Wednesday night's new episode of "Arrow" on the CW introduces several eagerly-anticipated characters from DC Comics canon, and reveals more of the plot surrounding the death of Robert Queen.
Australian actress Jessica De Gouw joins the cast as Helena Bertinelli, daughter of the infamous Starling City crime boss Frank Bertinelli. She is quickly revealed to be the "hitman" gunning down Bertinelli's lieutenants as revenge for the murder of her fiancé, though she shows much less skin and purple leather than her comic book counterpart.
Oliver Queen, the eponymous Arrow, becomes involved when his mother Moira is injured during one of Helena's hits.
Against the advice of former bodyguard and new sidekick John Diggle, Ollie attempts to infiltrate the Bertinelli family, but instead ends up on a date with Helena.
They bond over their secrets and protect the owners of the restaurant from an extortion attempt by Bertinelli's lieutenant, Tom Salvati, played by Tahmoh Penikett with his usual intensity.
Unfortunately, fans of Penikett won't be seeing him again on Arrow, as Helena snaps his neck when she learns he gunned down her fiancé.
Ollie and Helena kiss in what may be the beginning of something more long-term and undoubtedly complicated.
In the meantime, Ollie's ex-girlfriend and future Black Canary Laurel Lance is wooed by Ollie's best friend and future nemesis Tommy Merlyn.
Tommy's father cuts off his trust fund, and we finally learn that the mysterious man meeting with Moira behind closed doors is Tommy's father.
There's plenty of hints to dissect in this episode, especially for fans of the Green Arrow comics.
Helena, who goes by the moniker "Huntress" in the comics is usually associated with Batman, who lives in Gotham City. But I think she makes an excellent foil and love interest for Ollie.
They share tragic pasts and superior training. Canonically, Huntress has an itchy trigger finger, preferring to kill rather than capture, a decision this version of Ollie has been struggling with lately. We do see him kill again in this episode.
And Huntress has strong ties to Black Canary, as they are both members of the all-female superhero team Birds of Prey.
As for the future, we'll see how the writers of this series adapt the characters from their comics incarnations.
Is Ollie's little sister Thea's nickname "Speedy" a hint that she'll be joining him in his quest? Green Arrow's sidekick in the comics is Roy Harper, who goes by Speedy, and eventually Red Arrow.
Or will it be John Diggle? Though I can't see Dig donning a red hood and learning to use arrows.
When will Laurel take up the name Black Canary? We've already seen she's a good hand-to-hand combatant. In the comics, she's one of the best martial artists in the world. And will her trademark "Canary Cry" debut? Will it be technological, or will the series introduce metagenes, like Smallville?
Will Huntress and Canary fight over Ollie (literally)? I hope so.
This version of Tommy Merlyn is based on the New 52 comics, in which Tommy and Ollie are boyhood friends. Expect tragedy and betrayal in Tommy's future.
And expect it at the end of the first season. Episode 12 will be titled "Vertigo," a reference to Green Arrow foe and Merlyn employer Count Vertigo. Episode 13 will be titled "Betrayal."
Will it be Tommy's or Moira's?
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