Arrow Season Two: Streets of Fire

"Thea, I am your father"

The episode begins immediately after the last one however Arrow escapes the collapsed tunnel when Laurel uses an explosive arrow and Diggle and Felicity escape from Ravager when the latter runs into her with a truck, meanwhile the city is still being destroyed by the Mirakuru army. In a Flashback Oliver leaves to save Sara and tells Knyazev to escape if he is not back in time, in the present Thea is saved when Malcolm arrives as Dark Archer. The S.T.A.R labs truck is then destroyed in the chaos so Team Arrow races there to get the cure while at SCPD Quentin kills the solider then manages to convince the cops to work with Arrow and he is made a detective again. Laurel is then saved by Black Canary on her way to SCPD, Sebastian begins to have doubts after seeing so much death and when Malcolm kills the Mirakuru soldier so he asks Thea to come with him. Sebastian then visits Slade and says the plan was to make him Mayor so he can improve Starling after some destruction however Slade says the total destruction of Starling was his plan all along, meanwhile Laurel bonds more with Sara when she reassures her by saying she is a hero.

"I am altering our deal Blood, pray I don't alter it any further"

In a Flashback Oliver and Sara are captured by Slade and in the present the cure is stolen by a Mirakuru solider. At the clock tower where Roy is held Oliver says it is his fault this has happened however Felicity manages to give him confidence and says Slade is still out there meanwhile Sara saves a child from a burning building in front of Quentin who says she is a hero. Arrow and Diggle then go to Sebastian's office (after getting a call from him says he we give them the cure), there he says he made his skull mask because he feared his father as a child and that all he did he did for Starling City. He also says that he will still lead the city after this destruction and warns Oliver he will expose his secret if he exposes his however when Arrow and Diggle leave with the cure Isabel stabs Sebastian; Sebastian dies after declaring his love for the city and dropping his skull mask. Oliver injects Roy with the cure and then gets a call from Waller who says she will launch missile strikes on the city to stop Slade. The episode ends with Thea pointing a gun at Malcolm.

Someone should have told you; you don't mess with the Dark Archer!

This series sure knows how to make a great three part finale and there is still one more episode left! Firstly we got the return as Malcolm in his Dark Archer costume which was just awesome to see and his fight with the solider, where he used trick arrows now, was great. I thought he would appear sooner or later since Moira is now dead and it is to persuade the only family he has left to join him. Thea has got quite the dilemma here because Malcolm may have committed a few murderous acts but this may be her opportunity to really break free of the Queen Family which she has just became so tired of because of their lies. Unfortunately while the return of Malcolm was great he was so underused; his fight should have lasted longer and maybe he should have gone out into the city to confront Oliver. As for the events at the SCPD Quentin really had a moment to shine when he gave his speech to the cops about Arrow (great scene) and how he dispatched the solider. As for Quentin's daughter's Laurel was good because of how she used the bow and arrow to escape but I didn't get why she wandered the streets alone. As for Sara though she did fight and save people I am still not buying her whole "I'm a killer" mood she is in after being a hero already with helping Team Arrow.



If she spent long in there we could have had fried canary..........lol

The biggest highlight of the episode however was Sebastian who has been a great character since his debut and he went out a great character. Sebastian truly cared for the city more than anything else and in his own way try to help it - his intentions where good but he chose to do bad things to realize them. We also got some more backstory on the mask, which was good because he didn't wear it just because it's creepy, and the moment he threatened Oliver was great too. In the end it was a great way for his character to go because he did redeem himself slight because he wanted to save Starling City.

"I might not be a vigilante but I'm still taking you down!"

As for everything else the action was truly top notch in this; everything from how the destruction looks in Starling City to the fights with the Mirakuru army. Diggle and Felicity also where great as well such as their fight with Ravager (funny when Felicity hit her with the truck) to when Felicity gave her pep talk to Oliver in the clock tower. As for the Flashbacks they where way to short though Knyazev was good in it and I hope his relationship is expanded sometime in more Flashbacks since Oliver must have meet him again during the five years because of his tattoo and Russian connections. Finally there was the appearance of Waller who again I just do not like and I didn't like her missile strike at the end. So far she has just done some really stupid things in this series which just creates unnecessary problems.

Goodbye Sebastian

Overall this could have been worthy of being a finale episode by itself but we still have one more.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Return of Malcolm
                   Sebastian
                   Great action and character moments

Let - Downs: Waller and Sara
                       Malcolm was underused
                       Flashbacks

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/     

Arrow Season Two: City of Blood

Enter Ravager

The episode begins with Moira's funeral but Oliver is absent and Sebastian being sworn in as Mayor, later Walter attempts to comfort Thea who is mad Oliver never warned them of Slade and Isabel threatens Diggle and Felicity at the reception. In a Flashback the group go to the submarine in an effort to repair it, in the present Laurel brings up her mistrust of Sebastian again to Quentin and his possible connection to Slade. Diggle then gets help from Waller to track down Oliver and Isabel says to Thea she will shut down The Verdant since she owns it along with the company. Laurel then later plants a bug on Sebastian's desk and she and Quentin use it to hack his files and find a speech on Moira's passing written before her death. In a Flashback the group finds out someone will have to sacrifice themselves in a torpedo to free themselves, back in the present Diggle and Felicity find Oliver in a backup Arrowcave, one he kept secret. Oliver admits he should have cured Slade instead of killing him back on the island  and says he will hand himself over to him, of course Diggle is against it and Felicity is distraught. Oliver meets with Thea who wants to leave Starling City which Oliver thinks is for the best and in a Flashback the priest named Peter offers to sacrifice himself because the radiation poisoning Ivo gave him is killing him anyway.

