Arrow 8x2 : Welcome to Hong Kong review

Be warned there will be *SPOILERS* involved in this review. With that being said let's get into it. 

Last week Earth 2, this week Hong Kong wow Arrow really is pulling out all the nonstop fan service for it's final season and it's totally right to do so. Beginning with flash's of Oliver's life and those important to him he is awoken in a bed by none other than The Monitor himself. Oliver questions him on why and what happened at the end of lat week's episode as Earth 2 was literally engulfed by Anti-Matter energy. The Monitor responds by saying that it was a sacrifice that needed to be made to show him the impact that Oliver's actions had on him interfering with Earth 2's problems. He has another task for Oliver however. Find and bring him a doctor named Robert Wong. Why?? well The Monitor doesn't take too well to answering questions and leaves before anything else is said. This is when Diggle arrives and upon exiting Oliver's room the duo get into a fight, take out some Triads and meet up with Laurel again who is unconvinced that Earth 2 is really gone. Oh and they're also now in Hong Kong. This set up was a lot to take in but man was it exciting. Laurel's anger towards what happened to her home is at the fore front here and after taking the breaching device from Diggle to use it doesn't work. Oliver says she is only wasting her time by attempting to go back to her home but Dig lets her go off in search of finding a way to repair the device. She does find a way tor repair the device thanks to a guy named David Chin who upon completion asks her which Earth she wants to go to. Laurel says Earth 2 but no record of it exists anymore. It's entirely gone from the Multiverse. Struggling to take it all in Laurel pulls a gun on Chin but eventually calms down promising later to Oliver that she will help in any way she can defeat what is come and get her home restored. 

In the inner depths of Hong Kong Dig and Oliver begin the search for Dr Wong. Inside of what looks like an internet cafe they learn that the doctor has been missing for a week. There meeting is short lived however as Triads invade the area and surround them. A battle breaks out while looking at certain defeat none other than Tatsu Yamashiro shows up to save them both. Yes! Katana makes her return to this show after what's felt like an age away. Back at her hideout she questions both Oliver and Dig on the situation and agrees to help them rescue the doctor whose location they soon find. While out in the streets of Hong Kong they bump into China White who everyone including Diggle and Lyla thought was still in ARGUS custody. Well she's not and she's back in Hong Kong. Her and Oliver battle for a while but she and the doctor get away. Forced to come up with a backup plan to rescue the doctor Oliver, Katana and Dig come up with something involves the Alpha / Omega virus from season 3 which is what Dr Wong has been working on and China White who we know has been a foe of Oliver's since the very beginning. Oliver ends up stealing the Alpha / Omega virus and set up a meeting with China White to exchange it for Doctor Wong. With Katana and Dig as backup the meeting seems to be going well at first but when Doctor Wong shows up with explosives strapped to him the deal breaks down and chaos ensues. What follows is a scramble to get China White's detonator, the Alpha / Omega virus and Doctor Wong all back and in one piece. Katana battles China White on a boat and almost gets herself killed. She ends up getting saved by Laurel who showed up literally in the nick of time as China White was about to be head Katana. With the Alpha / Omega virus and Doctor Wong secure it's a job well done in Hong Kong. A job well done sure but after chatting with Tatsu Oliver's intentions with The Monitor fall into place as he himself begins to question the cosmic being's real purpose. 

The episode comes to a close with Lyla who had earlier arrived in Hong Kong to help with Dig and Oliver but ended up getting sidetracked with Laurel. Back at Tatsu's place and Oliver says his next location to find answer on The Monitor is none other than Nanda Parbat. I wonder if Ra's Al Ghul will make a return? I doubt it but it would be amazing to see all of Oliver's old foes return in what is really only 8 episodes remaining. The final thing we see in the episode is Lyla getting out of a car. Someone steps out of the shadows and it's none other than The Monitor who asks her did she succeed. Lyla says yes but questions what happened with Earth 2 but The Monitor is not willing to give up answers so easily. He says it's time to get to work with Doctor Wong and that's how the episode ends as Lyla has seemingly been working with The Monitor this whole time. Not surprising given set photos from the big Crisis crossover event. This episode much like last week was fantastic. The reasoning behind Oliver returning to these old locations from the show makes sense. Seeing old faces like China White and Katana return was really cool and the overall narrative is flowing perfectly right now. Oliver's struggle with the task he's been given by The Monitor is entirely captivating and this show is shaping up for one heck of a final season. 

★★★★