Arrow Season Two: Blast Radius

Blood for President!

The episode begins with Arrow trying to find more information on Brother Blood but is unsuccessful and we find out Felicity is visiting Barry who is in a coma, in a Flashback Slade has buried Shado (also giving Oliver her green hood) and Sara tells Oliver to keep what really happened a secret or Slade will kill him. Oliver is later supporting Sebastian's bid for Mayor at The Verdant however elsewhere a government building is blown up by serial bomber Mark Scheffer AKA Shrapnel (Sean Maher). In a Flashback Slade wants to gear up and kill Ivo but then starts to choke Oliver when he tries to dissuade him from it, in the present Felicity returns and Laurel starts to investigate Sebastian more by first asking him of his connection to Gold. Thea later notices Roy has been acting strangely and when Arrow meets with Quentin another building is blown up nearby however he loses Shrapnel when Felicity loses his signal. Oliver later has a falling out with her about this and in a Flashback Slade has come to his senses but Oliver says it must be the Mirakuru affecting him.

"I could snap your neck like a twig boy!"

Laurel later asks Quentin for help in finding out more about Sebastian and Arrow later visits Sebastian to convince him not to hold his next rally as it would be a target for Shrapnel however Sebastain refuses. Felicity later finds the address of Shrapnel however Arrow is then trapped there when he is surrounded by beams connected to explosives however he manages to shoot out the power box meanwhile Diggle and Quentin are at the rally keeping an eye out but Moira, Thea and Roy are in attendance. Diggle and Felicity manage to diffuse the bomb and Arrow stops Shrapnel who is later arrested, while this happens Roy manages to stop a light platform falling on Moira however he evades questioning by Thea later. Felicity and Oliver later make up for earlier and Oliver visiting Sebastian (as Arrow) agreeing to work with him to help Starling City, in a Flashback Ivo contacts the group over the radio and says he will get them off the island for the Mirakuru samples however Slade then disappears. The episode ends with Laurel visiting Sebastian's aunt, Maya Resik, in a mental hospital however Maya reveals that she is Sebastian's mother and says Sebastian killed his own father and locked her up here.

"Yeah I can use guns too"

Finally we get some more background on Sebastian/Brother Blood and he is really becoming an intriguing villain who I am liking more and more. He is kind of like the opposite of Oliver because they are both leading double lives to fix Starling City in their own way, Sebastian's however includes teaming up with Slade and creating an army of super soldiers. He also has a really good, tragic backstory when he was talking with Laurel however we don't know just how much of that is true from what we got at the end. Sebastian does really seem to hide a dark side if he is capable of killing his father and imprisoning his mother and I guess that side of him comes out when he puts on the skull mask. I am glad Sebastian/Brother Blood was introduced in this series because Sebastian could have been a great character by himself but his Brother Blood persona is making him out to be one of the best Arrow villains. Plus when he is the good Sebastian running for Mayor it is just hard to believe that he is a bad guy but that is because of the great actor who plays him.

"Miss Lance are you trying to seduce me?"

We also get some more insight into Mirakuru as well because it looks like it affects the users mind as well as his body because of what has been happening with Slade and Roy. It is interesting seeing Slade deal with the side affects and I am guessing he is going to find out the truth about Shado's death sooner or later because that is probably the reason he wants to get back at Oliver in the present. As for Roy he has always been one of my favourite Arrow characters and I am glad he is going to deal with Mirakuru which will kind of mirror how Slade had to deal with it. Since Roy has been on a one man quest to fix the Glades this season I wonder if he will now continue to do that with his new powers.



"I am in quite the pickle now"

As for the rest of the episode I didn't like the conflict between Felicity and Oliver because it felt really forced in more than anything. Since they have been working together for so long I just get that they can fall out over a petty fight however at least it was done with quick. I also didn't like the villain of the week this episode because he just didn't leave much of an impression and just seemed like a diversion away from Mirakuru and the Flashbacks. Plus he barely shared anything in common with his comic counterpart who had actual powers so that was a real shame. However I did like the trap he set for Oliver because it was badass how he had to stay completely still in the beam and Felicity and Diggle diffusing the bomb at the rally cool. 

