Thank God for Donna Smoak and the final five minutes of "Code of Silence."

They helped salvage Arrow Season 4 Episode 14 which otherwise would have been a bit of a bust. Frankly, that's been happening a bit too often on The CW DC comics shows for my liking.

When an entire hour becomes rather insignificant other than the final five AHA minutes, I have to wonder why.

So, I'm wondering. Why is so much of Arrow dispensable these days?

And, really. Think back through the hour. What really happened? Not much at all. Although there was a mayoral debate and an engagement party, they took up very little time overall. HIVE was threatening Star City by demolishing buildings, and finding and cracking a laptop took a boatload of time.

TOO MANY USELESS FLASHBACKS.

Then the final five minutes, where things went down.

All in all, it was very disappointing. That's not to say there weren't some good scenes along the way. As I said, thankfully, Donna Smoak was on board and successfully driving things forward. 

Donna was worried about Lance pushing her away. Because he was pushing her away. (But he did look hot tonight in a black t-shirt. In case you wondered.)

You and Oliver are one of those couples that everyone believes in. You don't lie to each other. Ever. And Oliver is going to be the best daddy when the time comes. You know that, don't you?

Donna

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The relationship between mother and daughter has grown so much since the character of Donna was first introduced, and that conversation between the two was lovely. Little things like Donna powdering Felicity's nose before the debate were also appreciated, showing how close they have become.

Felicity is going to need her mother when she learns, apparently next week, that Oliver has been lying to her for a long time.

Alex uncovered a check that Thea investigated, leading to her realization Oliver had a son. With the cat out of the bag, inexplicably she agreed with Oliver that keeping Samantha's secret from Felicity was saving William's life.

Well boo hoo on you, Moira's children, since Oliver allowed Malcolm Merlyn, Damien Darhk's new man on the inside, to live, keeping that secret from Felicity had no purpose at all. William has been kidnapped. 

Big fat DUH there.

There is so little common sense involved with anything surrounding the decision making process where William, Malcolm and Felicity are concerned that I can't even feel sorry for Oliver and Samantha. May Felicity help William at some point, because she seems to be the only person capable of making good decisions in that crowd.

The debate itself? Completely uneventful. We didn't even see it. 

Ruve Adams had the place rigged for explosion, and after fighting off baddies, the team put arrows through the explosives. Wasn't that an unwise decision? I'd prefer they not disable bombs at my place in the future.

The episode was filled with fight scenes because Jim Bamford was at the helm. That's fine, but they felt unworthy of the material. There was little need for them and no overall threat. Although note to self: arrows are not a good match for the speed of a staple gun.

The engagement party was fun and festive looking. Donna and Lance made up. Hopefully she'll get her happy ending. It seems Felicity may get hers, even if it's not at the hands of Oliver.

Curtis cured paralysis by creating an implantable bio stimulant utilizing his unending power cell. Mr. Terrific indeed. He needs no costume because his brain is worthy of all the kudos.

And that's actually a cure I can get behind. If they can create an unending power supply and a suit that shrinks a man so he can swim through blood vessels, why not an implantable cure for paralysis? 

Curtis said it would take some time to perfect, but there is little doubt it will work. Because he'll work as hard as he can to make it work. He's terrific.

But, again, that bombshell and William's kidnapping, which were easily THE MOMENTS of the hour, were within the last few minutes. Everything else felt like window dressing by comparison.

The same thing happened the previous evening on The Flash Season 2 Episode 14. The best stuff is in a GOTCHA kind of ending. That works and gets people talking, but spreading out the excitement during the episode would be better.

And did I mention NO MORE FLASHBACKS?

It seems that Felicity will finally be let in on the secret of William on Arrow Season 4 Episode 15, "Taken." You can get your first look at the episode with the preview below. Her hair LOOKS FABULOUS. A spinoff of Felicity and Donna? I'd watch.

Much like Arrow Season 3, I'm finding Oliver to be a bore and wondering...do I want Felicity to spend the rest of her life with him?

Let me know what you thought of the full hour and then the AHA moments at the end. Happy Felicity will likely walk again? Surprised Thea agreed with Oliver keeping William secret from Felicity?  

If you need to, you can watch Arrow online to relive it all from the beginning.

Here's the preview of what's ahead:

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.