Arrow Season Four: Restoration

"I always knew gambling could be dangerous but damn!"

Laurel and Thea visit Malcolm at Nanda Parbat to try and convince him to bring back Sara with the Lazarus Pit meanwhile in Star City Oliver and Diggle team up to take on Meta - Human Jeremy Tell AKA Double Down (JR Bourne) who is working for HIVE.

I love it when they bring Meta Humans on Arrow and this time Oliver actually got to fight one because it was Ray who fought Deathbolt. This episode was a really strong OTA (Original Team Arrow) episode which is good because I do miss when it was just the first three and it was thanks to Double Down who while being a straightforward villain was an awesome one. Double Down had such an cool power and his fight scenes showcasing it where so great like his first one with Oliver to a tie, his raid on Palmer Technologies and his final one with Oliver and Diggle; I really hope he appears in future episodes of Arrow or the Flash. It was also thanks to Double Down that Oliver and Diggle where finally able to mend their relationship which I am glad for because I want them to be civil with each other again like Diggle trusting Oliver with his two year mission or Oliver taking a playing card for Diggle. Plus I am glad we got to touch on Diggle's mission for vengeance against HIVE again since I expect to see quite a lot of it because to me this is supposed to be Diggle's season to really stand out and let the main storyline be about him. Felicity also had a strong subplot this episode, holding her own against Double Down though I admit a lot less gracefully lol. I like the team work between her and Curtis and I love we got to see the T - Spheres which makes me hopefully we will see Mr Terrific soon. Finally Damien really, and I mean really, stood out in this subplot and continues to impress me everything has the main villain. The way he used Double Down's own playing card to kill Fayad was so damn brutal and I agree with Double Down that Damien is terrifying and I do not want to get on the wrong side of him!

Really great line but Curtis here lol

As for everything else it is always good to see Malcolm again because he is just my favourite Arrow character and while I like Sara being back I didn't like the subplot overall. For starters I didn't like Laurel's attitude in this whole episode; when the Malcolm and Nyssa both agree not to bring Sara back then you should take that to heart! I also agree with Nyssa in that Laurel is doing this for the wrong reasons, it feels more selfish than anything else and I think it would have been better if Sara was brought back for better reasons than just Laurel wanting to. Thea also didn't fare too well because I have so far had mixed reactions about her condition and this episode didn't do a better job of making it better, she is kind of like a vampire now lol. As for Nyssa she just continues to annoy me in everything she does like destroying the Lazarus Pit, going on a rant about Sara, threatening to kill Malcolm; I just feel like she spoils everything in the end. I hope in the future Laurel or Malcolm kills her because I am just hating her now and I tell you this if Nyssa does kill Malcolm (like she threatens to) I will never forgive the show for that. Since Malcolm is a villain I know he could end up dead in a future season and I just think he defiantly deserves a better death than by Nyssa who has never had a good storyline and constantly whines all of the time. Finally the Flashbacks are decent and I want to know more of the Baron's plans but they are nothing to exciting so far, just have to give it more time.

You know in the LOT trailer Sara was naked coming out of the Pit, I feel cheated now

Overall the plot with Double Down was way better than the one in Nanda Parbat though I am glad Sara is back now.

SCORE 7/10

Highlights: Double Down
                   Strong Oliver, Diggle and Felicity storylines
                   Damien continues to be awesome
                   Return of Malcolm

Let - Downs: Laurel and Thea continue to be the weak links this season
                      Nyssa just spoils everything in the end   

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 Three: Uprising

It would have been interesting if Malcolm took over Team Arrow

With Brick becoming more powerful than ever Malcolm offers his services to Team Arrow and while Diggle, Arsenal and Black Canary consider the proposal Felicity is strongly against it. It is revealed Malcolm has more of a personal vendetta with Brick than anyone thought as Flashbacks reveal how he became the person he is today.

