Top 10 Arrow Season Two Episodes

Now for Arrow Season Two! SPOILERS

 

10. Tremors




Starting off is an episode that had Ben Turner AKA Bronze Tiger as the main villain which I really liked because he is one of my favourite villains in the Arrow TV series, it is such a shame his character has been possibly killed off because he has been in the comics. We also had some good moments with Oliver training Roy and revealing his identity to him and it was the start of a good subplot where Moira runs for mayor.

9. League of Assassins




The episode that introduced the League when they where only hinted at in Season One and they did a very good job. We had some awesome fight scenes between the League, Oliver and Sara but I really liked the emotional moments between Sara and Quentin such as when she first approached him and when Sara had to leave in the end. Plus this is probably one of my favourite episodes with Quentin because of the moments I just mentioned and when he teamed up with Oliver and Sara to fight the League, even doing really good against trained assassins.

8. The Promise




The episode of the season when the majority of it focuses on Flashbacks and we got a really entertaining one where Slade, Oliver and Sara take over the boat. Slade was really awesome in this when he wore his old Deathstroke mask and slaughtered everyone in his path also we got some tense moments in the present with Team Arrow trying to secretly take out Slade. What does bother my a bit about this episode is that is that Slade turns against Oliver because of Shado and I always found that reason to be kind of forced .

7. Streets of Fire




The penultimate episode of the season and a really good one where Slade unleashes his army upon Starling City. This episode had a lot of good moments such as Quentin regaining his trust with the police, Malcolm returning as the Dark Archer and a real standout is when Sebastian Blood decides to betray Slade because he truly did love the city. However while I also enjoyed the parts with Sara and Laurel I have just never liked that Sara keeps thinking she is so irredeemable because that was the flimsy excuse she used to leave last time and I never believed it.  

6. Broken Dolls




The introduction of one of my favourite DC villains which is the Dollmaker and he was really good here in live action. Another great episode with Quentin (see he is much better in Season Two than in One and Three) because of his past history with the Dollmaker and that he teamed up with Team Arrow. This was also one of the darkest Arrow episodes because of the method of the Dollmaker's killings, like the part when he tried to make Laurel into his new doll. This was also a strong introduction to the Canary (not just two minutes intro last episode) but I just wish she didn't have to kill the Dollmaker.

5. Unthinkable




Now I know the finale is a bit further down the list than even I would have thought but that is because Season Two has so many great episodes not just the finale. We have here an awesome final fight between Oliver and Slade which was made so much cooler with the use of Flashbacks during it and we have the massive battle between Oliver teaming up with the League (with debut of Arsenal) against Slade's army. However I just didn't like Thea's subplot of leaving Starling because as I have mentioned in my reviews the pay off in Season Three is lacklustre after so much hype.

 

4. State vs. Queen




This episode is a standout in Season Two and I enjoyed watching every minute of it! First off this episode had the return of the first Count Vertigo and while there was some who found him too over the top I've always like him. He had a really cool plan of poisoning the city with Vertigo, he is one of the few to work out the Arrow's identity and he had a great final confrontation with him in the Queen Consolidated building. Besides that the trial was entertaining to watch with many twists and this episode had a big WTF moment with the reveal that Malcolm is still alive and the father of Thea.

3. The Scientist




Yep I just had to put in the two episode arc where we get the debut of both Mirakuru and Barry Allen. First off I complained in my reviews of Season One that the show was too grounded but this two episodes where the start of Arrow being more like a comic book, like with a serum that can make super - soldiers which is a great start. Then of course is including Barry Allen who went on to become the Flash and have a successful TV show of his own and would introduce Meta Humans to both shows. Plus Grant Gustin proved that he was just the perfect casting for the speedster!

2. Three Ghosts




The second episode of the arc to feature Barry Allen and a great follow up it was too. Arrow's fight against Cyrus (like in the last episode) is so awesome but the real standout is the visions Oliver throughout that drives him into despair except for Tommy (always great to see him) that gives him hope once again. This also had an awesome ending where Barry struck by lightning and I was so happy when I saw that because I knew then they where really going to give us fans the Flash and not just Barry Allen as a scientist.

 

1. The Man Under the Hood




My favourite episode of the season and I think it has earned it! Slade was so great as Deathstroke in this with a big WTF moment when he appeared out of nowhere in Team Arrow's hideout and then attacked the STAR labs. This also introduced us to Cisco and Caitlin so this was kind of like the first crossover even before the Flash show and the moments with Team Arrow rescuing Roy where great. Finally this is one only Season Two of episodes where I really liked Laurel because of her investigation confirming Oliver is Arrow, her scene with an injured Quentin and blackmailing her boss which I give her props for.  