 

Now that has got to hurt

Overall it was a good episode because that should have made Sebastian and Mirakuru the sole focus.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: More background on Sebastian
                   The Flashbacks
                   Roy dealing with Mirakuru

Let - Downs: Oliver and Felicity conflict
                      Shrapnel wasn't that great

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

 

 





http://screencapped.net/         

Arrow Season One: Dodger

The red hoodie isn't exactly subtle lol

The episode begins with a guard in a museum helping a criminal named The Dodger (James Callis) steal a large jewel because he has an explosive device attached to his neck. At the Arrowcave Felicity quits after a disagreement with Oliver and we get a Flashback where he is treating Slade's wounds but leaves to get the special herbs Yao Fei treated him with earlier. In the present Moira meets with a man named Frank Chen and they both agree that The Undertaking is getting out of control meanwhile Felicity re-joins the team after Oliver agrees to stop The Dodger. The Dodger later kills someone who is trying to steal from him and Team Arrow figures out how to find him; Felicity thinks Oliver should ask McKenna out so they can bug her phone which he does. In the Glades Laurel and Thea are mugged by someone who runs off with Thea's purse but they then investigate and get a suspect named Roy Harper (Colton Haynes), we then get a Flashback and Oliver encounters a badly injured man who begs for help.

Just play it smooth Diggle

McKenna and Oliver have dinner but she is soon called away because of The Dodger and Oliver follows her as The Hood however The Dodger gets away by setting off explosives. At the Arrowcave they come up with a plan to lure The Dodger at the fundraiser for the Starling City Cancer Society, later Roy is interrogated by the police but Thea decides to let him go after hearing about his mother. At the fundraiser Felicity is caught by The Dodger and attached with an explosive collar, Oliver manages to chase after him and knock him out, freeing Felicity of the collar. We get a Flashback and Oliver decides to leave the injured man because he cannot trust him and lies to Slade earlier about not encountering anyone. Diggle and Carly (his sister in law) then start a relationship and Oliver and McKenna start the possibility of one. The episode ends with Thea finding out Roy was lying abut his mom after visiting him and Moira contacting China White about putting a hit on Malcolm.

"Just take one step and BOOM!"

We keep getting more and more comic characters now with this latest one being the introduction to Roy Harper AKA Red Arrow/Arsenal. Roy was the side kick of the Green Arrow in the comics called Speedy but eventually quits and then returns as Red Arrow and then as Arsenal, he is a great character and I am glad that even though where probably going to be sticking with his origins for awhile at least he has been introduced early. I like the casting for him as well and how he is portrayed because he is like the opposite of the rich families with mostly seen so far. Also that Thea is most likely going to play a major part in his subplot is good because of course I have been going on for ages that she has no decent story and at least this is the start of one and again Laurel played a good part as well. Plus we also got more of a look at the Glades, it has been mentioned a lot but barely seen and kind of like Gotham does really represent the divide between the rich and poor.

"I like how we decided to take a walk in the worst part of Starling"

As for the Flashback even though they were not as action packed or as strong as the one in the last episode they where still good because of the situation Oliver was in. I mean that beaten guy looked and acted so genuine that it makes you think if his story is true or not and whether Oliver made the right call to leave him. If the guy really was telling the truth and Oliver finds that out somehow then I wonder if this decision is going to haunt him. I wonder if those special herbs will play more of a role soon because has lots in the present, is there a story to how he got them? Speaking of the past I like that we got some more insight into The Undertaking because Moira did say it was to help the city at first which is why Robert and Frank where involved in it. However what was really cool was Moira finally trying to break free of Malcolm and move against him; good luck to her but Malcolm just seems like the kind of person how has prepared for everything.

