Arrow Season Four: Brotherhood

As Team Arrow continues to battle HIVE Diggle makes a shocking discovery and Thea's bloodlust returns.

Wow just wow! After the episode last week that I considered to be the worst of Season Four they now gave us one that is probably the best of the season. You already know of course that this was Diggle focused ep but what I liked about it from the start is that this showed he has completely gotten over what Oliver did in Season Three and he has got this new character arc for him. Even with the events of last season Diggle has always been the rock of the team but this one showed his real vulnerable side probably for the first time in the show as he deals with the return of his brother as a HIVE Ghost. I mean Diggle had some truly emotional moments where he was fighting back tears with what his brother has become and deciding in the end to choose his new family of Team Arrow rather than Andy who did some horrible things e.g. the cool moment where he saved his "green brother". Since Andy is captured this will probably be something Diggle has to deal with for a while but I wonder what they are going to do with him now? Continuing on with this subplot we also learn more about HIVE and the fact that the Ghost are all under the influence of a drug which makes them follow orders and breaks down their DNA. It might be the drug in the Flashbacks so I'll guess we'll wait for that conformation but I wonder if Team Arrow will focus their effects on destroying the supply after the crossover episodes? As for Damien he had some really awesome and threatening scenes such as the one his one with Quentin about Laurel and when he met Oliver during his campaign speech. Then of course there was the ending where Oliver chose to confront Damien in the light rather than infiltrate HIVE like he did with the League in Season Three and while I commend Oliver for this I wonder if it is a good idea. The look on Damien's face during the speech makes me think he really suspects Oliver is the Green Arrow now and he could either target his family or run for mayor himself, now that could be interesting to see.

As for everything else finally, finally Thea's bloodlust subplot is getting interesting because before her confrontation with Damien I didn't care but afterwards it got good. Her making Damien's powers backfire on him (probably because of the Pit) was a development I have been waiting for; finally a relevant twist to the bloodlust that doesn't feel like a waste of time. Now Thea can be useful and I am looking forward to seeing what she and Malcolm are going to come up with to exploit it. Then there was Ray's subplot which was really good where he had to struggle with finding his place in the world and that's not running his company. Of course this is all set up for LOT but it gave him a small little character arc and then there was him suiting up as ATOM to kick some ass at the end which is what I wanted to see! Finally the Flashbacks look like they good be getting more interesting because Oliver now has a real mission and I liked the mysterious twig magic Reiter did; makes me think we can see more magic out of him like Damien and Constantine. Before I finish I got to say that the fights scenes in this episode where some of the best ever! I heard they got the stunt coordinator James Bamford to direct and he did an awesome job, the fight scenes weren't just a butch of quick cuts they stayed on the action. For example they really showed Black Canary kicking ass in the beginning after her scream and then there was Thea's super, damn, awesome fight with Andy in the elevator, that was edge of you seat stuff.

Overall this was just a perfect episode in my opinion, maybe Oliver as Green Arrow took a backseat but it didn't suffer for it because it was supposed to be more about Diggle anyway.

SCORE: 10/10

Highlights: A strong Diggle episode
                   Great subplots for Thea and Ray
                   Damien and more info on HIVE
                   They truly epic fight scenes


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Arrow Season One: Vertigo

The Count, not to be confused with Dracula

The episode begins with The Hood chasing down a drug dealer who sells Vertigo but all he can get out of the guy is that it is supplied by someone called The Count. Oliver tells Diggle how frustrated he is with trying to catch The Count but Diggle reminds him that Thea's hearing is soon. Outside the court house it is a media frenzy and inside is not much better as the judge wants to make Thea the poster child for the city's Vertigo problem and make an example out of her. We then get a Flashback to Oliver asking Yao Fei to let him go but Yao Fei refuses, in the present Oliver contacts an old friend, McKenna Hall, who is now a vice detective for information on The Count. Later The Count (Seth Gabel) injects a drug dealer with Vertigo which causes him terrible pain and he shoots himself, The Count only finds it just "interesting" that The Hood is after him. Oliver then goes to Laurel for help with Thea who in turns asks her father who says he will do what he can.

"So this is what I get for helping someone"

Oliver later meets with his Bratva connections to get a meeting with The Count but only if he kills someone he agrees but only fakes the man's death, in a Flashback Oliver is pushed in to a circle and prepared to fight Yao Fei. Laurel manages to cut a deal for Thea which includes community service but Thea refuses saying she wants to go to jail so she can ruin Moira's life which forces Oliver to tell her it was their father who was the unfaithful one. Oliver and Diggle later meet The Count but the police soon arrive but not before Oliver is injected with Vertigo, in a Flashback Yao Fei fakes Oliver's death in the fight. Oliver seems to recover from Vertigo but soon collapses and has another Flashback to when Yao Fei dumped his body in a river. Felicity has found out where the Vertigo was made (after Oliver gave her a sample) and Oliver rushes there and even though he is still weak from Vertigo fights The Count and injects him with his own drug. Thea then makes up with Moira and agrees to the community service and The Count is arrested but battling for his life in hospital after overdosing on Vertigo. The episode ends in a Flashback where Oliver wakes up and finds a map Yao Fei put in his pocket and in the present Felicity gives him the journal Walter found.

Might as well have let her in on it now Oliver

Just like I thought in my last review Count Vertigo in this is definitely not the same as his comic counterpart, he doesn't even have the name Count Vertigo. It was smart however that his powers are in the form of a drug so it is more realistic for the style of the show and how he is called The Count because of the puncture wounds his injections make, I did really like that. I also liked the actor who played The Count because he was completely crazy and didn't care about killing to perfect his drug and he is something different from the mob and businessmen The Hood usually has to take down. You could say I am two sides on this; I didn't like how Count Vertigo, one of my favourite Arrow villains in the comic, has been turned in to something more practical for the grounded tone of the show but I did like The Count overall and is probably one of my favourite Arrow TV series villains so far.

