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: 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 One: Scarifice

The epic final showdown

The episode begins with Oliver tied up by Malcolm who explains of his plan to destroy the Glades with an earthquake machine from Unidac, we then have a Flashback and Oliver, Slade and Shado have broken free of their bonds. Diggle then rescues Oliver because of a tracker in his boot and when Felicity is brought in for questioning by Quentin (having not covered her recent hacks properly) Oliver calls him as The Hood and tells him of The Undertaking; Quentin lets Felicity go and she does but not before telling him The Hood is a hero. Tommy then confronts Oliver but Oliver tells him of his father's plan but he doesn't believe him, in a Flashback Oliver, Slade and Shado have destroyed the missile launcher. Quentin then goes to his boss with what he knows but is suspended because of his contact with The Hood and Oliver confronts his mother and tells her she must finally take responsibility for the things she has done. Tommy then asks his father about Oliver's accusations but Malcolm simply confirms it; showing him the Dark Archer costume and a voice recording of his wife murdered in the Glades, believing that the Glades and everyone in it must die. Moira holds a press conference and tells everyone of The Undertaking but is arrested soon after meanwhile Tommy threatens to shoot Malcolm but can't bring himself to do it.

You might have left it a little too late Moira

Though upset with his mother's arrest Oliver decides he must stop Malcolm and Diggle and Felicity want to help as well, Oliver then calls Quentin as The Hood to get even more help. While Roy witnesses the riots in the Glades, Diggle and The Hood go to stop Malcolm but find him already gone and Tommy apologies to Oliver, we then have a Flashback and Oliver has killed Fyers. The Hood and Diggle catch up to Malcolm (now the Dark Archer) but Diggle is injured forcing The Hood to face the Dark Archer alone. Felicity and Quentin (who apologies to Laurel over the phone if he should die tonight and to stay away from the Glades) find the earthquake device and disarm it meanwhile Thea has gone to the Glades to rescue Roy and the two help out as much people as they can. The Hood then beats the Dark Archer by stabbing him through the chest with an arrow but before the Dark Archer dies he tells him of a second earthquake machine which activates and begins to destroy the eastern part of the Glades. Laurel is trapped at her office but Tommy arrives in time to save her but is crushed by rubble, The Hood also gets there. Tommy tells Oliver that he is indeed a hero and asks if his father is still alive, Oliver lies and then mourns when Tommy dies.

"In the end Oliver, I'm the hero"

What a finale, they sure held nothing back in this episode!! This was a great way to end the season because what is more like a comic book than the main villain wanting to destroy the city? There is a lot of stuff to go over but first I want to talk about the death of Tommy. I admit that it is now a damn shame that Tommy is the one to die but they handled his death so well; he died a hero while saving Laurel from a collapsing building and he finds it in him to forgive his best friend. The acting during that scene was just excellent as well especially when Oliver cries for his friend because you can just tell that even though he stopped Malcolm and saved part of the Glades, he realized that he lost at the end. Goodbye Tommy I think the series has lost one of it's best developed and likeable characters in my opinion.

"Forget getting out of here, lets all riot!!"

Next who was a real standout was Malcolm and like I said the guy is the biggest badass in the series. The final fight he had with Oliver was just so great and an awesome way to end the season. What I really liked about him in this episode was the explanation he gave on why he wants to destroy the Glades  and it kind of makes you sympathise with his character. He is not doing it because he is pure evil or a maniac he truly believes that what he is doing is the right thing; ridding Starling City of it's most poor and crime riddled area. The fight he had with Oliver and Diggle was great, from the arrow catching to Oliver stabbing himself with an arrow to beat him. In the end I guess we will have to see if Malcolm and even Tommy are really dead because in the world of comics no one stays dead.

Kick his ass Oliver!

As for the rest of the episode also got some great Flashbacks which really picked up on the excitement from last episode and showed Oliver getting his first kill with a bow. It was really intense seeing the group fight to stop the missile launcher and we got some great action and explosions. The destruction of the Glades was also done really well; I think the effects they used to show it collapsing was great in those shots where it showed it from above and the destruction on the ground during the rioting was awesome as well. Two other characters that where good where Moira for finally doing the right thing and speaking out about The Undertaking and Quentin teaming up with Felicity and having that heart to heart with Laurel over the phone.

"Its time for us to save this city"

As for the negatives (and this is really nit picking) is that again I didn't like the Roy and Thea moments because even though we got to see the cool riots them getting back together was just kind of predictable. Also I didn't like the role Laurel played in this because as I said earlier on in these reviews I don't like her character because she is just there for the sake of it most of the time. All she has done is just create conflict between Tommy and Oliver and sometimes even make the situation worse like how she ignored Quentin to be in the Glades. Honestly how damn stubborn can you be to stay in your office when you know an earthquake machine was going to destroy everything?

Great shot!

Overall this was a great finale; it was so action packed with some also fight scenes along with the cool destruction of the Glades.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: The Hood vs. The Dark Archer
                   The death of Tommy was handled really well
                   The destruction of the Glades
                   Flashbacks

Let - Downs: Roy and Thea subplot
                      Laurel was just in the way

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