I know she has a bomb attached to her neck but damn does she know how to look good for the occasion

As for the rest of the episode The Dodger was actually an awesome villain and an example of how a one off villain should be. Cyrus was just uninteresting and generic but The Dodger was way cooler because of his unique explosives method, expert in hand to hand combat with a stun stick and his personality was overall just more cool and suave. I doubt we will see him again which is a bit of a shame because he could have made a good small recurring villain like China White and at least he isn't wearing some obvious white wig. Felicity was also great in this because she has become a valuable member of the team and didn't just spend the episode behind a computer screen. Lastly I didn't really care much for the romantic subplots in this because they kind of fell flat for me and it is obvious it is not going to work between Oliver and McKenna.

Play it smooth Roy

Overall this wasn't as exciting as last episode but it was going to be hard to top those awesome Flashbacks anyway however the ending was interesting because it might men Malcolm will have to be the Dark Archer again to defend himself.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Colton Haynes strong introduction as Roy Harper
                   The Dodger and the team going after him was good
                   Felicity was great in her first mission with the team

Let - Downs: Flashbacks wasn't as strong as in the last episode
                      Didn't care for the romantic subplots

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: Burned

"I am The Fur-.....wait no"

The episode starts off during a huge fire and one fire fighter shoots accelerant at another one, causing that fire fighter to go up in flames. Meanwhile it has been six weeks since Walter's kidnapping and Diggle thinks that since there has been no updates he is most likely dead. He also wants Oliver to go back to the list but Oliver seems distracted and just wants to watch over his family, he then has a Flashback and he watches Yao Fei being dragged away. Later Quentin is the one who has to tell Laurel's friend Joanna that her brother died in the fire however Joanna later tells Laurel that she thinks her brother was murdered. Thea and Oliver are then seen watching TV and they notice that crime is on the rise thanks to the absence of The Hood.

Come on Oliver! This town needs a hero!

Laurel later brings Joanna's evidence to Quentin but he wants to leave the matter to the fire department after failing to analyse The Hood's phone, Laurel however takes it and asks The Hood for help. Oliver visits Laurel as The Hood but later tells Diggle to let the police handle it much to Diggle's annoyance. Later Tommy wants to raise a fundraiser for the fire department which impresses Oliver and Quentin confronts Laurel about the phone, meanwhile Moira is pressured in to becoming CEO of Queen's Consolidated but she doesn't think she is ready. Diggle then tells Oliver of a pickup truck linked to the fire deaths and Oliver follows it as The Hood to a fire but is too late to stop the killer murdering another fire fighter, during this he has a Flashback where he is chased by a commando. In the present the killer manages to escape but not before Oliver sees a fly tattoo and scars which he tells Laurel about, this angers Diggle who thinks Oliver is abandoning the case and thinks the Dark Archer has gotten to his head.

This fight would have been more epic if it was just a tad longer

Laurel speaks with Fire Chief Raines who tells her of a devastating fire that claimed the lives of many civilians and six fire fighters including Garfield Lynns who was a member of a fire fighter team that tattooed Fireflies onto their wrists. Laurel tells this to The Hood and we have another Flashback and Oliver has killed his purser and back in the present Diggle manages to snap Oliver out of his worries and come to the conclusion that Garfield is dead. At the fundraiser however Garfield arrives to kill Raines but The Hood arrives and offer to help him; though Garfield is thankful for this he kills himself in the end. Later The Hood is hailed as a hero on the news, Moira has accepted being CEO and Quentin bugs the phone Laurel uses to contact The Hood. In a Flashback Oliver has disguised himself as the commando and has found a key and map and the episode ends with Oliver telling Diggle it's time to return to the list.

Did a really good job on his burn make up

You know after the awesome events involving the Dark Archer last episode this felt like it kind of winded down a bit but I will first mention the good points in this episode. Firstly I really like how his run in with the Dark Archer last episode was still affecting Oliver; it was his first major loss and I'm glad they didn't just forget about it and how Oliver had to deal with basically his fear of another loss throughout this episode. This also proves again just how much Oliver needs Diggle (he mentioned this in episode four) because Diggle will always be the voice of reason to Oliver and provide support; he can't do this alone! I also liked the Flashback in this episode because it showed us Oliver's first kill; so far Oliver's just been focused on getting off the island but Yao Fei was right that the bird wasn't the only think he would have to kill.

