Rene, Dinah and Curtis. That was truly bad timing as Cayden assembled his League of Super Villains with Black Siren, Ricardo Dragon, Anatoly and Vigilante. First step on their master plan? Taking over the harbor run by Jerry Bertinelli, the last surviving member of the crime family.  That reminds me it’s about time for another appearance by The Huntress.

This forced Oliver to strike an uneasy alliance with Bertinelli in the hopes they could take down James. How warped is Oliver’s values when he’d team with a mobster but can’t trust his old team? Finally getting clued in that James bugged the Arrow cave allowed the team to use that to their advantage.

The writing on Divided felt much improved over earlier Season 6 episodes with logical character decisions and faster pacing. For instance, Dinah wasn’t falling for Vince again for weeks on end before learning he was Vigilante. The back and forth between Team Arrow and Cayden’s Crew was fun as well. I wasn’t sure how this villain’s alliance would play out, but they’re actually competent and have more teamwork than I expected.

I doubt this was a coincidence, but Divided didn’t spend a second addressing Oliver and Felicity as a married couple and their interplay was much improved.

Thea was back as Quentin’s chief of staff. Rene always felt like a bad fit and this gives Thea a prominent role again. And Thea’s scenes with Quentin tend to be strong with their father/daughter dynamic. I liked that Thea realized she was pushing too hard and came around in thinking Laurel could be redeemed like Malcolm.

Based on the amazing action sequences throughout Divided, it wasn’t a shock James Bamford directed it. Bamford is one of the Arrow directors who always delivers movie quality fight scenes. This one was no exception.

With the rest of Team Arrow out of action, Bamford just got to focus on Green Arrow with his archery and fighting skills. The extended tracking shot in the trench scene ranks right up there with some of the best in the series.

There was heavy competition, but the best scene was Oliver recognizing he was being too stubborn and apologized to Rene, Curtis and Dinah. But being Oliver he had to toss out a little blame their way. And that was enough for the hard feelings to remain and the three newbies to turn down his request to get the band back together. No reunion tonight!

I’ve thrown this out to distinguish them from the original Team Arrow, but calling the Dinah, Rene and Curtis trio The Outsiders now makes perfect sense. They’re little the outsiders of Team Arrow and striking out on their own.

I like this dramatic change to the status quo so much. Arrow has steadily populated Star City with so many vigilantes and everyone has fallen under the Team Arrow blanket. Curtis and company doing things their own way changes the dynamic up while streamlining Team Arrow to the three originals.

Diggle getting the magic implant to get him back in the game was a smart move. Now the question is will Oliver and Diggle find a third partner to help take down James and company.

Divided did a lot to restore my faith in the season. Hopefully this wasn’t a one time deal.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Photo Credit: The CW