Arrow Season 4 Episode 17 "Beacon of Hope" Review and *SPOILERS*

Not the Bees!!!

Director: Michael Schultz
Writers: Ben Sokolowski & Brian Ford Sullivan
First Aired: March 30, 2016

*Non-spoilers and score at the bottom*

Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve done one of these for Arrow. Yes, I know, I didn’t write a review for last week’s episode. It’s called college life and the little time you get! Anyway, I thought the episode was good… Though the less I see of Cupid the better. The other thing that continues to annoy me is how quickly Felicity throws away this life she had with Oliver… Over a lie, he was forced to make! If this was season 3, and we just learned about the plan to take down the league from the inside, I'd understand! However, William(his son) HAD to be kept a secret! Not only because his mom asked, but because he could have been put in danger… JUST LIKE WHAT HAD HAPPENED! Anyway, this week will be the first week without Felicity on the team, which is a problem with the Bug-Eyed Bandit coming for blood! So what happens?! Let’s find out…

We open up with Oliver and the gang on a regular practice session, but it’s clear he’s going through the “Working to forget the break up” cliche. Laurel tries to talk him down, but unfortunately, he dismisses her due to the fact that she was his ex… but also one of his best friends… and she would probably help more because she was his ex and best friend… Yeah, both Oliver and Felicity really have become more selfish when the truth about William came out. Like I get what Oliver is going through a stage of post-breakup depression, but it’s not like this has happened before, he knows that the members of Team Arrow have his back!

Meanwhile with ex-teammate Felicity, she continues to prepare the spinal chip for mass production, when her mother shows up to try and talk to her about the breakup. She avoids to go talk to her board, but unfortunately, one of the members comes down with a bad case of… hives… God that was terrible… Anyway, this is where Brie Larvan, the Bug-Eyed Bandit enters, now leading swarms of robbers on the hunt for the chip. This setup shows how much of a threat she is, and it is pretty terrifying when you actually see what the bees can do.

When the Bee attack on Palmer Tech is broadcasted across the city, Michael Holt, who was sent home by Felicity due to being sick, goes to find the Arrow and his team. However when he does find the Arrow Bunker(I know it’s silly, but call it the Quiver!), he goes there when none of the team have their masks on… Yup! The few $#%^s given about secret identities in the Arrowverse continue! However, due to this exposure of their identities, Oliver asks Holt to fill in the role of Felicity and try to hack the bees as they head in. I haven’t really talked about Holt in the past, but to be honest I like him. He has the Felicity smarts, and the Cisco references. It kind of makes me hope that he continues to help Team Arrow as the new Overwatch since Felicity is off the team.

While all this is going on, Damien tries his best to get a handle on being incarcerated and powerless… Yeah, it doesn’t go well. He is beaten up not only by two unnamed prisoners but threatened by Murmur, the murderer with his mouth sewn shut. When Malcolm, representing H.I.V.E. shows up, hope for being released is dashed as he reveals that the group will be continuing his plans without him… dick move Merlyn!

Meanwhile, the team attempts to meet halfway with Felicity, her mother, and Thea, but they get stopped by one of the coolest yet dumbest things you could possibly imagine… The Bees combined to make a Bee Man… I don’t even mean a shape of a man, I mean they all combine to make a robot about the Arrows size. On one hand, this is completely ridiculous due to the fact the it's practically like there  were no bees at all. Even when shot, these robots just break into hexagons… Shouldn’t they be bee shaped?! Despite this major complaint, it did make sense to actually have something more physical to fight, and when the team fights it, it is just brutal. At the end of the first confrontation, Oliver is “stung” by a bee and the group is forced to retreat.

Turns out the bee actually worked it’s way into his system, and is planning to multiply till it completely overtakes his system, and has a hive launch from his mouth… pleasant. However thanks to some quick thinking from Holt, and a sonic blast from Black Canary, the bees are deactivated and now Holt has a bee he can use to have a better way to hack into the… Hive mind… God these puns…

After Holt rigs up a transmitter arrow to send out the virus to the swarms, we learn WHY the Bug-Eyed Bandit wants the chip blueprints. No, it’s not because she wants to sell it on the black market. No, it’s not because she wants revenge on felicity for her part in getting her captured; She doesn’t even know about that… It’s because she has a tumor on her spine, and the surgery to get rid of it will cause her to never walk again… Did we really need this? A sympathy card for a woman who caused bees to explode from a man, and nearly our hero? I mean if we knew this about her from the beginning sure, but it just felt a bit forced.

In the end, Arrow arrives just in time and with the help of the transmitter arrow, he allows Holt to take control of the bees’ to take down the Bandit. Oliver and Felicity begin to step out of their depressions of breaking up...but then we see the ending involving H.I.V.E. and a traitor in their midst… Next episode is going to be explosive.

FLASHBACK:

After hiding the idol, Oliver and Tatiana attempt to attack Reiter, who is still powered up from the idol. He makes short work of Tatiana and decides to be an idiot and just fist fight with Oliver… Reiter, you called yourself a GOD! Just because you can’t get pierced by bullets doesn’t mean you can’t be beaten physically! What is it with DC Comic TV villains and whenever they enjoy their power they get cocky! Trajectory last week and this week Reiter! Either way, the power fades, but he gets away, leaving Oliver and Tatiana left to clean up by killing the last of Reiter’s men.

Bits and Pieces:

This episode was just silly. While I do enjoy Emily Kinney as the Bug-Eyed Bandit, the insect shenanigans(and PUNS!) just had me roll my eyes. I don’t think this episode was meant to be taken seriously, especially after last week’s dramatic heart breaking episode. That being said, I did find some enjoyment, especially in Echo Kellum’s Michael Holt. It wasn’t the best episode of Arrow, but it wasn’t the worst either. It was definitely middle ground.

6.5/10