Arrow Season One: Trust but Verify

"This is my show now"

The episode begins with an armoured truck heist and Diggle is shocked to learn that Oliver's suspect is his former commanding officer and mentor, Ted Gaynor. In a Flashback Oliver uses his commando disguise to infiltrate Fyer's camp to rescue Yao Fie but runs in to Fyers, in the present Tommy is busy renovating the club when he gets a call from his father who apologizes for before and wants dinner with him and Laurel. The Hood then goes to confront Gaynor but is stopped when Diggle intervenes but manages to steal a flash drive, Diggle is then given a job at Gaynor's security company. Back at the Arrowcave Oliver is furious with Diggle but Diggle believes Gaynor is a good man and wants to prove it, Oliver agrees to let him; we then have a Flashback and Oliver has been found out by Fyers. Later Moira is called in to a meeting with Malcolm but demands evidence that Walter is alright, their meeting is witnessed by Thea who believes they are having an affair, elsewhere Laurel convinces Tommy to have dinner with Malcolm. Diggle has dinner with Gaynor at his sister in law's restaurant and even though he meets another former solider named Paul Knox who he never got along with still thinks Gaynor is innocent. Thea later tells her worries to Oliver who then confronts Moira about them but she denies having an affair with Malcolm and that Robert was unfaithful to her, in a Flashback Oliver is captured by Fyers.

Kind of almost sad Malcolm spoiled the moment, they where getting along so well

While Tommy, Laurel and Malcolm have dinner Malcolm tries to get Tommy to sign over a free health clinic that was run by his late mother, Tommy refuses and storms out. Oliver later gives the flash drive to Felicity who cracks it and informs him that that it has information on the robberies, Oliver disrupts one of them and seriously wounds one of the robbers. At Thea's 18th birthday party she gets a car but also a new drug called Vertigo from her friends and then angrily leaves after again thinking Moira and Malcolm are having an affair. Oliver then asks Diggle to poke around the security company where he finds blood in one of the vans and is then confronted by Gaynor and Knox who are behind the robberies; they have even kidnapped Diggle's sister in law to force him to help with the next robbery. Diggle refuses to go along with the robbery and The Hood shows up; Knox is killed and Gaynor soon as well after a fight, Diggle is arrested but soon let go. Oliver later shows lets Diggle cross Ted Gaynor's name off the list and apologies for not trusting him more. Thea then gets in to a car accident under the influence of Vertigo and winds up in hospital, she also wants nothing to do with Moira but is arrested by the police for being on drugs. The episode ends in a Flashback where it is reveal Yao Fei is working for Fyers.

A bow vs. a knife

Got a good Diggle centred episode here and it is about time because we defiantly need to learn more about his past because they don't talk about it much and they haven't expanded on his Deadshot connection yet. I really like that it raised the issue of trust because Diggle was torn between old loyalties or his new one to Oliver to help Starling City because it does show how he looks for the good in people, like Oliver and why he helps him. Also again it shows him taking a more active role in helping the city than just supporting Oliver; in this he went undercover and even fought Gaynor. It might not be as cool as seeing him act as The Hood but it sure is a start, Diggle is one of the best characters in the show and I want to see even more of him and Felicity. Felicity too is an interesting character and as smart as she is she is defiantly going to figure out that Oliver is The Hood soon; I mean everyone comes to her with all of their problems and it is interesting how many BS stories Oliver can come up with lol.



"Is that real food!!"

Other stuff that was great was again the moments we have between Tommy and his father; the two have such a complicated relationship and I want to know why they don't get along that much, it is also confirmed that Tommy's mother is dead and maybe that has something to do with it. Malcolm obviously developed more of a bleak outlook on life after that and how Tommy gave us more background on him. I'm guessing in those two years he was gone he must have became an expert fighter and archer and I hope we get a Flashback for it, plus the scene with Tommy talking and you see Malcolm next to his costume was really cool. I also liked the Flashback this episode with Oliver sneaking into the enemy camp to rescue Yao Fei; he already thinks he is Big Boss! It was a surprise to learn that Yao Fei is working for Fyers but I'm sure that after everything that has happened he is being threatened in some way and that he will end up helping Oliver. Also I guess this shows how much Oliver has changed since being on the island since he is willing to risk going in to an enemy camp to rescue someone he barely knows, like the time he didn't give up Yao Fei's name under torture.

