Review: Arrow 3.23 - My Name Is Oliver Queen

The Arrow finale was, in a word, underwhelming. A lot gets resolved and settled, and it’s all well and good, but this episode wasn’t particularly exciting, especially as a season finale. Merlyn reveals to Team Arrow that he and Oliver have been planning this for a while, and that it had to look like Oliver betrayed them in order for Ra’s to trust him. This makes perfect sense and Team Arrow should probably have figured it out themselves, but they’re a bit too busy feeling actually betrayed. Elsewhere, Oliver reveals himself to Ra’s pretty immediately. Ra’s is heading to Starling to unleash the bioweapon- against which Team Arrow is already conveniently inoculated. He’s aiming not only for the city Oliver loves, but also for Damien Darhk, because another rushed subplot was exactly what this episode needed.

The final showdown between Ra’s and Oliver is also pretty underwhelming. They duel on a bridge while the SCPD looks on, a sniper waiting for a “clean shot.” The sniper’s kind enough to wait until Oliver and Ra’s hash it out; Ra’s gives Oliver his ring and his title, then dies. Oliver’s then shot by the sniper fellow and tumbles off the bridge, and it’s Felicity in the Atom suit who saves him. I’ll admit that bit was pretty sweet.

This episode had a few other good points. Barry makes a very brief appearance. Lance shows up for the first time in a couple episodes- I think it’s been at least three since we’ve seen him. Thea works the Arsenal suit, and even gets Oliver’s blessing to become yet another Starling City Mask. I enjoyed the little exchange where she says she’s considering going by Red Arrow and Oliver replies that he’s already told everyone to call her Speedy.

In the end, Oliver’s vigilante days are behind him; it’s time for him to leave Starling, and Felicity’s going with him. I know many are excited and/or relieved that they’ve finally gotten together, and I’d include myself in that, though I’m kind of amused that he’s still technically married to Nyssa. And as per their “deal,” Oliver gives the Demon’s Head ring and title to Merlyn, which can’t possibly go wrong.

Overall, the finale did well wrapping up all the loose ends, but that’s about it. Despite packing so much into one episode, it really dragged and did little to hold my interest.

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Score: 2/5

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Arrow 3.23 – “My Name Is Oliver Queen” Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays at 8/7c.

Review: Arrow 3.22 - This Is Your Sword

Oliver is a big faker and I’m mad about it. Al Sah-him isn’t real and Oliver isn’t really gone. He and Merlyn have planned this since the beginning; Merlyn told Oliver what to expect with his transformation into the Heir, and Oliver used that information to trick Ra’s al Ghul, which is apparently a thing people are able to do. I personally was a bit disappointed by this. During the last episode I had the fleeting thought that Ollie was faking, but I dismissed it, thinking it was too easy. But I’ve been wrong before and I was wrong now. Merlyn’s got to convince Team Arrow that Oliver is still Oliver, and get them to stop Ra’s and Al Sah-him from unleashing the bioweapon. He enlists Tatsu’s help in convincing Team Arrow, which makes total sense, seeing as they have no idea who she is or what she means to Oliver. Merlyn, Felicity, Diggle, Laurel, Tatsu, and Ray make up an interesting but ineffective team; the episode ends with them imprisoned in Nanda Parbat and in capital t Trouble.

Thea goes to see Roy which is only worth mentioning because it looks like she’ll be taking on the Arsenal suit. So I guess this is goodbye to Roy for real? And maybe I’ll finally get that Thea action I’ve been waiting on for this entire season.

Al Sah-him and Nyssa get officially married and Oliver’s now Ibn al Ghul. I still have no idea what they’re aiming for here but I hope that when Oliver inevitably returns to Team Arrow, Nyssa goes with him. Another woman in the field would be great, plus she and Laurel supposedly have a strong friendship we’ve seen very little of, and she’d certainly bring a different perspective to the team. While we’re at it, I’m also cool with having Ray around a bit more. He brings some light-heartedness that the team could really use. I love Ollie but he can be a downer.

The season finale is next week and I’m looking forward to it, despite the messiness of the past couple of episodes. There’s a lot to be resolved and not all of it can be done in one episode. Diggle and Oliver’s friendship is shattered, and that won’t be easily mended. Felicity and Oliver have been will-they-won’t-they for far too long, and I can’t imagine the writers dragging that out any further than they already have, so hopefully that one will be resolved. And speaking of dragging things out, this episode was a prime example - I feel like I spent the entire episode waiting for it to start.

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Score: 3/5

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Arrow 3.22 – “This Is Your Sword” Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays at 8/7c.

Review: Arrow 3.21 - Al Sah-Him

Oliver is gone, Al Sah-him is in training, and Team Arrow is left reeling. Lyla gets some screentime, and Nyssa actually works with them this time. When Nyssa finds out Oliver’s gone to Nanda Parbat, she knows her time is up. We open with Al Sah-him’s training, and one of his first big tests. Diggle is brought before him and Al Sah-him must kill him, which he does easily. But it turns out it’s not Diggle, just some poor random guy; he’d seen Diggle because he’d been given a hallucinogen. This all makes perfect sense. Ra’s is such a character. Next up, Al Sah-him goes back to Starling to kill Nyssa, and Team Arrow is forced to accept that Oliver has truly been brainwashed. He is unrecognizable, and fairly terrifying.

After Al Sah-him’s first confrontation with Nyssa, he decides to “draw her out” by kidnapping Lyla. This is the point where Diggle knows Oliver is truly gone; they exchange Nyssa for Lyla, but they don’t go down without a fight. Before we find out whether Al Sah-him/Oliver was actually going to kill Diggle, he’s shot in the arm by Thea, of all people, and decides to quit while he’s ahead. The League has Nyssa, and that’s all they needed.

I haven’t talked much about the flashbacks because I think we’re all pretty sick of them, but they’re been building up to this episode. In the flashbacks we learn about the “alpha omega,” a bioweapon which can wreak havoc upon entire cities. Nyssa had it, Ra’s wanted it, and he got it. Now Al Sah-him’s next task is to unleash it on Starling City. There’s also the matter of Nyssa and Al Sah-him’s arranged marriage, meant to unite the families.