Yep he isn't getting up from that

Now for what I really didn't like about this was that Firefly, like several other comic characters in this, bore little resemble to his comic counterpart and was really grounded as well. I don't know too much about Firefly but the version I am used to seeing is a pyromaniac equipped with a flamethrower and flying suit (Arkham Origins for example). I didn't like his tragic backstory and revenge plot they gave him; I know it was supposed to mirror Oliver's list but I just didn't buy it and it didn't seem the writers put much thought in to it. Plus we didn't get a real final showdown between Firefly and The Hood which was disappointing because I think it would have made for a great fight if Firefly was at least equipped with his flamethrower. My biggest criticism of this show is that it take a too realistic take on the comic book and characters, it tries to follow in the foot steps of Christopher Nolan's Batman too much. This of course is a strong point The Flash has over Arrow because it doesn't hold back with it's villains because they are Meta Humans and it truly feels like a comic book. However I do think Arrow is still better than The Flash right now for two reasons; The Flash has barely half a season aired so far and I know Arrow defiantly gets better and addressed these issues, especially the epic season two which felt more like a comic book.

"Knew this was going to be a bad idea"

Overall I didn't really like this episode too much because the events with Firefly felt like filler after last episode more than anything. Oliver's attitude and his Flashback was great though and I couldn't believe Quentin bugged the phone at the end, that is just really not going to end well. I know this review seemed short but I don't think too much stuff really happened in this.

SCORE: 5/10

Highlights: Oliver dealing with his defeat by the Dark Archer
                   Flashback

Let - Downs: Firefly was too grounded and I didn't much care for the events surrounding him which was the majority of the episode

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/

Gotham Season One: Harvey Dent

"Want to know the nickname they have for me?"

The episode begins with Gordon arriving home with Selina and finding out Barbara has left him meanwhile an insane bomb maker Ian Hargrove (Leslie Odom, Jr.) is taken by the Russian mob while in transport. Later Gordon takes Selina to Wayne Manor and convinces Bruce to let her stay because she can identity his parent's killer, he then meets with young assistant district attorney Harvey Dent (Nicholas D'Agosto) who believes a corrupt tycoon Dick Lovecraft is behind the Wayne murders. Meanwhile at Wayne Manor Selina watches Bruce train with Alfred and elsewhere Cobblepot breaks in to Liza's apartment. Gordon and Bullock question Ian's brother who blames the Mayor and the system for not getting Ian any help however Ian is later forced to make a bomb that blows up a munitions factory and kills several guards. Bruce later tries to bond with Selina but ends up upsetting her which makes Alfred think this isn't going to work meanwhile Cobblepot visits Fish to confirm something in his own way.

"That rice boy won't last five seconds"

Nygma discovers where pieces of the bomb came from and Gordon and Bullock rush over there however in a shootout they are unable to free Ian from the Russians. Dent then later threatens Lovecraft but is unable to get a confession, even after scaring him slightly with an abrupt change in personality. It is then later revealed that the Russians are working for Fish who want to steal money from Falcone. Nygma then finds out the type of bomb the Russians stole earlier which leads the police to one of Falcone's safes however the money is then blown up by one of Fish's men who intended to kill them all. At the Wayne Manor despite a shaky start Selina and Bruce finally learn to laugh and have fun with each other which Alfred sees as a good thing for Bruce. Cobblepot then visits Liza who wants her to continue to work with Fish for now and the Mayor has decided to move all criminally insane to Arkham, which includes Ian, much to Gordon's annoyance because of it's poor conditions. The episode ends with Bruce calling Barbara however she doesn't answer because she is back to sleeping with Montoya.

