‘Arrow’ S6 Ep.19: ‘The Dragon’ Review
After weeks of infighting among Team Arrow, this week we see things from the other side with The Dragon focused on Ricardo Diaz’s story.
We open with a flashback to Diaz being bullied in an orphanage, then cut to he and Laurel waiting to meet with The Quadrant.
Fun fact: Diaz has been planning this for five years, which means he’s probably taken a similar path to Oliver.
The Quadrant is a crime syndicate that controls the four corners of the whole country.
Kirk Acevedo as Ricardo Diaz and Ashton Holmes as Eric Cartier Jr. in the Arrow episode The Dragon. Source: Heroes Vue
Diaz offers them free reign of Star City in exchange for membership. Eric Cartier Jr., the cocky kid they sent to meet with him, says Diaz must find a location on one of their guys being held by the US Marshals.
For her part, Laurel wonders why he’s being so accommodating to them.
Once Diaz gets Baylor, The Quadrant sends someone to kill them, though Diaz had a bulletproof vest on and he’s not happy.
Diaz and Laurel return to The Quadrant’s bar to confront Cartier Jr. and take out his men.
Everything Diaz has done can be traced back to that kid who bullied him. He and Laurel bring young Cartier to a secret Quadrant meeting to seemingly make a trade, but actually he’s booby trapped with a bomb.
Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance/Black Siren in the Arrow episode The Dragon. Source: Heroes Vue
Diaz makes his way through their men, to the main room with the leaders. As usual, the black woman in the room has to calm everything down and be the only rational one.
After one too many insults, Diaz shoots Cartier Sr. and ends up with his seat at the table.
In his one last act before fully committing to The Quadrant, Diaz tracks down Jesse, the kid who bullied him, and burns him alive.
Though she’s been on edge for the whole hour, this is where Laurel is really horrified at the scope of what Diaz is capable of.
The only Team Arrow business of the week follows Felicity as she freaks out over not being able to keep track of Oliver. There’s a huge explosion, which sends her into a tailspin, but Oliver walks through the door and promises her that he’ll always come home.
The Dragon is a tour de force for Kirk Acevedo. He did in one episode what it takes some villains the whole season to do. He gave Diaz life and made him more than just a monster.
Also happening around Star City:
The logo on the title card was a dragon. Diaz has truly taken everything from Oliver.
