'Arrow' Preview: 7 tidbits from "Legacies"

For the past five weeks, fans of the CW’s hit drama “Arrow” have watched Oliver Queen turn himself into a hooded-vigilante as he works his way through his late father’s little black book of bad guys. Oliver has been focused and single-minded about what he was doing and why and now, all of that is about to change in “Legacies.”

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

The CW was kind enough to send out advanced screeners of the episode and saying it was a game-changer seems like an understatement. We’re not going to give too much away because we don’t want anyone to miss out on the excitement of watching the episode unfold, but here are a few tidbits to look forward to.

The Royal Flush Gang comes to Starling City

Like Arrow, no one actually refers to the bank robbers who wear playing card masks over their faces by this name, but fans of DC Comics will appreciate the nod. But here’s what’s really interesting about the bank robbers: The episode lets us get to know them a little bit. We see their faces, we hear their plans, and learn their backstory. It’s something that has been missing from the show and we’d like to see this trend continue as new villains come to town.

Oliver has parental issues…with both of his parents

There is a really nice scene early in the episode with Oliver, Thea and Moira that makes them feel like a real family with inside jokes and honest love for each other, something else that has been lacking a little in the show. But the happy vibes don’t last long as Moira gets increasingly irritated with Oliver’s disappearing acts. He clearly can’t explain where he’s going or what he’s doing so it’s not easy for him to make amends with his mother. As for Robert, he comes to Oliver on the island and he’s not exactly happy with his son either. One of the best moments in the episode is a parallel between what’s going on with Oliver and his father and a connection to [SPOILER]. Sorry, it’s too good to spoil.

Team Tommy could actually be a thing

So far Oliver’s best friend has lingered as a supporting, background player and all we’ve really gotten to see from him is Tommy wanting to party hard and Tommy crushing on Laurel. But this episode gives Tommy (and Colin Donnell) a chance to shine. He’s determined to win Laurel over and thanks to some surprisingly good advice from Thea, it looks like Tommy has an in. But when things don’t go according to his plan, it’s impossible not to feel for the guy. Tommy lets his over the top persona drop a little bit in this episode and it’s really awesome to see another side of him. If this keeps up, Oliver/Laurel/Tommy has the potential to be a pretty fantastic triangle, which is rare nowadays.

Four more tidbits:

We finally learn the mystery archer’s name, even though he does not appear in the episode.

Felicity makes an appearance and she is as awesome and snarky as ever

There is an intense (shirtless) workout scene for Oliver while he trains with Dig.

Dig does something pretty sneaky and Oliver is not amused.

If all that is not enough to get you excited about the episode, check out the photo preview below.

“Arrow” airs Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 8:00 p.m. EST on The CW.

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