What an end to an awesome three part mini arc in the Arrow TV show; I have said it before and I will say it again I have immensely enjoyed these three episodes and if I did a top moments in Arrow this will be in it. This is probably my favourite of the three episodes because finally my favourite character in the show has the spotlight; Malcolm Merlyn who I have been complaining about lately is too much on the side lines. Finally he got an episode focused on him and I have to say that the writers seem to be trying to redeem his character a bit (such as sparing Brick), I don't think he will ever be a good guy but he is has never been entirely evil in my opinion. It is just as Roy and Thea said, in his own twisted way he protects people and just wants to save the city. Plus we got to see him again as the Dark Archer which is also awesome because his costume is the best and he is the best archer in the show in my opinion. What was also a nice addition was that the Flashbacks where about his past and we definitely needed this and it was good seeing his transformation from a good man to The Magician. I only wish there was more than what we got like him training more with the League because the scene with young Nyssa was just cool but I wanted to know more!

"I'm back!!!"

As for everything else it is good that Oliver is back now and though I think is entrance could have been more grand his speech to the citizens of the Glades was epic. Speaking of the Glades the showdown with Brick at the end was done really well and I enjoyed the massive brawl in the streets, also we got to see two characters again we haven't seen in a while; Sin and Ted Grant. Firstly I have always liked Sin's character and I'm glad to see her again I just wish that she didn't just pop up out of no where and they gave more explanation to where she has been. As for Ted I wanted him to be Wildcat again and he did not disappoint and it was awesome when he fought Brick; he really kicked his ass more than anyone else and I don't even mind he lost because I'm just going to chalk that up to the fact he has been retired for ages and Brick has almost superhuman strength anyway. Another character that was great this episode was Quentin, it was just so funny that he knew Roy straight away as Arsenal and how his joke about how Team Arrow choses names. Seems like he is going to realize Sara isn't the Black Canary soon because of Sin and since next episode is titled Canaries I'm guessing it's in that episode.

WILDCAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

As for Team Arrow they have been great during these three episodes; Roy has really matured in the absence of Oliver, I think Laurel becoming the Black Canary has been handled really well and Diggle is always just great. However the real let down has been Felicity because I think she just become a weak and whiny character lately. She completely ruined Oliver's homecoming and I don't get why, Oliver is basically using Malcolm to train him it is not like he is making him a member of the team. I just really miss the light hearted Felicity before who is super smart but can also cheer up the team and raise their confidence in any situation with her wit and one liners. I just hope they change her back to how she was before because right now I don't look forward to the scenes she is in since she is just a downer. Before I finish I know this episode was similar to the Dark Knight Rises but that doesn't bother me since the people behind the show have said before that Christopher Nolan's Batman has been inspiration for them and it isn't like their completely copying them.

Magic tricks work on everyone; kids or even assassins

Overall great finale to the three part episodes and I am glad that Brick is still alive to appear in future episodes. We got some great action and I actually liked the Flashbacks we got this time and I am looking forward to Oliver being in Star City once again.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: Epic three part arc
                   Wildcat and Sin
                   A Malcolm focused episode and Flashbacks
                   Great showdown with Brick at the end

Let - Downs: Felicity has been a constant negative in these last three episodes
                      Wanted to see Malcolm's training in the League

 

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 Three: The Magician

Dark Archer is always awesome!

The episode begins with Oliver telling Nyssa that Sara is dead who leaves so he then meets Thea for dinner who says she will be buying back The Verdant, later Nyssa goes to Sara's grave and tells Laurel (who was there first) that she is unworthy of the Sara's jacket that was given to her. Oliver then confronts Nyssa about Sara's mission at a League hideout and she says Sara was in Starling to confirm if Malcolm was still alive, Oliver then confirms this with the rest of Team Arrow with photos Sara took. They then find a note Sara written and find out that she asked Quentin for help so when Laurel asks him about it he says Sara asked for help in finding a man named Jansen at a Buddhist monastery however when Nyssa, Red Arrow and Arrow go investigate they find that Malcolm is Jansen but he gets away but Arrow manages to wound. Oliver says he put a tracker on Malcolm however Laurel is angry that he didn't kill him when he had the chance and in a Flashback Oliver is ordered to kill someone for A.R.G.U.S.. Nyssa sees how Laurel is and Laurel asks her to kill Malcolm if Oliver can't bring himself to do it, Arrow then gets a call from Malcolm (after the tacker failed) to meet up in a public place and when they do Malcolm swears on Thea's life he wasn't Sara's killer.

