ARROW - Season 7.19

ARROW - SEASON 7, EP. 19:  "Spartan"

Things are tough all over for Team Arrow.  The Ninth Circle is plotting to destroy Star City, tensions are high between the SCPD and the team, Ollie is dealing with having to face off with Emiko, his half sister running the Ninth Circle.  Felicity has created a new security program, but problems with the Archer Program loom, as well as her impending birth to their child...and now Diggle has a new problem to deal with:  his stepfather, a decorated general with whom he must work with, and has issues with.  And lest we forget the kids in the future...Mia and Connor trying to save the city with Felicity.

We open up with a deal going down in Chinatown, as a man named Virgil is looking to sell a hard drive obtained from ARGUS to sell to the Ninth Circle.  Ollie and Diggle spoil the sale as they jump into the fray, looking for Emiko.  A fight ensues, and Virgil...who's a rogue ARGUS agent, escapes. However,  Ollie and Diggle manage to obtain the drive, which they actually discover belongs to the Department of Defense.  Diggle knows someone there, and they decide to pay the DoD a visit 

They meet with a General Stewart, and ask him what's on the drive, but he stonewalls them by saying it's classified. There's some tension between General Stewart and Dig, Ollie notices.  The meeting is a bust, and our heroes depart. 

We check in with our future, as Felicity is having issues with the helmet they got from Laurel.  She can't access the information off of it without a certain piece of tech.  Connor and Mia take up the task of getting it.

Felicity and Alena are still struggling to get ARCHER fully operational, and Alena suggests a meeting with Wil Magnus, a prominent roboticist whom Felicity couldn't get a meeting with, but Alena has an inroad with him.  Just then, Virgil and his crew invade Felicity's house, looking for the hard drive, but they are rescued by the military.  However,  Virgil makes off with Felicity's pad, which has the control of the ARCHER Program on it.

At the Arrow Lair, the team meets with General Stewart, and he says that the drive has a list of assets in the field who have vital information.  They discover that Virgil is indeed a rogue ARGUS agent who sold out to the Ninth Circle.

Ollie has a heart to heart with Diggle about the General, and John fesses up that he is John's stepfather.  He isn't happy with him due to a mission years ago where he felt Stewart got his father killed by abandoning his unit.  John wanted to know more, but the mission has been sealed.

We catch back up with Connor and Mia as they are on their quest to find their codebreaker for the helmet.  Connor knows of a man named JJ, who is part of the underworld.  When Mia asks how, Connor reveals that JJ is his brother.

Rene and Dinah are chatting about the whole situation regarding the Ninth Circle,  and Rene is still convinced Emiko is totally evil.  He talks about the last fight,  and how she told him to bail.  

With some work, the team finds out that all the assets listed on the drive are accounted for but one.  The team goes to rescue him. John and General Stewart lead the effort, and find the agent, only to fall into a trap set up by Dante.  They are captured. The team is now trying to find out where they are.

Dante begins to torture John and the Geneal, looking for information on a weapon they're looking for.  Eventually, General Stewart gives in and tells them.  After they leave, General Stewart manages to free himself and John, and they make their escape.   John sees that General Stewart is a hero, and would never leave anyone behind.  They now have to stop the Ninth Circle from obtaining the weapon known as Signus X-1.

Back at the Lair, the team figues out that the Ninth Circle is planning on using the ARCHER Program to activate the Signus X-1.  Signus is an experimental weapon they shelved because it was too dangerous.  Before they leave to stop the Ninth Circle,  Ollie and Dig talk about family, and Ollie gives the file on his Dad's mission that was classified.  Dig learns that the General didn't abandon the unit...his father did.  General Stewart lied to protect Dig.

We catch up with Connor and Mia having a heart to heart about their lives, and how lies were told to Mia to protect her.  They are still awaiting to hear from JJ, when his goons come out, ready to deliver JJ's message, and they open fire on the duo.  They make their escape, obtaining their tech barely.

The team finally discovers where the Ninth Circle are located, and gear up to reclaim the weapon. 

A new battle ensues, but the Ninth Circle manage to get Signus.  But in the process of having to salvage the day, Felicity makes the painful decision to delete the ARCHER Program. Ollie and Emiko go for Round 2, and as Dante escapes, Ollie reveals to her that it was Dante who murdered her mother.  Emiko hesitates, trying to process that info, when Dante tosses a flashbomb to distract Ollie as him an Emiko make their escape. 

Team Archer loses this round, unfortunately.  However, General Stewart and Dig make amends, as he heads to the DoD to let them know about Signus and the Ninth Circle. 

Back in her office, Felicity decides to junk the ARCHER Program, seeing what a threat it could've been.  She didn't want being Overwatch to be her legacy.  Alena assures her that it won't be.  As Felicity goes to think about her future and that of the company, Alena looks at what is left of the ARCHER Program. 

Flashing forward, Felicity, using the piece of tech she obtained, hacks into the helmet.  They discover that Galaxy One is using the ARCHER Program to build and army of super soldiers using that technology to wipe out the Canarys.

As the Ninth Circle load Signus into a truck, and prepare to depart, Dante and Emiko talk.  She tells Dante that Ollie informed her that HE was responsible for her mother's death.  He admits to it, because he needed her mind clear to join the Ninth Circle.   She shoots him with a few arrows, and kills him.

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I'm beginning to see a pattern here with this week's crop of episodes:  family, tension,  and relationships.  Our installment of the Emerald Archer offers quite a bit of that.

First of all...pieces have fallen into place for us with our dear Spartan.  Turns out that his stepfather protected him from knowing about his father's actions during a mission they were on.  That information,  unknown to John at the time, caused a rift between him and the Geneal for many years.  But General Stewart showed his valor this episode, and managed to prove to Dig that he was NOT the man Dig made him out to be.  And being that this is General STEWART...you may now drop your easter eggs and let your Green Lantern theories run wild (though I DO hope that we get a Hal Jordan appearance SOMETIME!).

Ollie and Emiko.  Yeah, there's a final showdown coming.  Question is....will Emiko fulfill the Ninth Circle mission and exact revenge on a city and family she felt abandoned by, or will her brother finally break through to her?  Have a feeling it gets messy from here on out.  Expect this war to kick into high gear with only 3 episodes left.

Felicity's legacy.   She destroys her life's work to save the city, but she worries that she will only be remembered as being Overwatch.  Alena believes in her AND the ARCHER Program.   The end of this episode indicates that Alena might find a way to get it back online, which we see in the future.  My thought is that Alena got it back up and running...and possibly paid thd price for it.  OR...SHE is a part of Galaxy One...and also has Will Magnus working with her?  She's a former illegal hacker who worked for The Calculator, so it would NOT surprise me.

Mia and Connor continue to learn more about each other.  And seems like they're getting closer.

Another quality episode as we hit the home stretch of the next to the final season....and the departure of Emily Bett Rickards.  Not sure how the final 10 episodes will be without Felicity Smoak...but we know that this season will show us her final fate prior to...and after...CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS.

Okay guys!  Hope you enjoyed the review, and please subscribe and leave a comment.

Until next week...keep your sights on the bullseye!