All that poor money

Got the introduction to one of my favourite Batman characters; Harvey Dent AKA Twoface and I guess I will talk about him first. I think we got a really good portrayal of the young Dent here; he came off as a fast smooth - talker who as a passion for fixing Gotham just like Gordon but that part is no surprise since Dent was always the White Knight in contrast to the Dark Knight. I really liked his introduction scene where he uses his two headed coin and when he loses his temper with Lovecraft. That is slightly more in keeping with the comics because of Dent's obsession with duality and that shows with his split personality which emerges when he becomes Twoface. Him losing his temper with Lovecraft made me think that Dent's darker personality is just hidden beneath the surface so that was pretty cool. However if I am honest for a episode that is titled "Harvey Dent" we don't see as much of him as I thought, hope he becomes a more recurring cast member then.

"Okay, that was a little creepy"

What I also liked about this episode was that we finally got some interaction between Selina and Bruce and it really worked. The chemistry between the two characters was great to watch (a praise to the great acting of these young actors) and I liked how they where opposites but fitted well together. Bruce comes from the wealthy society while Selina lives in the streets so you can see how nervous Bruce is at talking to her while Selina doesn't know how to act around him. In the end they both are good for each other because Bruce ends up having a lot of fun with her, that food fight at the end was so funny, while Selina gets to care more about others since she was always alone before this. Also Alfred his as great as ever with his side comments to Selina and Bruce.

"Next time lets bring backup"

Now for everything else about this episode I did really like the bomber plot because it addresses another one of Gotham's failings and that is how it handles the mentally ill and because of that it looks like Arkham may play an important setting soon. However I didn't like that in the end Fish is behind everything against Falcone once again, honestly I just want Falcone and Cobblepot to reveal some big master plan and kill Fish already. However one thing that I really hated in this was the reveal that Barbara is sleeping with Montoya; I don't know where the writers are going with this stupid forced lesbian relationship. I can't see how Barbara (from what I read on the internet is a really hated character now after this) can redeem herself to Gordon now after this, this just makes her out to be a really weak character and I don't know how they are getting back together now. This really isn't Gordon's fault because all he done was protect her and let her in to what he is doing which is what she wanted. This also makes me hate Montoya more (who is basically a nobody in this) because even though she is a lesbian in the comics why did she have to be with Barbara in the show? What annoys me is that I bet she is going to "stand up for herself" against Gordon for their relationship and we will have some stupid love triangle. In the end is this important or good for the plot? No. Are we really supposed to care or have they made us try to care about it? No. Have the writers completely ruined Barbara's character? Yes.

When was the last time we've all had a nice food fight

Overall this was a good episode but we didn't see as much of Dent as I would have liked and I hated the ending.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Harvey Dent
                   Selina and Bruce
                   The plot with the bomber was good

Let - Downs: Dent was underused and Cobblepot was in this episode as well
                      Fish behind everything.....again
                      The stupid Barbara and Montoya relationship

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/  

 

The Flash Season One: Plastique

The episode begins with Barry hanging out with Cisco, Caitlin, Iris and Eddie in a bar and he finds out that his high metabolism prevents him from getting drunk. Meanwhile a red haired woman has stolen some files and caused a powerful explosion in a building. Barry arrives in time to save the window - cleaner by running up the building, Iris also gets there in time to see Barry in his costume. West, Eddie and Barry investigate the scene the next day and Barry cannot find any trace of explosives but manages to find the folder with the missing file. At the CCPD the military has taken over the case and a General Wade Eiling (Clancy Brown) demands all of the evidence. S.T.A.R labs then finds out that the missing files belongs to Bette Sans Souci (Kelly Frye) AKA Plastique and Barry goes to her address but she manages to blow up his suit just by touching it.

Now this is really cool!

Back at S.T.A.R labs West tells Barry that Iris's blog on The Streak is getting out of hand and Barry tries to talk her out of it but she refuses. Later Barry tracks down Plastique who wanted to kill a doctor who experimented on her and talks her out of it but not before Eiling arrives and one of his men shoots her, Barry takes her with him. At S.T.A.R labs the team tell Plastique that her powers is the result of the anti - matter explosion bonding the shrapnel in her body she received in Iraq with her cells however this is cut short when a tracker is found in her bullet wound. Wells stays to confront Eiling while the rest escape and it is revealed the two have worked together before but are not on the best terms. That night Barry visits Iris in his costume while changing his voice to convince her to stop writing the blog but she still wants to do it.