This episode was kind of a mess, and while I enjoyed Al Sah-him (evil Stephen Amell) well enough, it was lacking. The transition from Oliver to Al Sah-him was abrupt and made it hard for viewers to jump on board. It wasn’t even a transition so much as a switch. There’s a quick montage, but again, abrupt. Similarly, Nyssa and Laurel’s relationship has changed, and it also feels abrupt to the viewer because we didn’t see it progress. We didn’t necessarily need to check in with them every episode, but we could have used something to make that transition. Laurel’s grown fiercely attached to Nyssa in a very short amount of time, and it seems out of place.

This was a good episode for Diggle, not only as he got good screentime, but he carried a lot of the emotional weight. He and Felicity hold Team Arrow together, and when Lyla is taken he’s forced to acknowledge that his friend is really gone. I also loved the moment when Nyssa called out Laurel on her need to keep secrets from people, specifically secrets pertaining to them. I’ve said it before, I can’t stand that plot device, and since Lance is still freezing Laurel out, you’d think she had learned her lesson.

I was excited to see Thea in the field (finally!) but now that she knows Roy is still alive, it looks like she’s going after him, so it seems she won’t be joining Team Arrow just yet. And as ridiculous as it is, I’m looking forward to seeing the arranged marriage play out.

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Score: 3/5

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Arrow 3.21 – “Al Sah-Him” Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays at 8/7c.

Review: Daredevil 1.10 - Nelson v. Murdock

Foggy has finally discovered Matt’s secret, and he doesn’t exactly take it well. Over the course of the episode we flip between the fallout, with Foggy trying to reconcile this news with the Matt he knows and loves, and flashbacks to their first meeting, their time in school, their first internship, working together with their desks crammed into a closet. There was a lot I loved about this episode. We calmed the action down a bit, as Matt is temporarily out of commission, barely able to sit up on his own, and focused more on the emotional and on relationships. We get a clear picture of Matt and Foggy’s relationship and how it’s developed over the years. From day one they clicked, took to each other instantly, and it makes their scenes in the present all the more tragic.

The present-day scenes between Matt and Foggy were incredibly raw; Foggy wears his heartbreak and betrayal openly, and Matt is clearly torn between trying to convince his best friend that he’s doing good, and feeling guilty. We’re at a point where Matt is having a hard time separating himself and his own actions from those of Fisk and the people he is working against. Matt wants to believe that he’s the good guy, but when his own best friend responds like a kicked puppy, it’s difficult for him to stand by his actions.

I appreciated this episode for the way it handled the revelation and the fallout. Matt and Foggy’s relationship hasn’t been explored or explained much before this episode. We’ve already seen that Foggy treats Matt like a person rather than just awkwardly stepping around the blind guy, and in this episode we see that that’s been the case from day one. It’s because they hit it off from the start and had each other’s backs for so long that Foggy feels so betrayed. I thought Cox and Henson both handled the drama well, but it was particularly great to see from Henson, since he’s been the comic relief up until now.

Foggy and Matt take up most of the episode, but there are a couple of other important plot points. Ben’s ready to put the investigation behind him in favor of steady income, but crafty Karen takes him to visit Fisk’s mother. And then there’s Fisk’s charity event, where several of the attendees are poisoned, including Vanessa.

The timing for these two events is perfect; Fisk is starting to look a bit too comfortable, and he needed something to shake him up. Not only will this rattle him, but it works in favor of his public image. Poor Fisk, ruthlessly attacked when he only wants to help the city. This will be a rallying point for his supporters. And speaking of supporters, Wesley looks pretty suspicious.

This episode was a nice change of pace; we slow down a bit and zero in on a central relationship, while the side stories in this one will push the overall plot forward. We saw another side of Foggy, and a vulnerability in Matt. Foggy’s been a constant in his life for a long time now, and for them to break up, as it were, could really shake Matt. I love seeing Karen doing her own thing and leading her own investigation, putting pieces together that no one else has. And now Fisk has been targeted on a more personal level, so we’re likely to see him fall apart soon.

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Score: 4/5

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Daredevil 1.10 - “Nelson v. Murdock” Director: Farren Blackburn Writer: Luke Kalteux Distributor: Netflix, ABC Films, Marvel Studios Runtime: 60 Minutes Exclusively on Netflix

Review: Arrow 3.20 - The Fallen

Oliver Queen is finally stepping up to become the Demon’s Head. Thea is on the brink of death, but she can be saved if Oliver agrees to be the next Ra’s. It’s a good trade, Oliver thinks, so he takes the barely-alive Thea along with Merlyn, Felicity, and Diggle, to the League of Assassins. First order of business is to bring Thea back via the Lazarus Pit. Malcolm warns Oliver against this; the Pit changes you, and the Thea they bring back won’t be the one they lost, he says. But Thea alive is worth the risk to Ollie, so in a creepy candlelit ritual, Thea is brought back to life.

She pops out of the Pit like something feral, but the next time she regains consciousness she’s disoriented, thinking Moira’s still alive but Ollie isn’t. She sounds she’s reverted to being a little girl again, and it’s heartbreaking, especially seeing Oliver helplessly looking on. I know a lot of you really dislike Thea, and I get it, but I’m holding out hope that she’ll become interesting. If the Pit really does change her, I might get the Thea I was hoping for back when she went off with Merlyn. Thea has so much potential to be a solid character, and she just consistently isn’t. If even the Pit won’t do it, then maybe- maybe- I’ll give up on her.

The next order of business is Felicity and Oliver getting it on. It’s both a “finally” and a “don’t go,” as they both know they’ll have to say goodbye soon. Felicity orchestrates an escape attempt- drugging Ollie since he won’t go willingly- but it doesn’t work. In the end, Team Arrow-minus the Arrow- leave and Oliver begins the transformation process. The first step, apparently, is branding. The second is posing.

They certainly managed to pack a lot of melodrama into one episode. There were some moments that should have been wonderfully dramatic but felt forced or awkward. But overall I felt this episode did a decent job wrapping up one chapter to begin another.

