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: 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: Crucible

Now that is a creepy mask!

The episode begins with Felicity covering for Oliver who is busy as Arrow stopping an arms shipment to the Glades, when he does arrive at the party he agrees to work with Sebastian and sponsor a "Guns for Cash" event in the wake of a mob boss called The Mayor taking over the Glades. Laurel is also there and seen abusing drink (*shaking head*) and is later watched by Black Canary who is then tied up by Arrow (Felicity having told him earlier that she is following Laurel). Black Canary escapes but not before Arrow realizes it was Sara Lance (Caity Lotz), Laurel's supposedly deceased sister. Oliver tells Diggle and Felicity that he knew she didn't die on the Queen's Gambit but saw her die a year later, Sara is then talks to Sin about seeing her dad and sister. Laurel then abuses drink in front of her boss and is pulled over for drink driving (*shaking head again*) which prompts Quentin to warn her about addiction however she doesn't listen. Sara then visits Oliver to ask him not to tell her family she is alive and then Quentin shows up (Sara hides) and asks Oliver for help with Laurel, in a flashback Oliver is shot by the pirates but is helped by another prisoner Anatoly Knyazev (David Nykl).

Bet you thought it couldn't get worse than Fyers

Oliver tries to talk to Laurel about her recent troubles but again she does not listen and we have a Flashback and Oliver is questioned about the skeletons. The Mayor attacks the "Guns for Cash" event where Sin is injured and Oliver, Sebastian, Thea and Roy where all there however Felicity manages to get his location after this. Arrow and Black Canary team up to take the Mayor down but Arrow has to talk her out of killing him, later Oliver and Sebastian decide to work together to help Starling City. Oliver then meets Sara at the hospital and even though she doesn't want to reveal she is alive to her family she agrees to work with him, while this is happening Quentin is at his AA meeting and Laurel is seen abusing drugs with drink (*bloody hell*). The episode ends with a Flashback and Oliver finds out Sara is alive on the Amazo and in the present the Mayor is brought before a skull - masked man named Brother Blood (revealed to be Sebastian) who injects him with a green substance but dies.

"Now this is a change from my staff"

We got quite the reveal that Sebastian is one of the antagonists of the season called Brother Blood, when I first watched this it was quite the surprise because I didn't expect it; Sebastian seemed like such a good guy! His mask was pretty damn cool if I say so myself and I like the way he uses a voice filter to make himself sound more menacing. I don't know what he injected the Mayor with but it seems like death wasn't what he was hoping for but since Sebastian is obviously a major character this season I'm sure we will find out more in time. For those who don't know Brother Blood is a minor villain in the comics some I'm glad a less known one is having the spotlight in live action.

"I got the guns now where is my cash?"

I didn't really care that much for the other antagonist, The Mayor, since he was just the villain of the week however at least we got to see Arrow and Black Canary team up (I just like team ups!). Again I was surprised to find Black Canary was Sara because apart from supposed to being dead Laurel is Black Canary in the comics (her mother also is but I doubt she will be in live action). Of course since she was already in previous episodes I thought it was someone new who would train Laurel at first but anyway I glad we got her identity now and the Flashbacks are getting better and interesting now that she will be apart from them. I can't wait to see what happens which makes Oliver thinks that she died again after the sinking of Queen's Gambit?

Shouldn't a secret meeting be at night?

As for everything else in this episodes I liked how Sebastian and Oliver want to work together to help Starling City (of course at the end it is revealed they both have duel identities lol) and Roy, Thea and Sin got some good scenes together. However what really ruined this for me was the direction that Laurel is going in now and that is being a drink and drug abuser; hated this decision the second I saw it because we had to go through this with Thea in season one and now again? I know she has recently been through a lot but why did it have to be drink and drugs? Are they trying to make build sympathy for her because honestly I don't feel that to anyone who does drink and drugs and it just makes her out to be an incredibly weak character. Plus her stupid attitude with her father and Oliver doesn't help because if she keeps ignoring them (Did she admit to Quentin last episode she got Tommy killed for being too stubborn?) it is going to take her ages to get over this; after seeing her not do much in season one and now seeing what the writers are doing with her she is unworthy of ever being Black Canary.

"Now this is a change from my bow"

Overall we had some great reveals in this but it is the weakest episode so far largely thanks to that b***h Laurel.