"I volunteer the one who isn't even in the present"

Oliver is then captured by Diggle, Felicity and Laurel who talk him into being Arrow again and he gets more motivated when Laurel reveals Sebastian is working with Slade. In a Flashback Peter is successful freeing the sub and in the present Oliver and Sebastian have dinner where they both reveal their identities while Felicity gets the location of the Mirakuru army from one of Sebastian's bodyguards. Arrow infiltrates the sewers where Brother Blood is addressing the Mirakuru army while above ground Diggle and Felicity plant explosives. Laurel then helps Arrow take out one of the soldiers while Diggle deals with Isabel who wearing her altered costume and is now Ravager. Diggle holds Ravager off but has to get away before denoting the explosives and Arrow is forced to trap himself and Laurel in the tunnel when more soldiers approach them. Several soldiers are already causing havoc in the city; one infiltrated the police station and is massacring them while another is shooting up the train station where Thea is. The episode ends in a Flashback and Oliver hears Sara panic over the radio (because she was outside it) and in the present the Mirakuru army are making their way to the city.

Damn!

The first part of the finale for Arrow Season Two (like season one I feel the finale is really spread over the last three episodes) and was it a hell of a great start. The first part of the episode deals with the aftermath of Moira's death and it was so good; we had Walter back, Thea decided to leave Starling City and Oliver was more distraught than ever. Oliver looked more defeated than he ever has before and it was just great seeing him deal with it, going to surrender himself and then finding his resolve again. Another stand out was Sebastian who is so convincing as a good guy despite being a bad guy but is so menacing when he dons his mask and becomes Brother Blood. Plus the dinner scene he had that Oliver was great as well because of the tension between the two, each one mocking the other, it was just so cool.

Arrow vs. Brother Blood

Other standouts where Diggle and Felicity because they both some great moment of their own such as Felicity when she broke down after Oliver says he is surrendering but then later totally owned that bodyguard with her computer. Plus it was just great seeing Team Arrow give confidence to Oliver again because once again it proves how important they all are to Arrow. Of course Diggle proves he is just as capable as any costumed hero or villain by taking on Ravager and I will say again that Diggle deserves his own damn costume!! As for Isabel she continues to be a far more better character in these final episodes such as her awesome Ravager costume and the cool fight she had with Diggle.

"Too bad we don't have Felicity for this computer work"

As for everything else we had some great fights like the one Ravager vs. Diggle and Arrow facing the solider and we got a look at how much destruction just two soldiers are causing already which make me excited for the next episode. Thea had a nice moment with Oliver as well because at least they reconciled at the end and it showed that Oliver is ready to just let his sister go now. Laurel, like Isabel, is better in these final episode such as following Arrow in the sewer or earlier when he helped the doubtful Oliver. The only things that felt out of place this episode was the Flashbacks because did it really need a situation where one had to sacrifice themselves? Since we know it wasn't going to be Oliver, Sara or even Knyazev so there was no tension or sense of dread.

"All bow before Brother Blood"

Overall this was an awesome start to the finale and sets up a truly epic clash in the streets of Starling City.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: Oliver and Sebastian
                   Great action like Ravager vs. Diggle
                   Such emotional moments from everyone in the aftermath of Moira's death

Let - Downs: Flashbacks

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/     

Arrow Season Two: Seeing Red

 

You shouldn't have done that officer

The episode begins at the Arrowcave and Diggle and Felicity are surprised at there is no news on Isabel's death however Roy then wakes up and escapes, so they call Oliver and Sara who are in a hotel together. Thea and Moira argue over her campaign and we then get a Flashback and Oliver says to Moira that he got another girl pregnant while he is seeing Laurel. In the present Roy has been making numerous attacks on people, even on Sin who runs into him and who later tells Sara about it meanwhile Moira tells Sebastian she is dropping out of the running (since she now wants to focus on her family). Arrow and Black Canary find Roy in the clock tower who easily overpowers them (even catching an arrow) before he escapes and kills a police officer. Sara is forced to bring Arrow to a doctor, who actually thanks him for the things he has done, and Thea sees a report on the rampaging Roy while with Diggle. Sara and Oliver later aruge about Roy because Sara thinks they need to kill him and Roy begins to have hallucinations about Thea who wants him to kill her.

"Just remember; no questions doctor"

Oliver asks Moira why she is dropping out of the running and thinks her running for Mayor will be good for Thea and Moira admits she knows Oliver is Arrow and that he does good, in a Flashback Moira bribes the pregnant girl to leave and never tell Oliver, possibly believing he is not ready. Thea then uses Moira's speech at The Verdant to draw out Roy which works and Sara shoots him in the leg but Oiver knocks him out with viper venom. Sara then leaves Team Arrow and Oliver because she thinks she is just a killer and Oliver deserves better and while the Queen Family is in a limo Moira says to Thea that their will be no more lies but before she can say something about Malcolm the limo crashes with another car. Slade then makes Oliver chose who lives between Moira and Thea however Moira steps up, something Slade admits is brave of her, before killing her and leaving. The episode ends in a Flashback where Oliver is told the girl lost then baby but says he wasn't ready to be a father however Moira says she will always be there for him.

