Arrow Season 6 Episode 7 Review: Thanksgiving

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Oliver Queen has his hands full in the latest chapter of Arrow when Agent Watson has him arrested for being the Green Arrow.

Given the timing of Thanksgiving, the theme of Arrow Season 6 Episode 7 is all about gratitude as well as confessions. 

Hoping to Celebrate - Arrow

I think at this point the Arrowverse should give up on attempting to celebrate any holidays and other special events. When have we ever seen these heroes getting to celebrate a holiday or event in peace?

One of the strengths of "Thanksgiving" was characters confessing some of their secrets they have been sitting on. It was honestly shocking to see how many of our characters were getting stuff off their chests in one episode.

It was shocking in both a good and weird way as I felt, dare I say...proud of them? Secret keeping is one of the common aspects with all of The CW's DCTV shows, but maybe that is a trope that is going away!

Either way, I appreciated scenes like Dinah and Quentin addressing to one another about their respective secrets. Then there is the Diggle and Oliver situation which I have mixed feelings about.

I get it, Oliver apologized for the garbage he said to Diggle, but there is still a larger issue. Don't get me wrong, he was right about Diggle being irresponsible.

Look Who Is Back In Green - Arrow Season 6 Episode 7

But what I don't like is Oliver's mentality of forgetting the big favor Diggle did for him. It doesn't help that this could have all been avoided if Oliver had allowed Diggle to speak first back in Arrow Season 6 Episode 2.

I'm happy that Oliver came to his senses in the end and that the two had a great heart-to-heart moment. But it's one of those situations that doesn't completely work because of circumstances.

The thing that also has me worried for Diggle is that we have no idea what is in his future. If he is at the risk of getting paralyzed, then what is Diggle's future going to look like as a member of Team Arrow?

But then again, it might be unnecessary to have those concerns given Arrow's track record with handling stakes and consequences. I'm sure they will have Felicity and Curtis figure it out eventually.

Because that is what Arrow does a lot, sweeping away these major game-changing problems under the rug. But maybe I will be wrong this time around and they will deal with it in a realistic way.

Cayden James Is Back - Arrow Season 6 Episode 7

At least everyone on the team has come clean with any secret they have been keeping. At least that is the scenario that I'm hoping for. No more secrets!

Cayden James made a slick as well as confusing return as we learned more about his motives. I did enjoy the fact that the way he wants to make Oliver pay is painting vigilantes in a bad light so that Star City votes for the anti-vigilante legislation.

But let's talk about why he is doing it which is where Arrow is running into the chance of making Cayden a poor villain. Supposedly Oliver got his son killed last year.

Even Team Arrow isn't entirely sure if his son is dead or not since ARGUS reprimanded him. While Cayden's plan is deliciously evil, his reasons are wonky.

Couldn't they have found a better reason for Cayden to go after Team Arrow than this? I'm sure Cayden will have more motives revealed than simply amplifying the bad image of vigilantes in Star City.

Concerned Partners - Arrow Season 6 Episode 7

But for now, I remain mixed about this particular villain even though I dig the situation he has put the team in. While I was glad to see Black Siren back again, I'm hoping that the second half of Arrow Season 6 will let her stand more on her own.

They still haven't explained why Laurel decided to team up with Cayden to begin with. But hopefully, we'll get an answer to that soon as well as the chance for Siren to shine more on her own.

Speaking of returning characters, Thea is finally out of her coma! Let's hope that unlike Arrow Season 5, Thea is going to get a great storyline this time around. I'm pretty sure that Speedy costume is still around...

Overall, while there wasn't a lot of Thanksgiving in "Thanksgiving", this was a solid episode. While we may be up for some bad end results down the line, I appreciated those character moments where they got to be honest.

While Cayden's motivations are what they are, they did set up a strong obstacle for Team Arrow moving forward as vigilantes. Now it's your turn to let us know what you thought of Arrow Season 6 Episode 7!

What did you think of the honest moments between the characters? How do you feel about Cayden's evil plans? 

What do you hope to see for Thea now that she is awake? Are you excited about the big crossover?

Remember you can watch Arrow online right here via TV Fanatic! Get caught up with the Emerald Archer before the big crossover next week!

Thanksgiving Review

Editor Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 3.0 / 5.0 (53 Votes)
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Arrow Season 6 Episode 7 Quotes

Diggle: I never should have said I was doing it for you. Remember last year, when the Dominators put us into this alternate Star City?
Oliver: Yeah, kind of difficult to forget.
Diggle: We got to see what our perfect life would be. Mine was being the Green Arrow.

Cayden: You do see how that could have gone wrong, yes?
Black Siren: Yes, but it didn't!