I’m so curious as to how this’ll turn out. I doubt Team Arrow is going to give up so easily, but Oliver seems determined to follow through, and there’s really no way they can fight the League. Assuming Laurel is still training with Nyssa, she has a bit of an in, but not even Nyssa has sway here. So I just have no idea where this is going to go, and that unpredictability is exciting. I’d love to see Oliver actually step up as Ra’s, and since we’ve come this far, it’d be pretty disappointing to get him out of that too soon.

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Score: 3/5

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Arrow 3.20 - "The Fallen" Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays at 8/7c.

Review: Daredevil 1.5 - World on Fire

Okay, so, disclaimer time. I know most of you marathoned Daredevil immediately and have likely finished the season. I’m taking my time. I haven’t watched past this episode. It’ll definitely make it easier for me to focus my review on this specific episode and not let my thoughts on the entire season take over. But that also means it’s likely I’ll talk about something that gets answered or dealt with later on. So pretend you weren’t floored by that finale (or underwhelmed, or mildly satisfied) and put your episode five hat back on. In case you don’t remember where we are, Fisk has just convinced Vladimir that Matt killed- brutally beheaded- his brother. Vlad is too angry to really think straight, so he accepts this without question. My man Wesley is there to help reinforce the idea that Fisk and Anatoly were on good terms, therefore Fisk and Vlad should be buddies as well. It is Definitely not a set-up, Vlad. No worries.

Meanwhile Nelson and Murdock take on a new client; Mrs. Cardenas and her entire building are being forced out by their shitty landlord. The case sends Foggy and Karen off to talk with the landlord’s lawyers, among them a pretty cliche ex-girlfriend of Foggy’s. This chick is one hell of a caricature; I think I strained my eyes from rolling ‘em so hard. But this case does give us more of Foggy and Karen, who are both pretty darling individually and especially together. Is this a date? I don’t know, let me feel your face. Weirdos.

So while Foggy and Karen are off being cute, Matt heads to the precinct and ends up just in time to hear a couple of dirty cops silence a Russian who’d given up Fisk. From there it’s all vigilante mode. I definitely want to see more of Matt trying to balance his lawyering and his vigilante lifestyle. The juggling act is only going to work for so long, and I’m ready to see it go south. Also, I want to see more lawyering in general. That courtroom scene in episode three was a nice balance to all the punching and dark alleys. Both are fun, but balance is key.

Fisk and Vanessa have themselves a second date that turns out to be a wild time. Vanessa brings a gun, for one thing; she’s not sure she trusts Fisk or if she even wants to be there. She’s undeniably attracted and drawn to him, but her instincts are screaming at her to run. There’s a point during the date where we have to wonder whether Fisk has been set up, but it’s all good. It’s Fisk who’s the criminal mastermind, after all, and he and Vanessa end their date with a gorgeous fire show, sirens and all.

It’s really hard not to just flat rave about Vincent D’Onofrio for this entire review. He has really stolen the show for me. That brutal beheading was unforgettable, but he managed to be far more terrifying in his quiet moments. You’re never quite sure where he stands, whether he’s going to end you there or make you suffer or offer you more wine. I feared for Vanessa’s safety, I feared for the waiter’s safety, I feared for my safety. In my last review I talked about how D’Onofrio plays that emotional vulnerability well, but when he comes to his next move, he’s a bit tougher to read, and you’re left on edge.

There’s a lot to this show that I want to see get fleshed out a bit. Matt juggling work and play- work and work?- Claire, just, in general. Both Foggy and Karen. I’m excited to see more of Fisk and of his relationship with Vanessa. There’s just so much to this show, and I want more of everything. I’m getting greedy, maybe, but it’s so great so far. You know you’re doing a decent job when my main complaint is, “more please.”

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Score: 3/5

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Daredevil 1.5 – World on Fire Director: Farren Blackburn Writer: Luke Kalteux Distributor: Netflix, ABC Films, Marvel Studios Runtime: 60 Minutes Exclusively on Netflix

Review: Arrow 3.19 - Broken Arrow

Wowza what an episode. Where do I start with this one? This episode was incredibly Roy-centric, which I loved since Roy happens to be one of my DC faves (sorry, Ollie). Roy’s definitely been taking a back seat lately so it was nice to see him get so much action in this one. Of course, that came at a price, and we had to say goodbye to him in the end. I’m personally bummed, but at least he’s still alive, right?

So when we left last episode, Roy had just turned himself over as the Arrow. I expressed doubts as to whether this would actually play out, but it worked. It helped that Roy one-upped Oliver’s own confession by turning himself over in the actual Arrow garb. Remember that for next time, Ollie.

Ray also gets some action in this episode. He’s pretty terrible at it, but he’ll get there, and it’s endearing, at least. There’s a metahuman in Starling and it’s down to Ray to deal with the guy, since Arrow’s supposed to be out of commission. Ray’s bright personality brings a nice balance to the general seriousness of Team Arrow, but I still feel that love triangle at play. It’s being dragged out so much that it’s beyond stale.

In jail, Roy gets attacked twice. First in an ambush that he fights off with only minor damage. I really enjoyed that quick fight scene- weaponless and handcuffed, Roy still manages to take out three big dudes. The second time, it’s a quick and simple stabbing, and he collapses immediately. In the next scene, Ollie finds Lance talking to a teary Thea; Roy’s been killed, and it’s all Oliver’s fault. Yikes. Oliver is allowed some time to be angsty before Felicity and Diggle reveal that Roy’s death was actually faked, though the stabbing was very much real- ouch.

“You need to learn to let people help you,” is the mantra of the episode, but Oliver’s never been good at that, and I doubt he will be after what Roy just went through and what later happens to Thea. And of course, let’s not forget Sara. That self-sacrifice Roy displayed in this episode was absolutely learned from his mentor. It’d be great to see Oliver let people in more and allow himself to lean on others, but as long as people get hurt for it, that won’t happen.

So the episode wraps up with Roy, who’s supposed to be dead, forced to leave town and start a new life elsewhere. Again, I’m sad to see him go, but at least there’s some space to bring him back. Cut to Thea drinking her sorrows away when she’s interrupted and rudely stabbed by Ra’s. It’s to motivate your brother, Thea. Take one for the team.

