The Flash Season Two: Family of Rogues

"You think your family is messed up Barry?"

Barry forms and uneasy alliance with Lisa when her brother Captain Cold is kidnapped by their father Lewis Snart (Michael Ironside) meanwhile Joe struggles with a hard decision.

Now this episode was completely owned by Whentworth Miller, I mean he has always been great as Captain Cold but he really stood out in this. First off we actually got a break from the Zoom storyline and instead it focuses on the Cold Family which I was glad for because I wanted to know more about them and this defiantly adds a lot more depth to Cold and Lisa. It is good to see Cold still staying to his Code in the fact that he is a criminal but there are lines he won't cross and there are things he cares about like Lisa which their dad took full advantage of. Always great to see Ironside because he is a great actor and he did a really good job of being this criminal even Cold thinks is evil like planting a bomb in his own daughter's neck. His scenes where he exploded the bomb in his henchmen's head and then shot Barry where really menacing and he had quite the brutal death at the hand of this own son. Lisa really stole the scenes she was in as well; she really humanizes herself and Cold, we got to see more vulnerable sides to them. Plus I am really liking the chemistry between her and Cisco; it is hard to tell if Lisa is being genuine but it is fun to see Cisco just can't help himself in caring for her, this is a relationship in Flash I don't mind seeing developed even more. Barry was also a great addition to the Cold plot because I just really liked him helping out in a heist and I like how Cold and Barry have this mutual respect for one another e.g. Barry having hope Cold can be a better person. Thought I's just say that I know Cold does help the heroes in the comics when it suits him and he will in live action soon because of Legends of Tomorrow but I do hope he stays as a villain overall because I do really like him more as one of the Flash's biggest nemesis.

If his face turned into a skull then he would have been Deathstorm

As for everything else it is great that Jay has decided to stay and remain a member of the main cast because despite losing his speed he is still a great addition (though I would really like him to regain it soon). However while I do like the interactions between him and Caitlin I really hope that that they don't try to build a romantic subplot with them because it just doesn't feel right to me and you know not everyone has to get together in this show! But one that does defiantly seem to work is between Barry and Patty because first off they are together sometimes in the comics (like New 52) so I am more used to this but also like Cisco and Lisa I just love the scenes these two are in together, they just seem to compliment each other really well. Then there is the Joe and Francine subplot and while this was good and quite the shock that Joe lied it just feels too similar to a Lance Family drama from Arrow. Maybe if more screen time was somehow given over to it or if the payoff was better it could have worked more e.g. Iris just seems to get over the shock so quickly and Joe mentions she has met her mother off screen. Finally at the end we see that Stein's condition is getting worse because of the blue flames which leads me to two possibilities; first off Deathstorm could be coming but that seems unlikely this early in the series or more likely Stein needs a second to control to Firestorm Matrix now that Ronnie is gone.

Get in there Cisco!

Overall the best episode of the season so far because we got more insight into the Cold Family and I am glad the Wells from Earth 2 has arrived now!

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Cold Family episode

                   Interactions between Lisa and Cisco

                   Barry was really great in this episode

Let - Downs: I hope they aren't trying to get Caitlin together with Jay

                      The Joe/Francine subplot could have been better

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 Two: Time of Death

"Time for you to die!"

The episode begins with two thieves being guided through a robbery by William Tockman AKA Clock King (Robert Knepper) however even though they get what they came for one of the thieves kills a guard meanwhile at the Arrowcave Oliver, Sara and Diggle are comparing war scars making Felicity feeling left out and Oliver wants to throw a welcome home party for Sara. In a Flashback the group sees a plane but it is shot down and in the present Clock King kills the thief who messed up while at the party Laurel is notably absent. Quentin and Arrow later investigate the body of the thief and Quentin says he stole a skeleton key earlier, in a Flashback the group find the pilot of the plane gravely injured so Slade and Oliver go to find medical supplies. In the present Arrow and Black Canary show up at a robbery however it is done by Clock King who uses this as an opportunity to hack Felicity systems and escape however they where able to get a blood sample. Arrow and Black Canary go to Clock King's sister's address (after finding out he and his sister are both suffering from a fatal illness) however it is another hack and their computers are destroyed this time, Felicity later admits to Diggle she feels inadequate now Sara is here but Diggle reassures her she is invaluable.

