It's shocking how quickly the tables have turned for the better on Arrow this season. How the show's weakest link has turned out to be its strongest asset past the mid-point of this season. Now, as Oliver (Stephen Amell) and company travel back to Russia for a bloody Bratva stroll down memory lane, we are left wondering just how much more we can get before Crisis rolls around to rock our multiverse.
"Prochnost" was undoubtedly the briskest episode of the show to date. It zigged and zagged a lot. Not just in locations and with its many characters, but with its tone. On one hand you have Oliver, weary of a looming cataclysm trying to connect with both his time-displaced kids. On the other you have Laurel (Katie Cassidy) doing her best to hold her redemption arc down and then Anatoly Knyazev (David Nykl) cracking a funny one-liner. It's all over the place. When you factor in the Russian fight club element, things get even more intense.
Speaking of intensity, it's was kind of fitting for accomplished director Laura Belsey to take the reins this episode. The showrunners and producers massively underestimated her talents as a director in season four and squandered her talents again in season six. It's good to see her in her element, especially when it comes to those satisfyingly brutal brawls. Considering how intense episodes like "Kapushion" and "The Slabside Redemption" where, I could have used with a bit more blood though. Or bone crunches.
The family drama was also a great element that continued to yield its rewards after that killer twist from a couple weeks back. The dialogue and the emotions hit the right notes. I dare say I actually like the future team of heroes now. When paired with their dad or other members of Team Arrow, they shine and make sense as characters.
Roy Harper's (Colton Haynes) return was welcome, but completely unnecessary in my opinion. At least in the context of this particular episode. He had no thematic connection to the Russian happenings and his little stint with Diggle (David Ramsey) really wasn't that enjoyable, minus that slick yellow-green lighting that illuminated the two in some truly cinematic ways.
I also found that the Crisis aspect was sorely lacking. Moreover, the whole idea of "we have to stop the Monitor" dimmed out quickly. That development never made too much sense at all. Why not have Oliver just do as he is told when he knows so much is at risk? Send him to another Earth, that worked amazingly well in the premiere.
The ending though, once again is a pretty neat one, so keep your eyes and ears open...
So, while imperfect with its tone and uninteresting with its re-introduction of Roy Harper, "Prochnost" hit the right emotional notes with the Queen-Smoak family and did it with a dash of brutal Russian fisticuffs along the way.