I loved seeing Thea try to fight Ra’s mostly because I love watching Thea fight. She’s great at it- except against Ra’s, of course- and I wish we’d seen more of it. What was the point of running off to train with Malcolm only to just occasionally see her show off her moves? Thea and Roy both fall under the “under-utilized characters” category; they had the potential to be much more dynamic, Thea especially.

So at this point I think it’s safe to say that Ollie will take the place of the Demon’s Head. I mean, he’s running out of options here. Whether it will stick is another matter. We’ve got four episodes left of the season, so really anything can happen.

Overall, I loved this episode, largely because of the focus on Roy, but also because Oliver was forced to step back for a bit and let the others take over. It was a nice change of pace, and I’m going to treasure it since Oliver’s undoubtedly going to be large and in charge from here on out. I love Ollie, don’t get me wrong, but I do enjoy when they put the ‘team’ in Team Arrow.

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Score: 4/5

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Arrow 3.19 - Broken Arrow Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays at 8/7c.

Review: Daredevil 1.4 – In The Blood

Episode four gave us a closer look at our villains. We start with our Russian brothers, glimpsing the hell they survived together in prison. I should’ve known this would be a solid episode when our buddy Vlad pulled out the rib bones of their deceased cell mate to use as weapons. Gross. Brilliant. I’m a bit bummed to say goodbye to Anatoly so soon, because he and Vladimir as the weird brother villain duo was really working for me. As far as villains go, these two weren’t super intimidating; they looked a bit grumpy more than anything, as though they’d just woken up and hadn’t yet had their morning coffee (morning vodka?). They weren’t perfectly in sync and spent some time butting heads, but they refused to be anything other than loyal to each other. Now we’re just left with Vlad, who’s still not particularly intimidating but is definitely still grumpy. Our Russians are in trouble for getting their asses handed to them by that masked idiot, so they take Claire to try to get a name and track down this black-masked fellow. I wish I had more to say about Claire but her entire storyline is Matt, and she doesn’t have much of a personality. I’m hopeful they’ll flesh her out a bit, because I’m optimistic, but I won’t be surprised if they keep her this one dimensional.

This episode didn’t leave much room for lawyering, so we don’t get to see the trio working together, and very little of Foggy. Karen’s got a bit of her own plotline to work with, but for the most part she and Foggy are an afterthought in this episode. Which is fine, as it leaves more time for us to hang out with our villains.

I’m really enjoying Fisk. He’s massive and physically intimidating, but at moments he’s seems unsure or stumbles over his words, and that vulnerability makes him a more complex, intriguing villain. He is very much just a man, one who can easily behead someone for embarrassing him in public, but still just a man. I might be biased because I really like Vincent D’Onofrio, but he does a wonderful job portraying Fisk’s vulnerabilities; Fisk is the type to unknowingly wear his heart on his sleeve, the type to try to keep a cool mask but fail. Fisk is easy to read but likely thinks otherwise, and D’Onofrio plays those bare emotions well.

Obviously I can’t review this episode without talking about the ending scene. Honestly, I’m not sure I can adequately describe how much I loved it. Episode three’s opening scene in the bowling alley was brutal, and I didn’t expect that moment to be topped. But holy shit, was I wrong. When Anatoly interrupted Fisk’s date, my immediate reaction was “Fisk is going to tear you apart.” I did not expect to be so accurate. It’s probably “not okay” to call a beheading anything short of horrific, but it was absolutely brilliant. The angle of that moment, seeing only the blood dripping down- and then the bit of brains- was delightfully gruesome.

I also have to mention Wesley. Just by looking at him, I don’t think anyone would describe him as “terrifying,” but his complete apathy to Anatoly’s brutal, disgusting murder as well as his short speech about the past being like smoke elevated him to just shy of terrifying. Where Fisk is easy to read, Wesley is impossible; he’s completely unphased by murder and his face doesn’t give away a damn thing. These two make a really good pair.

Overall, good episode, action-packed, with an ending that will certainly stick with you.

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Score: 4/5

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Daredevil 1.4 – In The Blood Director: Ken Girotti Writer: Joe Pakaski Distributor: Netflix, ABC Films, Marvel Studios Runtime: 60 Minutes Exclusively on Netflix

Review: Arrow 3.18 - Public Enemy

This week we got an action-packed episode with quite a bit of Lance’s personal drama. Plus Ray had a bit of a storyline, and in our flashbacks, Ollie meets Shado’s sister. Roy still feels guilty for killing that cop way back when he was on the mirakuru, and on top of that feels the guilt of having non-fatally shot a few cops in order to escape. In a moment of both self-sacrifice and stupidity, he turns himself in as the Arrow. He does this after Ollie’s already turned himself in and is being transported to prison, but whatever. Roy works on his own timeline, I guess.

Captain Lance finally, finally finds out that Oliver is the Arrow. He doesn’t use his brilliant detective skills; he has a casual face-to-face with Ra’s, and Ra’s spells it out for him. Really, Lance, at this point it’s just embarrassing. I’m pretty sure everyone else in Starling caught on a while ago, and the police force just pretended not to know so as not to embarrass their captain. I mean. Really.

Ray had some good stuff this episode, but the love triangle persists and it’s beyond stale. Time to toss that bit; make Felicity choose (I thought we were past this point but hey, if you can drag out a subplot then why not?) and move on. Ray and Felicity could be really great as a couple and as a storyline if they can get past the love triangle. Just think of what these adorable geniuses could get up to! If only!

Roy turning himself in as the Arrow is a great twist, but doesn’t work quite as well to have him do it after Oliver. Lance made a public fuss about Oliver being the Arrow, there was a massive manhunt specifically for Oliver Queen, Ollie signed a confession, and was literally in police transport when Roy showed in the Arrow get-up. It was a noble move, but did not make much sense at that stage. Roy’s looking to deal with his personal guilt, and absolutely not thinking clearly. I’m not sure who’ll smack him first, Ollie or Thea.

The episode ends with Roy’s arrest, but I’m not convinced that it’ll stick. Lance knows he’s already got the real Arrow, and Oliver won’t let Roy take the fall. It was a good move, Roy, but you left it a bit late.