Worst episode

Heir to the Demon

While I do like Nyssa as a character this episode reveals she had a past relationship with Sara which I just never liked because it always felt forced to me. Also while Laurel has just been terrible the entire season this episode was the worst for her with her fit of rage against Sara in the end or the kind of person she was in Flashbacks. I'm just really glad she became a way better character in Season Three then she was now.


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

 

 





http://screencapped.net/

Arrow Season Three: The Return

DEATHSTROKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oliver and Thea run in to Slade Wilson AKA Deathstroke while on the island and in Flashbacks Oliver is forced to return to Starling City with Maseo for a mission but is not allowed to contact his family.

I am really glad that we got the return of Deathstroke this season even if it is just for one episode but it is enough just to see him in action again! Plus I really liked that we got to go back to the island again after I have been complaining that the Flashbacks haven't been as good since they left it. Slade still has a lot of hatred to Oliver and proves just how much of a badass he is with some great fight scenes with Oliver and Thea. It wasn't much of a surprise that Malcolm was behind it all so they can get back their killer instinct (this is just the kind of thing he will do) but it was cool that Slade accepted it; they weren't it any scenes together but it was a nice villain team up. I was a bit disappointed however that Slade and the island didn't get as much screen time as I would have liked, for example Oliver and Thea could have dodged more traps. Also, I'm not going to mark the score down for this because the writers obviously wanted just Slade to be the opponent, but it is a shame we didn't see Captain Boomerang who is one of my favourite DC villains. Now as for Oliver and Thea we did get some great bonding moments between those two and I liked that Thea has grown more as a character in just this episode. Her reaction to her being Sara's killer was really well done and I liked her response to Malcolm this time because she now has more reason to hate him now then last episode when it came out of no where in my opinion. Now Slade says that Thea is in the darkness despite her sparing his life which makes me wonder if she is going to end up more like Malcolm than she wants?

Yay Tommy

The second half of this episode was all about the Flashbacks which is good because we need to have these more focused episodes every now and again. I really liked the Flashbacks this episode mainly because it wasn't in Hong Kong and we got to see the dilemma Oliver had a being so close to his friends and family. It was awesome that they finally got back to the message Oliver found from his father that was mentioned in season one and that we got to see him as a killer again like he was in the beginning. I enjoyed seeing Tommy again because he is always a scene stealer and we actually got to see Diggle's brother which is something I wasn't expecting. What I didn't like though was that Moira and Walter wasn't there (they could have easily been in it) and that while Thea's drug problem and  Quentin's drinking was expected I hated that we wasted time addressing them again because I how much I didn't like their addictions. Still Quentin did have any strong performance dealing with Sara's death and I am glad the show didn't put this off until next episode. Glad that Quentin is mad at Laurel because he has every right to be because Laurel mentioning how her mother already knew just reminded me how stupid her plan was. Finally we got the introduction of Matthew Shrieve (Marc Singer) which I am interested to see more of him because in the comics he is in charge of a group called the Create Commandos which is made up of Meta - Humans who are like fictional creates e.g. Frankenstein, Wolfman etc. So how is this going to work in Arrow which has always been more grounded than The Flash?

"Using a green hoodie to hide my identity is good, red wouldn't work"

Overall it was great seeing Deathstroke again (hope he returns soon) and it was refreshing having a more focused episode that was just about one storyline and the Flashbacks. Just now remembered to mention that the Flashbacks have finally dealt with China White and we can focus of maybe another villain.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: DEATHSTROKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                   Thea had some great development in this
                   Flashbacks that showed Oliver's struggle and Tommy cameo

Let - Downs: Not enough Deathstroke or island
                      Moira and Walter should have been in the Flashbacks
                 Didn't like that we had to address Thea's and Quentin's addictions again even in 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: Unthinkable

Super epic shot!!