If she blows up whatever she touches then how could she get her clothes on?

At S.T.A.R labs the team tell Plastique that her powers cannot be removed, Barry wants her to join the team but they say that may be impossible because of the extreme nature of her powers. Later Wells convinces Plastique that she should do one more mission and kill Eiling because he will keeping hunting Meta Humans. She lures Eiling to her and knocks out him and his men with her powers but Barry arrives to stop her delivering the finishing blow however Eiling comes to long enough and shoots Plastique dead. Barry then uses his speed to run on water and takes Plastique's body away from Central City because it was detonating. Later Barry once more tries to convince Iris to give up on the blog but when she again refuses Barry says they need to stop seeing each other. Eiling then visits Wells and thinks they should co operate but Wells refuses because he knows Eiling wants the Meta Humans as weapons. The episode ends in a Flashback five years ago and Wells refuses to perform certain experiments on an ape for Eiling, on the ape's cage the name read GRODD.

Like running up buildings, this was really cool!

SPOILER ON POSSIBLE FUTURE FLASH VILLAIN BELOW



Finally we get a Meta Human who isn't hell bent on the destruction of Central City or killing those who wronged them before they got their powers. It is quite the change to sympathise more with the Meta Human who didn't even like the powers they where given. Besides from being the first female Meta Human she defiantly comes off as a victim of the anti - matter the way she is hunted down by Eiling and she did also give us some great scenes with her powers. It is actually a damn shame they killed her off because I wouldn't have minded seeing her again, maybe not as a main member of the team but maybe she could come back in certain episodes to help out. Also once again they gave the Meta Human a great backstory which provides the source of her powers and I liked how her corpse turned into a bomb in the end.

Good idea meeting on a roof........only Superman, Batman and Arrow have done it first

I also really liked the confrontations between Eiling and Wells and their conflicting views and I hope this rivalry between them continues I future episodes. I hope Eiling comes back and maybe has a few Meta Humans on his side and also I like Clancy Brown he is a great actor and is in two of my favourite films; Highlander and Starship Troopers. Also really like the possible appearance of Gorilla Grodd on this because he is a great villain in The Flash comics. Those who doesn't know Gorilla Grodd is a super intelligent, super strong ape with telekinesis and I am looking forward to seeing him on the TV series. His broken cage was spotted in episode one but that could have been just an Easter Egg but this pretty much confirms he will be in it. I didn't mention it before because I don't want to spoil possible future villains or storylines they might use e.g. I haven't given you my thoughts on the guy in the yellow light yet because since there has been barely anything known about him in the TV series what I might say could ruin future episodes but since most people can guess what has happened to GRODD now during the ending I don't mind giving you bit of info.

She's evolving!

What I didn't like in this episode was the overblown drama between Barry and Iris because I just think her blog and Barry not telling her is just a nuisance now. I know they need Iris to be involved in the story, and I did like the rooftop conversation they had, but this is really just creating an unneeded problem for Barry. I blame her because of her stupid blog and her stubbornness of not listening to West or Barry about removing it but I also blame West and Barry because it really would be just so, so easy just to tell her. I just hope they get this little sub plot resolved soon because I just think it is something the series could do without.

When will we see Grodd?

Other quick mentions; I did really like that Barry's abilities to run up buildings and on water where finally addressed in this episode. It was awesome seeing him do both and it looked really cool; I was wondering when he will be able to do that from the comics and they finally brought it in. Lastly I found the scene with Barry and West funny because of West's reaction to Barry changing his voice.

"Forget asking nicely if we can use your powers, we're just going to force you"

Overall this was a great episode because we have a different kind of Meta Human introduced and again it just raises more questions about Wells and they way he convinced Plastique to kill Eiling, it is kind of too bad she died before telling Barry about it.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Plastique
                   Wells vs. Eiling (with possible Gorilla Grodd)
                   Barry's new abilities

Let - Downs: Killing off Plastique
                      The Barry and Iris drama          

Revolution Season One: The Longest Day

The Militia fights back!