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Score: 4/5

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Arrow 3.18 - Public Enemy

Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays at 8/7c.

Review: Arrow 3.17 - Suicidal Tendencies

Diggle and Lyla get married, Ray finds out Oliver is the Arrow, and fake Arrow is really causing some problems for the team. Suicide Squad goes on a mission with serious consequences, and we get flashbacks from someone besides Ollie. This episode was incredibly busy, which was rather detrimental. It was difficult to be interested when we were zooming from one storyline to another. The newly Mr. and Mrs. Diggle are summoned for a mission alongside Deadshot and Cupid: to save a U.S. senator from a hostage situation. It ends in a shootout and a fiery explosion, naturally, and has Diggle and Lyla both questioning their career choices in the face of parenthood.

Ray, meanwhile, discovering the Arrow’s identity and takes it upon himself to get justice for the murders committed by Fake Arrow, who is not one person but many League members, including Maseo (who looks mighty fine in the Arrow get-up, I might add).

Ray’s discovery puts an obvious strain on his relationship with Felicity, and Oliver still firmly believes that it’s impossible to be a hero and be a person at the same time. Maybe he has a point, but I’m so bored by this excuse and by this attempt at a love triangle.

We get some flashbacks of Deadshot’s pre-A.R.G.U.S. life, of the family that he briefly had and of his PTSD. It’s meant to build sympathy leading up to his sacrifice, but it doesn’t quite work for me.

This could have been a solid episode if it hadn’t tried to juggle several storylines at once. A main story with a couple of subplots works just fine, but in this episode the focus was everywhere at once. Plus, I’m pretty over the love triangle. After everything, Ray still isn’t very likeable, so I find it hard to root for his relationship with Felicity, though her and Ollie’s mutual pining isn’t much better.

This episode ends in a cliffhanger of sorts. And we’re nearly at the end of season three and Lance still has no idea who the Arrow is. I feel obligated to bring that up until he works it out. I very nearly wrote “until he inevitably works it out” but Lance has been completely clueless for this long, so honestly who knows.

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Score: 2/5

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Arrow 3.17 – Suicidal Tendencies

Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays at 8/7c.

Review: Arrow 3.16 - The Offer

Ra’s al Ghul wants Oliver Queen to take his place. Ollie, Diggle, and Merlyn are free to return to Starling while Ollie thinks over the generous offer, and then right on cue, there’s a new villain in town. Villain of the week has his mouth sewn shut and a pretty serious hatred for the SCPD. The bad guys eventually make their way to the police station for a shootout, and Team Arrow saves the day. Captain Lance confronts the Arrow about Sara’s death, and he still doesn’t know that Ollie is the Arrow. I can’t believe that.

Thea is working out who she is, and who she’s become because of Merlyn. I don’t blame her for hating Merlyn, but I do think it’s time she went to therapy. She’s certainly been through some stuff, but she needs an outlet to work it out.

There were some good character interactions in this episode. Diggle remains Oliver’s number one confidant, and I really appreciate that. Laurel tries to fix things with her father, but he says he can’t forgive her. This is why lying is bad, Laurel! Laurel and Nyssa bond a bit, and Nyssa offers to train her. Oliver’s been harping on about Laurel needing more training, but he hasn’t exactly offered. Hopefully Nyssa teaches her to kick Ollie’s ass.

Oliver decides he won’t accept Ra’s’ offer, but it doesn’t seem to be a choice.

Not many flashbacks in this episode, which was nice. Ollie continues to be the most dramatic person in all of Starling. We also get our first glimpse of the Lazarus Pit. Overall, decent episode, with quite a bit of family drama and a good amount of action.

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Score: 3/5

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Arrow 3.16 - The Offer

Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays at 8/7c.

Review: Arrow 3.14 - The Return

This review might be a bit shorter than usual. The episode was quite flashback-heavy, which I found uninteresting and made it hard to pay attention. It had some decent moments but overall this episode didn’t do it for me. So Thea and Oliver are on the island for training, which is Merlyn’s brilliant idea; it’s pretty uneventful until Oliver decides to drop by Slade’s cell and see how prison is treating his old friend. He finds Slade missing and the guard recently murdered, and Oliver quickly realizes that Merlyn is behind this. It’s part of their training apparently, as Merlyn feels Oliver has gone soft with his “no killing” policy.

There’s some family bonding time between the siblings, and Thea eventually gets another secret out of Oliver- that she unknowingly killed Sara, that Malcolm Merlyn used her to kill Sara. At the end of the episode Thea declares that she’s no longer Merlyn’s daughter, which might have had some impact if they hadn’t only been doing the father-daughter thing for, what, a season?

In the flashbacks, Oliver and Maseo are in Starling, so obviously Ollie uses that time to stalk Thea. He sees her buying drugs, because that’s what you do when you’re a rich teenager, and ends up killing her dealer. Oliver is truly terrible at blending in; he lurks behind pillars wearing a hood pulled up over his face, and he’s in no way inconspicuous. The drug dealer recognizes him instantly, which is kind of hilarious.

The flashbacks also show a bit of Laurel and her father, and how they’re dealing with Sara death (the first one, of course). It’s paralleled with a scene in present time, which finds Lance at Sara’s grave clutching a wrapped bottle but leaving it unopened. He’s not happy with Laurel and her decision to keep this secret from him, but years of AA seem to have helped him.

This episode had far too many flashbacks to keep me engaged. I’d skip it, honestly. All you need to know for future episodes: Thea now knows the truth about Sara’s death, and Slade is still alive but imprisoned.

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Score: 2/5

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Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays at 8/7c.

Review: Sleepy Hollow 2.17 - Awakening

Henry’s back and up to no good, and this time he’s got Katrina on his side. There was that ominous thorn-pricking moment where it looked as though she’d unknowingly signed a blood pact- like Frank- but at the end of the episode it still seemed that Katrina acted of her own free will. Which I’m really excited about. I’ve been championing for evil Katrina since day one. Henry and Katrina have teamed up, and seek to awaken the descendants of witches living in Sleepy Hollow to join their coven. They talk a big game about how marginalized they are and how it’s their time to rise up and quit living in the shadows. But Henry is straight evil, and either Katrina’s forgotten that or she’s down with it. (Or her soul’s possessed, but again, that’s unclear.)

