What I’m Watching: Arrow

Arrow: Season 1, Episode 7 “Muse of Fire” (B-)

For someone with a secret identity himself, Oliver sure seemed shocked to discover that Helena was the assassin in the motorcycle helmet. I’m not overly impressed with the acting abilities of Australian actress Jessica De Gouw as Helena, and it certainly seems like she’ll be sticking around now that she has deduced that Oliver is the Green Arrow. On the guest star front, two familiar faces popped up as Helena’s father and his right-hand man, respectively. Jeffrey Nordling, best known for “Desperate Housewives,” “24,” and “Dirt” was the obviously guilty Bertinelli, and the usually angelic Tahmoh Penikett, of “Battlestar Galactica” and “Dollhouse” fame, was the violent enforcer Nick Salvati. We also got a huge reveal in this hour thanks to the closing of Tommy’s trust fund by his father, who turned out to be the man who has been pulling the strings and threatening Moira. Despite his newfound financial difficulties, Tommy does seem to be succeeding much better with his romancing of Laurel, who likes him more when he doesn’t act entitled because of his money. I would hope that Thea would eventually have more of a purpose than arguing with Oliver about whether to stay home to take care of her mother or go out to a nightclub, and I’d like to see her character take on more of a central role. Walter’s return is a positive development, mainly because his being there should encourage Moira to be on her best behavior and to staunchly defend her family from harm.