The episode begins in Ashland, Kentucky at a makeshift Militia base and several soldiers are monitoring the skies with computer equipment. At the Rebel/Georgia camp Nora regrets spending the night with Miles because they could both die any day though Miles doesn't agree with her. Tom also confronts Jason about what happened at the boat and try to goads Jason into killing him, Jason refuses so Tom hits him and even calls him a coward. Charlie tries to comfort him by saying she doesn't have the best relationship with her mom and then it changes to the Plain's Nations where we see Rachael and Aaron. Aaron is still overwhelmed by the information in Jane's journal but Rachael doesn't have the answers and even wonders why Ben gave the pendant to Aaron, she then prepares to shove Danny's capsule into her leg in an attempt to heal it but says it could blow them both up.

"Relaxing Rachael while I entertain you with a festive tail"

Back at the Rebel/Georgia camp Jason and Charlie spot military drones flying towards them but before they can sound the alarm the drones strike missiles at the camp. We then have a Flashback seven years after The Blackout and Rachel has just left her family to be a prisoner of Miles. Miles is unhappy about this because he wanted Ben but Rachael says Ben isn't interesting in turning the lights back on but she is. In the present Miles comes to and finds both Nora and Tom, the latter wonders how the Militia knew their location to which Miles replies that there must be a Militia spy in their midst. In the Plains Nation Aaron and Rachael find an old electronic store where Aaron wants to try and make sure that Danny's capsule works and heals Rachael's leg and not kill them.


"And everything seemed to be going so well"

At the Rebel/Georgia camp Miles, Nora and Tom head north to where Jason and Charlie where seen and they spot Militia troops coming to wipe out the survivors, meanwhile Charlie is trapped under rumble. At Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Baker is confident that their drone strikes have taken out the Rebels, the Georgia army and even Miles but Monroe does not share this view. Baker convinces Monroe to celebrate with him in a nearby bar and as they are walking down the street a sniper kills all the guards and almost kills Monroe. Monroe is unharmed but is surprised that Baker is too because unlike him Baker had no cover at all.

 

Your last friend in the world Monore

Back at the Plain's Nation Aaron fixes the capsule and it heals Rachael's leg but they are then ambushed by a group lead by a man named Lee Blackmore who wants to know what happened. Meanwhile Miles, Nora and Tom have taken out a few soldiers and have even found Jason who is badly injured and says that Charlie was in the bell tower when the missiles hit. He asks them to leave him but Tom decides to stay with him while Miles and Nora move towards the bell tower. We then have another Flashback and Miles is trying to look for Ben but Rachael says he will never find him. Rachael is really starting to hate Miles now because of the things he has done that has even earned him the nick name "The Butcher of Baltimore". Miles thought they cared about each other because of the affair they had Rachael says she regrets it, Miles says she will regret her stubbornness.

 

Go Monroe Militia!!

In the present after taking them to his camp Blackmore wants Rachael and Aaron to heal his son since he saw what they did to her leg, Rachael says he need to them back to the electronics store. At Independence Hall Monroe accuses Baker of trying to get him killed since Baker was completely exposed for the sniper but was unharmed, Baker denies this saying he is Monroe's only friend but Monroe doesn't want to hear it. Baker than says that Monroe pushes away everyone, like Miles and Tom, and that he will be alone when he takes over the continent. As armed guards enter Monroe thanks him and leaves his office and then the sound of gunfire can be heard. At the Plains Nation Rachel knocks Blackmore out and Aaron wants to know why they are turning the power back on if they don't help people. Rachael then reveals that she is only doing it so that the other nations will kill Monroe, that she doesn't care about helping anyone and that she will leave Aaron if he doesn't help (f***ing b***h).

