Present Tense (Arrow)
Future and present Team Arrow unite against Grant Wilson.
"Present Tense" is the fourth installment of Arrow's eighth season, centering on Oliver Queen's return to Star City after five years stranded on an island, where he becomes a hooded vigilante with a bow. The episode belongs to the Arrowverse, connecting with other shows in that universe. Oscar Balderrama and Jeane Wong wrote it, with Kristin Windell directing.
Stephen Amell plays Oliver, joined by main cast members David Ramsey, Rick Gonzalez, Juliana Harkavy, Katherine McNamara, Ben Lewis, Joseph David-Jones, LaMonica Garrett, and Katie Cassidy. The plot involves both present-day and future versions of Team Arrow uniting to prevent Grant Wilson from seizing control of Star City.
The episode aired on The CW in the United States on November 6, 2019, drawing 0.62 million live viewers and a 0.2/1 share among adults aged 18 to 49. Critics gave it generally positive reviews.
**Plot** The present-day Team Arrow is stunned when their future counterparts travel back in time. William Clayton informs his father Oliver that the year they came from is 2040, while the present-day year in the episode is 2019. William's half-sister Mia Smoak and Connor Hawke choose not to reveal the dystopian future of Star City to preserve the timeline, though William doubts they can keep it hidden. Oliver tries to connect with his adult children, rebuilding his bond with William while Mia keeps her distance out of resentment. The next day, both teams see a news report about the Deathstroke gang. The future team assumes the leader is John Diggle Jr. and confronts him, only to discover it's Grant Wilson. Grant plants bombs, but Oliver and the present team rescue the future team. Connor and William then reveal everything to the present team, sparking arguments between Rene Ramirez and John Diggle, and later between Diggle and Connor. Laurel Lance and Mia go to the hospital, where Laurel realizes Mia intends to kill Grant. Grant plans coordinated bomb attacks linked to a single phone. Both teams suit up and locate Grant, but when Mia moves to kill him, Oliver stops her. The next morning, Oliver takes Mia to his father Robert's grave, explaining he never truly knew his father until after his death and doesn't want that distance between them. Oliver then receives a call from Curtis Holt about a weapon that can defeat Mar Novu, but the person who can build it is in Russia.
- Series
- Arrow
- Season
- 8
- Episode
- 4
- Air date
- November 6, 2019
- Network
- The CW
- Viewers (live)
- 0.62 million
- Writers
- Oscar Balderrama and Jeane Wong
- Director
- Kristin Windell
Lore & Background
The episode follows the future and present Team Arrow working together to stop Grant Wilson from taking over Star City. Present team Arrow are shocked when future team Arrow travels back in time. William Clayton tells his father Oliver Queen that the year is meant to be 2040. William's half-sister Mia Smoak and Connor Hawke decide not to tell present team Arrow about the dystopian future of Star City under the interests of preserving their timeline, but William doubts they can keep this secret for long. Oliver wants to connect with his children's future selves; he restores his bond with William, but Mia keeps her distance out of resentment. The next day, the two teams watch a newscast of the Deathstroke gang. The future team believes the gang leader is John Diggle Jr. and go to confront him, only to realize it is Grant Wilson. Grant plants bombs but Oliver and the present team save the future team. Connor and William reveal everything to the present team, resulting in arguments. Laurel Lance and Mia go to the hospital and Laurel realizes Mia is going to try to kill Grant. Grant plans coordinated bomb attacks connected to a phone. Both teams suit up and find Grant. Mia is going to kill him but Oliver stops her. The next morning, Oliver takes Mia to his father Robert's grave and tells her he did not know his true father until he died; he does not want that between them. Oliver gets a call from Curtis Holt about a weapon that can defeat Mar Novu but the man who can make it is in Russia. Laurel exits the SCPD and Novu appears before her, offering to bring back Earth-2 if she betrays Oliver.
Reader's Guide
"Present Tense" is significant as the first meeting between Oliver Queen and the adult version of his son William Clayton, played by Ben Lewis. The episode features the adult William, alongside his sister Mia Smoak and friend Connor Hawke, arriving in the present day from the future. The episode received generally positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 8.45/10. The critical consensus reads, "The future is brought into the 'Present Tense' in an emotional Arrow installment that provides Stephen Amell with some of his most resonant material yet." Allison Shoemaker of The A.V. Club rated the episode A−, calling it "a fine Arrow plot" with the real meat in the conversations. Delia Harrington of Den of Geek described it as "fun-ass television" and "a tremendous step forwards," complimenting Stephen Amell's acting. Jesse Schedeen of IGN rated the episode 7.1 out of 10, noting the Deathstroke actor lacked enthusiasm but praising Amell's performance. The episode was the lowest-viewed episode of the series, watched live by 0.62 million viewers with a 0.2/1 share among adults aged 18 to 49.
Did You Know?
- The episode was written by Oscar Balderrama and Jeane Wong and directed by Kristin Windell.
- Stephen Amell referred to the scene where William tells his father he is gay as his favorite of the season.
- Jamie Andrew Cutler reprised his role as Grant Wilson / Deathstroke from the Legends of Tomorrow season 1 episode 'Star City 2046'.
- The episode was the lowest-viewed episode of the series, with 0.62 million live viewers.
More in Arrow episodes 1-24
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