The episode begins with Roy being cured but the clock tower is surrounded by Mirakuru soldiers however Lyla shows up to blow it up as Team Arrow escapes meanwhile Thea has shot Malcolm but he was wearing a vest and is proud she had the conviction to shoot him (something Tommy didn't have) however Thea leaves when she gets a call from Roy. At SCPD Laurel sees Sara talking to someone and is knocked out but it is revealed at the Arrowcave to be Nyssa and other League members who have agreed to help as long as Sara re-joins the League, Oliver agrees too but only if they use the cure. Team Arrow and the League fight Deathstroke and Ravager at Queen Consolidated; Nyssa kills Ravager however Deathstroke escapes, in a Flashback Slade is about to kill Oliver but Knyazev fires a torpedo at the boat before he is able to. At SCPD Laurel is kidnapped by a solider and when Team Arrow arrives Quentin says while he respects Arrow's no killing, Slade needs to die meanwhile Thea and Roy meet up and agree to runaway together but Roy gets a call from Arrow for help and decides to do that first. Oliver then hides Felcitiy at the Queen Manor because he says he loves her and doesn't want Slade to hurt her, elsewhere Diggle and Lyla free the Suicide Squad at A.R.G.U.S headquarters so they can stop Waller.



"Our last stand"

The League, Black Canary, Roy (who, equipped with a mask and bow, is now Red Arrow) and Arrow confront the Mirkuru army and fight and cure many of them meanwhile however Thea has found spare arrows at Roy's place which upsets her. Arrow then gets a call from Deathstroke saying he has Felicity and Laurel and forces him to chose when he gets to the location however it is then revealed Oliver discovered the cameras and purposely lied to Felicity in front of them so he can slip her the cure which she now uses on Slade. Arrow and Deathstroke fight while Flashbacks also show them fighting on the sinking boat, Sara is dragged under water which makes Oliver believe she died again however Slade is trapped when debris falls on him. Slade then threatens to find Oliver's family and kill them which forces him to put an arrow through Slade's eye (seemingly killing him) while in the present Arrow ties up Deathstroke with a trick arrow and choses not to kill him, Waller stops the missiles (while revealing Lyla is pregnant with Diggle's child). Later when Sara says her goodbyes Quentin collapses and spits up blood and Roy finds Thea missing who has gone off with Malcolm. Slade is then imprisoned back on the island in an A.R.G.U.S cell where Oliver leaves him but thanks him for teaching him how to fight. The episode ends in a Flashback and Oliver finds himself in Hong Kong and greeted by Waller.

So awesome!

Now this is a way to end the season!!! This episode was really action heavy to say the least which is how a hero series finale should be like. This was a fitting conclusion to the Arrow vs. Deathstroke arc and they had one of the most epic showdowns I have ever seen. Firstly Oliver's plan to cure Slade of Mirakuru was so damn smart because I really didn't expect it however super strength or not Deathstroke still proved to be quite the match for Arrow as they had their epic clash on the roof. The stunts, the fighting, the swordplay and arrows; it was all just what I wanted it to be but what was the best part about the showdown was the use of Flashbacks mirroring the fight in the present. That was so creative, so well done and Oliver stabbing Slade in the eye, now that was brutal! I also liked the trash talk between them at the beginning because Oliver did make a good point; Slade was mad and perverting Shado's memory. I am really glad that Oliver imprisoned Slade at the end because that means he could return in a future season which is a must, this series need Manu Bennett just as much as any of the other characters.

"So we're partners again Diggle old pal"

Another great thing about this episode was the return of Nyssa and the League because it is always epic when the League show up and Nyssa is just a sexy badass. They had a awesome clash against the Mirakuru army (epic entrance for Team Arrow) and a fight against Ravager; Nyssa can be damn cold snapping her neck like that. Isabel may have been a worthless character in the beginning but these last few episode she really grew on me as Ravager and that was a brutal way for her character to go and kind of what she deserves. Roy was a stand out because I have been waiting for him to be become Red Arrow/Aresenal for ages now and he finally got his bow, mask and kicked some ass. I hope this means that he will be a permanent addition to Team Arrow now and it looks like it since Thea has left to go with Malcolm.

"Yeeesh"

As for everything else while it was interesting Thea choosing to go with Malcolm, because this may really change her character, Malcolm himself was so underused again. He is one of my favourite characters, he was the only one to kill a Mirakuru solider without the cure, but he didn't play a large role in anything else. I also didn't like that it left on such anti - climatic moments such as Oliver being in Hong King and not really knowing how he got there, Sara going off with the League and most of all Quentin coughing up blood. Now that came completely out of nowhere and I wished it wasn't left so open ended mainly because this is the finale, I didn't want them to leave the results of that all the way until next season. Speaking of Sara she was way better in the episode than she than the last two but it is a shame that she is off with the League now because I would rather she remain a main character. Lastly I was great seeing Deadshot and the Suicide Squad again but they could have done more and Waller just continues to be an annoyance for me in the things she does and the way she acts. I mean she could have sent in the Suicide Squad to help Team Arrow (that would have been epic) but instead they are wasted because of her stupid missile plan.