"Let's finally bury the hatchet"

The Lance Family hold a dinner with Oliver (as a way to mend things between Sara and Laurel and Quentin wants to get back together with Dinah) however Dinah admits she is in another relationship and Laurel storms out after realizing Oliver and Sara are together. This is the last straw for Oliver who says Laurel needs to do a better job taking reasonability for her actions and that he is done caring about her. Arrow, Black Canary, Diggle and Felicity all go to stop Clock King and Felicity is able to knock him out by exploding his phone despite being shot in the shoulder, Oliver later reassures her that she will always be "his" girl on the team. Sara later takes a job at The Verdant and has a moment with Laurel who admits she was wrong and even goes to AA with Quentin. In a Flashback the pilot dies but not before giving Sara a picture of her daughter who is Sin. The episode ends with Oliver going home and finding Moira in a meeting with someone who turns out to be Slade Wilson.

"So where are yours two costumes?"

We got another villain from the comics the episode and that is the Clock King and those who have read my Flash review know I really like Robert Knepper as him. The guy is really similar to his comic counterpart and Knepper really portrays him as being borderline psychotic but that is because the guy has almost nothing to lose because of his disease. They also create a lot of sympathy for his character because of the disease and his sister that you almost wish that he got away with the robbery. However what was really great about him was that he was more of an intellectual opponent against Team Arrow this time who outsmarted them twice and was more of an enemy for Felicity this time. Speaking of Felicity I am glad that she was one of the main focuses this episode and that it dealt with her personal conflict of being inadequate now that Sara is here. This could have been made out to be really silly of being jealous but no, the dialogue she had with Diggle and Oliver really made it feel relevant. Plus I like that she is the one to take down Clock King because she really needs an arch - nemesis of her own sometime.

If he was able to hack Team Arrow's systems then you think he got their address?

We also got some great moments with the Lance Family again and I just thought I'd say I am really glad that Quentin is now on friendly terms with Oliver and the Queen Family now because him being a constant ass to them and Tommy annoyed me last season but he is a way better character now. However Laurel of course had to spoil parts of it again with her damn outbursts but I am really glad now that Oliver has finally had enough with her. Liked the scene when he told her so because it was one of the few times we see Oliver crack and I never liked how in season one he was so obsessed with Laurel sometimes. Luckily it looks like Laurel is finally, finally to getting out of the drinks and drugs which is about time but I didn't like the reconciliation between Laurel and Sara because that whole "I was on the boat with you" dialogue and the rest that followed sounded like a load of crap. Lastly for a quick mention I like that we got some more origin on Sin but those Flashbacks but like last episode felt really unnecessary.

"Surprise boy"

Overall I really liked the villain in this episode but it was a shame it didn't focus on him more but at least he was on The Flash after this. Oh yeah I didn't expect to see Slade at the Queen Manor but I can't wait to see how Oliver will handle it next episode.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Clock King was a strong villain
                   Felicity felt more involved this episode
                   Did like the moments with the Lance Family except with Laurel

Let - Downs: Laurel again
                      Didn't like the 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: Heir to the Demon

The second daughter to the Demon

The episode begins with Nyssa al Ghul (Katrina Law) taking out airport security because her credentials issued an A.R.G.U.S alert meanwhile at Queen Consolidated Moira is preparing to run for Mayor and Felicity tells Walter that Tempest (the old organization connected with The Undertaking and Moira) is making withdrawals from the bank. Oliver sees Laurel at the hospital, Quentin and Dinah are also there and Laurel tells Quentin that she saw Sara, later Oliver finds Sara at the Arrowcave and wants her to stay for her family but Sara says the League are still after her. In a Flashback six years ago Sara is visiting her family after get time off from college but texts Oliver, in the present Sara and Quentin meet up briefly but when Sara leaves Nyssa shows up wanting her to return to the League and even though she still refuses the two kiss, Arrow watches from a distance. Nyssa and Sara meet up again later because Sara wishes for Ra's al Ghul to release her from the League but Nyssa says that may be impossible. Diggle later finds out Laurel was actually poisoned and Dinah is kidnapped at the hospital by Nyssa and Arrow and Black Canary fail to stop her, they both then tell Quentin about this.

