Arrow Season One: Darkness on the Edge of Town

Yep your screwed Oliver

The episode begins with the Dark Archer killing all the scientists at Unidac Industries to keep them silent about the device they brought into the city. At the Arrowcave Oliver wants Diggle to be The Hood and kidnap him and Moira so they can find out about The Undertaking. In a Flashback Yao Fei betrayed the others because Fyers would have killed them otherwise; he wants to cripple the Chinese economy by blowing up an aircraft with a missile launcher but he wants Yao Fei to take responsibly. In the present Quentin investigates Unidac Industries but so does Roy and Thea, later Oliver and Moira are kidnapped by Diggle who is The Hood. Moira confesses (when Diggle beats up Oliver) that she is working with Malcolm to destroy the Glades using an earthquake device developed by Unidac Industries so Team Arrow then decide to infiltrate Merlyn Global Group Headquarters to possibly find out what and where it is.

"Remember there is no need to go overboard.......why are you looking at me like that Diggle?"

The infiltration is successful with Oliver visiting Tommy and Felicity and Diggle sneaking in however Oliver does run into Malcolm and then Thea and Roy who he tries to dissuaded going after The Hood. Thea then later breaks up with Roy because of his obsession with finding The Hood and Walter divorces Moira because he knows she must have had something to do with his kidnapping. After talking with Oliver earlier Tommy visits Laurel but sees her getting intimate with Oliver and we then have a Flashback and Fyers has shot and killed Yao Fei after confessing on camera that he blew up the aircraft. Diggle goes in search of the Unidac device but finds only an empty container; Malcolm having moved the device beforehand after learning of Team Arrow's hack of his company's systems. The episode ends with The Hood attempting to kill Malcolm however he effortlessly catches the arrow and knocks The Hood out after a fight.

Too bad Malcolm wasn't in is Dark Archer costume during this fight

Almost to the end now and this episode was great in setting up the events of the finale. First off I think one of the best scenes in this episode was when Diggle, as The Hood, kidnaps Oliver and Moira. I mean that was just such a smart plan, we got some great distress out of Moira and we got to see Diggle as The Hood again (he deserves a costume!). Someone else who had some great scenes was Tommy once again because even when he doesn't say anything it is really emotional e.g. when he saw Oliver and Laurel through the window. He might not have had to say a word but you can tell that he is really hurt by Oliver and Laurel who have betrayed him from his point of view. Tommy has been really betrayed by his friends lately and I wonder if he will side with his father or forgive his best friend?

"Where the hell is the make up crew?"

As for the villains this episode Fyers has proven himself to be an evil sob since he killed off a major character. I didn't expect Yao Fei to die nor did I expect a major character to be killed until the final episode so the writers did I good job of surprising me. It is a shame Yao Fei has to go but I guess he will give resolve to Oliver to stop Fyers not just to find a way off the island. Now to the other villain Malcolm and he continues to be one hell of a badass! My other favourite scene was when he just effortlessly caught that arrow and then defeated The Hood and even before that when he massacred the Unidac scientists. So far Malcolm has proven himself to be the most dangerous person in the series so far since Oliver as failed to stop him twice.

"Arrows solve everything"

As for the rest of the episode I really enjoyed Team Arrow's infiltration of Merlyn Global Group Headquarters; it felt like a real sneaking mission with those gadgets and some comedic moments from Felicity with the help of Diggle. As for what I didn't like Roy and Thea's subplot seems to have gotten no where and them just splitting up at the end felt kind of lacklustre. Lastly I really didn't like the moment between Oliver and Laurel because I am just not a big fan of this pairing since I am not too much of a fan of Laurel anyway (in this season and the second) and it just annoys me when Oliver obsesses over her e.g. when he abandoned Diggle to help her.

Never leave the Arrowcave without your trusty crossbow

Overall this was a great setup for the finale.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Malcolm continues to be a badass
                   Diggle as The Hood once again
                   The infiltration of Merlyn Global Group by Team Arrow

Let - Downs: After several episodes the Roy/Thea subplot has gotten no where
                    

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

 

 





http://screencapped.net/   

Arrow Season One: The Odyssey

Deathstroke vs. Deathstroke

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



"You better not bleed all over my seats"

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

"Place your bets folks!"

