KSiteTV's Craig Byrne previews 7 things about tonight's Arrow episode, "A.W.O.L."

The CW made tonight’s episode of Arrow, titled “A.W.O.L.,” available early to press, so it’s only fair that we offer some teases to you, the readership of KSiteTV (and GreenArrowTV, our Arrow portal). No major spoilers within, but if you want some hints about tonight’s show, here are 7 things to look forward to.

#1. Finally, another Diggle episode! David Ramsey has consistently been one of Arrow’s most overlooked assets, always making Arrow an even better show. This week, we get to see more of his character, John Diggle, and his interactions with both wife Lyla and returned brother, Andy. The Diggles are also involved in some flashbacks, which despite some clunky dialogue, still beat this year’s stories on the island. I’m still not sure I like the idea of Andy Diggle being “back from the dead,” but if it means more for Ramsey to do, I’m glad for it.

#2. Amanda Waller is back. Cynthia Addai-Robinson returns as Amanda Waller for the first time in a while. It’s nice that some characters who will also be used in Suicide Squad (as played by different actors) are still around. I still really miss Deadshot, though.

#3. Felicity gets a visitor that we haven’t seen since Season 3. This surprise visitor might also be the reason we didn’t get many (or any) promotional images featuring Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) this week. After being paralyzed recently in the show, Felicity has a lot of things to work out, and this visitor helps her get through those things. A lot of Season 4 so far is about how the characters have grown since their “origin stories;” this storyline also puts that together for several people.

#4. Felicity gets a code name! And it’s perfect! But, no, it’s not Oracle. As Oliver says in the episode itself: “I was gonna go with Oracle, but it’s taken.” Suddenly, a lot of Barbara Gordon fans are relieved. But, trust: Felicity’s own, unique code name is even better.

#5. Laurel is not sidelined. I still feel Katie Cassidy’s Laurel has gotten sidelined a bit too much this season, but I was happy that there’s a good scene with some nice dialogue between her and Stephen Amell’s Oliver. They’re not lovers, the show doesn’t even hint at love triangles… but they do acknowledge the long past the characters have with each other. With so many people from Oliver’s past life dying, it’s nice that he still has some connections.

#6. Shadowspire. We learn more about the Shadowspire organization and what exactly they mean here. I think that’s all I can say about that, for now.

#7. Is the episode good? There are moments that are very good. I will say, though, that the second half was more exciting to me than the first.

Arrow “A.W.O.L.” airs at 8PM TONIGHT (January 27) on The CW. You can see some promotional photos below: