Arrow (Left Behind) Review

Ra Al Ghul killing Oliver Queen in combat
Ra Al Ghul played by Matt Nable
Oliver Queen played by Stephen Amell

 

Who fights crime now?

The Climb, the previous Arrow episode,  ended with Oliver Queen being killed by Ra Al Ghul in mortal combat.  In this episode, tells the story what is Starling City like without Oliver Queen as the Arrow to fight crime. The episode also is a catalyst for Arsenal’s future independence as a crime fighter (at some point in the show) and starts the countdown to Laurel apocalypse.  Laurel Apocalypse was coined by John Campea but the meaning of the word is when Laurel Lance starts to pose as the Black Canary and fans might quit watching the show.

The episode starts with Diggle and Roy pursuing a truck with two criminals. They capture one criminal and discover he works for a crime boss named Brick, played by Vinny Jones. Felicity has trouble focusing on her work and needs to find out if Oliver Queen is dead. Malcolm Merlyn looks into the matter and discovers that Oliver Queen is dead by the traditional practice of Ra Al Ghul leaving the killing weapon on holy ground to honor the dead. Felicity tests the blood on the weapon and discovers that it is Oliver’s blood. Roy and Diggle need to stop Brick but Felicity prevents them in succeeding by quitting the team. Meanwhile, Oliver has an old friend who helps him even though he is dead.

Diggle played by John Ramesy
Arsenal played by Colton Hayes

The episode was a very good episode because of the conflicts within the Arrow team. Roy still wants to fight crime and stand up for the innocent. Diggle has mixed feelings about fighting crime. Felicity wants out of the crime business because she lost Oliver. Colton Hayes was more a feature in this episode which was nice. It is like having a Robin or Nightwing centric storyline in a series of Batman issues. Roy in the episode was put on display. He was skilled with a bow but still lack that intuition to be near as good as Oliver Queen. Felicity had internal conflicts which made her walk away from Ray Palmer and his goal of building a crime fighter suit.  It was nice to see all three pivotal characters featured in a episode without Oliver Queen being the main focus.

Katie Cassidy as Black Canary

 

The biggest negative was Laurel Lance but not until the end of the episode. She does show up in the Black Canary outfit.  Katie Cassidy looks gorgeous as the Black Canary but her character is no Canary. Her crime fighting skills makes Roy look like Oliver Queen.  However, the writers of the show can prove us wrong.

Overall,  Left Behind was a great mid season premiere. It was better than Gotham’s or the Flash’s premiere. The villain was great and Vinny Jones should reoccur as Brick every couple of episodes per season. Brick will be talked about more in next week’s review. Left Behind gets 4.5/5.

Arrow (the climb) review

Arrow vs. Ra’s Al Ghul; what could go wrong?

Ra’s Al Ghul is one of the most vicious DC comic book villains. Liam Neeson played Ra’s Al Ghul in Batman Begins, and David Warner did the voice for the character in the Batman Animated series.  Ra’s Al Ghul has two daughters, Nyssa and Talia. He is pretty ruthless in exacting vengeance for his daughters if they get hurt. This is why Arrow, Oliver Queen, is in his cross hairs.  Oliver finally comes face to face with the Head of the Demon tonight.

Oliver finds out his DNA matches the DNA on the arrow that killed Sara Lance. Diggle quickly speculates that Malcolm Merlyn, John Barrowman, has something to do with Sara dying. The team investigate and find out that Thea Queen came back to Starling the night before Sara died. The League of Assassins gives Oliver 48 hours to find Sara’s killer or they will kill fifty innocent people. Malcolm shows up and tells Oliver that Thea killed Sara Lance. She was under the influence of a drug that he gave her and that Ra’s Al Ghul would kill Thea if Oliver turns Malcolm over to the League. Oliver realizes that he must face Ra’s in combat but it could cost his life. (Oh positive note, Ray Palmer showed Felicity his Atom suit or the design of it.)

Oliver meets his fate

First, this mid-season finale was not as good as the Flash’s but it still a good episode.  The revelation that Malcolm has been playing innocent the whole time about Sara dying, but he is really a sadistic SOB that formed a plan to get out of facing Ra’s Al Ghul. Hell, he uses his daughter as leverage to make Oliver fight Ra’s because he knows Oliver has no chance in hell. Oliver is no where near as skilled in combat as Ra’s. Oliver’s martial arts skills don’t even touch the surface where Batman is compared when Batman takes on Ra’s. I want to warn fans not to compare the two heroes. Batman has been fighting for crime and learning master his stealthy technique and his knowledge of unarmed combat for he was a teenage. Oliver has been doing this for 5 to 8 years and still couldn’t beat Deathstroke without some help from Felicity. The comparison is unfair so Arrow fans don’t bring up on how Batman can kick Ra’s ass and Oliver Queen can’t. Deathstroke couldn’t even take down Ra’s Al Ghul. Ra’s is the world’s most formidable killer.

Matt Nable as Ra’s Al Ghul

Matt Nable was a good Ra’s Al Ghul. Yes, Liam Neeson might have been a better Ra’s Al Ghul but he had more screentime. Neeson was more a cold unattached assassin while Nable’s Ra’s has some love for his daughter. Nable nailed the character in his limited screentime. He was more deceptive as Ra’s because honestly, had a feeling that Oliver would win during the fight tonight and kill him.  Nable does look like he is 50 to 60, and he kicked Oliver’s ass.  Kudos, to  Matt Nable for being a menacing Ra’s Al Ghul.

Overall, this episode of Arrow was good. It wasn’t like the Flash’s mid-season finale but it was entertaining. Honestly, this episode was design humble and evolve Oliver Queen as a crime fighter. He has pretty much been the top dog for a year or two. He pretty much defeated the Flash but he showed weakness in his skill level to defeat one or more assassins. “The Climb” gets a 4/5.

The Arrow vs. Flash crossover review

Arrow played Stephen Amell & Flash played Grant Gustin

Every Justice League begins with two heroes coming to a kick ass team!

There are events in television history that put the spotlight on a show or two television shows. Star Trek: The Next Generation had a series of episodes where Spock, Leonard Nimoy, was a guest star. The viewership for these episodes skyrocketed. Arrow and The Flash had their first crossover episodes, and it was the first of many.  Essentially what made this crossover so great was the fact every important character from the Flash or Arrow was essential to the storylines.  Felicity and Diggle appeared on the Flash and went to Star Labs while Cisco and Caitlin were hanging out in the Arrow cave in the Arrow episode.  Arrow and The Flash are created and run by the same people. Marc Guggenheim and Greg Berlanti created Arrow and Berlanti went on to be executive producer of the Flash while Guggenheim is the head man at Arrow as of right now.  Berlanti also looking at producing a Supergirl show for CBS. The two producers along with the team of writers for both show were spectacular at making high quality entertaining television for two nights.

Oliver Queen and Barry Allen decide to work together

The first episode of the crossover was Flash vs. Arrow.  The Flash, Barry Allen, has to face an enemy that can cause rage in people. The villain causes people to overstep their emotional boundary and it them to into a Hulk rage. Oliver Queen, Green Arrow, and his team are in Central City looking for a killer that kills people with boomerangs.  Arrow saves Barry and Detective Joe West from trouble. Barry and Oliver decide to find the new metahuman together and defeat him. Detective West and Dr. Wells tell Barry that the Arrow is dangerous and can’t be trusted. Barry has to decide to between working his trusted friend, Oliver Queen, or following the advice of his two mentors. His choice will either strengthen or destroy Barry’s alliance with his team who helps him at Star Labs?

Nick E. Tarabay plays Digger Harkness or Captain Boomerang

The second part of the Arrow vs. Flash crossover had Oliver going after Captain Boomerang. Caitlin and Cisco drop by Palmer Industries to help Felicity with the death of Sara Lance. They want to see the Arrow cave and which Oliver is not to happy about. However, Captain Boomerang shows up at Star Labs and starts to take out ARGUS soldiers left and right. Oliver, Roy, Diggle, and Lyia are on the brink of death when Flash shows up and saves Oliver from two boomerangs.  The Flash and Arrow again team to stop the former suicide squad member. Barry has a huge problem with Oliver’s methods of getting information and this causes friction between them. The question is, will Oliver change his ways or same the stay?

The most positive aspect of Arrow and The Flash crossover was the interaction between the characters.  The banter and conflict between Barry and Oliver was spectacular but the supporting like Felicity, Diggle, Cisco, and Caitlin stood out. Roy was a spectator between the members of the team debating who would win in a fight Arrow or Flash. The stories themselves were good. The first time Diggle saw Barry Allen use his super speed in person caused Diggle to be speechless. Caitlin and Ramon were psyched to see the Arrow cave. Every character was used properly besides a few of them.   The Flash and Arrow showed case their primary attributes that makes them unique.  The two episodes were funny and it is one of the reasons why this crossover got the ratings it did.

The negatives for me were Eddie Thawne deciding suddenly The Flash was a villain and wanting to take him down. It causes Barry Allen gives in to his rage and he nearly kills Eddie. Iris turns her back on The Flash just like that.  For me, that plotline should have happen at the mid-season finale, and it felt like the writers of The Flash tried to have every character be essential to the storyline.  My biggest pet peeve for the Arrow crossover episode was Lyia.

Lyia was almost dead and gone. Captain Boomerang puts a boomerang in her chest and she is at death’s door. I have applauded the creators of these two television shows in the past for killing their characters off. However, the writers of Arrow copped by having the Flash to run Lyia to the hospital so she could survive. Lyia for me is a weak character and really bitchy. She is not likeable. I would love to see her die and Diggle go on vegence streak or turn his back on Oliver. Hell, Diggle could go after Amanda Waller and is also a deceitful troll. Those would have been better options in my opinion instead of having the Flash there to run Lyia to the hospital, and she survives.

Overall these two episode were spectacular and funny. The Flash crossover gets a 4.7 out of 5.

(have links to the two crossover episodes below on the CW site. I suggest watching them because it is like watching a Batman episode with Superman involved.)

http://www.cwtv.com/shows/the-flash/flash-vs-arrow/?play=bd69b271-88c1-404f-880f-0e23fe34eaf8

 

http://www.cwtv.com/shows/arrow/the-brave-and-the-bold/?play=4254f82b-bf7d-4d18-819b-8e275ab45bec

Arrow (Draw Back Your Bow) review

Amy Gumenick as Carrie Cutter/Cupid

Finally the Introduction of Sadistic Female Villain!

Arrow has lacked strong female characters in the show’s history. Summer Glau, Susan Thompson, and Caity Lotz portrayed strong female characters but their characters are dead and gone. However, Amy Gumenick was introduced as Cupid tonight, and her character really made this new episode really entertaining.

Cupid is killing criminal to get the Arrow’s attention.  She is infatuated with Arrow because she is pretty psycho. He also saved her life one time and has built a shrine of his accomplishments. Oliver Queen has to hunt her down while dealing with another problem, Felicity and Ray Palmer.  Oliver is torn because he secretly wants Felicity to be his lady. Oliver is forced to deal with psychopathic stalker and his internal feelings toward Felicity.

Cupid was a great addition to the Arrow melting pot of characters.  Amy Gumenick brought great charisma to the screen as Cupid. The writers of Arrow can’t pick any DC villain and use them for a storyline or season long arch. They are limited but Cupid can be Arrow’s Harley Quinn. The character enjoys killing for fun. She is willing to kill Arrow and herself because she is a lunatic. She is very seductive too but no one should go to bed with her because an arrow might be put in your back.

Felicity and Ray Palmer had a good chemistry tonight and it made their story interesting.  Oliver wants Felicity and Barry Allen would date her too but the two superheroes are striking out on her affections. Palmer has made his interest in Felicity known from episode 1. He gave her mother a prototype communication device.  He has brought her dresses and made her vice president. They kissed tonight because both of them are very silimar. However, the question reminds if Ray Palmer will show Felicity is alter ego that he is creating. Brandon Routh and Emily Bett Rickards have great chemistry on screen together.

Overall, Draw Back Your Bow was a really good Arrow episode. It was entertaining and fun. The Arrow fan base will want to see more Cupid because the actress killed as a psycho.  Draw Back Your Bow gets a 4.5/5.

Arrow Guilty Review

Colton Hayes as Roy Harper tells Felicity, Emily Bett Rickards, about his dreams of killing Sara Lance

Who could kill Sara Lance?

Last week, I didn’t post an Arrow review because the episode pretty much sucked and was predictable. Tonight’s episode “Guilty” was very predictable but it was entertaining. The question remains who killed Sara Lance? I believe it is was the wife of the Asian guy who we see in flashbacks with Oliver Queen in China. However, I do believe we will find out soon who Sara’s killer is.  Tonight’s episode dealt with the mystery of Ted Grant and Roy believing if he killed Sara.

Roy Harper believes that he killed Sara Lance because of his dreams. He asks for Felicity for help and finds inconclusive results if he killed Sara.  However, Oliver, Stephen Amell, has a bigger problem. Oliver discovers an assailant is killing a family of drug dealers. All signs point to Ted Grant. J.R. Ramirez , Wildcat, who is training Laurel Lance, Kate Cassidy.  Arrow, Ted, and Laurel form a team to determine the identity killer of the drug dealers and why killer is determine to frame Grant for the murders.

J.R. Ramirez as Ted Grant training Laurel Lance, Kate Cassidy.

The one of the reasons why Arrow is one of the better television shows is the use of the characters. For the past few seasons, the minor characters get their spotlight in their own episode. Tonight the team of the writers focused on Ted Grant played by J.R. Ramirez. Comic book fans know the character as the hero named Wildcat and who works with the Justice League and helps Batman hone his martial arts skills. “Guilty” focused on two characters Roy Harper and Ted Grant.  Ted Grant is teaching Laurel to box.  The audience discovers that Ted was a vigilante six years ago. However, his partner killed a criminal and the murder causes Ted retires from being a vigilante.   Oliver and Ted have a dislike of each other probably because they both want the same woman. Kate Cassidy has gained some muscle and will become Black Canary this season apparently.  Ted also warned Oliver to cut Roy from the team because Ted’s partner let him down.

Roy and Oliver relationship was put on full displayed tonight. Oliver showed that he trusts Roy and believes in him. Roy tells Oliver “Don’t abandon me.”  Oliver replies “I won’t” and Oliver helps Roy to discovered he has committed a murder but not the one of Sara Lance. Roy is one of the better characters on Arrow. Oliver give Roy the nickname of Arsenal tonight. Arsenal is Roy Harper’s superhero identity in the comics. Sidekicks are important because they remind our main hero of their humanity. The Oliver and Roy relationship is right now a mentor/student but it is becoming brother/brother relationship.  Roy can kick major ass also.

Overall, tonight’s Arrow episode was good. It was very enjoyable and Ted Grant was the main. Roy and Oliver became more brothers than just being partners. Personally, I would have to loved to see Brandon Routh or John Barrowman in his episode. “Guilty” gets a 4.0/5.  (preview of next’s episode is below).

Tonight’s episode of Arrow what did you think of it? comment below and let me know

 

Arrow (corto maltese) review

Willa Holland as Thea

Thea and Malcolm come back

Thea has been a character on Arrow that had a tendency to be a drag in episodes. However, last season she and the audience found that her father is Malcolm Merilyn.  She agrees leave Starling City with Malcolm at the end of last season. Sara’s death has affected Oliver, and he needs his sister more than ever.  Thea’s storyline brings back one of the best actors of the Arrow, John Barrowman as Malcolm Merilyn.

Oliver, Roy, and Dingle decide to go search for Thea, and Felicity traces her whereabouts to Corto Maltese.  They travel to speak to her and bring her home. Oliver tells Thea that their father died in order to save Oliver but still doesn’t tell her that he is the Arrow. Felicity starts to work with Ray Palmer. She continuously gives excuses to Ray for her life is so secretive because she gets three calls asking her favors in a two minute period while Ray Palmer is looking curious. Dingle finds out an Argus agent has stolen the names of Argus’s agents and plans to sell them on the black market. Amanda Waller orders Dingle to kill the rogue agent. Laural attends an AA meeting and sees one of fellow members is constantly getting beaten by her boyfriend. Her boyfriend is wanted in several different jurisdictions, and Laural decides to something about the problem. She tires to kick his ass with a baseball bat but gets her ass handed  to her instead. She decides to be trained by Ted Grant (known as Wildcat) and began her training to become Black Canary when Oliver refuses to train her himself.  Oliver delivers a powerful line “Sara would never forgive me” meaning if Laural gets hurt as a crime fighter.

The guys who bring the awesome fights in Arrow to the small guy

Arrow always has one positive which are the stunts and action sequences.  The stunt team does a hell of a job to train the actors to be so light footed and make the fights look a dance. Roy even does a double kick move and gets praise from Oliver in this episode. His double kick move was pretty cool. The fights are wonderful to watch.  Thea and Malcolm are together as student and mentor. The flashbacks give their relationship a hostile feel at first but as the episode progresses Malcolm feels a sense of pride for his daughter’s skills and her choices. She has been trained to be an Assassin the same way the League of Assassins trained Merilyn.  Brandon Routh is so likeable. He would have been a great Superman if given the chance to make more films. The discovery he makes about OMAC that Queen Consolidated was building was intense.  His expression give the feeling that he was looking for that specifically. He might know Oliver is the Arrow.  OMAC is a like Ultron from Marvel, a machine who creates robot  copies of itself to destroy humanity.

J.R. Ramirez as Ted Grant/Wildcat

The last thing that needs to be mention is Laural. The character is becoming rather important in show’s story lines. The fact that she got her ass handed to her in her first vigilante attempt was so grounded. A woman on her first try would not be able to kick the crap out of a abuser because she is ill prepared to fight. The writers are going to give her and Ted Grant one to two seasons where she trains to become Black Canary. Thea has been training with her father for 5 months and is skilled. Her father could easily kill her if he wanted too. Laural has no training what so ever and it will take her awhile before she is ready to use a staff to kick criminal asses.  Wildcat is her mentor from the comics and even Batman has a lot of respect for his fighting styles.

Overall, this episode was fun and entertaining. The fight choreography was spectacular. Thea and Laural are assuming the roles of the dominant women on the show. The league of Assassins return next week. They want answers about what happened Sara. Good luck with that Ollie.  Corto Maltese gets a 4/5.

Next week’s Arrow preview…what did you think of the episode comment below and let me know.

Arrow (Sara) review (minor spoilers)

Who Killed Sara?

Team Arrow is faced with their biggest lost when Sara Lance, Black Canary, was murdered.  Many fans posed questions all week who killed Sara?  Fans should applaud the show creators because they have killed main characters in the past. Tommy Merlyn died in the first season, and he was an integral part of the show. Black Canary has been murdered, and her character was rather important in Oliver’s life.   The question is: who really killed Sara?

Sara Lance is standing on a rooftop as she turns around to go fight crime  three arrows are shot in her chest. She falls backwards from the roof and dies as she hit the concrete.  Laurel sees her fall to the death and takes her body to Team Arrow. The sight of Sara dying is very powerful and upsetting that the team is thrown in chaos.  Oliver Queen needs Thea Queen, his sister, now more than ever.  She is nowhere to be found except training with her father. Oliver doesn’t know this.  Felicity is constantly being pursued by Ray Palmer to work for him.  He wants to hire her to be his right hand. She does end up taking the job. However, the main question is who killed Sara?  All signs to point to a master assassin called Komodo.  But did he really kill Sara or was someone else?

Matt Ward as Komodo

Arrow episode “Sara” was a step up from the season premiere.   Fans will throw out speculation on who killed Sara Lance.  Personally, I think someone from the League of Assassins killed her or it could be someone from ARGUS.  Komodo was a formidable fore for Arrow.  One scene had Arrow and Komodo playing chicken on their motorcycles. They would drive towards each other and shooting arrows at each other.  One of the best scenes in this episode was when Komodo was about to kill his final target but Roy shoots an arrow at his bow to knock out of his hands.  Roy and Oliver fight Komodo after that and the stunts were impressive for the minute they fought.  These few scenes made some really fun action moments on television.

Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer
Emily Bett Richards as Felicity Smoak

Brandon Routh was a great choice for the character Ray Palmer.  Routh is charming, caring, and has this arrogance about him.   His acting performance draws in that you, as a viewer, want to like him but in the back of your mind you dislike him. He did takeovr Oliver’s Queen Company.  Honestly, the writers might need to keep him in the cast because many fans have taken to him.

My last positive about this episode is Laurel. Katie Cassidy is really growing into her role. She is no longer some attractive chick who weeps over guys. She is showing her emotions and starting to use her acting chops to command more of a presence on screen. Laurel hasn’t told her father that Sara has died either. There was one point that I thought she was really to going to tell her father that his sister died. However, Detective Lance has gone through so much that she couldn’t break his heart. It’s tough choice to do but she couldn’t do it until they have Sara’s killer.

Overall this Arrow Episode was very fun.  The episode has intriguing plot lines and the mystery of Sara’s killer is still at large.  Laurel is really growing into a good character. The fight choreography is very spectacular.  Arrow is one of the best shows on television and it will continue to gain viewers.  The episode “Sara” gets a 4.2/5.