There’s a historic bell in Sleepy Hollow that Henry uses in his first attempt to awaken the witches. The bell was cast from the same mould as the Liberty Bell, and has been sitting on display in Sleepy Hollow for centuries. A spell causes the bell to toll and the witches to stir, but as Henry’s half-mortal (thanks a lot, Ichabod) he needs Katrina’s power to get the job done. Abbie saves the day in the nick of time: Henry can now be killed, and apparently all it takes is a distraction and a bullet. Katrina blames Ichabod for everything that went wrong with their son and in this moment is the Katrina I’ve been waiting for. Powerful, scary, crazed… I love her. She’s been incredibly underwhelming until now.

Meanwhile Jenny does her best to keep Frank distracted. His soul does belong to Henry, and he’s evil now, and there’s no real way to stop him. A few shots to the chest don’t take him down, and their solution is to Medusa his ass. Jenny hesitates though, and it’s a good thing, since when Henry dies Frank’s soul becomes his own again. Amazingly, Frank comes out of this episode alive.

Katrina’s reaction to Henry’s death is to begin a spell that looks a bit terrifying, all smoke and light. Abbie tries to stop her, and then they both disappear. It’s a blatant but beautiful parallel to the beginning of this entire show: Abbie finds herself in colonial Sleepy Hollow, and almost immediately is stopped by authorities and put into jail. She’s basically screwed, since not only is she a woman who won’t take crap from anyone, but she’s black and the year is 1781. If anyone could get out of this it’s Abbie Mills, but I’m still scared for her.

I am beyond glad that Ichabod is finally over protecting Henry and “saving his soul” and all that nonsense that got us very close to the apocalypse. Katrina’s continued defense of her son is annoying, but I love evil Katrina and I’m really hoping her soul and her choices are truly her own. Frank is freed and Henry is gone (for now). I’ve enjoyed John Noble’s portrayal of this Henry-Jeremy character. Evil, immortal old man who’s really just a lost boy looking for someone to love him. It’s tragic and twisted and well done.

Ichabod was delightful in this episode, particularly endearing when they were shopping for bomb supplies. And that heartbreaking moment when Abbie’s car blew up- at Katrina’s hand no less- and Ichabod thought Abbie was inside was painful and especially upsetting.

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Score: 4/5

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Watch Sleepy Hollow on Fox, Mondays at 9/8c.

Review: Arrow 3.13 - Canaries

It’s the episode I’ve been waiting for: finally, finally Thea knows Ollie’s secret, and Laurel tells her father that Sara is dead. It’s not nearly as disastrous as everyone feared. So our villain of the week is Vertigo. He has escaped and it’s pretty much the same old schtick. Laurel goes after him- twice- and both times is injected. The first time, she hallucinates Sara, the second time it’s Sara and her father. Which, yeah, sounds like a nightmare. She pulls it together the second time and is able to take Vertigo down. And that’s the push that leads her to go admit the truth to her father. He doesn’t have a heart attack and die on the spot, like she feared; while the scene is incredibly heartbreaking, they now have each other to get through this grief.

Roy and Ollie have a minor blowout over Thea- who here’s surprised?- and Felicity makes it clear she’s still not happy with Oliver’s decision to bring Malcolm Merlyn into their circle. But later in the episode Thea faces off with that DJ who’s actually a League member, and though she’s well trained, she can’t stop him. Roy bursts in, because he’s maybe a bit of a stalker, and he can’t defeat Chase either. It’s only Merlyn who’s able to stop the guy, though he doesn’t get to kill him; Chase does as he’s trained and kills himself.

Oliver anxiously shows Thea the Team Arrow setup that’s been right beneath her club all this time, and she takes it very well. She’s not mad in the slightest, rather she’s proud of Ollie for being a hero. It’s a sweet little moment, seeing Thea’s easy acceptance and Oliver’s face going from nervous to touched.

I’m quite satisfied with this episode. It was more character-heavy, lighter on the action this week, which is important as it set up several changes for the next half of the season. Oliver has finally accepted Laurel as the Canary, and while she didn’t need or even wait for his permission, it does make things easier if they aren’t getting in each other’s way. The group dynamic has shifted, just a bit, but they are becoming a real, cohesive team rather than just a vigilante with some support.

The end of the episode set up a couple of interesting storylines for next week. In the flashbacks, Oliver has returned to Starling, but he’s not quite “back” yet. And in present time, Merlyn sends Oliver and Thea to the island to train and prepare for their inevitable clash with the League.

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Score: 4/5

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Arrow 3.13, directed by Michael Schultz. Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays at 8/7c.

Review: Sleep Hollow 2.16 - What Lies Beneath

We meet Thomas Jefferson, and he’s kind of a dick. A team of surveyors has disappeared beneath Sleepy Hollow; some creepy creepers have managed to nab them, and Abbie and Ichabod go in to poke around. A reporter insists on following along for the ride- or for the story- and Abbie begrudgingly allows limited access. The reporter- Calvin- sees basically nothing, but he knows Sleepy Hollow’s got some secrets, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find him snooping at the next crime scene.

Underground we’ve got the Reavers, Colonial zombie soldiers. Feral and black-eyed, they grab the three surveyors for sustenance; two of them get lucky and survive until Abbie can bust them out, but the third ends up a pile of guts and bones. This entire encounter is absolutely delightful.

The best part is that the Reavers are in place to guard a hologram of Thomas Jefferson. Yes, the famous one. He’s an ass, willing to sacrifice the innocent surveyors in the name of protecting knowledge. Abbie and Ichabod don’t stand for it, of course, and in the end TJ gives in and Ichabod blows the entire place.

I gotta say, I loved the Reavers. Simple, gross creatures with a one-track mind and no sinister motivations. No Moloch or purgatory or whatnot in this episode, and only a glimpse of Henry and Katrina at the end. (That glimpse hinted at bigger things to come, but that’s always the case, isn’t it?)

I hope we see a bit more of this Calvin character. It’s past time citizens of Sleepy Hollow start questioning the goings-on in this town.