SCORE: 6/10

Highlights: Arrow and Black Canary team up
                   Sara Lance back and the Flashbacks
                   Sebastian as Brother Blood

Let - Downs: Laurel really ruined this
                      Didn't care for the Mayor

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: Identity

"I want your head Arrow"

The episode begins with a truck heist by China White, Roy attempts to stop it but is instead arrested by the police. At the SCPD Laurel, Thea and Oliver try to talk him out of his vigilantism but Roy says the Glades hospital's medical supplies are being stolen, in a Flashback Slade finds a map on the men they killed. Oliver visits the hospital where he meets Sebastian Blood (Kevin Alejandro), an alderman for the Glades, who insult's Oliver's family for The Undertaking on TV. Felicity meanwhile is not happy with her new job as Oliver's secretary and we have a Flashback and Oliver and Shado are getting intimate. Oliver then suits up as Arrow to stop another heist but China White has backup in the form of Ben Turner AKA Bronze Tiger (Michael Jai White) who uses his claw weapons to put up quite the fight however they are interrupted by the police and they flee. Thea later tells Roy that she wants him to chose her or the Arrow and Sebastian later visits Oliver to apologise for earlier and two agree to hold a charity event.

Blood for Mayor!!

In a Flashback Slade, Oliver and Shado follow the map while in the present Arrow visits Laurel for help on the heists but she refuses because she blames him for Tommy's death. Oliver is later forced to abandon the charity event because of a report of a new heist which causes Sebastian to slander him. Arrow and Diggle arrive at the heist where Arrow holds back and defeats Bronze Tiger, made difficult again by the interference of the police. Diggle drives the truck away but his attacked by China White but Arrow arrives in time to pin her to a post and later employs Roy's help to be his "eyes and ears" in the Glades. In a Flashback the group arrive at a cave where they find many deformed skeletons and Oliver finds the stone he would later give to Thea. The episode ends with Arrow trying to convince Laurel he is not a criminal but she has set him up and is surrounded by the police.

Awesome!

Season two looks like it is not going to hold anything back with episode two bringing back China White (who also debuted in episode two of season one) and a new antagonist Bronze Tiger. China White was good in this because I have always liked the character but it was Bronze Tiger who stole the spotlight. We got some truly awesome fight scenes from him, with a great use of martial arts, combined with those cool claws and the fact he swatted away the arrows. This is the kind of villain I wanted to see more of in season one; someone who could psychically stand up to Arrow so much it didn't faze him being shot by an arrow and took an electric shock to put him down . I liked his personality as well; they way he taunted Arrow to fight better and mocking him for his choice not to kill, it was like he cared more for a great battle. Also I did like the team up of China White and Bronze Tiger because whether it's comics, TV or films I just really like villain team ups and they had a great two vs. one fight against Arrow.

"Things just got weird"

Another great new character was Sebastian Blood who was really charismatic in every scene he was in and I just liked his character straight away. With the introduction of Sebastian it again shows that they are not abandoning the Glades and will play an even larger in this season. I'm sure Sebastian will continue to play a large role as well and from the looks of it in this episode he will be more of an enemy to Oliver, though that was largely Oliver's fault lol.

"I was just in a car crash, show a little compassion?"

As for the rest of the episode I did like that Arrow has employed the help of Roy because it is one more step for him becoming his side kick.  I was annoyed however with Thea, Laurel and Oliver constantly trying to dissuade him from his vigilantism because to be fair in Roy's mind he is the only one protecting the Glades right now. Speaking of Laurel she again proves to be the bad thing about the episode because again her turning on the Arrow just doesn't work because it was such a sudden change in her attitude. Not to mention she betrayed him at the end and was probably the one who made the police keep interfering and why did she go with them as well? she has just become really unlikable so far. Lastly there is the Flashbacks and I know I didn't mention them last review and that is because I don't really think much has happened in them yet. Them finding the skeletons was pretty interesting but other than that it hasn't been too exciting.

"How to get out of this one?"

Overall we have got some great new characters in this episode along with some awesome fight scenes.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Bronze Tiger kicking ass!
                   Strong introduction for Blood
                   Awesome fight scenes

Let - Downs: Laurel once again
                      Flashbacks haven't been that exciting

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