"Miss me boys?"

Overall this was an awesome episode and season two overall has improved on a lot of things from season one and has been truly epic.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: Arrow vs. Deathstroke/Flashbacks
                   Return of Nyssa and the League
                   Roy as Red Arrow
                   So much action

Let - Downs: Malcolm again was underused
                      The Suicide Squad was underused and Waller was just stupid
                      The fate of Quentin left unknown

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: Deathstroke

DEATHSTROKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The episode begins with Slade kidnapping Thea and handing her over to Brother Blood meanwhile at the Arrowcave Oliver is teaching Roy how to be an archer and in a Flashback Sara wants to kill Slade during the trade for Oliver. At Queen Consolidated Moira asks Oliver if he will still show her his support for the election which he coldly answers he will but at a live debate with Sebastian a video of Thea held hostage is shown. Oliver then gives Isabel temporary CEO status so he can deal with Thea and in a Flashback Sara and the group still prepare for the trade with a rigged land mine. Arrow and Black Canary find and sedate Slade so they can hand him over to Quentin however things don't go as planned and Slade is released because he covered his tracks too well and then Team Arrow even loses his whereabouts. Slade then reveals to Thea he knows a secret her family has kept from her, meanwhile Oliver and Moria reconcile over the kidnapping and in a Flashback the trade doesn't go that well since Slade escapes with the mechanic and Ivo and Oliver are left behind.

"You can't hold me boy"

Things are still bad when Roy leaves Team Arrow in frustration and Felicity finds out Isabel has made herself permanent CEO and when Oliver confronts her about it she reveals she is working for Slade so Oliver attacks her and gets Thea's location. Arrow goes to Thea's location however he finds out she has already entered SCPD on her own meanwhile Deathstroke frees a bunch of convicts on a bus. The Queen Family relationship is shattered when Thea reveals what Slade told her; that her father is Malcolm and Quentin is soon arrested for helping the vigilante. Sebastian is angry because of how much support Moira is getting for Mayor but Slade says he will handle it and Oliver doubts himself for letting Slade, Brother Blood and Isabel fool him so much however he declares Team Arrow will take the fight to them. The episode ends with Slade visiting Laurel and telling her that Oliver is Arrow.

"There are going to find out they f***ed with the work team"

I just have to say it; DEATHSTROKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is probably one of the best live action villains there have ever been and it is all thanks to how badass he is and to Manu Bennett of course. We finally get to see a significant amount of Slade not just in the Flashbacks but in the present and even when he isn't wearing is costume he is still great to watch; all suave as he taunts Oliver in the police station and how he torments Thea with the secret. However we also get to see how really unhinged he is in the Flashbacks as he is haunted by the ghost of Shado, I'm guessing he is still like that in the present he just hides it well now. We still got to see more of Slade as Deathstroke and I will say again that the costume is just so cool and the way he took out those guards on the bus was awesome. It is obvious that he is going to use those convicts as Mirakuru soldiers so it looks like Team Arrow are going to have their hands full soon.

One wrong move and BOOM!

We also finally get to see Isabel do something useful for once and her true allegiance is revealed; I will stand by what I said in previous reviews and that is she had been a pointless character until now, maybe some more screen time should have been given to her instead of an addicted Laurel. It was cool how she took Queen Consolidated away from Oliver and that it was all according to her and Slade's plans. So glad we finally get to know more about her and she became significant, just wish they did it sooner, and I hope they keep it up. Another character who shined this episode was Oliver because Amell was just great showing us how desperate Oliver was to find Thea such as making Isabel CEO or just the more frantic way he was interacting with the other characters. He also had a nice moment with Moira, who always presents such a strong front, break down over Thea and Oliver decided that she needed him now. As for Thea it looks like that she has finally had enough of her family's lies (honestly who can kind of blame her?) and when I first saw this I thought we would see Malcolm at the end, taking advantage of the family quarrel to get Thea on his side. Unfortunately that didn't happen but I hope he appears again soon.

Don't do it Oliver!

As for the rest of the episode the exchange Flashbacks was intense because I really didn't know what was going to go down but Ivo is with Oliver and Sara now so I wonder if they will just kill him. In the present the Lance Family also wasn't spared because Quentin was arrested for helping Arrow and I wonder if he will go to jail for this? I actually kind of liked this because he seemed to have gotten no punishment for stopping that cop shooting Arrow last episode so I am interested to see how he will get out of this. Then there was that big reveal to Laurel that Oliver is Arrow and it's a shame it left on a cliff hanger because now we have to wait until next episode until we see how she deals with it. However I doubt it will be anything bad because she defiantly owes the Arrow/Oliver many times over.

