Arrow: 6 Things That "Left Behind" Did Right (And 4 It Didn't)

The Not-So-Good:

4. Insta-Canary

Burdened with a comic destiny from which producers have proved unwilling to diverge, Laurel Lance has become one of the least popular characters of Arrow. The character has failed to earn any of her major arcs, and even her supposed crucible of drugs and alcohol was almost entirely told rather than shown. If she was going to become a master martial artist equal to her sister, Laurel was going to need time and a soft touch for audiences to accept her. Sadly, she has been given neither, and her unfocused quest for vengeance has consisted of little more than lectures to Team Arrow and a series of boxing lessons. Left Behind actually allows Laurel a lovely moment with Diggle in the Arrow cave that proves that Laurel is best when integrated rather than shoehorned into a plot. The show goes right ahead and ruins that moment, however, by panning over Sara's heretofore unknown alternate leather Canary suit that is on display for absolutely no reason whatsoever. There is then presumably a lengthy time lapse as Laurel reads a handy "how-to" book on sonic devices, figures out all of the 8,000 buckles on her suit, and stops at a pharmacy to pick up some black lipstick before she heads out to pound on a few of Brick's goons. "I'm the justice you can't run from," she says impressively. People will try Laurel, people will try.