"Bet this situation feels familiar, doesn't it boy?"

We got the death of a major character in the series again and unlike Tommy this wasn't saved until the finale. Moira really has come such a long was from season one, she definitely the strongest and most interesting of all the female characters, so it is sad to see her go. I almost kind of thought this was her punishment for all the secrets and lies but despite that everything she has done is for her family, especially in season one and it was nice seeing her do good (running for Mayor) this season. Her death was also handled really well because it forced Oliver to make a choice like he did on the island and I am sure her demise is going to have a lot of repercussions. I am glad Oliver made his peace with her before she was killed (she even knew his secret!) but I wish Thea wasn't still so hostile towards her. The Flashbacks where also a change; it does show Moira's motherly side but it also puts her in a bad light for handling Oliver's child the way she did in my opinion. For those who don't know Oliver does have a son in the comics named Connor Hawke so he might be the child if we ever do see it.

Get through to him Thea!

As for the rest of the episode I really didn't like the finding Roy plot because it felt like filler to me, just to stretch out the episode, which is a shame because he is one of m favourite characters. Plus since he is back in a coma at the end, which was how he started, it almost felt like there wasn't much point in all of it. I also really didn't like Sara in this episode (again a shame because she is one of my favourite characters) because of her willingness to kill Roy and her admitting she is a killer. I just didn't believe any of that because ever since she joined Team Arrow she has become a good vigilante and even spared The Huntress so I just wondered what the hell she was going on about. Speaking of The Huntress, Sara using a gun was a stupid move because we never saw her with them before, now that was acting too much like that Huntress b***h for my liking. I guess that is it for this episode, there just didn't seem like much to talk about because the Roy and Sara moments where just filler.

Goodbye Moira

Overall I will give this episode I higher score than I might have usually given it because of Moira and her death scene.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Moira
                   Flashbacks
                   Roy vs. Arrow and Black Canary was good

Let - Downs: Roy subplot felt like filler
                     Sara just didn't make sense in saying she is always a killer when she has proven she isn't
                     Thea could have been less hostile to Moira

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/     

Arrow Season Two: The Man Under the Hood

Two members of Team Deathstroke (Brother Blood is the other)

The episode begins with Team Arrow blowing up Applied Sciences division of Queen Consolidated so Slade can't mass produce Mirakuru meanwhile Laurel visits Quentin in jail (after doing more investigating on Oliver) and finds out how much he supports Arrow. Oliver later finds out Isabel was his father's lover and that he and Moira need to get Thea to sign a document so she can't steal the rest of their wealth, in a Flashback the group considers killing Ivo. Deathstroke later infiltrates the Arrowcave and defeats everyone there, Laurel then visits Sara in the hospital and works out she is Black Canary and after Thea refuses to help Oliver discovers Deathstroke stole the skeleton key they retrieved from Clock King. Deathstroke then breaks into S.T.A.R labs to steal a bio - transfuser, Cisco and Caitlin are there but manage to get away and Arrow and Black Canary arrive too late. Oliver then later finds out from Isabel that Robert knew all along Thea wasn't his daughter but loved her anyway and chose Thea over her, Quentin is then later beaten up in his cell.

"Surprise motherf***ers!"

Laurel visits Quentin in the hospital where he again says how much Arrow is needed and he doesn't even care who he is anymore, Laurel then blackmails her boss to release Quentin and give him his job back. Arrow then locations the bio - transfuser and finds Roy hooked up to it where it is draining his blood and Slade and Isabel arrive. Arrow takes them both on and Diggle arrives soon after who shoots Isabel several time, Arrow then rescues Roy and escape along with a Mirakuru sample. At the Arrowcave Oliver says they will make a cure for Mirakuru and in a Flashback Oliver mercy kills Ivo after he tells them he made a cure for Mirakuru on his boat. Oliver then tells Thea about Robert still loving her but she doesn't care and leaves the manor, Laurel then comforts him at The Verdant while saying she knows he is Arrow. The episode ends with Slade's army gathering and him reviving Isabel with the Mirakuru in his own blood.

Everyone gets body parts chopped off in The Walking Dead and there are all fine

This Arrow episode is like a direct continuation from the last one because Team Arrow really does take offensive like Oliver said. I liked how Team Arrow got a few small victories over Slade and that Oliver is working a lot more with Felicity and Diggle (since he recently only partners with Black Canary) so I guess he finally gets that he needs more teamwork. It was also great seeing Roy again and it was interesting that Slade used him to power up his army and we got a great confrontation between Oliver, Diggle Slade and Isabel. Speaking of Slade he just continues to be the ultimate badass as Deathstroke when he defeated every Team Arrow member and infiltrated S.T.A.R labs. Then there is Isabel and I am glad that we got a lot more background on her and it makes sense of why she sided with Slade, plus I guess we will get some cool fight scenes out of her now that she is injected with Mirakuru (as much has I have complained about her it would be a shame if she went out like that). As for the Flashbacks I think Ivo's death was done really well; he might have been a bit of a sadist but he started with good intentions, so you do kind of sympathise with him when he begged for death. However if a Mirakuru cure existed all along how come Oliver didn't think of it when he was confronting Gold or Roy for the first time? This is a bit of a continuity error.