You fool, your no match for Deathstroke

Overall this was an awesome episode and kind of dark as well because of how much the heroes suffer in this. We had a some action in this but that wasn't the most important thing because I just loved the drama revolving around Thea's kidnapping and Slade's constant manipulation. I am glad that Oliver mentions they will take the offensive this time because maybe that means more aggressive action on their part.

SCORE: 10/10

Highlights: Slade/Deathstroke
                   Isabel finally became significant
                   Great Oliver and Moira moments
                   Everything else

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: Suicide Squad

Oh yeah the Suicide Squad!

The episode starts with Oliver having a nightmare about Shado so next morning he uses his Bravta connections for information on Slade however he insults them in the process, Diggle is then seen protecting Felicity from possible attacks and he is still in a relationship again with Lyla. Waller then meets them at their hotel and wants the two of them to go on a mission to retrieve a nerve agent from arms dealer Gholem Qadir who, it is revealed in several Flashbacks, Diggle, Lyla and Ted Gaynor saved his life in Afghanistan. Diggle and Lyla meet their backup on the mission; Task Force X AKA Suicide Squad whose members are Deadshot, Bronze Tiger and Shrapnel, meanwhile Arrow stops two criminals while Deathstroke looks on and leaves his old mask for Arrow to find. Diggle meets Qadir at an auction while the Suicide Squad backs him up and while there Diggle saves Qadir's life because Deadshot fakes assassinating him however Shrapnel is killed when he tries to escape with the bomb in his head exploding. This later angers Diggle but he is invited to a party Qadir is having for saving his life.

"Awww crap I'm screwed"

In Starling City Arrow finds Slade's hideout but only his dead Bravta contact is there meanwhile at the part Diggle, Lyla, Deadshot and Bronze Tiger infiltrate the party. Deadshot finds the nerve agent so Waller orders him to stay put while she orders a drone strike and that the rest of the team should leave however Diggle instead warns the party. Qadir then finds Lyla but is killed by Bronze Tiger and Diggle manages to convince Deadshot to leave by reminding him of his daughter Zoey. The team also manages to avoid the strike by taking out Deadshot's bomb which was a beacon for it, they get away but Waller is angry because of the failed strike. Bronze Tiger and Deadshot return to their cells and Diggle reassures Deadshot he could get out soon however Deadshot is sceptical. The episode ends with it revealing that Waller and Oliver know each other and Oliver asking for information which Waller then does by showing him footage of Deathstroke.

Bronze Tiger should have done more stabbing in this

Finally we get the Suicide Squad which I have been looking forward to ever since Waller said it to Bronze Tiger and it did not disappoint. This was also a Diggle focused episode which is always good because the guy just deserve more in this series, a costume and name to start with! It was good seeing Deadshot again because he and Diggle have an interesting work relationship now because even though Deadshot killed his brother Diggle is starting to understand and sympathise more with the sniper now. For example how he talked him out of being blown up; I think Diggle doesn't blame Deadshot anymore he blames H.I.V.E (which we still haven't seen yet) and I guess working together on missions creates a bit of a bond. Bronze Tiger is still as badass as ever and still one of my favourite villains, it was even good seeing Shrapnel again so he can get his head blown off lol. I kind of wish their mission could have been more action packed instead of infiltrating a party but I blame that on Qadir because he was a really underdeveloped villain and we don't even know how he went from terrorist in Afghanistan to rich guy throwing parties. As always Waller continues to annoyed me because I just do not like her or the casting for her; they haven't done her comic counterpart justice in my opinion. Plus I don't really like Lyla either if I am honest, I know she is Diggle's love interest but I'm just not bothered about her.

"Behind a scope is where I belong"

As for the rest of the episode I liked the moment with Diggle protecting Felicity at the beginning because it shows how much Team Arrow cares for one another, nice scene. Arrow's subplot was also really cool because I just love the way Slade is just toying with him and leading him on a wild goose chase. We also see that Oliver and Waller know each other which is probably going to be explained in more Flashbacks sooner or later and even though I hate Waller I do want to know more of this connection. Lastly I like the appearance of Ted Gaynor once again but more than that the cameo of Harley Quinn! I hope this means that we see her next time in the Suicide Squad because she is one of it's famous members in the comics and one of DC's popular characters overall. I do hope that next time the Suicide Squad is the focus that they get more members and if Diggle gets more involved then I think it would be great if he is the Arrow TV series version of Unknown Solider who is a member of the Suicide Squad in the comics. I think this could work because Unknown Solider is a character shrouded in mystery and they don't even have to use any of his comic backstory; just have Diggle dress up similar to him and give him the name.