"I love being on TV"

Now for the thing that has let the episode down; Thea, I really cannot stand the stupid things she continues to do. I mean why did she get so upset about her mom maybe having an affair with Malcolm? she barely had any proof and now she doesn't want anything to do with Moira again. Also how can she be so stupid to drive under drugs influences? I don't know if their trying to make us sympathise with her or make a tragic subplot because I can't, she is just a whiny, annoying, stuck - up bitch (she annoys me that much it's uncensored!). However at the very least we got the mention of Vertigo and it has me more worried than anything else. In the comics the Arrow has a villain called Count Vertigo who has the power called the Vertigo Effect to disrupt his enemies' balance which is useful in combat (can even work to disrupt equipment). This has me worried because if they are kind of introducing his power as a drug than just like most things in this show Count Vertigo will be turned in to someone realistic and grounded.

"You should have joined us Diggle, unlike the Arrow we would have paid you"

Overall I like this episode because it focused more on Diggle and the Flashbacks continue to be some of the strongest moments in the series.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Diggle focused episode with a good showdown at the end
                   Great Flashback
          Tommy and Malcolm continue to have on of the more interesting character relationships        

Let - Downs: Thea continues to annoy
                      Worries for Count Vertigo if he gets introduced

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/         

Revolution Season One: Nobody's Fault But Mine

Half way through the series now.

This episode begins with a Flashback five years after The Blackout where Miles, Monroe and their Militia are fighting in the ruins of Trenton, New Jersey in a what would later be known as the Trenton Campaign. Monroe jokes about how they would be forced to use swords soon because ammunition is running out but Miles is hurt. He tells Monroe to leave him but Monroe refuses sayings that if Miles dies he will die with him.


Joking about using sword; you got to love unintentional foreshadowing 

It then changes to the present and the group are moving through the streets of Philadelphia at night and Charlie is still feeling bad because of the knock to the head last episode. Miles manages to get them inside the house of an old friend of his when he was in the Militia and then leaves to group to find out where Danny is. In Impendence Hall Tom tells Monroe that Miles is likely in the city (because they found the body of Wheatley) and suggests he moves to their base in Boston for a while however Monroe refuses to run from Miles. Not long after that Charlie, Aaron and Nora are captured by Tom who guessed this was one of the few places Miles would try to hide them.

"All according to my plan"

Charlie is thrown in to cell away from the others, which her mother is also in as well and of course she is shocked to find her still alive. Rachael tries to explain but Charlie does not want to hear it because they need to escape and find Danny. Meanwhile Tom has Aaron and Nora in a separate place as bait for Miles to try and rescue. Tom also recognizes Aaron from computer magazines before The Blackout and says that even though he was a fan of his work, he is glad that a once millionaire is helpless at the hands of a once faceless paper - pusher.

How the tables have turned

Miles goes back to the house but notices the presence of Militia and instead goes to Tom's house before Tom gets back. He holds his sword to Julia's throat and demands that Aaron and Nora be brought to him, which Tom reluctantly leaves to do. Back in the cells Charlie and Rachael try to escape but are stopped by the arrival of Strausser who brings them to a beaten Danny. Monroe then orders Strausser to shot one of Rachael's children if she doesn't finish the amplifier that Jaffe was working on. Charlie insists that her mom shouldn't finish the amplifier for Monroe and even says to Strausser to kill her but Rachael breaks and says that she will complete it. Tom brings Aaron and Nora to Miles though he insists he cannot bring Charlie or Danny but says that they are being held at an old power plant, Miles then locks Tom and Julia in a closet before leaving.

"This is the first time your meeting me Charlie, you should be honoured"

The next morning Miles, Aaron and Nora make it to the power plant and find that it is heavily guarded, lucky for them Aaron knows where the back service tunnel is and Miles and Nora infiltrate it while Aaron stays outside with a bag of explosives to blow the front gate. In Monroe's office in the plant Baker asks Monroe if he can bring himself to kill Miles and we then have a Flashback two years before The Blackout. Turns out Monroe's parents and little sisters where killed by a drunk driver and Monroe is at their grave contemplating suicide however Miles shows up and convinces him out of it insisting that they are still brothers.

