Regardless if you’re living in the present or the future, it’s easy to forget that the world is full of terrible people. In this week’s Arrow episode, Mia and William work to discover the message their mother placed on a mini cassette tape.
When your parents are Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak, you will have a thirst for technology. Look at William, for instance. From a young age, his stepmother learned how to find a virus and protection protocol on his tablet. Yet, years later, his younger sister, Mia, doesn’t know what a cassette tape is. She inherited this trait from her father, who is nowhere near as fluent in tech as his wife.
During Training Day, we witness the family patriarch earn paternal credentials as he tries to protect his pregnant spouse. Then, Fast-forward, Will and Mia search for a device to hear what Felicity recorded on the cassette.
Keeping A Secret
Early on, Oliver and Felicity agree to keep her pregnancy secret from everyone. By everyone, we also mean William, who only receives a small mention in the present. This ties in with the flash-forwards where no one knew of Mia’s existence except Connor, which we’ll get to in a moment.
This episode confirms that John learns about the pregnancy though it doesn’t add up how Connor got wind of this information when Dig hasn’t adopted him. Also, we learn something else that might lead to the younger Diggle’s adoption. Laurel already knows about it because she used the power of observation. Also, she knows Felicity better than she realises. Also, nothing escapes John, and he loves Oliver and Felicity like family.
Like Father, Like Daughter
For much of the future storyline this week, William realises there’s more to Mia than he thought. After he loses the cassette player, she criticises him for his actions. He then mentions their dad’s famous catchphrase: “You have failed this city!” Mia comments it’s a dumb thing to say. William smiles and says it’s what Oliver said when he cornered the bad guys.
What made the moment between the pair so special was how Mia’s tactics of beating people up mirrored her father’s. It’s enough to bring a smile to your face.
We also learn in the present day, Oliver chooses the name ‘Mia’ for the baby we know is a girl, while Felicity decides Lucas if the child is a boy. Felicity picks up on the reference to Moira as a homage to Oliver’s late mother. She also says the name is sweet yet fiery.
Mia is very much like her father and grandmother as she’s a real rebel and has a fierce personality.
Felicity’s Message On A Cassette Tape
Back in 2040, William and Mia fight over who’s going to press play on the recorder. Finally, they press play after William states he hasn’t heard his stepmother’s voice in almost twenty years.
A message plays, and Felicity is surprised she’s saying both her children’s names in the same sentence before she apologises for rambling. She explains that she and Oliver kept them apart for their own protection and love them more than anything.
As the message ends, she rattles off coordinates that they need to give to the team. William and Mia look at each and agree they’re going to find her.
Conclusion
There’s a load of feels coming off this episode. First, we can see how the younger Queen generation is growing as characters. There are a few episodes left of the season, and according to some reports, we’ll find out the whole truth exceptionally soon. We can’t wait!
Arrow returns next week with an entire episode based in the future with Star City 2040.