Your famous Deathstroke!

Overall great introduction to the Suicide Squad and I hope we get at least one or two episodes focusing on them per season.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Suicide Squad
                   A Diggle focused ep is always good
                   Arrow's subplot

Let - Downs: Waller
                      Qadir was a poor villain


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 Promise

Deathstroke and Arrow team up

The episode begins with a still stunned Oliver wondering what Slade is doing here and Moira says he has made a donation to her campaign, in a Flashback Oliver is training with a bow to get ready for their attack. The group later decides to burn the rest of the Mirakuru samples and then have a toast to Shado meanwhile on the boat Ivo has received an update on his wife's poor condition and decides to experiment on Knyazev by preparing to remove one his eyes. Oliver then allows himself to get captured by the pirates so he can get on the boat, he is then interrogated by Ivo who injects truth serum into him. In the present Oliver tries to stab Slade while Moira briefly leaves the room however he is too quick for him, Thea then comes in and Slade then introduces himself and expresses his love for the art work the Queen's possess. Back on the boat Oliver tells Ivo that Sara and Slade are in the engine room however we then see that earlier Oliver was given a drug by Sara to counteract the truth serum. Sara and Slade are actually paragliding to the boat and when they make it on Slade goes to kill the pirates while Sara frees Oliver and the other prisoners.

Just like in the first episode

In the present Oliver manages to discreetly call the Arrowcave where Sara recognizes Slade's voice and asks Diggle to bring a sniper rifle so they can kill him. In a Flashback Oliver finds Ivo but doesn't kill him but Slade walks in and Ivo tells him the truth of Shado's death which causes Slade to attack Oliver. The prisoners and pirates are in a furious fire fight however Sara along with several prisoners which include Knyazev and priest named Flynn jump overboard. Oliver prepares to as well but is caught by Slade who throws him in a cell and has even taken command of the ship. In the present Roy even goes to Queen Manor and Slade notices that he has Mirakuru as well before leaving however Diggle is knocked out by someone before he can take a shot, Slade then tells Oliver he will full fill his promise from five years ago. In a Flashback Slade cuts off Ivo's hand and then promises Oliver that he will know true despair, in the present Oliver and Moira fall out even more because Moira believe Oliver was being rude to Slade to ruin her campaign. The episode ends with Slade watching the Queen Manor through numerous camera, having planted them while he was there.



"You going to learn true despair boy"

Just like in season one we got an episode that was heavily focused on the Flashbacks and just like the one last season it was so great! There was so much action when the group stormed the boat and the prisoners fought the pirates and again Slade proved just how awesome he is by taking on so many enemies with his new Mirakuru powers and donning his Deathstroke mask (It was such a great scene when those pirates where afraid of him). The gunfights that happened on the deck as well was cool as well as Oliver donning the green hood and proving to be a better archer with a great training montage and we got a fight between Oliver and Slade; all in all it was pretty action packed. Slade also learned what Oliver had done so this was the point where he turned into his enemy, so this does shed some more light on that. It is kind of sad though because throughout season one we see that Slade really came to value Oliver's friendship after fighting together with him and now that is gone forever. I thought Ivo would be killed in this episode but that hand cutting scene was damn gruesome, guess Ivo still has a part to play. Lastly we now have more survivors on the island with Sara and I wonder how they are going to get Oliver back from Slade, their roles have been reversed now.

"You've got no more secrets from me boy"

As for the moments in the present they where really good as well because we got some intense scenes with Oliver trying to hide his hatred for Slade from his family. Slade proved that he can be quite the good actor by fooling both Moira and Thea and finding time to plant cameras all around the manor. We also see that Diggle is knocked out at the end so I wonder if it is just that or whether he is captured by Brother Blood's followers?

