'Arrow' Season 8 premiere reunites Oliver Queen with Earth-2 Dark Archer Tommy Merlyn in fitting tribute
Oliver Queen/Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) has saved many people since the first season of The CW's 'Arrow' but there's only one person who can claim to have saved Oliver's soul. You would think that honor would go to Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) or John Diggle (David Ramsey) but we're talking about none other than Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell).
On Earth-1, Tommy was Oliver Queen’s best friend right up until his death in season 1. He died as collateral damage when his father Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman) kicked off his plans to destroy the Glades.
His death affected all the characters on the show, especially Oliver. Tommy's death is what finally convinced the Emerald Archer to stop taking lives and truly become a hero, not just a vigilante.
In the season 8 premiere, we meet the Earth-2 version of Tommy whose life has taken a much darker turn than his main Earth counterpart's. In this world, Oliver's disappearance caused his and Tommy's sister Thea Queen (Willa Holland) to go into a downward spiral, getting addicted to the drug Vertigo and finally overdosing on her 18th birthday.
Thea's death pushed Tommy over the edge and led to him becoming the Dark Archer, the title his father held on Earth-1. Tommy's descent into darkness mirrors that of his father, who was also driven by the loss of a loved one; in Malcolm's case his wife, Tommy's mother.
Just like Malcolm did on Earth-1, this alternate Tommy builds a machine that would level the Glades and cause the deaths of thousands. What makes this version of Tommy and the episode as a whole such a fitting tribute to the first season is the fact that this time around, Oliver gets a chance to save his best friend, just as Tommy had done for Oliver back on Earth-1.
After a quick beatdown and an impassioned speech, Oliver manages to convince Tommy to turn off his doomsday device and save the city, finally repaying a debt that was long overdue. When it was first announced Colin Donnell would be returning to the role for the final season, we had said the show's writers are going to have to work hard to make sure they don't fail Tommy.
After watching the episode, we're glad to say 'Arrow' has certainly managed to do right by the character and we can't wait to see what other things the season has in store for us.
'Arrow' Season 8's second episode 'Welcome to Hong Kong' will air on The CW October 22.