 

Bye Baker

At the Rebel/Georgia camp Jason can't understand why Tom won't leave him and Tom says that even after everything he has done he won't leave his son for dead. Tom then manages to defend Jason by killing several Militia but is wounded in the arm. Miles and Nora are still getting to Charlie but they are surrounded and Nora decides to run and distract the Militia, something Miles was planning to do, so Miles can rescue Charlie. It works and Miles manages to get to Charlie and even kills someone who was trying to kill her. At Independence Hall Monroe is informed that the sniper who tried to kill him was a Georgia spy and that he was working alone, Baker had nothing to do with it.

 

"Four to try to take me down? Now that's f***ing insulting"

Later in Atlanta Jason wakes up in a hospital and see Charlie standing over him and they kiss, Tom sees this in the hall way. Meanwhile President Foster is angry that she lost most of her army and that the Militia has threatened to carpet bomb the city unless they surrender. Foster sees no choices since she has to save as many as see can.....unless Miles has a brilliant plan. The episode ends with a captured Nora being thrown at Monroe's feet.

 

"Now what shall we talk about Nora"

Now this was quite the great episode and that is because finally the Militia have won a victory over the Rebel/Georgia forces and almost wiped them out. I know there the bad guys but I'm just glad that Monroe now used the pendant on something that was really effective, makes you wonder why he wasted time on nukes and anthrax. Anyway I really liked the beginning when the drones strike the camp, it was so epic with some cool explosions and the results where really devastating.

 

Time for Miles to arrive in the nick of time

All of the action post - drone strike was awesome as well, some of the best I have seen. You can really feel the desperation with Miles, Nora and Tom as they try to look for Charlie and Jason as the Militia forces hunt for them. Got some great gun fighting with Tom as he defended Jason, also looks like they might be able to repair their relationship between them since Tom confessed that he still cared for Jason. The scenes with Miles and Nora fighting where good too, especially with Nora sacrificing herself for Miles even though she is now captured by Monroe I doubt he just wants a friendly chat. We also got some great scenes with Monroe and Baker and it really shows how unhinged Monroe is and how far into paranoia he is. It is kind of sad that Baker is dead now because I really like his character but it is tragic for Monroe again because he has lost someone else and it was by his own hand. Baker is right Monroe is just pushing everyone away and he is going to be alone. 

 

I'm sure there's an explanation but these should have been used at the start

As for what I didn't like about the episode, you guessed it, Aaron and Rachael's subplot because again it just felt like filler and took you away from the more exciting drone strike storyline. Not just that but Rachael's attitude was once again annoying (and she was alright these last couple of eps), with her revealing her true colours to Aaron after knocking out Blackmore. She is just as bad, no worse, then any antagonist in the series, she cares about absolutely no one but herself; she says that she is doing it for Danny but I just don't believe because of how much malice she acts with to turn the power back on. Aaron is right; this journey to The Tower should be to help people not so that Rachael can just forget she has been the worst mother in the world to Danny and Charlie. Her stubbornness is annoying as well, why couldn't he just tell Miles everything in the Flashback? Also I seriously doubted she regrets the fling they had because of how much she obviously liked Miles more than Ben but also like in the other Flashback and she tired to be the better person over Ben when dealing with the Department of Defence she tired to be the better person over Miles over their affair. I hate that Aaron is paired with her because he is a great character but Rachael could care less about him from what she said and is really only using him to turn the power on. Annoying F***ING B***H!

 

I think it would have been better if Rachael and Aaron made friends with them and asked for help 

Overall this episode could have ranked as one of my favourites if only they just focused completely on Miles's group, the drone strikes and the scenes with Monroe and Baker because those parts where so, so good. You might think its unfair to mark an episode down because of one character and their plot but Rachael just ruins everything so damn much. I have the DVD of Season One and I always skip the part with Rachael and Aaron and Flashbacks in this episode, I don't for previous episodes because I can tolerate her and as I said before I still enjoy the whole series even with her (even when its just her scenes because I admit she's important to the plot). However I just can't in this one because this is one of those episodes where the writers just took her attitude too far.

 

SCORE: 7/10

 

Highlights:  Drone strikes

                    All the action after the strikes

                    Every scene Philadelphia/Independence Hall

 

Let - Downs: Rachael was finally and completely unwatchable in this

                      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/