Arrow Unthinkable review (no spoilers)

Why you need to watch Arrow?

Arrow is about the Oliver Queen and his nightly activities as a crime fighting vigilante. The episode titled “Unthinkable” concludes an action packed season.  This season is the best season of Arrow. The episode picks up where the last episode left off. Oliver has a cure that can turn Slade Wilson’s superhuman army into regular flesh and bone humans. Slade is out for revenge against Oliver. Oliver’s former partner, Amanda Waller,  has sent a drone to nuke Starling City and wipe out Slade’s Army. Oliver has to stop Slade’s army in the nick of time to prevent Waller from leveling the city.  The episode has several high points for me that made it enjoyable for me..

My first point is the story telling. The writers and executive producers of Arrow seem to create story lines each week that keep your attention for an hour.  “Unthinkable” wraps up the second season main story arcs but open up for new stories to be told down the road. The writers sever some characters’ relationships or add to on existing characters’ relationships. These relationships will play out in future seasons.   Secondly, this show has fine actors. Stephen Amell has really grown into the role of Oliver Queen. He owns the role of the Green Arrow.  Manu Bennett’s acting has taken a multi dimensional comic book character, Deathstroke (Slade Wilson) and translated every dimension of that character on to the small screen.  Emily Bett Rickards is a strong actress, and she plays Felicity.  Her acting made her character’s story in this episode so heartfelt and compelling. My final big positive is this episode is dominated by strong female characters. I love the strong female characters who drive the story. Sarah, Nyssa Al Ghul, Felicity, and Thea drive the narrative in this episode. These characters will be pivotal for next season and future seasons to come.   I have a few negatives that bugged me..

A big negative was the pace of the episode.  I actually think last season’s finale was more suspenseful. This episode had so many subplots and felt a little cramped that it gave you little breathing time.  I never felt any of the characters were endangered,  either.  My final issue was one character was one and done. The character’s ending was kind of fun to watch at first. I felt like they wasted the whole season developing the character and their finale comes within seconds without a big fight.

Overall, I think this a great show.  Here are some reasons why you need to watch Arrow.  It has great story telling, every actor on the show has talent, the fight sequences make it worth watching, and the tone of the show has remained consistent.  Stephen Amell has great acting range. He could tell me that he loves me. I would believe him because of the emotion in his eyes.  Arrow is a television show makes an hour fly by fast.  Another reason that you need to consider watching Arrow is the potential superhero appearances. Flash will be appearing on the show and the show runners have said a few Batman characters could appear on Arrow.

Overall this episode of Arrow was great but not as great as last season’s finale. I will do a spoiler review soon after I have time to digest this episode and people will have seen it. The acting, story telling, and female characters in this episode are superb.  It is one of my favorite shows on television. This episode was a little overwhelming with the plot points that they kept throwing at you. I will give this episode a 4.5 out of 5.

 

Arrow “Streets of Fire” review spoilers

Malcolm Merilyn by John Barrowman

Arrow has been consistently one of the best television shows on television this year. Arrow is about Oliver Queen, who is a nighttime vigilante in Starling City. Queen is a rich playboy billionaire but in this season he has been knocked down to poverty. Oliver has been visited by a blast from the past. Slade Wilson (Deathstroke is his alias) has come to Starling City to obliterate Oliver’s family, fortunate, and his city. At the end of the last week’s episode Slade has an army of superhuman soldiers who have taken over Starling City.

Oliver and Laurel Lance are trapped underground by the street collapsing on them.  Thea, Ollie’s sister, is stuck in a train station with the super soldiers. Dingle, Oliver’s right hand, is in a deadlock battle with Isabel Rochev, Ravager.  Felicity, Ollie’s tech nerd, saves Dingle by hitting Ravager with a van.  Oliver and Laurel meet up with the group. Felicity finds out that fellow partners in Star Labs have found a cure to make the superhuman soldiers human again. Detective Lance and his police force are being attacked by Slade’s army. Lance uses several grenades to kill the intruders. The police force makes a deal with the Arrow that they will fight along side him to save the city.  Mayor Sebastian Blood has his office attacked by one of Slade’s superhuman soldiers. Everybody in the office dies except Blood and it forces a confrontation with Slade. Slade gives Blood the finger in 3 short sentences causing Blood to switch sides. Blood calls Oliver to give him the cure but Ravager kills Blood for his betrayal. Laurel is saved by her sister, Sarah or  the Black Canary. Canary and Laurel have a heart to heart about being a hero. Canary saves a child from a burning building and the citizen’s of Starling look at her as a hero. Thea during the episode is rescued by her father, Malcolm Merilyn.  Malcolm wants to save Thea but she refuses. The episode ends by her shooting a gun, presumably at her father.