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

Rookies, am I right Slade

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

"I can so picture myself using this"

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

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: Felicity joins the team
                   Flashbacks
                   Deathstroke vs. Deathstroke

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

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

 

 





http://screencapped.net/         

Arrow Season One: Trust but Verify

"This is my show now"

The episode begins with an armoured truck heist and Diggle is shocked to learn that Oliver's suspect is his former commanding officer and mentor, Ted Gaynor. In a Flashback Oliver uses his commando disguise to infiltrate Fyer's camp to rescue Yao Fie but runs in to Fyers, in the present Tommy is busy renovating the club when he gets a call from his father who apologizes for before and wants dinner with him and Laurel. The Hood then goes to confront Gaynor but is stopped when Diggle intervenes but manages to steal a flash drive, Diggle is then given a job at Gaynor's security company. Back at the Arrowcave Oliver is furious with Diggle but Diggle believes Gaynor is a good man and wants to prove it, Oliver agrees to let him; we then have a Flashback and Oliver has been found out by Fyers. Later Moira is called in to a meeting with Malcolm but demands evidence that Walter is alright, their meeting is witnessed by Thea who believes they are having an affair, elsewhere Laurel convinces Tommy to have dinner with Malcolm. Diggle has dinner with Gaynor at his sister in law's restaurant and even though he meets another former solider named Paul Knox who he never got along with still thinks Gaynor is innocent. Thea later tells her worries to Oliver who then confronts Moira about them but she denies having an affair with Malcolm and that Robert was unfaithful to her, in a Flashback Oliver is captured by Fyers.

Kind of almost sad Malcolm spoiled the moment, they where getting along so well

While Tommy, Laurel and Malcolm have dinner Malcolm tries to get Tommy to sign over a free health clinic that was run by his late mother, Tommy refuses and storms out. Oliver later gives the flash drive to Felicity who cracks it and informs him that that it has information on the robberies, Oliver disrupts one of them and seriously wounds one of the robbers. At Thea's 18th birthday party she gets a car but also a new drug called Vertigo from her friends and then angrily leaves after again thinking Moira and Malcolm are having an affair. Oliver then asks Diggle to poke around the security company where he finds blood in one of the vans and is then confronted by Gaynor and Knox who are behind the robberies; they have even kidnapped Diggle's sister in law to force him to help with the next robbery. Diggle refuses to go along with the robbery and The Hood shows up; Knox is killed and Gaynor soon as well after a fight, Diggle is arrested but soon let go. Oliver later shows lets Diggle cross Ted Gaynor's name off the list and apologies for not trusting him more. Thea then gets in to a car accident under the influence of Vertigo and winds up in hospital, she also wants nothing to do with Moira but is arrested by the police for being on drugs. The episode ends in a Flashback where it is reveal Yao Fei is working for Fyers.

A bow vs. a knife

Got a good Diggle centred episode here and it is about time because we defiantly need to learn more about his past because they don't talk about it much and they haven't expanded on his Deadshot connection yet. I really like that it raised the issue of trust because Diggle was torn between old loyalties or his new one to Oliver to help Starling City because it does show how he looks for the good in people, like Oliver and why he helps him. Also again it shows him taking a more active role in helping the city than just supporting Oliver; in this he went undercover and even fought Gaynor. It might not be as cool as seeing him act as The Hood but it sure is a start, Diggle is one of the best characters in the show and I want to see even more of him and Felicity. Felicity too is an interesting character and as smart as she is she is defiantly going to figure out that Oliver is The Hood soon; I mean everyone comes to her with all of their problems and it is interesting how many BS stories Oliver can come up with lol.



"Is that real food!!"

