Arrow Draw Back Your Bow Episode

Happy Valentine's Day! Wait, what? Oh it's November, nevermind. Tonight's episode of Arrow was a bit of a one-off episode that introduced the obsessed archer character Carrie Cutter, aka Cupid (Amy Gumenick). Though she was the night's main antagonist, she was in good company with a plentiful amount of DC Easter eggs for fans to spot, everything from nods to somewhat obscure locations, to potential future villains, all the way up to a big reveal of a newly introduced villain to the show, right at the episode's close. Though "Draw Back Your Bow" didn't leave us with any massive cliffhangers as we await the Arrow/The Flash crossover, it did a nice job of pleasing fans of the show's comicbook origins and its relationships of ever-increasing drama.

Hit the jump for our Arrow recap.

Mini flashback: Borrowing some scenes from last season's chaotic takeover of the city, tonight's episode opens with the gang driving through streets overrun by mirakuru soldiers. Arrow stops long enough to save a young red-headed woman from a gang of them. I wonder who she'll turn out to be ...

Quentin and Arrow find Stanzler's body along with murder weapon: an arrow with a spade-shaped point. Meanwhile, Felicity has a tough time resisting Ray Palmer's charms; a workout on the salmon ladder and a couture dress go a long way toward winning her over. While she's seen at Palmer's side at the unveiling of his rebranding of Queen Consolidated as Palmer Technologies, Oliver is venting his frustrations on the arrowhead evidence. Concealed inside is a handwritten note, which reveals the address of Arrow's stalker, Cupid. Turns out that the arrows aren't spade-shaped, they're hearts. She calls him up to offer her services and a possible team-up, while also threatening to kill a man if he doesn't show up soon.

While Oliver's fighting off his new ladyfriend, Roy's still brooding over his memory of murdering a cop. I'm not sure how much longer he's going to be in this state, but hopefully they give him a reason to brighten up again soon. Roy goes off to help Thea at the club and Felicity helps identify Cupid's victim, while also asking for the night off to have dinner with Palmer. Someone's jealous! Turns out that Cupid's real name is Carrie Cutter, a former SWAT member who's super-smitten with Ollie. She's also a gardener, which is a fun fact that leads them to Cupid's hideout in a greenhouse, where she's been lying in wait for them. She gets the drop on Roy (aka Arsenal, now) and talks to Arrow through his earpiece, luring him in. Ollie turns down her advances, and opts to save her hostage instead, giving her a chance to escape.

Ollie pays a visit to Cutter's psychiatrist while Diggle pays a visit to their fellow hacker who's busy working her other job at Palmer Technologies. Diggle's playing matchmaker for her and Oliver. He's taking his boy's side, but Felicity stands her ground, as she should. Smart thing, too, since she's doing just fine with Palmer and his ten-million-dollar diamond necklace.

Cupid meets up with her own hacker cohort, who tracks Arrow's past movements in order to track his probable hideout at Verdant Nightclub. She thanks him for his services with an arrow through the heart.

Felicity is currently ignoring Oliver's texts for help (and helping Palmer instead) while Thea and Roy struggle with their new DJ at the club. Somehow, Roy misses the smoking-hot red-head (Cupid) when she walks right by him (Oliver's a lucky man). For some reason, a new character - an overconfident teenager with a weak mustache - is introduced as the city's newest and hottest DJ, now playing at Verdant. (Is this a nod to some sort of DC character I don't know about or maybe a new love interest for Thea? No idea.) At least Ollie manages to get Cupid out of the club before she harms anyone, though she threatens to do just that.

Arrow meets up with Cupid and tries to explain to her that he can't be with anyone and has to be alone. It's no surprise that she doesn't take this very well, and ends up dueling Arrow. She's no match for his bow skills but manages to hold her own for a little while in hand-to-hand combat, eventually dropping them both onto the subway tracks. She handcuffs Ollie to the tracks and stands in front of the oncoming train to die along with him. Ollie breaks his own wrist to slip the cuffs and then gets himself and Cupid to safety, saving their lives but reaffirming his affection for her (in her mind, anyway).

Diggle now approaches Oliver regarding his feelings for Felicity, still playing the matchmaking role. Ollie's got his work cut out for him, since Palmer and Felicity share their first kiss (one that Ollie happens to walk in on). Back at HQ, Oliver loses his patience for the first time in a while. Since he and Roy are in a similar position, they head over to Diggle's house for dinner (my money was on a strip club). Just in time for Thanksgiving!

As a closer for the evening, we get a look at Palmer's plans for the A.T.O.M. exosuit, along with the newly introduced villain, Captain Boomerang (Nick Tarabay).

***

Regular flashback: Maseo goes off to meet their contact while Oliver is stuck at home with his wife learning how to do laundry. (Exciting!) When Maseo doesn't return after nine hours, Tatsu goes out to search for him and Ollie wants to go along. They wait for Maseo down by the docks; Tatsu shares her own story of being an outsider. A rival gang interrupts their conversation and Ollie approaches them to find out what they know about Maseo. They, not unexpectedly, beat the tar out of him. Perhaps more unexpectedly to some, Tatsu arrives with a drawn katana and quickly takes out most of the gangsters. One she leaves alive to question, and he reveals that the Triad killed Maseo and two of his A.R.G.U.S. cohorts.

Back at the Yamashiro household, Tatsu is wondering how to tell her son that his father is dead. Turns out, he's fine, and was in lockdown because of the deaths of the other agents. (But do we believe this story?) Oliver leaves them alone to go do his laundry (hopefully in a crossover with The Punisher, somehow).

Rating:B

Quips & Quivers:

Felicity: "Oh God ... I have a type."
Felicity: "There is nothing platonic about Couture."
Did Diggle just drop a mention of the Royal Flush gang?
Sherwood Florist! Ha! (Had no idea this was also a nod to the Green Arrow comics.)
Cupid: "If I'm out of my mind it's because that's what love is! Our own little slice of insanity."
Psychiatrist: "If you'd like my professional opinion, you could use a little therapy yourself." Arrow: "What gives you that impression?" Psychiatrist: "You mean aside from the mask and the Robin Hood outfit?"
Palmer: "Wow. You look ridiculous. And I mean that in a good way, not in a creepy ... You look beautiful."
Cupid: "I guess it's true what they say, 'You only hurt the ones you love."
Shoutout to the venerable Spencer Perry, who clued me in on the Easter eggs of Sherwood Florist, Katana's supergroup 'The Outsiders', and the Blue Lantern "Saint Walker."
Okay, how do we feel about Teen Stache and Thea? Palmer and Felicity? Arrow and Cutter?
Oh hello, what's Palmer up to? An A.T.O.M. exosuit, you say? Wherever could this lead?
George Harkness/Captain Boomerang: "See that's the thing about our work: it always comes back to haunt you."