"Don't hog all the booze Bass"

Rachael then manages to complete the amplifier and at that time Charlie and Danny have escaped from their cell and Miles and Nora have gotten inside the plant and of course all hell breaks loose. After leaving Charlie and Danny with Nora, Miles goes after Rachael who has killed Strausser and after a tense reunion with Miles leaves with him. Baker however catches up with them but they both escape then come face to face with Monroe.

Now your using cover Charlie!

Miles tells Rachael to go and confronts Monroe himself and in a Flashback we see that the two of them have been friends since they where kids and that the Monroe 'M' actually stands for both of their names. Monroe asks Miles to re-join saying that it hasn't been the same since he left and that he will forgive him for trying to kill him. However Miles refuses believing that Monroe has gone too far and saying that he is nothing to him now, this enrages Monroe who draws his swords. After a truly epic clash they are interrupted by Baker and some Militia and Monroe orders them to kill Miles but he manages to escape. 

Like some epic boss battle

Outside the Aaron manages to blow the front gate and the group, which is all reunited, escapes from the plant. The episode ends with the group running across a grassy field but slowly turns around and stares at UH-1 'Huey' helicopter, imprinted with the Monroe emblem and equipped with an amplifier, takes off in the distance.

Yep you are all screwed

I guess the hunting for Danny arc is now fully over and the end of this episode indicts that that war between the group and a Monroe Republic with power has truly begun.

Now that was quite the awesome episode and that is that after nine episodes of the group making their way to the heart of the Republic they finally made it and it did not disappoint. I didn't expect it to be all fitted in to one episode, I thought they would spend one episode sneaking around the city but they only did that for barely the first half of the episode and they rest was an epic confrontation at the power plant.

They used this shot in the trailer

The first part with Tom capturing the group was really good however I thought it was resolved a bit too fast because Miles immediately found out about the ambush and threatened Tom's wife who then immediately frees Aaron and Nora. Also because Tom was then locked in a closet he was not part of the big showdown at the plant and that was a shame because I think he could have been great there. Maybe because Tom is one of my favourite characters but I wanted to have seen him involved in the latter half of the episode.

Even if it's powerful that is one ugly amplifier

Next is the action that happened inside of the plant and it was some of the best that Revolution has had so far. We got some awesome gun fighting with Charlie and when Miles and Nora first got in but what was truly a standout was the fight between Miles and Monroe. It has been really hyped of a major confrontation between these two characters and it lived up to it; we had them fighting over that rifle, Monroe dual wielding against Miles. It was all shot brilliantly, none of it looked fake and it was not some over the top, jumping all over the place sword fight. We also got more back story on the two of them and that Miles has refused Monroe's offer to re - join the Republic and I have to say that I side and sympathise more with Monroe. When his family was killed Monroe only had Miles and he just tired to kill him and then abandon him, Miles really has to take responsibly that he has influence Monroe in to who he is now.

You wasted your chance Miles

Finally we got a truly awesome shot of that helicopter at the end, it was really cool how they did it; hearing the blades whirl in the background, the group slowly realizing what it is and the look on their faces when they see a helicopter for the first time in fifteen years. One of the best reaction shots in the entire series, even more than when the light house was turned on.

"I haven't been idle these past fifteen years Miles"

Two things that I wished could have been different, and this first one is small, is that I wish we could have seen just a bit more of Philadelphia. As I mentioned above I didn't expect the infiltration of the city to be done in one episode so we didn't get a chance to see what the people are like there and just how the way of life is at the capital. Secondly (and again) Rachael does ruin parts of this episode for me because I can't believe she is the one to kill Strausser, I wanted him to go out a lot better than that I just hate it when Rachael kills people in the series. Its hard to explain but it just feels wrong and makes me hate her even more; like when she killed someone like Jaffe and I just wish someone like Charlie or Miles killed Strausser because they probably wouldn't have gloated over his corpse like she did.

Baker should defiantly have been in the series a lot more

Overall this is one of the best episodes of the series and a great mid season finale because they went on a break for a couple of months when this was airing.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Miles and Monroe confrontation
                   Showdown at the power plant
                   The shot of the helicopter at the end

Let - Downs: Tom not part of the second half
                      Strausser deserved a better death
                      Didn't see as much of Philadelphia as I would have liked

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/