Arrow
Season 5 Episode 20: “Underneath”
Directed by Wendey Stanzler
Written by Wendy Mericle & Beth Schwartz
Created by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg
Starring Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Willa Holland, Emily Bett Rickards, Echo Kellum, Paul Blackthorne, Josh Segarra, Rick Gonzalez, Juliana Harkavy
The CW
Air Date: Wednesday, May 3rd, 2017, 8:00pm

Last week on Arrow, Lance (Paul Blackthorne) really came through for Rene (Rick Gonzalez), by arranging a visit with his daughter, and inspiring him to fight for her. Alena (Kacey Rohl) told Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) that A.R.G.U.S. is holding their leader, Cayden James, without due process. He invented a biomarker tracker that they could use to get Chase (Josh Segarra), but wanted Felicity’s help at breaking him out. This put Felicity at odds with the team, and Diggle (David Ramsey) at odds with Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson). Felicity was successful and she tracked Chase to their bunker. Cue explosion.

Spoilers below.

Arrow 5.20 “Underneath” review: “Chase is here.” Oliver searches the bunker, but can’t find him. It wasn’t a real explosion, just one that fried the electrical. Felicity can’t walk. Chase trapped them and they are running out of air. Curtis (Echo Kellum) is above and knows something is weird He grabs the team, including Diggle, who is smack in the middle of his marital woes.

Flashback to 11 months prior, to when they were still broken up, but were sharing “longing looks” according to Curtis. Curtis finagled some alone time for them, and they got drunk and took advantage. But afterward, Felicity said nothing changed. Felicity! Brooding, handsome superheroes don’t fall into your lap every day!

Oliver tries to climb up the elevator shaft, and it’s booby trapped as predicted by Felicity. He was impaled on something. He is badly hurt. She stitches him up as best she can. Trapped by her ministrations, while trapped in the bunker (meta), she gives him a piece of her mind, “I support you, because I trust you.” This is the point of this episode – trap them to get their issues out. It’s a twist on the sitcom or soap opera trope of locking 2 people in love who won’t admit it.

He decides to go with Felicity’s plan, and they hit a methane gas pipe so they have even less time than they thought. Ouch and gasp! They manage to get into a steam pipe but it’s another dead end, and Oliver passes out from losing blood and breathing in the gas, not before telling Felicity that he enjoys killing. He woke up and they talked. Felicity gives him the “Rocky” speech, about what kind of man he is. And she’s right. Oliver is really too hard on himself.

Curtis’s new ball busts through (A.R.G.U.S. had one), but there is a new problem – the generators kicking back online will blow up everything. Am I watching an episode of Prison Break? This last minute adrenaline escape features actual adrenaline.

There is an unbelievable scene where Oliver climbs a ladder with Felicity on his back and a one-handed triple save with Diggle hanging on to Oliver hanging onto Felicity. She mentions how happy she is that he does salmon ladders. Girl… you are preaching to the choir over here.

Adrian Chase introduces himself to William, Oliver’s son.

This was some nail-biter, huh? This is one of my faves of the season. I did not like how it seemed like everyone was fine and dating other people after they broke up – no hysterics, no inconsolable binge-eating. If I broke up with Oliver, even if it was my choice, I’d wear sweatpants for a year. Really happy they brought us back to their relationship, and that the attraction really wasn’t just turned off like a faucet.

Three episodes left!

Arrow airs Wednesday nights at 8:00pm ET on The CW.

The CW’s synopsis:

Arrow
Underneath (Ep# 520)
OLIVER AND FELICITY ARE TRAPPED — Things get intense when Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) are trapped in the bunker together. Meanwhile, Lyla (guest star Audrey Marie Andreson) and Diggle (David Ramsey) deal with their martial issues. Wendey Stanzler directed the episode written by Wendy Mericle & Beth Schwartz (#520). Original airdate 5/3/2017.

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Arrow | Underneath Scene | The CW

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