"Be a member of Team Arrow for the both of us"

We also had a great cameo from Cisco and Caitlin and I just love it when characters from The Flash and Arrow crossover with each other and I have always liked them anyway. Again the Lance Family continue to have strong material such as Laurel struggling with finding out Oliver is Arrow and choosing the side with him however I bet she feels stupid not realizing that Black Canary is Sara lol. I did really like that Laurel didn't just take Slade's word for it and did some investigating on her own on Arrow to connect the dots to Oliver. Then their is Quentin and I just really like the speech he gave in the hospital about not caring about Arrow's identity because it shows how his views on him as changed over the years and as I said before I do like this Quentin better than in season one. Lastly there is Thea who usually isn't given that good material in the show and that is still the case here because they are repeating her being mad at Moira. They did this a lot in season one and at the beginning of this season two so it just annoys me that they keep giving her the same tired plot line (like with The Huntress). Her being mad at Moira for lying to her about Malcolm would have had a lot more of an impact if she hasn't gone through this plenty of times already.

You two are going to wish you stayed in Central City

Overall awesome episode and paves the way for some truly epic confrontations between Team Arrow and Team Deathstroke.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: Deathstroke is a scene stealer with some epic fight scenes!
                   Isabel is a lot better now
                   Lance Family continue to be great
                   Cameos from Cisco and Caitlin

Let - Downs: Thea once again mad at her mother is nothing new

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/           

Arrow Season Two: Tremors

Bronze Tiger is back!

The episode begins with Bronze Tiger being busted out of prison and Arrow is teaching Roy the hitting water technique however Roy is impatient with it, in a Flashback Oliver and Sara begin to look for Slade. Quentin then visits Laurel to talk about her recent addicts, even trying to take her to an AA meeting but she is uninterested and Bronze Tiger meets with Milo Armitage who arranged his escape because he wants to employ his services. Roy still finds it hard to learn self control during the training so Arrow takes him along for the next mission which involved stopping Bronze Tiger stealing a prototype earthquake machine at Merlyn Manor however Roy gets in the way and the machine is stolen. Elsewhere Moira is invited to dinner by Walter because he believes that Sebastian's policies, though good, will bankrupt certain banks and wants Moira to run for Mayor instead. In a Flashback Oliver and Sara arrive at the cave with the skeletons and Oliver, after seeing calculations written on the wall identical to what Fyers had done, deduces that Slade wants to destroy Ivo and his ship with Fyer's missile launcher.

"You must learn patience young Padwan"

Though Moira doubts herself Walter and Thea believe she has a shot at being Mayor and Roy walks out on Arrow after losing patience again. Oliver then is called by Thea to the Verdant where Laurel is completely wasted because of being disbarred from her job and in a Flashback Oliver and Sara find Slade at the missile launcher but he threatens to kill them both if they stop him. Later Arrow tracks down Bronze Tiger and Milo but is to late to stop Milo turning on the earthquake machine however Roy shows up and Oliver reveals his identity to stop him killing Bronze Tiger and to turn off the machine, he then tells Roy to join him. In a Flashback Oliver manages to talk Slade out of blowing up the ship by saying it is their only way off the island and in the present Bronze Tiger is in prison but is asked by Waller to join a special squad. The episode ends with Oliver showing Roy the Arrowcave and introducing him the Diggle and Felicity, Moira accepting Walter's offer to run for Mayor and Laurel falling unconscious from alcohol poisoning but seeing Sara before passing out.

Welcome to the team Roy

Wondering when we will see Bronze Tiger again and I am glad that episode has finally arrived. He was awesome the first time I saw him and he was just as awesome in this episode where he continues to be quite the opponent for Arrow. The guy always brings a great fight sequence when he appears and even though I liked his team up with China White in episode two I am glad this one focused more on him. Plus we finally get a mention of the Suicide Squad with the appearance of Waller near the end of the episode and that is something else I have been waiting for; everyone who reads DC know that the Suicide Squad is a group of villains sent on dangerous missions by Waller. So hopefully we will see Bronze Tiger again soon and maybe a slew of new and old villains in the squad. Thought I might add that how the prisoner delivered Bronze Tiger's weapons was pretty damn gruesome.

"You know maybe you should calm down just a bit Slade?"

This was also a great beginning to Oliver and Roy teaming up because those who have read my previous reviews know I am a big Red Arrow/Arsenal fan and I am just waiting for Roy to get a costume. As we've seen in the previous episode Roy is still dealing with the side affects of Mirakuru but it's great that Oliver refuses to give up on him because I guess he sees this as a second chance to save someone from Mirakuru because he obviously must have failed with Slade. I like that Roy was introduced to Team Arrow at the end because this means he is now an official member of the team and will take an even more active role in fighting crime. As for Slade he was in the Flashback this time and because of that they where a lot more entertaining however not much really happened overall except that they found Slade and Oliver managed to talk some sense into him.