"Ever thought of getting a car? You can equip it with lots of gadgets!"

In a Flashback Quentin and Laurel have just found out the Queen's Gambit has sunk and Moira shows up later to tell them Sara was on the boat, in the present Team Arrow runs into a dead end tracking the poison but Nyssa calls and says she wants Sara in exchange for Dinah. Oliver notices something off with Felicity who replies that she has found out something about Thea which shocks Oliver at Moira's campaign event but he keeps it to himself, later he finds out Sara has taken more of the poison with her to confront Nyssa. Quentin and Sara confront Nyssa and Sara poisons herself however Arrow shows up and saves her after a brief fight with Nyssa, this compels Nyssa to release her from the League. Later Oliver tells Moira that the two of them are now done, having been told by Felicity that Thea is Malcolm's daughter meanwhile Quentin and Dinah are overjoyed Sara is back however Laurel (incorrectly/unfairly) blames Sara for every bad thing in their family and demands her to leave. The episode ends with Slade telling Sebastian that he will deal with Moira and Sara and Oliver kissing passionately.

Really thought Sara was dead for good at this moment

Looks like the League is back and we have the arrival of a major character from it, it might not be Ra's al Ghul but one of his daughters. At first I thought it would be Talia because she is the most well known of his daughters however having Nyssa instead is better because Talia is more associated with Batman. Nyssa really made a strong debut; kicking a lot of ass and being a awesome archer and having a great costume to match. She is willing to do whatever it took to get Sara back, poisoning her sister and kidnapping her mother, and I kind of wish we got a bit more history on their relationship. This would have made for better Flashbacks than what we got this episode because it just felt unnecessary because it was basically no new information. However despite that I always like seeing the League and we had a great show down between Nyssa and Arrow.

"Your not the only one who can do this"

It was also again good seeing Walter and that Felicity was involved again in an effort to find out the truth of Moira's lies. She had a great confrontation with Moira and I don't really blame her for telling Oliver the truth about Thea and that was just one more lie that Oliver just could not take. I wonder if he will see or treat Thea any different now that he now she is Malcolm's daughter but he is done with Moira now in any case. We also got to see Moira starting to run for Mayor now and like I said last review I am interested to see more because it is something new for her character and she finally gets to do something that is good for the city.

Why couldn't we just have a nice reunion

As for everything else I did like the drama between the Lance family and that they where all together but it was ruined at the end by Laurel. This might sound cheesy but I wouldn't have mind at the end that the Lance family, including Laurel, embraced each other now that their family is whole again but it did go that way. I just hated Laurel's sudden hostility towards Sara and blaming her for every bad thing that has happened because every bad thing is really her fault and of course she was drinking at the end again. I have read some reviews saying that her anger was justified this time but I don't see it that way and it just makes me continue to hate her. Plus I while I said the Flashbacks where not needed it was nice seeing the Lance Family as they where six years ago but again except for Laurel because she was just like in the present she was a bitch in the Flashbacks. Lastly I don't like that Sara and Oliver got together at the end because even though I am not a fan of any of the couplings, Oliver/Felicity is better than any of the ones we have had so far.

"Get over here and give your speech Oliver!"

Overall this was a great episode but the ending, Laurel and Flashbacks where at let down.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlight: Strong debut for Nyssa
                  Moira and Oliver conflict
                  The Lance family (except for Laurel)

Let - Downs: Laurel ruined the ending like she ruins everything now
                      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: The Huntress Returns

Why couldn't they kill her off?