We also got a few moments of Frank and Jenny in this episode. Yes, Frank is out and about, but Henry still owns his soul and it’s evil. Frank’s managed to keep that dark side at bay for a while- he conveniently found an ancient rune in one of Henry’s books, if you can believe it- but it won’t hold out for much longer, and then Frank will be capital e Evil.

This episode was mostly self-contained, so you won’t really miss out on key information if you need to skip it. You will, however, miss out on Ichabod complaining about selfies and “instant gram,” the cute reporter (who hopefully will show up again in a future episode), and the ridiculous experience of hologram Thomas Jefferson living underground.

Honestly, this show is bonkers and I absolutely adore it. I loved getting back to our roots and having the story focus almost entirely on Abbie and Ichabod. I always say I want more of Jenny, which I do, but Abbie and Ichabod are the dream team, and it’s so fun being back with this duo.

This wasn’t exactly a solid episode; there was very little by way of storytelling and overall plot-advancement. But there was some good action, a touch of gore, creepy zombie soldiers, and a hologram. It doesn’t even sound real. What’s not to like?

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Score: 3/5

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Watch Sleepy Hollow on Fox, Mondays at 9/8c.

Review: Arrow 3.12 - Uprising

Oliver is still AWOL, though he’s making his way back, and Team Arrow is doing pretty well in his absence, considering. Malcolm Merlyn wants to team up. He’s pretty adamant about it. Roy’s reluctantly for it, but Felicity’s like, hell no. Merlyn learns that Brick is the one who actually killed his wife way back when. He finds this out from spying on Team Arrow; there’s literally a camera attached to one of the computers and somehow not one person noticed it. Okay. Not even Felicity saw the camera attached to the computer she was currently using. Sure. Okay. That’s fine. Anyway.

We get a lot of Malcolm Merlyn flashbacks in this episode. When his wife was killed, he went after the killer- or who he thought was the killer- and murdered for the first time. Wrong person, but oh well, that’s life. Afterwards, Merlyn leaves his son- his poor son who’s just lost his mother- in order to go learn how to protect his family or whatever. Maybe the flashbacks are meant to garner sympathy for Merlyn, but they really just show what a terrible person he is.

Back to present-day. Oliver is still gone, but Team Arrow is going strong. Laurel is getting better at the Canary gig. We also get a glimpse of Sin! Who I missed dearly. It took Sin about two seconds to realize the Canary wasn’t Sara, but Detective Lance still doesn’t have a clue. At least, not until Sin confronts him about it. Looks like he’ll finally get to the truth of it, and about time. That plot line was really frustrating, and I’m glad it’s coming to a head.

There’s an all-out battle between Brick’s men and the people of the Glades, spearheaded by Team Arrow, of course, and it’s a really satisfying scene. And right toward the end, just in time, in swoops Ollie like the big ol’ drama queen he is. He makes a big speech about how he won’t leave them again, and then he swings away. Classic Ollie.

Not a bad episode- I really loved seeing Sin again, and I thoroughly enjoyed the big fight at the end- but it was pretty heavily focused on Merlyn. Bit too many flashbacks for me. Also, a bit ridiculous that Detective Lance immediately knew Arsenal was Roy, but has never placed the Arrow and can’t tell that Canary isn’t Sara. Though probably the most frustrating part of this episode was Oliver’s “triumphant” return. He’s already back in fighting form. He only needed a few weeks of penicillin tea to recuperate? Yeah, yeah, I’ll just go with it. This episode was decent, entertaining in parts, but it had to wrap up one storyline while starting another, and that’s not easily done. Oliver’s beginning to train with Merlyn, and that’s sure to make for some excitement. Surely Thea will find out the Arrow’s identity soon, right? Right?

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Score: 3/5

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Arrow 3.12, directed by Jesse Warn. Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays at 8/7c.

Review: Arrow 3.11 - Midnight City

Oliver is still “dead” and Team Arrow is still scrambling. They’re finally starting to get it together, and they might even be able to do the vigilante thing without Oliver. Though it seems they might not have to for long-- Oliver’s on the mend in record time, and he’ll be back in Starling soon enough. Laurel is trying her damndest to be the Canary, and while she has nowhere near the training Sara did, she’s stubborn as hell, and that’s certainly to her advantage. I’m so excited to finally see Laurel out fighting as a part of Team Arrow. There’s still the issue of Detective Lance-- he has no idea that Sara is dead, and Laurel is frantically trying to keep that a secret. It’s going to come out soon enough and it won’t be pretty. There’s no real reason to keep that sort of secret; it’ll only ever backfire.

Malcolm Merlyn tries to get himself and Thea out of Starling, and far, far away from Ra’s al Ghul’s reach. Thea stands her ground (though to be fair, she doesn’t fully understand the seriousness of their situation. This is why we don’t keep secrets!) and Malcolm acquiesces. It’s too late, anyway-- Ra’s has already planted a member of the League close to Thea, so we can expect that to go down pretty soon.

Meanwhile, Ollie is in some cabin to heal, brood, and drink some penicillin tea. It’s tense as hell in that cabin; on the one hand, he’s reunited with Maseo and Tatsu. On the other hand, it seems they had a falling out some time ago, and Maseo is now a League member. He risks everything to go behind the League’s back and keep Oliver alive, but he can’t be persuaded to return to Starling with Oliver.

Lastly, there’s Danny Brickwell aka Brick, the villain of the moment. He’s trying to take over the Glades, and he’s doing a pretty great job so far. The only thing left in his way is Team Arrow; they’re a bit weakened by Oliver’s absence-- and people are starting to notice-- but Oliver’s managed to put together a team of the most stubborn people alive, and they won’t bow out easily.

This was a standard but solid episode. I am so in love with Laurel as Canary. I’m disappointed we’ll never get Sara and Laurel as a crime-fighting sister duo, of course. But Laurel’s got a serious fire in her, and she’s finally directing it toward something positive. She’s got a lot of promise as Canary so far, and now that Team Arrow has accepted her masked persona, she’ll get the training she needs.

