Arrow takes inspiration from Taken this week, hence the episode's title, as it centres on Damien Darhk's kidnapping of William, and Team Arrow's efforts to get him back. Unfortunately we don't get to see Stephen Amell go full Liam Neeson (though perhaps that's something only he himself should ever attempt), but nonetheless, he will find you, he won't actually be able to hurt you, and he definitely won't kill you... yet. With Green Arrow's shortcomings when up against Darhk evident once again here, the team brings in Vixen - star of an online animated series - to help out with all things magical, with voice actor Megalyn Echikunwoke making the switch to live-action, and doing a damn good job of it too. Her presence helps elevate this episode, in both the fight against Darhk, and Oliver's personal life, and helps bring an understanding to Darhk's until-now mysterious power. Speaking of Darhk, that's another reason this episode was so good; the show struggled a bit with him keeping away from the action, and it's so much better when he's front-and-centre, complete with Neal McDonough devouring the scenery. With high-stakes, magic, relationship drama, and even some interesting flashbacks, there's a lot to ponder for the next few weeks, with Arrow taking what now seems a very long month off.
13. Will We See More Of Vixen
I haven't seen The CW's animated Vixen series, from which the character and Megalyn Echikunwoke arrived, but I'd be tempted to check it out after this. Echikunwoke slotted in seamlessly with the cast, and while the allusions to her past history with Oliver, Barry, and Laurel will have gone over a lot of the audience's head, Vixen was otherwise a great addition. Her powers were impressive, and the show mostly did a solid job of pulling them off visually (save for that scene when she leaps over Darhk's head), and adding another magical element as a counter to Darhk's own abilities was a wise move (though you wonder why it has taken Oliver so long to think of it). There was also her advice to Oliver about being a parent to William, which obviously struck a chord with him as he went with her advice over Diggle's. While I can't see her being a regular member of the cast, or getting her own live-action series, it'd be good to have her dropping in on both Oliver and Barry from time to time, and generally keeping her in the TV universe while having her own animated series as well.
NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far.
A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.