"A taste of your own medicine"

As for the other major event in this, Thea's trial, I didn't like that at all. As I have said in my previous reviews I do not like Thea so far in the show and her attitude in this didn't help at all. I mean just to get back at her mom she wanted to go to jail? When I first saw this episode I thought that was one of the stupidest things I ever heard. Firstly I don't think she would survive five minutes in jail and also she was completely wrong about her mom in the end but no she just couldn't admit that straight away. Luckily the writers must have thought Thea has been a rubbish character so far because after this she thankfully does get less annoying and gets a better story. However Laurel and Quentin where good in their involvement in it because I liked how Laurel made the comparisons to Sara and this is showing that Quentin is being less of a jerk to the Queen family.

Flawless Victory

Overall there isn't too much to say about this one; the Flashbacks where great as ever but they where short and far between (would have liked them to have lasted longer by cutting down some of Thea's trial) and the final fight between The Hood and The Count was good but that was all the way at the end.

SCORE: 6/10

Highlights: The Flashbacks
                   This grounded portrayal of The Count was good
                   The fighting in Flashbacks and present was good too

Let - Downs: Thea and everything involving her trial
                      Looks like there is going to be no actual Count Vertigo from the comics

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

 

 





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Gotham Season One: Viper

The episode begins with Bruce creating his own investigation board which includes information on the crime families and Arkham, he also wants to speak to the board members of Wayne Enterprises. Meanwhile a man with a messed up ear gives a vial of green liquid to a guitar player who inhales it which turns his skin pale and his veins green. The guitar player than causes havoc at a store where he drinks lots of milk and uses superhuman strength to break a baseball bat and carry a ATM machine on his back, Gordon and Bullock are on the case. Falcone then calls a meeting of his street bosses, which includes Fish, and even though most want to retaliate against Maroni, Falcone says its not the time. Gordon and Bullock find the location of the guitar player but he dies when he tries to lift the ATM machine and it crushes him. Later the man with the messed up ear is giving out more Viper.

Now that had to hurt!

Alfred tells Bruce he is invited to a charity event and Bruce accepts because he might be able to question board members there. At GCPD numerous Gotham citizens are being brought in under the affects of Viper and dying as well. Nygma has analysed a sample and says that Viper gives the user superhuman strength but feeds off the user's calcium (hence the addiction to replenish with milk and cheese) and eventually their bones break down and they die. Gordon and Bullock question a member of the medical company WellZyn (an offshoot of Wayne Enterprises) because they have the best equipment to make Viper and they learn of a former employee named Stan Potolski who could be behind it. Later Gordon is later brought before Don Maroni to save Cobblepot's life because he told him he used to work for Fish.

"I'm sure there is a riddle for this"

Gordon and Bullock question an old professor of Stan who says Stan helped created Viper for WellZyn but had a breakdown when realizing they wanted to use it for warfare (and have even created Viper's successor Venom). He says that Stan will contaminate the WellZyn/Wayne charity event before injecting himself with Viper but his killed by Gordon and Bullock. They race to the event and manage to stop Stan who commits suicide off the roof after breathing in Viper but not before telling Gordon to check a certain warehouse, he goes to it but finds all the evidence gone. The episode ends with Alfred finally helping Bruce with his investigation, Cobblepot back in Maroni's good graces by helping rob Falcone and Falcone himself meeting Liza in a park.

At least make some tea Alfred, you both got a lot to read

Gotham has taken it's first step to being not that grounded after all with the use of the drug Viper, like with Arrow I didn't want this series to be too realistic and this is a good start. I did really like the Viper drug because it was a really cool effect when the victim's face goes all pale and their bones crack and fail. However I kind of felt that it was wasted because we barely got to see any action from it; Gordon and Bullock just witnessed the guitar player being crushed and I expected Stan to act like some boss but he just jumped off a roof. I know there are limits to how Gordon and Bullock can approach the villains because they are not vigilantes but that doesn't mean we can't see them put up a fight. Also I am glad they mentioned Viper's successor Venom because it is possible we could see Bane in the future or Venom - enhanced soldiers.

Maybe they should but a restaurant like Maroni? It would be a better place to meet 

Another part of the episode I liked was how Bruce got a lot more involved this time and actually stepped out of Wayne manor. The way he made that investigation board and then questioned one of his own employees was really cool. I want to see more of Bruce and Alfred like this; taking a more active role in the story instead of waiting for Gordon to come to them. Speaking of Gordon I did like the scene in the restaurant when he is talking to Maroni on behalf of Cobblepot, you really got the sense that a wrong word would have got them both killed. I also wonder why Cobblepot told Maroni who he really is but like I mentioned in my last review I'm sure he has a big master plan.

"The one time I leave the gas masks at home"

Other things worth mentioning is that I found it funny how Nygma was more fascinated with the effects of Viper and not seeming to care that much about people dying. Reminds me of the Riddler from comics and Arkham games where he only thinks of others as a means for his riddles. I didn't care much for Stan because he was even less developed than Gladwell I think and since it was more about Viper in the end I didn't care much for the guy who was giving it out. We also see that Wayne Enterprises might be as corrupt as the rest of Gotham and I want to see how Bruce tackles this problem and finally it seems that Fish has put her plan in to action at the end, lets she if Liza succeeds.

"Like how I treat my guests?"

Overall this was a good episode but we barely got to see the superhuman part of Viper and even thought they exist in separate universes it kind of felt they where copying Arrow's Mirakuru.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Bruce having a better role in this episode
                   The effect of Viper was really cool
                              
Let - Downs: Viper felt wasted
                       Didn't care at all about the 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/