"Maybe we shouldn't have brought Nyssa along"

Oliver then tells Thea Malcolm is alive and she lies by being surprised and when he returns to the Arrowcave Oliver says he believes Malcolm and Nyssa angrily storms out and kidnaps Thea. Arrow then goes to the location and rescues Thea and the Dark Archer arrives soon after and a three way fight ensures that ends in Nyssa being pinned to a wall. Malcolm then says to Oliver to kill him or not to which Oliver doesn't and says to Nyssa that Malcolm is under his protection in Starling, Nyssa responds by saying he has made an enemy of the League before leaving. In a Flashback it is revealed Waller was backing Fyers and when Oliver confronts her about this she said it was to kill China White. Felicity then returns from Central City and Thea is shown to be in contact with Malcolm. The episode ends with Nyssa returning to Nanda Parbat to inform her father, Ra's al Ghul (Matt Nable) what has happened, Ra's responds by saying Malcolm will be dealt with and so will Oliver for making war with the League.

Ra's al Ghul!!

We finally get the appearance of Ra's al Ghul one of DC's and Batman's iconic villains of all time! Really liked the ending scene because firstly Matt Nable was a great choice for the part, his accent really sounds great for Ra's and he really looked the part in his robes. Also he was seen getting out of a pool and I wonder if that was the Lazarus Pit? I hope it was because I really want it to exist in Arrow. As for Nyssa though I do like her and she is a great fighter I didn't like her much in this episode with her constant conflict with Oliver and her obsession with Sara (from season two til now) is just getting annoying to watch now. As for Laurel she has been a great character so far (she is even hitting the gym now) but she was annoying in this one too with her constant interfering with Oliver such as asking Nyssa behind Team Arrow's back to kill Malcolm, I mean she isn't Black Canary yet so I don't know why she thinks she is so important to the workings of Team Arrow. What was good about the Flashbacks was Oliver now resigning himself to be Waller's killer and the fact Waller hired Fyers to kill China White all along, I want to know more about that.

Doesn't anyone recognize Malcolm?

Malcolm was great as ever in this and I really liked the talk he had with Oliver in the crowded plaza; it was just the way these two arch enemies confronted each other that made for a real intense scene. Of course a highlight of this episode was the great action such as at the Buddhist monastery but the three way fight between Arrow, Dark Archer and Nyssa was just so awesome and I wished it was longer. However something I just had to mention was Roy doing that silly back flip when confronted by Nyssa, surely they could have thought of a better way for him to lose than that? Lastly I liked the dynamic between Thea and Oliver because they did promise now more secrets but they keep the biggest secrets from each other; I wonder why Oliver still won't tell her and I wonder what Thea's plans with Malcolm are?

"Been off the island for a while now, maybe I should get a haircut"

Overall this was good episode that could have had a lot more fights between Arrow, Dark Archer and Nyssa.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: The three way fight
                   Malcolm still steals every scene he is in
                   Ra's al Ghul

Let - Downs: Flashbacks
                      Couldn't stand Laurel or Nyssa
                      Roy's backflip
                        

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 Three: Corto Maltese

"My young apprentice"

The episode begins with Arrow chasing down a lead on Sara's death however it was a dead end but back at the Arrowcave Felicity tracks down Thea's location to Corto Maltese. Oliver and Roy decide to go and later Diggle when A.R.G.U.S has a missing agent named Mark Shaw there they want him to find. Meanwhile Laurel meets with Ted Grant (J.R. Ramirez) owner of the Wildcat Gym about a crime involving one of his gym members, Ted denies this and then offers Laurel to come train because he notices her pent up anger. Oliver shows up at the house Thea is staying but leaves when she is not there however Malcolm was aiming an arrow at him in the distance, in a Flashback Malcolm begins to train Thea by pouring boiling water on his hand to show how to deal with pain. Oliver then finds Thea but she refuses to go back with him (even Roy tries talking to her later) while in Starling City Felcitiy is given a brand new office from Ray and asks her for all the files from the Applied Sciences Division. Oliver and Roy then decide to help Diggle with Shaw but they are lead into a trap by them however they manage to fight their way through it and Diggle completes his mission.