Damnnnnnnnnnn

As for everything else I am glad that Walter is back again because I just really like Colin Salmon and it is a shame he doesn't have a larger role but it was also unexpected that he suggests Moira run for Mayor. I am really interested to see where this goes because all last season Moira was Malcolm's lackey and had to do a lot of things she obviously regrets but this could give her a more positive storyline for once. What I didn't like in this episode was Laurel because she is turning into a completely unlikeable bitch (only uncensored it when I really hate the character) and seeing her abuse alcohol more than ever. Like I have said numerous times if the writers want some sympathy out of me for a character than don't let that character become addicted to drink and drugs because I just think it is self - harming nonsense. Plus it is just annoying to see her constantly insult her father, Oliver and Thea for just trying to help her; I mean where does she get off still thinking she is better than them? She has lost her job, ruined her life and it is all her fault, she is just an incredibly weak person now and deserved a slap at The Verdant.

Always good to see Walter

Overall this was a great episode but Laurel does ruin quite a bit of it because the writers are just ruining her character. Luckily Sara is probably back now which is good because she definitely the better sister and it is no wonder that Oliver chose Sara over Laurel.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Bronze Tiger
                   Oliver and Roy team up
                   New and unexpected direction for Moira

Let - Downs: Laurel

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/     

Arrow Season Two: Blind Spot

"Scream for me"

The episode begins with Sebastian visiting his mother and learns that Laurel came to see her as well he leaves but reappears soon after wearing his skull mask and kills his mother, elsewhere Arrow is still unable to find leads on Brother Blood. Laurel (while trying to pop some pills) gets a call from the mental hospital about Maya's death and suspects Sebastian however her boss refuses to take her seriously so she calls Quentin meanwhile Oliver checks up on Roy. Laurel tells her suspicions to Arrow (after Quentin arranges a meeting) however he is reluctant to believe her because of his support for Sebastian, Roy then meets with Sin and shows her his new strength. Arrow and Laurel then break into the city's archives for information on Sebastian however the file is empty since Slade removed it earlier, this leads the rest of Team Arrow to think Laurel is paranoid and Sin later meets up with Roy to suggest catching a serial killer with his new powers. In several Flashbacks Oliver finally apologies to Sara for bringing her on the Queen's Gambit but Sara doesn't blame him and then talks more about Ivo.

"It's nice having our talks above ground once in a while"

Roy and Sin later tracks down the serial killer however Roy nearly beats him to death and attacks Sin when he can't control his emotions, Slade then later tells Sebastian to deal with Laurel and her investigation. Sebastian then has one of his followers in the police called Daily to ransack Laurel's apartment and find the drugs she is addicted to and is arrested, this upsets both Quentin and Oliver who don't think they can trust her anymore and in a Flashback Sara talks with Ivo over the radio but refuses to believe him anymore. Laurel is kidnapped by Brother Blood and Oliver his knocked out however he finds her as Arrow, in the struggle Brother Blood is killed but it is revealed to be Daily under the skull mask who, unbeknownst to Laurel and Arrow, is diverting suspicion from Sebastian and it works for they believe Brother Blood is dead. Oliver now admits he can't rely on Laurel because of her problem since he could have hurt Sebastian and Laurel is later fired from her job, in a Flashback Sara tells Oliver that they should find Slade. The episode ends with Slade (now in full Deathstroke costume) killing several of Sebastian's followers for his failure and with Arrow visiting Roy and telling him he will train him to control the Mirakuru.

"Become my apprentice young Harper"

Now this was quite the episode because we finally have Slade in his full Deathstroke costume; DEATHSTROKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. I'm going to talk about that first because it was just so epic, I mean the costume was everything I thought it would look; having it's signature mask and sword while carry other types of weaponry and Slade was just a badass killing those five as if they where nothing with his sword. Plus him threatening Sebastian is just another way to show that he is the main antagonist in this season and that Brother Blood, as cool as he is, is just a part of Slade overall master plan. Slade didn't appear in any of the Flashbacks which is a shame because they where a bit slow this episode and predictable because I didn't think Sara would help Ivo after what happened so they spent a whole episode of Flashbacks just to come to the conclusion to find Slade.

DEATHSTROKE!!!!!!!!!!!! You just got to shout out the name when you see him

As for the meat of this episode it was really awesome because I just really like seeing Brother Blood and it was good that he was the main focus instead of a throwaway villain like last episode. Kevin Alejandro is such awesome choice for Sebastian because he can be damn menacing like at the beginning when he killed his mother but then showed his nervousness with Slade and facing Arrow. His plan to switch with one of his followers to fake Brother Blood's demise was a great one, I liked the confrontation between Arrow and Brother Blood near the end (even thought it wasn't him of course) and his plan to sabotage Laurel. Laurel was also the main focus of this episode and I did enjoy her character for once in a long while here because like in season one I do like it when she works with Arrow and she worked with him now. However once again I am not enjoying her drug and alcohol use but it looks like it is out in the open now so hopefully it is over (even though it is not *sigh*) but at the very least she gave a strong performance of someone who has hit rock bottom (and I mean that literally because she looks terrible). Finally I liked the side quest Roy had with Sin because it does show the madness that comes with Mirakuru (and I like seeing more of Sin and Roy, too bad Thea isn't getting involved much in their exploits now) and Arrow has now agreed to train him, might not be long before he Red Arrow/Arsenal!

