'Arrow' Season 7 Episode 6 Review: Does 'Due Process' Fix the Diaz Problem?

Ricardo Diaz has held Arrow Season 7 back. It's not so much that he's a terrible villain — in fact, Kirk Acevedo's face to face with Felicity tonight was the villain's most compelling moment yet this season. It's more that his crusade for vengeance (in the present day story) is tired, and all the other elements of Arrow are pretty decent right now. The side hustles, such as the flashforwards, the new Green Arrow mystery, Oliver in prison and Black Siren's redemption arc, are far more interesting. But Arrow Season 7 episode 6, "Due Process" might have solved the Diaz problem if next episode manages to follow through with same energy as tonight's standout scene. If not, it's hard not to roll my eyes at the whole debacle. Recap contains spoilers.

In the flashforwards

If you weren't convinced already, the episode appears to confirm the dire Star City situation in the flashforwards is a direct result of what Ricardo Diaz is doing right now. But his plan seems bigger than just taking down Oliver Queen — he wants to destroy everything Oliver loves, including his family and Star City itself. A map William has from the future is the same one Felicity has in present day, which all but confirms the connection.

The episode reveals Zoe (Rene's daughter) and William knew each other but didn't keep in touch after "everything" went down. Still unclear what "everything" means, but a conversation between Roy and Dinah suggests the Queen's could have more to do with the current state of Star City than previously thought.

Roy reveals he was only convinced to come back to Star City because inside Oliver's bow on Lian Yu, he found the "Mark of Four." Dinah is aware of the meaning of that symbol, and both she and Roy looked quite concerned by it. Dinah is unsure about whether to trust William. When Roy is confused, considering William is Oliver's son, Dinah says, "That's exactly what worries me." So what exactly did Oliver do to upset Dinah?

What happens to Oliver in the future remains uncertain, but William mentioned it was easier for him to "move on than hold on." Dinah reveals Felicity was murdered a couple weeks ago and that she apparently cut ties with Dinah and the crew a long time ago, going underground and calling herself The Calculator (her father's name). She supossedly ran with "dangerous circles" and William, Roy, Dinah and Zoe find what appears to be a plan to blow up the Glades in Felicity's old headquarters.

Who is Blackstar?

Felicity's lab from the future also shows a message from someone named Blackstar. That character does exist in DC Comics, but it's Blackstarr. She's a Supergirl villain and scientist who figured out how to manipulate cosmic energy into powers of teleportation, shape-shifting, interstellar travel and a bunch of other cool stuff cosmic energy can do.

It's also worth noting the gun Anatoly gave Felicity in present day is on the table in the flashforwards. He also tells Felicity that Oliver "would have ended Diaz and wouldn't care about the cost." Perhaps this is why Felicity becomes a what appears to be a villain, or at least a very brutal vigilante, in the future. The flashforwards show a future where Diaz "wins," and it looks like Felicity is still trying to avenge Diaz and whatever happened to Oliver. Blackstar is pretty much the only lead we have to finding answers.

With Team Felicity

In better news, District Attorney Laurel Lance thinks she can get Oliver out of prison due to those abusive experiments on "level two." Anatoly makes an appearance, and his allegiance remains somewhat unclear after he's saved from Diaz's custody by team Felicity. He made a deal with Diaz to help take down Oliver (after being tortured in Russia last episode). Anatoly is loyal, but he also does what he needs to in order to survive, even if it means betraying friends. Felicity gets to a breaking point and almost shoots Diaz in the holding room, but Laurel intervenes. Felicity is definitely heading down a path...

In prison

The Stanley storyline is heating up (it looks like he framed Bronze Tiger) just as Diaz goes to prison and Oliver is almost out of prison. The timing of all this can't be a coincidence, and the teaser for next week's episode that shows Diaz breaking into Oliver's prision basically confirms it's not one. This could be a good thing; the moment of truth for Diaz. I've been waiting to see a decent, highly emotional fight between he and Oliver for a while now. Sure, Diaz is a threat in the sense that he's a puppet master, but we've seen enough of that in Arrow's history and physically speaking, he hasn't been the most fun to watch. Best case scenario, the prison situation will force Diaz to prove himself in a way we haven't seen before. With Diaz and Oliver together again, maybe the rest of the Longbow Hunters, who have proved to be much more entertaining opponents for Team Felicity, will get more screen time outside of Diaz in the coming weeks.

Thoughts