I loved Roy in this episode as well; his character development has been really fun to watch, and it was really showcased in the way that he interacted with everyone while Oliver’s missing. He’s previously had great moments with the other characters that didn’t require Oliver’s presence, obviously, but it’s different when Ollie’s missing-presumed-dead. Roy and John share a drink and a moment, which was nice as I can’t remember them ever having a moment. Roy fits in with the others so well and so organically, and I’m really enjoying watching his character grow.

Vinnie Jones as Brick is fantastic, largely because I adore Vinnie Jones. He always plays the villain so well, and I wish his arc were longer.

That said! I should make it a point to mention Oliver’s miraculous healing once per review from here on out. We’re expected to just go with it, I guess. He got stabbed through a lung but that didn’t kill him, then he fell from a great height and that didn’t kill him. Not only that, but as far as we can see, he landed without a bone out of place. Maybe cracked or broken, but no dislocated shoulder, no protruding ribs, no broken neck. I’m just saying-- I’ll have what he’s having. I’ll start training on the Salmon Ladder if that’s the kind of power it gets me.

A high point in this episode: Team Arrow borrowing (stealing) Ray Palmer’s helicopter. That was a beautiful moment and I want more of it.

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Score: 3/5

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Arrow 3.11, directed by Nick Copus. Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays at 8/7c.

Review: The Flash 1.09 - The Man In The Yellow Suit

The Flash midseason finale was about 60% unrequited love story, and 40% unsolved man-in-the-yellow-suit mystery. It was a terribly unsatisfying episode, and was just generally boring. Skip this one. Barry finally admits to Iris that he has feelings for her. For what purpose, I don’t know, because all his confession achieved was awkwardness between the two. You can’t blame Iris for only having platonic feelings for Barry, seeing as they grew up together. But maybe this’ll mean less pining from Barry? That’d be a nice change.

Meanwhile, Team Flash gets really close to unmasking the man in the yellow suit, but in the end, they don’t get any closer to solving the mystery. Okay, not true; Barry learns that the other fastest man alive knows him. But that’s not very helpful, and they’re all still at square one. The audience, however, learns that the yellow Flash is actually Dr. Wells; I don’t think anyone is shocked by this, considering he’s been shady from day one.

This episode tried to create a lot of big moments, but it all fell rather flat. Love triangles and unrequited love stories are unimaginative, and the big reveal at the end wasn’t quite so big. This season has been building up the question of who the other Flash is, who killed Barry’s mother, and yet Barry and co. are no where near any answers to their questions.

I’ve been hoping that this show would find its footing and become something interesting, but from start to finish it’s been cliched, overplayed, and unoriginal. It has some good actors and characters with potential, but the action isn’t exciting and the story isn’t engaging. Are people still watching this show?

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Score: 2/5

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The Flash returns January 20, 2015 on the CW.

Review: The Flash 1.08 - Flash vs. Arrow

A metahuman who can overwhelm people with feelings of anger is terrorizing Central City. The Arrow is there to help, and it turns out to be a good thing when the Flash is inevitably affected. Iris and her cop boyfriend are at odds because Cop Boyfriend believes the Flash is a “menace,” while Iris is pretty obviously enamored. When the metahuman causes Barry to feel overwhelming anger, he directs some of it at Cop Boyfriend, and Iris is there to witness. She tells the Flash to stay away from her, but we’ll see how that goes.

Meanwhile, Oliver, Felicity, and Diggs are in Central chasing a lead, and when the metahuman causes trouble, Oliver reluctantly agrees to help. He’s moody and broody about it, and since Barry is more sunshine and rainbows, their training doesn’t exactly go well. When Barry’s affected by the metahuman, it’s Flash versus Arrow. It’s a nasty fight, and they’re pretty evenly matched, with Barry’s powers and Oliver’s experience. It’s hard to say who would have won, but we never find out for sure, as they bring Barry back to normal before there’s a clear winner.

This Flash versus Arrow business was rather overhyped. The actual in-fighting was short-lived. This episode was about two teams learning how to work together with one broody vigilante and one puppy-like superhero, but it wasn’t particularly memorable. There was, of course, Oliver telling Barry that he basically can never have a normal relationship, Barry pining after Iris, Iris a little too intrigued with the Flash, and so on. All rather expected.

We didn’t see any of the lead that Oliver and co. had chased into Central, which is fine, since it’s just the set-up for the corresponding Arrow episode. So I say, skip this episode. As much as I enjoy Grant Gustin as Barry Allen, overall this show just isn’t doing it for me. It’s something to have on in the background while you do… anything else.

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Score: 3/5

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Watch The Flash on the CW, Tuesdays 8/7c.

Review: Arrow 3.08 - The Brave and The Bold

We have a bad guy wielding boomerangs and Team Flash in the house, so what could go wrong? The Flash and Arrow crossover continues. Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin show up in Starling City to help catch Digger Harkness, who apparently is after Lyla. Some revenge deal, isn’t it always? There’s conflict between Oliver and Barry, as Barry watches Ollie’s interrogation tactics and rough handling of the bad guys. Barry believes that using Oliver’s methods would make him “no better” than the villains. Oliver says Starling City is a much darker, harder place than Central, and that his methods are necessary. We get some flashbacks in this episode that show us exactly how Ollie learned these interrogation tactics, and just how averse to them he used to be.

There’s an on-going joke throughout the episode about Lyla and Diggs not being married, though that joke won’t play for much longer, as John has finally proposed. Felicity has great chemistry with literally everyone on the show; she’s certainly the bright spot, and she eases tensions and awkwardness, despite being a generally awkward person. Cisco and Caitlin fit in pretty well with Team Arrow, and I’d love to see more of them on the show. Thea makes a brief appearance, as do Laurel and Captain Lance. There are some really good Roy moments, including Oliver referring to him as Speedy, as well as some solid interactions between Oliver and John. In the middle of all the nonsense, Oliver takes a moment to check in with John and see that he’s okay, which is a nice touch. Lyla is the target but is never made into a victim, even when she gets hurt. She’s tough and can stand on her own while still easily accepting Team Arrow’s help.

This was a solid episode. It had a couple of good action scenes, but overall it was the interactions between the two teams, plus Lyla, that made this one fun. While you wouldn’t miss out on any crucial information, I don’t recommend skipping this one.

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Score: 4/5

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Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays 8/7c.