There is no better trainer than Wildcat

In Starling Laurel attends an AA meeting with Quentin and listens to the story of a woman beaten by her husband while in Corto Maltese Thea has a Flashback to where she failed the boiling water test so Malcolm came to the conclusion he is going easy on her and decided to hit her. Laurel then goes to beat up the wife beater however she is severely beaten up instead and while in the hospital Quentin says she was stupid for doing that and that Sara handles stuff like that (still not knowing she is dead). Oliver then talks to Thea once more, this time saying how both of their parent scarified themselves for them, which causes her to ask Malcolm if she can go home which he lets her. With everyone back in Starling Laurel approaches Oliver asking him to train her to be a vigilante however when he refuses she ask Ted, meanwhile at Queen Consolidated Felicity asks Ray for time off so she can visit a friend who woke up from a coma (Barry Allen) and Ray is seen going over certain blueprints. The episodes ends with Oliver and Roy discussing Thea but are interrupted by Nyssa Al Ghul who is looking for Sara.

"I think I'll stick with my gun thanks"

Looks like even Team Arrow likes to do some work outside of Starling City for once which is good because it is a welcome change for a different location. Thea was the main focus of this episode and I have to say she does have a nice haircut lol. Unfortunately one of the biggest problems this episode was the lack of the Thea/Malcolm relationship; a lot more screen time should have been given over to them, their Flashbacks and their training (all we got was the boiling water test!). However she did have some nice scenes with Roy and Oliver, especially the one where Oliver talks about their parents which was really well done. The other big problem with this episode was Diggle on his A.R.G.U.S mission and even though I like Diggle focused episodes I just don't like A.R.G.U.S that much except for their Suicide Squad. Maybe that is because I hate both Lyla and Waller so compared to the Thea/Malcolm subplot I honestly didn't care for Diggle's mission at all.

I wonder is Thea will be a Dark Archer soon?

As for everything else Laurel is still continuing to be an interesting character; her attempt at stopping a wife beater might have been a bit silly but it is a good character arc of her noticing the evils in the city and unlike Sara not being able to do anything about them. However looks like she might be able soon with the introduction of Ted Grant AKA Wildcat; a great hero in the comics who has trained many heroes such as Black Canary, Superman and Batman to name a few. It also looks like Ray really might be ATOM some time soon too with the look at those weapon blueprints he has been looking at so I am excited for more of that. All in all I think I more enjoyed the moments in Starling than I did in Corto Maltese if I'm honest. Finally looks like the League is coming back next episode now that Nyssa is back in town!

"I'm used to darkness not all this light an heat!"

Overall this is the weakest episode of season three so far because it's main storyline with Diggle's mission wasn't that good.

SCORE: 6/10

Highlights: A little insight to Thea's training with Malcolm
                   Laurel starting to become Black Canary and the introduction of Wildcat
                   Ray may also be ATOM soon

Let - Downs: Not enough background on Thea and Malcolm
                      Didn't care for the A.R.G.U.S mission

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: The Scientist

"Soon you won't be the only hero"

The episode begins with a masked thief (Gold) with super human strength stealing a centrifuge from Queen Consolidate d's Applied Sciences Division meanwhile at Queen's Consolidated Isabel is not happy Moira is getting involved in the company because of her recent trial. Oliver, Diggle and Felicity head to the science division to investigate along with Quentin and the police and are soon joined by Central City forensic specialist Barry Allen (Grant Gustin); he says that Central City had a similar incident and also expresses admiration for the Arrow. In a Flashback the group are still trying to find the sub while in the present Oliver observes video of Gold stealing the centrifuge and Barry and Felicity work together on the scene. Sin then later contacts Roy and Thea for help in finding her missing friend who was part of Sebastian's blood drive and Malcolm pressures Moira to reveal to Thea his is her father. Arrow then later tries to stop Gold from stealing a blood van but is easily overpowered which leads him to realize it is Mirakuru, in a Flashback the group find the sub. While Barry and Felicity do more investigating Sin, Roy and Thea are doing the same but are observed by one of Sebastian's men. Oliver and Diggle later confront Barry because Central City did not send him or have a similar case and Barry admits his mother was killed in a vortex of yellow lightning so he investigates anything to do with super powers when he can.