"I'm always the sniper on FPS games"

Overall this was a great episode, this review may have seemed short but that is because it largely focused on just the one plot.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: Great action packed Flashbacks (Slade wearing his Deathstroke mask!)
                   The episode where Slade truly became an antagonist
                   Great moments in the present as well

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 One: The Odyssey

Deathstroke vs. Deathstroke

This episode begins straight after the last one however The Hood gets nothing out of Moira and when he lets down his guard she manages to fire some shots at The Hood; injuring him and leaving blood at the scene. In the Queen Consolidated parking garage Oliver sneaks in the back of Felicity's car and asks for help, even revealing his identity to her! She agrees and takes him to the Arrowcave where she and Diggle treat the wound, we then have a Flashback and Slade is teaching Oliver hand to hand combat. He then says that a cargo plane that comes once every three months is their best bet off and they set off however Oliver steps on a land mine. Luckily Slade fixes the problem when he kills several commandos and places one on the mine, elsewhere on the island Fyers wants Yao Fei to train his troops in archery. That night Oliver tells Slade how he cheated on Laurel while Slade tells him more about Wintergreen, they then both arrive at the airstrip.



"You better not bleed all over my seats"

In the present day Felicity is taking the situation really well but Oliver takes a turn for the worst and they have to use a defibrillator. It then cuts to a Flashback and Slade has taken out several guards and then helps Oliver who runs into trouble. They then manage to call the cargo plane but Oliver refuses to leave Yao Fei and Slade only gives him 3 hours to find him. In the present Felicity wonders why Diggle joined Oliver who answers that his darkest moment was protecting a drug lord in the military and hated himself for it but working with Oliver makes him feel like a good man again. In a Flashback Oliver is captured and beaten up by Wintergreen but Slade arrives and, after an awesome fight, kills his former friend; they then both manage to escape but the cargo plane leaves. Though Slade is disappointed the plane has left he is impressed with Oliver's progress and it is then revealed Fyers has Yao Fei daughter hostage. In the present Felicity agrees to work with them to help find Walter and Oliver is still in denial about his mother. The episode ends with Moira telling Oliver The Hood attacked her and him saying it will never happen again.

"Place your bets folks!"

Two really great things happened in this episode; Felicity is finally a part of Team Arrow and the majority of the events took place in a Flashback. Firstly Felicity took the news really well but then again she is really smart so she had to expect something was up (her line "I'm blond but not that blond" was funny) and she is already proving her usefulness with upgrade the Arrowcave's software and removing Oliver's blood from SCPD. Felicity is such a great character and now she will most likely get a lot more screen time which is what she deserves. Plus I think the whole team compliments each other well; Oliver as The Hood, Diggle as backup and can do more stuff in his normal life to help and Felicity as their computer expert. Overall I am glad that Oliver has a team to work with him rather than just be all by himself.

Rookies, am I right Slade

Then there was the great Flashbacks and I am glad that at least one episode this season is mainly set in the past. It was awesome seeing Oliver and Slade sneaking into the airstrip and taking out all those guards and of course Slade proves just how much of a one man army he really is. The guy is a complete badass; when he sliced those soldiers around the mine in one swing and when he said to Oliver; "You worry about your one, I'll worry about my then.". The highlight of course was the show down with Wintergreen which was beyond epic! Shame that Wintergreen is now dead (he could have been a lot more fleshed out) but that was a sad backstory between him and Slade which did clear up a lot of things. Later I really love so far about Arrow is that even if it might be too realistic with it's characters and villains, it's fight scenes are some of the best I have seen. Also now we have the reason why Yao Fei is working with Fyers and it is down to classic blackmail, I guess Oliver and Slade will have to rescue his daughter if Yao Fei is to truly be free. Finally Oliver has really shown progression since he was on the island because even though he failed to kill his one guy he had two awesome scenes. First was remembering the quote from the Odyssey, that was an intense scene because you wonder if he got it right or not and then there was his speech to Slade about what a spoiled brat he was. It took being stranded on a dangerous island but Oliver finally admits how much of a jerk he was in his old life and missing the plane to rescue Yao Fei was cool because he is caring about others now.

"I can so picture myself using this"

Overall this is definitely one of the best episodes of the season along with the Dark Archer episode.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: Felicity joins the team
                   Flashbacks
                   Deathstroke vs. Deathstroke

Let - Downs: Oliver still in constant denial about Moira
                      Wintergreen could have been a bit more fleshed out before being killed

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 One: Betrayal

DEATHSTROKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The episode begins with a gangster named Cyrus Vanch being released from Iron Heights and kills his former lawyer so he can take his mansion. At the Arrowcave Oliver doesn't want to believe his mom has anything to do with the list of names and we then get a Flashback to where Oliver has found a downed plane but is attacked by an Australian man (Manu Bennett) who holds a sword to his throat. At the SCPD Quentin hates that support for The Hood is growing and at the Queen Manor Moira refuses to answer any questions about the book and burns it which to Diggle is proof she is involved in something. Meanwhile Laurel is angry with the release of Cyrus and calls The Hood on the phone she got and Oliver agrees to meet with her, both are unaware that Quentin is listening in thanks to the bug. Cyrus wants to get rid of The Hood to strike fear into his rivals and when Laurel meets with The Hood, after ditching Tommy, Quentin arrives but Oliver manages to quickly get away after knocking him out. Laurel expresses her outrage later at this but Quentin insists The Hood must be stopped and asks for the phone back which disgusts her.