Looking great there Sin

Overall this was a really strong episode and we got a look at Deathstroke kick ass I again just wish that Laurel didn't have a drug/drink problem because it is ruining her character. I feels forced in anyway because she still could have investigated Sebastian and help Arrow without that problem and I would like her a lot better.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: DEATHSTROKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                   Sebastian is still great as Brother Blood
                   Despite the drugs Laurel was good in the episode
                   Roy and Sin teaming up

Let - Downs: The Flashbacks where a bit slow

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/          

Arrow Season Two: Blast Radius

Blood for President!

The episode begins with Arrow trying to find more information on Brother Blood but is unsuccessful and we find out Felicity is visiting Barry who is in a coma, in a Flashback Slade has buried Shado (also giving Oliver her green hood) and Sara tells Oliver to keep what really happened a secret or Slade will kill him. Oliver is later supporting Sebastian's bid for Mayor at The Verdant however elsewhere a government building is blown up by serial bomber Mark Scheffer AKA Shrapnel (Sean Maher). In a Flashback Slade wants to gear up and kill Ivo but then starts to choke Oliver when he tries to dissuade him from it, in the present Felicity returns and Laurel starts to investigate Sebastian more by first asking him of his connection to Gold. Thea later notices Roy has been acting strangely and when Arrow meets with Quentin another building is blown up nearby however he loses Shrapnel when Felicity loses his signal. Oliver later has a falling out with her about this and in a Flashback Slade has come to his senses but Oliver says it must be the Mirakuru affecting him.

"I could snap your neck like a twig boy!"

Laurel later asks Quentin for help in finding out more about Sebastian and Arrow later visits Sebastian to convince him not to hold his next rally as it would be a target for Shrapnel however Sebastain refuses. Felicity later finds the address of Shrapnel however Arrow is then trapped there when he is surrounded by beams connected to explosives however he manages to shoot out the power box meanwhile Diggle and Quentin are at the rally keeping an eye out but Moira, Thea and Roy are in attendance. Diggle and Felicity manage to diffuse the bomb and Arrow stops Shrapnel who is later arrested, while this happens Roy manages to stop a light platform falling on Moira however he evades questioning by Thea later. Felicity and Oliver later make up for earlier and Oliver visiting Sebastian (as Arrow) agreeing to work with him to help Starling City, in a Flashback Ivo contacts the group over the radio and says he will get them off the island for the Mirakuru samples however Slade then disappears. The episode ends with Laurel visiting Sebastian's aunt, Maya Resik, in a mental hospital however Maya reveals that she is Sebastian's mother and says Sebastian killed his own father and locked her up here.

"Yeah I can use guns too"

Finally we get some more background on Sebastian/Brother Blood and he is really becoming an intriguing villain who I am liking more and more. He is kind of like the opposite of Oliver because they are both leading double lives to fix Starling City in their own way, Sebastian's however includes teaming up with Slade and creating an army of super soldiers. He also has a really good, tragic backstory when he was talking with Laurel however we don't know just how much of that is true from what we got at the end. Sebastian does really seem to hide a dark side if he is capable of killing his father and imprisoning his mother and I guess that side of him comes out when he puts on the skull mask. I am glad Sebastian/Brother Blood was introduced in this series because Sebastian could have been a great character by himself but his Brother Blood persona is making him out to be one of the best Arrow villains. Plus when he is the good Sebastian running for Mayor it is just hard to believe that he is a bad guy but that is because of the great actor who plays him.

"Miss Lance are you trying to seduce me?"

We also get some more insight into Mirakuru as well because it looks like it affects the users mind as well as his body because of what has been happening with Slade and Roy. It is interesting seeing Slade deal with the side affects and I am guessing he is going to find out the truth about Shado's death sooner or later because that is probably the reason he wants to get back at Oliver in the present. As for Roy he has always been one of my favourite Arrow characters and I am glad he is going to deal with Mirakuru which will kind of mirror how Slade had to deal with it. Since Roy has been on a one man quest to fix the Glades this season I wonder if he will now continue to do that with his new powers.



"I am in quite the pickle now"

As for the rest of the episode I didn't like the conflict between Felicity and Oliver because it felt really forced in more than anything. Since they have been working together for so long I just get that they can fall out over a petty fight however at least it was done with quick. I also didn't like the villain of the week this episode because he just didn't leave much of an impression and just seemed like a diversion away from Mirakuru and the Flashbacks. Plus he barely shared anything in common with his comic counterpart who had actual powers so that was a real shame. However I did like the trap he set for Oliver because it was badass how he had to stay completely still in the beam and Felicity and Diggle diffusing the bomb at the rally cool. 