"Fine with my bike the way it is, don't need to pimp it up like Batman"

Moira later holds a party but barely anyone attends (however she speaks to a mysterious man there) and we get a Flashback and the group prepare to inject a dying Slade with Mirakuru but there is a chance it will kill him. Sin and Barry later arrive at the crime scene of her friend who lays dead and Felicity predicts where Gold will strike next because Mirakuru's need for sedatives. Roy then contacts Arrow about Sin's friend but is shot in the leg when he refuses to just stand by anymore meanwhile Moira warns Malcolm to stay away from her family because she has contacted Ra's Al Ghul about him who is angry with The Undertaking, Malcolm promises to leave for now. Arrow arrives at an A.R.G.U.S bunker to stop Gold but is easily beaten and injected with an unknown substance, in a Flashback Slade seemingly dies after being injected with Mirakuru (after telling Shado he loves her) but Ivo's men soon arrive. The episode ends with Barry being kidnapped by Diggle and Felicity because they need help in curing Oliver of the unknown substance.

Cool mask but it looks hard to see through

Finally we get to see a Mirakuru solider in action and the action did not disappoint! Those two clashes that Arrow had with Gold where just awesome, the fighting was just gripping to watch. This also gives us a new phrase with the Arrow series with the arrival of people with powers; the first being Mirakuru, the other one I will talk in the next paragraph. It is really refreshing to see another villain (besides the Dark Archer) who can not only stand up to Arrow but actually defeat him. I am really interested in more of Mirakuru now and I hope it doesn't just stop with Gold, which is why I am looking forward to the next Flashbacks because they seem to deal with origins of Mirakuru. The Flashbacks continue to be entertaining and I liked the scene where the group is dealing with whether or not to inject Slade with Mirakuru; they really left it on a cliff-hanger on if his survives!

At least you guys have a lot of fond memories together

The other big thing to talk about this episode was the arrival of Barry Allen who is The Flash and the mention of Central City, the place he protects. When I first heard that Barry Allen was in the episode I didn't get my hopes up much because even though I knew he was The Flash I didn't think he would actually become The Flash. However this all changed when Barry mentioned his mother's murder and I thought "They are really going to introduce superpowers in this?". This, along with Mirakuru as I mentioned above, is again proof that this season wants to improve over the first one and not feel as grounded which was my biggest complaint season one. I also liked the ending where he finds out Arrow's identity because that was so unexpected but nothing to worry about Barry obviously comes across as someone they can trust. Plus I think Grant Gustin was just a perfect choice for Barry Allen and I think him and Felicity work great together in their scenes, I mention him more in my Flash reviews.

You meddling kids!

As for the rest of the episode I really enjoyed Thea, Roy and Sin working together on the murder because it gets them more involved in the main story but in their own way. It makes me think that their are two groups fighting crime right now; Team Arrow and Thea, Roy and Sin. I hope the three of them continue to work together more but maybe that won't happen because I really didn't expect Arrow to shoot Roy in the leg, wonder if that will lower Roy's opinion of Arrow now? I also liked seeing the conflict between Moira and Malcolm again and it was great how Moira actually contacted Ra's Al Ghul to get Malcolm off her back. Obviously Malcolm must be a wanted man by the League and I definitely want to know more about that however I am a bit disappoint that Malcolm has to leave now already. Lastly I am still annoyed that Isabel still has nothing to do in the series; sure there was a little tension between her and Moira but that is it, I feel that everyone in the episode had something great to do except her.