The episode has two main positives.  I really loved the fact it was Felicity, Dingle, and Oliver teaming up to try to stop Slade’s army. The episode was very centered on their characters. All three actors gave stellar performances. The final positive was the Sebastian Blood arch. The writers of the show wrapped and ended his arch in a satisfying conclusion. They killed the bastard off and the actor gave a great performance that I thought he might survive the night of hell in Starling City. Ravager showed up and took care of the problem.  Action sequences, Slade Wilson’s character, ARGUS going to bomb the city, and a great narrative were other positives of this episode.

I have two things that really pissed me off about this episode. The first is Thea. Thea has become the bitch on the show. She can’t stand for her father for valid reasons and he give her the option to get to safety. Thea refused to take it. She might have shot him at the end of the episode. Her father is played by John Barrowman. He’s a super talented actor and brings charisma to the screen. The other thing that annoyed me was the beating of the hero drum over and over for Black Canary. We know she is a hero. We don’t need to feel like it is getting shoved down our throats. The Amazing Spider-man 2 and Man of Steel had sequences like this in their movies. It’s one of the reason why I cringed watching the two movies.

Arrow (City of Blood) Spoilers

 

This dude is back!

I apologize that my Arrow reviews haven’t been coming lately.  My mother would rather watch the Washington Nationals with baseball season back on then Arrow. However, I’m back to do a recap.  Ok, the last two Arrow episodes have been pivotal. Recap 19, Ollie found out where Slade was building his army. Slade was using Roy’s blood because Ollie destroyed a facility producing serum  . Dingle kills Isabel and they rescue Roy. Slade revives Isabel by using his blood. In episode 20; Moria is going to quit the mayoral race for Thea but changes her mind. She tells Ollie that for awhile she has known about his nighty activities. Sara leaves the city after most killing Roy. Roy wakes up and goes on a rampage.  Ollie stops him. Oliver, Thea, and Moria get captured by Slade. Slade kills Moria as she sacrifices herself for her children. Oliver is depressed.

In this episode, Oliver becomes a loner again. He blames himself for his mother’s death and everybody else in his life. Felicity and Dingle go to ARGUS and ask  Amanda Waller for help. She gives it to them after she realizes that Slade Wilson is alive. The kicker of this episode is Laurel. Oliver is about to willingly turn himself over to Slade. Both the meeting, Ollie gets shot with a dart and passes out. Laurel appears in the Arrow Lair telling him that she knows about him being the Arrow.  Laural stops him by telling him that Sebastian Blood is working with Slade. Oliver has a sit down with Blood who makes his motivates clear to be a Kingpin ruling Starling City. Felicity and Dingle interrogate Blood’s body guard to find out the location of the army.   Thea is going to leave Starling City but it fails because Slade’s army takes over every strategic building in Starling City. Oliver and Laurel get trapped beneath the rumble of the streets after their plan to bury the Army succeeds. They don’t realize Slade has hundreds at his command.

My overall opinion on this episode is it’s a set up episode for the last two episodes. Arrow is a cleverly written show and one of the best on TV. I loved a many things in this episode: Laurel is becoming a stronger character, the island flashbacks, Oliver is in depression, Walter Steele returns for the funeral, Thea wants to leave, Isabel’s kicking the Queen’s where it hurts by taking their personal possessions, Brother Blood wants to be a Kingpin of Starling City,  Felicity and Dingle asking for help from Amanda Waller, and the last 15 minutes when Slade, Blood, and Isabel take over the city with an army of Deathstrokes.  My only negatives is that Roy is still sleeping in a coma and there were no references to the Suicide Squad helping. Overall this episode is a set up episode and the first 15 minutes was slow. Felicity, Dingle, and Laurel became stronger characters. I rate this episode 4.5/5. It’s rather entertaining and the last two episodes are going to be on the edge of your seat material.

I will have a Spider-Man 2 review for you tomorrow with minor spoilers.