 

Now that has got to hurt

Overall it was a good episode because that should have made Sebastian and Mirakuru the sole focus.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: More background on Sebastian
                   The Flashbacks
                   Roy dealing with Mirakuru

Let - Downs: Oliver and Felicity conflict
                      Shrapnel wasn't that great

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/         

Arrow Season Two: Three Ghosts

"Just wait till you see my costume boy"

The episode begins with Barry successfully treating Oliver however Oliver is angry with Felicity and Diggle revealing his identity to someone else and leaves however at Queen Manor he finds that Thea has brought home the injured Roy and helps treat his leg. Oliver then has an hallucination of Shado and then has a Flashback and Ivo's men have taken Oliver, Sara and Shado outside and forces Oliver to chose who will die, in the present he later asks Barry to take more samples of his blood to see if there is more wrong with him. Thea then asks Laurel for help in investigating Sebastian's blood drive meanwhile Felicity finds out more information on Gold however his apartment is empty when Arrow and Diggle search it so Arrow has no choice but to ask Quentin for help. In a Flashback Oliver choses to guard Sara at the last second so Ivo kills Shado instead, in the present Barry and Felicity watch as the particle accelerator in Central City is getting a lot of media coverage and Sebastian is informed by his police insider that they are hunting Gold. Oliver then has to deal with hallucinations of Slade meanwhile Quentin and his squad are ambushed by Gold leaving him severely injured and the rest dead.

"Just a little bit of fun Oliver"

Laurel visits Quentin in the hospital and seems to bond more with Sebastian and Quentin gives Arrow a key he took from Gold. Oliver is still unsure of fighting Gold but the rest of the team try to reassure him and Barry even says his hallucinations are psychological not from anything else. Later Roy steals files on all the blood drive participates but is captured by Gold and injected with Mirakuru by Brother Blood however Arrow arrives soon after from examining the key. Gold beats him quickly but with encouragement from an hallucination of Tommy, Arrow gets back up and puts up a better fight against Gold. He then destroys the centrifuge which spills harmful chemicals on Gold's face seemingly killing him, Arrow then helps Roy to a hospital (since Brother Blood escaped) where he has survived the injection but doesn't remember much. It is then revealed that Slade Wilson (who has a patch over his right eye) is indeed alive and backing Sebastian who is running for Mayor and in a Flashback Slade has survived his injection and kills all of Ivo's men with his new speed and strength and mourns over the loss of Shado (Sara covers for Oliver saying it was all Ivo's fault). The episode ends with Oliver receiving a green domino mask from Barry who has returned to Central City but soon struck by lightning after the particle accelerator exploded.

Super epic reveal!

Now this was an awesome episode because of the reveal that Slade is now in the present day story, is the one backing Brother Blood's experiments and that the present day Mirakuru is made from his blood. He defiantly looks more like his comic counterpart now with his patch and grey streaks in his hair and it makes me even more excited for the Flashbacks to find out why he is wants to destroy Oliver so much. Obviously it must have something to do with Shado's death but I hope we also find out how he lost his right eye and how he made it off the island. He was really epic in the Flashbacks where he used his new powers to kill Ivo's men so I hoe soon we get to see him more as Deathstroke and fight Oliver.

Say it before and I'll say it again; that is one creepy mask

Continuing on from Slade we also had a great story this episode revolving around Mirakuru and Brother Blood such as the awesome fights with Gold killing all those cops and his final showdown with Oliver; they where both done really well and made Gold out to be an unstoppable force. Though I usually don't like ghosts appearing to help out protagonists (mentioned in an earlier review) they handled the ghost of Tommy really well and that he gives encouragement to Oliver. It was almost like Oliver finally got some closure with his best friend's death and it may even help him become a better Arrow (as the ending of this episode sort of implied). As before Sebastian is really creepy when he puts on his skull mask and becomes Brother Blood and I like how Roy is now more involved in the story of Mirakuru. Since he survived the injection I guess it will only be a matter of time before he may become Red Arrow/Arsenal because he is one of my favourite Arrow characters.

Yay Tommy cameo

As for the rest of the episode I am again liking Quentin more and more in this season than in the last one because of how he accepts Arrow and even helped him. Barry continued to be a great guest character and the scene where he got struck by lightning was so awesome because it was at that moment that I knew there was finally going to exist real super powers in the Arrow universe. Plus I am glad that Arrow finally has his domino mask because I think it would work better to hide his identity than green paint. Laurel was ok in this episode mainly because at the very least they didn't show her drug and drink addiction again (just cannot stand that) and maybe her investigating Sebastian will give her a better storyline. As for what I didn't like as I mentioned above they handled the ghost of Tommy well but I just still don't like it that much and I did like the majority of the Flashbacks but I think Oliver did a really dick move saving Sara. Don't get me wrong she is an awesome character but after everything Shado and Oliver went through on the island (and the stuff involving Yao Fei) I can't believe Oliver didn't save Shado! I just think it was a bit of a selfish move and even though he was forced to make a decision I just thought he would have felt more of a pull towards Shado.