Moira vs. Merlyn

Overall great episode with the possibility that we can see even more superpowers in the Arrow series as we get more seasons. Plus I'm glad there was no Laurel this episode, need a break from the stupid things she does.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: Debut of Barry Allen and him learning Arrow's identity
                   Mirakuru continues to be great this season
                   Thea, Roy and Sin's investigation
                   The conflict between Moira and Malcolm

Let - Downs: At this point I wonder what the point of even having Isabel in the series
                      Malcolm has left again too soon

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: 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 Undertaking

"I should really enter Casino Royale"

The episode begins with The Hood tracking down an accountant who works for a secret organization and stealing his laptop so he can transfer all his funds back to the people he stole from. However while decrypting it Felicity finds a money transfer to a casino owner for the kidnapping of Walter so they decide they most follow it. Moira then has a Flashback to when her husband Robert, Frank and Malcolm where discussing The Undertaking which involves levelling the Glades, killing thousands to remove the crime and rebuild however she is unaware of this at the time. The Flashback continues and Robert tries to talk Malcolm out of The Undertaking but is unsuccessful however he then tells Moira who thinks they should stop it, in the present Felicity tries to get Diggle to come back but he refuses until Oliver admits he was wrong. Felicity then poses as a card - shark at the casino however The Hood soon arrives and finds out Walter was killed shortly after his kidnapping.

"You know Frank I think we are in over are heads here"

Oliver then tells this bad news to Moira and we then get another Flashback to Robert asking Frank for help to stop Malcolm and they agree to meet in China. The Hood then follows Moira as she confronts Malcolm who insists Walter is still alive, this confirms Oliver's suspicious that his mother is involved. Felicity then gets Walter's location by hacking Malcolm's phone and The Hood goes there to free him and he is then reunited with Moira and Thea. In a Flashback Robert is preparing to board the Queen's Gambit with Oliver and Sara however Malcolm has secretly planted a bomb on the yacht after Frank betrays Robert. Still at the hospital Oliver tries to hide is rage when talking with Malcolm and when Laurel asks Oliver to tell Tommy he has no feelings for her he says he can't because that would be lying. The episode ends with Oliver apologising to Diggle saying he was right about everything and asking for his help just as a truck from Unidac Industries.

"Just leave me, I can't survive outside these walls anymore"

The first of the final three episodes where The Undertaking gets under way; I admit not too much happens in this episode however we did get a lot of interesting Flashbacks. They may not have involved the island but we got some background into The Undertaking and that Robert was truly part of it however his reasons for wanting to do it was really weak compared to Malcolm's who we all know who's wife was murdered in the Glades. It also sheds some light on how the Queen's Gambit was sunk and even though the reveal of Malcolm planting the bombs was obvious, it was Frank who sold Robert out after promising to help him. They also say that they are going to completely level the Glades which means Malcolm must have something big in mind and it might have something to do with the Unidac truck at the end. Also we did get a lot more on Malcolm's reasons behind the Undertaking and that is what makes him really dangerous; one of my favourite reviewers on YouTube, John Campea, said (and I have to agree) that the most dangerous villains are the ones who believe they are not evil. That really describes Malcolm well because he does not see what he is doing as evil and that gives him conviction to see it through to the end.

It's a shame, Felicity was on a roll!

As for the present we got some great moments to such as Felicity once again out in the field (she is a great card player!) and she really shone and Walter finally being rescued, I missed Colin Salmon. We got some great action when The Hood crashed the casino and Walter's location in Bludhaven, hearing this city got me excited because that is where Nightwing operates one of my favourite DC heroes! Does this mean we will see him in the series? As for everything else I am glad Diggle is back on the team but it felt underwhelming because even though I said Oliver should apologies, in the end that was all it took? I didn't much care for Laurel's attempt with talking to Oliver and he revealing he still has feelings for her because I just don't think it will work between them after everything they have been through in the past. Lastly I can't believe there was no Roy in this episode because he is one of my favourite characters.

"They don't pay us enough for this!"

Overall this was a great start to the revealing of Malcolm's master plan.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: The Flashbacks/More on Malcolm
                   Felicity back in the field
                   Great action scenes with The Hood

Let - Downs: Oliver and Diggle resolve was underwhelming
                      No Roy!