"There's no room for vigilantism in this town......until my daughter's kidnapped"

Diggle has meanwhile been following Moira which angers Oliver at first but he then agrees to it, elsewhere Tommy tells Laurel that he thinks The Hood is just a killer. In a Flashback after the man says he has been working with Yao Fei for months to get off the island he and Oliver spar but Oliver is easily overpowered and knocked out while in the present Laurel is kidnapped by Cyrus when he learns from his police mole that Laurel met with The Hood. Diggle continues to follow Moira and uses a listening device to hear her talking to Malcolm about something called The Undertaking and moves the Queen's Gambit (Diggle however does not know she is talking to Malcolm). When Tommy finds Laurel's apartment trashed and a message from Cyrus he tells Quentin who then asks The Hood for help because he can't trust his fellow officers, we then get a Flashback and Oliver has escaped from being tied up which impresses his captor who introduces himself as Slade Wilson. The Hood and Quentin rescue Laurel however she wants nothing to do with Quentin because she cannot trust him anymore. We get another Flashback and Oliver finds a black and yellow mask and Slade says that he and his best friend, Billy Wintergreen, where part of a special forces team that used the masks and they became stranded on the island while trying to rescue Yao Fei; Wintergreen joined Fyers but Slade didn't. The episode ends with Oliver going over the recording Diggle had made again and then deciding to break into her office as The Hood to question her.

"You have failed this city mom!"

YES!! We got the introduction to the real Deathstroke; Slade Wilson. I knew they had to introduce the real one sooner or later and I'm glad its when we still got a lot of episodes to go in season one. First of Manu Bennett is a great choice to play Slade because the guy just looks so damn intimidating and I also glad that we got a bit of backstory to his connection with Wintergreen, I'm sure he will elaborate more on it soon. We also got a cool scene of him kicking Oliver's ass but I am glad that he decided to work with Oliver in the end; it would be cool to see them plan, train and take the offense to Fyers. So no complaints here it was a perfect casting of a character who I am sure will be a great addition to the Flashbacks and if they stick closely to his comic book counterpart when he is on action he is going to be a one man army.

Be great to see more sword fighting in this

Besides from the Flashback we had some interesting events in the present with it focusing more on Quentin and Laurel. I said before that I like Quentin but he can be a bit of an jerk, well that is an understatement in this episode. Hated that Quentin bugged that phone because it was a really bad move, especially when he followed Laurel on the roof and tired to arrest Oliver and then he turned in to a complete hypocrite and worked with him in the end. In contrast I liked Laurel in this episode because she is cooperating more with The Hood and I am glad he cold shouldered Quentin because he really deserved it and I'll guess we'll see how long it lasts. Plus I think her working and meeting with The Hood made makes more sense than Iris meeting The Flash and that's probably because they did a better job of Laurel slowing appreciating what The Hood does and building it up than Iris just starting some stupid blog just to cause a problem for Barry and S.T.A.R labs. Even though I said that I didn't like Quentin in this episode I do like the whole conflict between him and Laurel it is a highlight.

"If I can't be Arrow maybe I'll be James Bond"

As for the rest of the episode I didn't care at all for the supposed main villain Cyrus because out off all the villains shown he is the most forgettable and mediocre. The only good thing about him was that it was cool seeing Quentin and The Hood fighting through the guards to get to him. He is obviously just a villain of the week but they didn't really make Cyrus interesting at all in my opinion. However like always Diggle is a standout and it was cool seeing him spying on Moira and he is always right Oliver has a blind spot where his family is concerned.

"Try to act more scared, I got a rep to maintain"

Overall this episode was probably just as good as the previous one and it was really the Flashbacks with Slade and the moments with Diggle that was the best parts. and I'll wonder if The Hood will be able to get any answers out of Moira. Oh yeah if you haven't noticed I am also trying to squeeze the plot explanation into two large paragraphs from now on.

SCORE: 6/10

Highlights: Slade Wilson introduction and the Flashbacks
                   Quentin and Laurel conflict
                   Super Spy Diggle

Let - Downs: Lacklustre villain
                      Oliver was a tad hard headed for not listening to Diggle

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/