Speaking of Stanley, this episode had the perfect dose of the creepy little weirdo. Early on Ollie tells Stan that they’re not friends, and he knows that he framed Turner, setting up Oliver’s promise to make things right with Turner that enables Oliver to save the guards, take down Diaz, and make it out alive. Stan drugs Oliver, and in the hands of other writers, this little melodrama would have bogged down the rest of the episode. Luckily this episode, written by Jill Blankenship & Rebecca Bellotto, kept things moving in a fashion that suits Oliver’s steely new GSD attitude. Once Oliver realizes Stanley murdered a bunch of people and can’t be talked into untying him, he makes quick work out of him, not even breaking a sweat (or his wrists) to escape.

further reading – Supergirl Season 4 Episode 7 Review: Rather the Fallen Angel

One thing I’m going to miss about the Slabside arc is watching Oliver as such a physical fighter. Without the use of his bow and other gadgets, Oliver has had to rely on martial arts, his surroundings, and his smarts. The Green Arrow doesn’t cut anybody’s femoral artery or make his own IEDs, ya know? Early on in the episode we were treated to one long shot (or one disguised to look like it) of Oliver taking out guards with just his own two hands – or feet, as the case may be. It’s no surprise that producer and former stunt coordinator James Bamford directed this episode, which had so many fights I almost lost track. When you’ve got a lead with this level of physical prowess and a director with a background in stunts, you can do an episode that is 80% fighting without any of it feeling stale. And while this episode didn’t get into it as much, this season has made a point of using fight choreography as an extension of characterization.

I enjoyed Michael Jai White’s performance for Ben Turner’s proper introduction. While Bronze Tiger has been around a while, this was the first time he really distinguished himself from the rest of Brick’s band of toughs. The transition from gang member to hero/comrade-in-arms felt largely natural, and served to highlight how much Oliver has changed, too. Turner showed off serious skills himself, roundhouse kicking everyone in sight and throwing a guard over his shoulder like he was nothing. I’m looking forward to seeing how Oliver makes good on his promise to Turner, and how how he gets along with the rest of the group when he eventually gets out.

About those changes from Oliver – he claimed that prison hasn’t changed him, a statement that I don’t think he believes, even as he says it. I’m eager to see how Beth Schwartz and her team unpack the changes in Oliver’s disposition in the coming episodes. I’m sure some things will be immediately apparent, while others might take a while to notice. But there was something to that steely eyed look in this episode that says Oliver Queen has fundamentally changed as a person, and I hope that is examined, even if Ollie himself is hesitant to do so himself.