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: Dead to Rights

"I never miss"

The episode begins with a hitman arriving by helicopter however he is quickly killed by The Hood, at the Arrowcave Diggle trains Felicity so she can defend herself more but Oliver soon arrives and asks her to hack the hitman's phone. We then have a Flashback and Oliver has gotten a radio to work but they can't send transmit ions, in the present Felicity discovers a protected hit - list and Oliver warns  Quentin about it however Quentin wants a name. Later Malcolm tries to patch things up with Tommy and Laurel convinces him to go to his award ceremony elsewhere China White hires Deadshot to kill Malcolm. Oliver then tries to find the Chinese Triad are targeting Malcolm and then calls Quentin about it, Laurel then gets a call from her mother but doesn't answer. Everyone attends the ceremony, even China White as a guest and her Triad who are waiters.

"Your just practise hitman"

At the ceremony the Triad have turned off the power but Malcolm rushes up stairs with Tommy who is stunned when he takes out several pursers. Oliver arrives as The Hood and fights China White but ends it when McKenna almost has the drop on him, elsewhere in the building Malcolm is shot several times by Deadshot who is sniping from another building. Though Malcolm was wearing a vest the bullets are coated with poison, The Hood gets there and convinces Tommy to give his father a blood transfusion by revealing his identity to him. After Tommy is questioned by Quentin but says he doesn't know who The Hood is, in a Flashback Slade and Oliver hear Fyers talking about a monster over the radio and they later find out it is a missile launcher. At the hospital Diggle is upset that Deadshot is still alive and Malcolm says to Moira that he suspects there is a traitor, not knowing it is her. Tommy later tells Oliver, after talking with his father, that he will keep is secret however he is not happy about it or that Oliver is The Hood. The episode ends with Laurel's mother Dinah Lance (Alex Kingston) arriving at her apartment and telling her she thinks Sara is still alive.

Shame, this part easily could have had a panty shot

I knew that Deadshot was still alive and now he has his trademark missing right eye and special eye piece that goes over it. Really glad that Deadshot is back because they couldn't have killed him after one episode and the fact that Diggle knows he is back too makes me think that these two are going to have some conflict in future episodes. I really liked the team up of him and China White; that is what we should have in future episodes, several villains who have lost to The Hood team up to try and take him down. China White was also good in this as well and I really liked the whole attack on the ceremony by her Triads and she had a really good fight against The Hood. It is a shame though that Malcolm never got in to his Dark Archer gear to battle Deadshot because that would have been cool however he still kicked some ass and that scene where he almost grabs his costume was great.

"I plan to destroy you all and you award me HAHAHA!"

Tommy is also continuing to be a great character; it looks like he has repaired the relationship with his father but his one with Oliver is now damaged. As I said before I really like the moments between Tommy and Malcolm and this episode I think is an example that the two still care for each other despite recent conflict between them. As for his one with Oliver, Tommy has made it clear before that he doesn't like The Hood and finding out that it is Oliver probably did hurt him. I think for now he will keep the secret but I have no doubt that will be getting to him over time and he may even hate Oliver. Heck he may even become another Dark Archer like he is in the comics if he and Malcolm are getting along now, kind of like the Osborn's with the Green Goblin lol.

"So, keep my identity secret for me?" 

As for everything else in the episode I am interested to know what Moira will now do about The Undertaking; since Malcolm suspects a traitor she is going to have to be extra careful. We also have Oliver and McKenna still going on with their relationship but I don't care much for that because I never for a second thought this would lead anywhere. A big reveal at the end was that Dinah thinks Sara is still alive and I guess will we see what evidence she has to support it next episode. However when I first saw this I thought Dinah was forced too much into the plot; we haven't seen or barely mentioned her for this long and now she introduced with this revelation, they could have built up to it a bit more. As for the Flashbacks things are starting to look bad for Slade and Oliver now that Fyers has a missile launcher, does he plan on bombing the island for them?

