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Recap: ARROW S7 E7 – The Slabside Redemption

This is it. This is the episode we’ve been waiting for. The Slabside Redemption has one single focus. Oliver’s last day in prison. Once Diaz gets word of Oliver getting released and Diaz taking his place, he launches a one-man assault on Slabside. He starts a riot. Turning the prisoners against the guards with a very Braveheart-like speech. This is Oliver’s last stand. He can’t let these guards and even prisoners die. He needs to take down the entire prison. This is reminiscent of Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Diaz locked Ollie in and there’s no one he can contact. He can’t trust Stanley after learning that he killed that guard from the last episode. This is the first time since season one where Oliver has no on to rely on. That is until Hunter joins the fight. Now it’s up to Green Arrow and Bronze Tiger to stop Ricardo Diaz once and for all. The plot of this episode is nothing to write home about but it’s executed so well that it makes up for it. You get this John McClane vibe from Oliver and it captures what makes films like Die Hard and John Wick so great. The action was brutal, each confrontation had this intensity that felt different. Arrow never felt this sharp before, the editing and choreography were the best its been.

So Oliver and Stanley end their friendship, making Stan go off the deep end. As Brickwell tries to escape, Stanley murders him in cold blood. “The only way out is through the morgue.” Turns out that statement true for both characters. This happens as Oliver fights Diaz, and man was it bloody. Oliver was able to pull through with the classic protagonist increase in strength within the final minutes. Still, it was a great showdown and a fitting end to Diaz’s character, assuming he’s put away for good.

It was strange how we wrapped up the Diaz storyline without the help of Felicity considering he’s been her main focus all season. It’s not a huge problem but makes her character arc fall a little flat. Arrow is an ensemble show and it felt a little out of place for it to focus solely on Oliver. Overall, “The Slabside Redemption” took Arrow to a whole other level.

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