The episode opens at a strip club and Helena AKA The Huntress has killed her father's attorney Gus to find his whereabouts. In Starling Laurel has told Quentin that Dinah has returned and the evidence she has brought to suggest Sara is alive but he doesn't believe them meanwhile Thea runs in to Roy and offers him a job at Oliver's new club. After talking to Diggle about Gus's murder he returns home to find Helena who wants his help to kill her father; he refuses but Helena threatens his family. In a Flashback Slade thinks Fyers is going to use the missile launcher to start a war and in the present Laurel convinces Quentin to look at Dinah's evidence. At the opening of the club Tommy is still having a hard time dealing with Oliver but is soon threatened by Helena which forces Oliver to help her kill her father. Later Thea goes to Roy's place to find out why he didn't go to work but he says he doesn't need charity however he helps her later by beating up muggers but sustains a knife wound and she later accompanies him to the hospital. Helena and Oliver don their disguises and try to ambush the truck Frank is in however it is a set up by Quentin and McKenna who arrest The Huntress.

"Same plan as always kid; I do all the work"

Oliver later frees Helena and gives her a ticket to leave the country and in a Flashback Slade plants explosives on the launcher after taking out the guards but Oliver thinks they just need to take out the circuit board. While Oliver is at McKenna's he gets a call from Felicity who has been tied up by The Huntress and forced to find her father's whereabouts. The Huntress gets to the safe house but runs into The Hood and the two fight it out however just when The Hood is about to finish her off McKenna arrives; this creates an opportunity for The Huntress to shoot her and escape. Later at the hospital McKenna says she needs a year off to heal and needs to move out of town, ending her relationship with Oliver, elsewhere Quentin is ready to listen to Dinah. The episode ends with Oliver admitting to Tommy he can't have a normal life and we then have a Flashback where Oliver wants to trade Fyers the circuit board for a way off the island.

"Ok, lets start our own investigation"

Well looks like we have the return of the worst character in the Arrow series who I really wished didn't have to return so soon. I mean here we have to sit through again The Huntress's incredibly weak storyline of wanting to kill her father (it was almost a repeat of what she did before) and the poor acting of the one who plays her. She is just so poorly written and handled and after threatening Oliver's family and friend and killing those cops just doing their job I am completely unsympathetic to her cause, I just hated her superior attitude she had to Oliver in being like "I can tell on you or kill your love ones if you don't do as I say" or the way she injured Tommy. Why the hell can't Oliver see how much of a threat she is and just kill her? At least then maybe a new and better character can take up the mantle of The Huntress. The only good thing about her is that her costume is good and the final fight with The Hood at the end was alright too (I admit the arrow catching was cool).

At least your red hoodie doesn't show any blood

Because she took up the majority of the episode there really isn't much else going for it besides a few others. I do like the Roy/Thea subplot and them looking to start a relationship makes more sense then any of the other ones that have been in this series and I still really like Roy because he did kick some ass and save Thea. I do still think Dinah's subplot is too forced in to the series but at the very least it gives Quentin something else to do then hunt the vigilante but I don't think it will last for too long. As always the Flashback is always good with some great action from Slade and Oliver coming up with the idea to make a deal with Fyers, seriously doubt that will end nicely for both of them. Lastly I knew Oliver's relationship with McKenna wasn't going to go anywhere and now that the writers have dropped her out of the series it seems like it was a waste of time these past few episodes.

You could have easily knifed her right in the head Oliver

Overall it was a poor episode but that is because The Huntress brings it down because they have completely ruined her character. If they gave more screen time to Roy, Quentin/Dinah and the Flashbacks I would have given this a higher score.

SCORE: 4/10   

Highlights: Roy/Thea
                   Quentin getting something else to do
                   Flashbacks

Let - Downs: The Huntress who took up most of this episode
                      McKenna subplot wasted a lot of time these past few episodes
                      Can't they find The Huntress anything else to do besides kill her father?

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/