After stumbling into this 4 week break with a mediocre "taken" episode, I think Arrow stepped back into its own this week with an appearance from Cupid. Of course, Cupid was merely just a fold to cap off the Olicity storyline, but it worked effectively. It was also really nice seeing Damien Darhk vs Oliver Queen in the light for once as we have seen fight after fight when the two are being their alter egos.
Cupid was out killing couples this time as once again ARGUS' lack of security should be put to question as this was the second time in a few weeks they have let an inmate get free. Alas, she terrorized Star City killing celebrity couples who she claimed didn't have the right to be in love. This prompted Oliver and Felicity to suck it up and stage a wedding to trap Carrie Cutter after several failed attempts. Thus, the reason why Guggenheim posted the wedding pic of Olicity a month or so ago. Cruel? Perhaps. But I think we were all expecting this was the case.
The actual break up itself was frustrating, especially after Felicity has heard everything she needed to hear the last couple of weeks in order to persuade her. It also had a great deal of closure attached to it. I was once a huge fan of the potential of Olicity, but I'm not overly disappointed it's over. 90% of the time the relationship material between these two is compelling TV, but I think it has run its course. What I'm more concerned about is Felicity's involvement in Team Arrow being done for now. The team will always need someone of her caliber, so it will be interesting to see how the dynamic changes.
The flashbacks were fine as they have been for a while now. Reiter and company argued about where the artifact should be kept and such, but nothing exciting is really happening. I want to find out more about Reiter and Oliver's tattoo's capabilities. Less talk and more walk from Reiter would be great.
Lance took a big step this week as he risked his job to testify against Darhk in court. The court material in general was great as Laurel showed that she's a lawyer again (it's been a minute) and Paul Blackthorne's performance was as good as ever. It almost seems inevitable that Lance is the one in the grave. He's had a big arc this season, and the decision Lance made seemed to push him more and more in that direction.
Overall, I liked the change of pace this episode displayed. You could make the argument the Olicity stuff felt overdone and sappy, but I thought hearing both of their fake vows gave the relationship an ironic amount of genuineness that it was lacking. Which makes it all the more tragic that it's over. It was a nice touch having Darhk not say a single word in the episode, only to reveal he was hiding his wedding ring in his mouth the entire time. Even with all of that mind, I think Arrow is heading back in the right direction thanks to a nicely crafted episode that brought the show back into the light.
+Cupid is always memorable
+Closure with Olicity
+Speechless Darhk
+Lance takes a big step
+Laurel vs Darhk
-Flashbacks
8.5/10