Other stuff that was great was again the moments we have between Tommy and his father; the two have such a complicated relationship and I want to know why they don't get along that much, it is also confirmed that Tommy's mother is dead and maybe that has something to do with it. Malcolm obviously developed more of a bleak outlook on life after that and how Tommy gave us more background on him. I'm guessing in those two years he was gone he must have became an expert fighter and archer and I hope we get a Flashback for it, plus the scene with Tommy talking and you see Malcolm next to his costume was really cool. I also liked the Flashback this episode with Oliver sneaking into the enemy camp to rescue Yao Fei; he already thinks he is Big Boss! It was a surprise to learn that Yao Fei is working for Fyers but I'm sure that after everything that has happened he is being threatened in some way and that he will end up helping Oliver. Also I guess this shows how much Oliver has changed since being on the island since he is willing to risk going in to an enemy camp to rescue someone he barely knows, like the time he didn't give up Yao Fei's name under torture.

"I love being on TV"

Now for the thing that has let the episode down; Thea, I really cannot stand the stupid things she continues to do. I mean why did she get so upset about her mom maybe having an affair with Malcolm? she barely had any proof and now she doesn't want anything to do with Moira again. Also how can she be so stupid to drive under drugs influences? I don't know if their trying to make us sympathise with her or make a tragic subplot because I can't, she is just a whiny, annoying, stuck - up bitch (she annoys me that much it's uncensored!). However at the very least we got the mention of Vertigo and it has me more worried than anything else. In the comics the Arrow has a villain called Count Vertigo who has the power called the Vertigo Effect to disrupt his enemies' balance which is useful in combat (can even work to disrupt equipment). This has me worried because if they are kind of introducing his power as a drug than just like most things in this show Count Vertigo will be turned in to someone realistic and grounded.

"You should have joined us Diggle, unlike the Arrow we would have paid you"

Overall I like this episode because it focused more on Diggle and the Flashbacks continue to be some of the strongest moments in the series.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Diggle focused episode with a good showdown at the end
                   Great Flashback
          Tommy and Malcolm continue to have on of the more interesting character relationships        

Let - Downs: Thea continues to annoy
                      Worries for Count Vertigo if he gets introduced

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: Damaged



"I'm going to make your life a living hell boy"

The episode starts off with the hooded man teaching Oliver how to use a bow and arrow and of course it isn't easy. Oliver is then sent to retrieve the rabbit the hooded man shot but is soon captured in a wooden cage by several commandos wearing all black. Back in the present Oliver is brought to the police station and is interrogated by Quentin who believes he is The Hood after seeing the footage of him. Walter and Moira arrive shortly in to the interrogation demanding that Oliver needs a lawyer however Oliver wants Laurel to defend him. At the bail hearing Oliver is put under house arrest while wearing a GPS tracking device, he thanks Laurel for what she has done but Laurel says she knows he cannot be The Hood.

"At least I can make this mug shot look good"

Oliver is then fitted for his GPS tracking device and says to Tommy that they should hold a prison - themed party at his manor. Meanwhile Quentin is angry at Laurel for siding with Oliver but Laurel insists that he is innocent and that he shouldn't be blamed for Sara's death or for Quentin getting divorced shortly after. Diggle wonders how Oliver will get out of this but Oliver says this was all part of his plan; to get caught on camera since he needs all suspicion of him being The Hood gone. He then tells Diggle to follow a German arms dealer in Starling City named Leo Mueller with his tracking equipment. Later Walter is talking with head of security for Queen's Consolidated and wants him to move the remains of the Queen's Gambit.

Finding it fun working for the Arrow yet Diggle?

Oliver later refuses to accept the insanity plea but agrees to take a polygraph test however Laurel does not believe that is the best option. In a Flashback Oliver is brought before a man named Edward Fyers (Sebastian Dunn) who is the leader of the commandos that are on the island. He wants to know where Yao Fei (the hooded man) is and Oliver says he doesn't know, Fyers isn't convinced by this and brings in a man wearing a black and yellow mask (Jeffrey Robinson). In the present Thea is worried about the situation but Oliver says there is nothing to worry about meanwhile Moria meets with Malcolm who says the charges are false but Malcolm believes that Oliver is hiding something.

I probably would have told them everything.........what? It's freaking Deathstroke!