The Flash is born

Overall this was a great episode with some awesome fight scenes and the reveal of Slade alive in the present. Did anyone know that Cyrus Gold was the name of Solomon Grundy when he was still alive? I didn't say it last review because I thought they where just using the name but after hearing Diggle mention the rhyme, who knows maybe he might come back as the zombie lol.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: Slade revealed as main villain
                   Arrow vs. Gold/Gold vs. the police
                   Barry being struck by lightning at the end

Let - Downs: Don't like it when ghosts/hallucination of dead characters return
                      Though Sara had to live I still kind of hate that Oliver didn't choose Shado

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net          

Arrow Season Two: The Scientist

"Soon you won't be the only hero"

The episode begins with a masked thief (Gold) with super human strength stealing a centrifuge from Queen Consolidate d's Applied Sciences Division meanwhile at Queen's Consolidated Isabel is not happy Moira is getting involved in the company because of her recent trial. Oliver, Diggle and Felicity head to the science division to investigate along with Quentin and the police and are soon joined by Central City forensic specialist Barry Allen (Grant Gustin); he says that Central City had a similar incident and also expresses admiration for the Arrow. In a Flashback the group are still trying to find the sub while in the present Oliver observes video of Gold stealing the centrifuge and Barry and Felicity work together on the scene. Sin then later contacts Roy and Thea for help in finding her missing friend who was part of Sebastian's blood drive and Malcolm pressures Moira to reveal to Thea his is her father. Arrow then later tries to stop Gold from stealing a blood van but is easily overpowered which leads him to realize it is Mirakuru, in a Flashback the group find the sub. While Barry and Felicity do more investigating Sin, Roy and Thea are doing the same but are observed by one of Sebastian's men. Oliver and Diggle later confront Barry because Central City did not send him or have a similar case and Barry admits his mother was killed in a vortex of yellow lightning so he investigates anything to do with super powers when he can.

"Fine with my bike the way it is, don't need to pimp it up like Batman"

Moira later holds a party but barely anyone attends (however she speaks to a mysterious man there) and we get a Flashback and the group prepare to inject a dying Slade with Mirakuru but there is a chance it will kill him. Sin and Barry later arrive at the crime scene of her friend who lays dead and Felicity predicts where Gold will strike next because Mirakuru's need for sedatives. Roy then contacts Arrow about Sin's friend but is shot in the leg when he refuses to just stand by anymore meanwhile Moira warns Malcolm to stay away from her family because she has contacted Ra's Al Ghul about him who is angry with The Undertaking, Malcolm promises to leave for now. Arrow arrives at an A.R.G.U.S bunker to stop Gold but is easily beaten and injected with an unknown substance, in a Flashback Slade seemingly dies after being injected with Mirakuru (after telling Shado he loves her) but Ivo's men soon arrive. The episode ends with Barry being kidnapped by Diggle and Felicity because they need help in curing Oliver of the unknown substance.

Cool mask but it looks hard to see through

Finally we get to see a Mirakuru solider in action and the action did not disappoint! Those two clashes that Arrow had with Gold where just awesome, the fighting was just gripping to watch. This also gives us a new phrase with the Arrow series with the arrival of people with powers; the first being Mirakuru, the other one I will talk in the next paragraph. It is really refreshing to see another villain (besides the Dark Archer) who can not only stand up to Arrow but actually defeat him. I am really interested in more of Mirakuru now and I hope it doesn't just stop with Gold, which is why I am looking forward to the next Flashbacks because they seem to deal with origins of Mirakuru. The Flashbacks continue to be entertaining and I liked the scene where the group is dealing with whether or not to inject Slade with Mirakuru; they really left it on a cliff-hanger on if his survives!

At least you guys have a lot of fond memories together

The other big thing to talk about this episode was the arrival of Barry Allen who is The Flash and the mention of Central City, the place he protects. When I first heard that Barry Allen was in the episode I didn't get my hopes up much because even though I knew he was The Flash I didn't think he would actually become The Flash. However this all changed when Barry mentioned his mother's murder and I thought "They are really going to introduce superpowers in this?". This, along with Mirakuru as I mentioned above, is again proof that this season wants to improve over the first one and not feel as grounded which was my biggest complaint season one. I also liked the ending where he finds out Arrow's identity because that was so unexpected but nothing to worry about Barry obviously comes across as someone they can trust. Plus I think Grant Gustin was just a perfect choice for Barry Allen and I think him and Felicity work great together in their scenes, I mention him more in my Flash reviews.

You meddling kids!

As for the rest of the episode I really enjoyed Thea, Roy and Sin working together on the murder because it gets them more involved in the main story but in their own way. It makes me think that their are two groups fighting crime right now; Team Arrow and Thea, Roy and Sin. I hope the three of them continue to work together more but maybe that won't happen because I really didn't expect Arrow to shoot Roy in the leg, wonder if that will lower Roy's opinion of Arrow now? I also liked seeing the conflict between Moira and Malcolm again and it was great how Moira actually contacted Ra's Al Ghul to get Malcolm off her back. Obviously Malcolm must be a wanted man by the League and I definitely want to know more about that however I am a bit disappoint that Malcolm has to leave now already. Lastly I am still annoyed that Isabel still has nothing to do in the series; sure there was a little tension between her and Moira but that is it, I feel that everyone in the episode had something great to do except her.

Moira vs. Merlyn

Overall great episode with the possibility that we can see even more superpowers in the Arrow series as we get more seasons. Plus I'm glad there was no Laurel this episode, need a break from the stupid things she does.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: Debut of Barry Allen and him learning Arrow's identity
                   Mirakuru continues to be great this season
                   Thea, Roy and Sin's investigation
                   The conflict between Moira and Malcolm

Let - Downs: At this point I wonder what the point of even having Isabel in the series
                      Malcolm has left again too soon

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net