During the polygraph test Oliver manages to lie through it successfully but thinks back to when he was cut by the man in the mask. He vaguely mentions that he was tortured to Quentin and Laurel and admits that he killed Sara by bringing her on the Queen's Gambit before ending the test. That night Oliver throws his party, Quentin is there as well, and tells Diggle he needs him to be The Hood so stop Mueller while he has the perfect alibi, Diggle agrees to do it. Laurel comes to the party and apologises to Oliver and they even kiss but she soon leaves. In a Flashback Yao Fei has arrived to save Oliver and fights the man in the mask but leaves shortly with Oliver.

 

He really knows how to throw a party

In the present Diggle has successfully stopped Mueller's arms deal as The Hood and Walter finds out that the head of security was killed and accuses Moira of lying to him. Later at the party a waiter pulls a gun on Oliver but Quentin manages to kill the waiter, Moira snaps at Quentin for endangering her son since he is accusing him to be The Hood (even though she suspects the killer was sent by Malcolm). Quentin frees Oliver of the GPS and drops all charges because of the waiter killer and the fact that Diggle posed as The Hood to stop an arms deal, giving Oliver an alibi. Moira later tells Malcolm to never harm her family again and even finds out that he killed the head of security because Walter is finding out too much.

 

"Let Oliver stay on house arrest; I can do this myself"

In a Flashback Yao Fei takes Oliver back to the cave but leaves soon after giving him a pouch. Laurel confronts Oliver that he managed to lie on polygraph test but Oliver manages to still divert suspicion from himself. Walter is then seen leaving the manor, saying he is taking a long business trip and doesn't know how long he will be gone. The episode ends with Diggle asking Oliver if he knows how his plan will affect his friends and family, Oliver says that it hurts worse than anything before tracking down and stopping Mueller.

 

The answer's never in a bottom of a bottle Quentin

This was probably the best episode of Arrow so far; for me it had the best fight scenes, flashback and present day moments out of the five episodes. Firstly there was Oliver's predicament on convincing everyone that he isn't The Hood and it was a great plan in the end, he is lucky that he has Diggle on his side now. Speaking of Diggle he kicked some major ass in this episode, I am liking his character more and more and this one proved that he can defiantly help out Oliver on the streets. Not only did he look awesome as The Hood but he had a great fight scene with those arms dealers, one of the best parts of the episode. I really hope Diggle continues to help out more with the fighting, maybe even get his own costume or even fill in from time to time for Oliver.

 

This fight was pretty damn epic!

Now as we are on the subject of great fights the one between Yao Fei and Deathstroke was truly epic, the name Deathstroke might not have been mentioned but I recognize that mask even if it is a bit different. My favourite shot in this episode was when Deathstroke caught the arrow, it had a comic - book feel to it and the fight the came after as well. See just like with Deadshot this is the type of villain I want to see in Arrow; possessing skills that make them seem superhuman with a great costume to match. The rest of the Flashback was great as well, with the inclusion of this military force led by Fyers giving Oliver another obstacle on the island. Of course I want to know exactly why they are here and why they are interested in Yao Fei and great that we also got to see how Oliver got one of his very first scars.

 

Staring contest!

The rest of the episode was great as well such as Malcolm sending a killer after Oliver, I think this proves that he is going to be at least one of the main antagonists in the present and again makes you wonder what he and Moira are involved in? Like always Quentin has a great story arc in the episode, despite how angry he is at Oliver and how much he wanted to convict him he did save his life at the end and its actually good seeing Laurel on Oliver's side for once. Also as I mentioned above I did like watching all of Oliver's plan to prove his innocent from the polygraph to throwing that party.  

 

"You can't take it off because it's taped to your leg hair, which really hurts"

Overall as I mentioned above this is the best episode of Arrow so far with great past and present day story with the inclusion of such an iconic DC villain. I don't think there was anything bad in this episode because I immensely enjoyed it however I admit maybe Deathstroke could have had a few speaking lines but maybe they want to make he seem more menacing or mysterious right now. 

 

SCORE: 10/10

 

Highlights: Deathstroke/Flashbacks

                   Diggle as The Hood

                   The whole present - day storyline

 

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/