The eye piece does look really cool now all he needs is his helmet

Overall this was a good and even though I won't mark it down for this I wish that Malcolm could have been the Dark Archer again.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Deadshot and China White team up
                   The action at the ceremony
                   Tommy was a standout in this

Let - Downs: Dinah and her whole "Sara is alive" reveal feels really forced into the plot

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: Year's End




Now that is a really awesome costume

Adam Hunt, who was recently taken down by Oliver, is on the phone but is interrupted by an unseen visitor. Hunt seems to know who this person is but his killed by three arrows to the chest before he can say much. While sparring in their hideout Diggle reminds Oliver that it is Christmas and that he should have a break, Oliver considers this after remembering how his family spent Christmas. In a Flashback Yao Fei has returned and has brought Fyers as a prisoner and says that they can use him to get off the island. In the present Oliver goes back to the manor and finds Malcolm Merlyn and Police Commissioner Brian Nudocerdo having dinner with Moira and Walter; Brian of course is against The Hood but Walter and Malcolm seem to show support. Walter is soon called away by Felicity who says that Dr. Doug Miller, the head of Applied Sciences at Queen Consolidated, is on the journal list while Brian is called away because the police have found out about Hunt's murder.

There's a new archer in town

Oliver listens in at the crime scene while Quentin tells Brian this was not The Hood; the arrows are black and since Hunt was already dealt with, he suspects a copycat. Oliver and Diggle try to work out who the copycat is and enlist the help of Quentin by slipping him a cell phone and speaking with a voice filter, however Quentin isn't interested in working with The Hood. While out with Thea, Oliver finds out that his family have been avoiding Christmas and their annual party for the last four years but Oliver wants to have one now. In a Flashback Fyers explains to Oliver that the island was a prison and when his men purged the island they only spared two; Yao Fei and Billy Wintergreen, the man in the mask. Oliver is still distrustful of him because he had Wintergreen torture him but Fyers argues that Yao Fei is guilty of slaughtering innocent people and needed to find him. In the present Malcolm voices concern that Walter is finding out too much (having already contacted Miller) and wants to call his "associate" to deal with but Moira says she will handle it.

"You calling to wish me Merry Christmas?"

Later a businessman is killed by the Dark Archer and while at the scene Brian want Quentin to accuse The Hood of the two recent murders however Quentin refuses believing this really isn't The Hood. When Brian takes Quentin off the case he phones The Hood and agrees to give him one of the black arrows used for the murder. Oliver gives the black arrow to Felicity and she works out where it came from meanwhile Tommy asks Laurel to Oliver's Christmas party. Oliver goes to the place where the black arrow was made but is almost caught in a bomb blast. Later at the Christmas party, except for talking with Laurel, things don't go so well; Walter confronts Moira about what she is involved in and says he won't stop and Oliver finds Thea about to get it on with her boyfriend and of course she tries to stupidly justify every stupid thing she does. He then has to leave the part when he finds out the Dark Archer has taken hostages in a warehouse and threatening to execute them.

Awwww a nice family portrait

In a Flashback Fyers has led them into a trap and Wintergreen arrives to battle Yao Fei; Oliver manages to escape but Yao Fei is captured. In the present Oliver as The Hood has arrived at the warehouse, freed the hostages and does battle with the Dark Archer however just when things look even the Dark Archer gets the upper hand and shoots two arrows in to Oliver's back. He moves in to unmask Oliver but his stabbed in the leg with an arrow and flees, Oliver then radios Diggle for help. Oliver wakes up in a hospital where Thea says she is sorry elsewhere the Dark Archer removes his hood to reveal Malcolm Merlyn. Walter is later kidnapped and when Moira confronts Malcolm about this he says he will be freed after his plan is done though Moira argues that it will cost thousands of lives. The episode ends with Oliver believing he has failed the city this time and resolved to find whoever wrote the list of names.

So will we see the real Deathstroke soon?

Took a long time to go over this episode but there was a lot of points to cover with the most important one being that there is a new archer in town and that it is Malcolm Merlyn. I am really glad that it was him because in the comics he his a master archer and arch - nemesis of the Arrow who calls himself Merlyn. As I mentioned when Malcolm was revealed to be Tommy's father Merlyn could have been him or Tommy since they both have been Merlyn in the comics. I don't know if this means that Tommy may one day take over the role since right now he doesn't even seem to be any good at fighting. However I am happy as Malcolm as the Dark Archer for now because he was a badass; everything from is awesome black costume to his fight with Oliver on the roof, it was really cool seeing two archers fight each other. Since this basically confirms Malcolm is the main antagonist I hope for more showdowns between him and Oliver.

"Let's let the two archers fight it out"

Another great thing was the great Flashback that surely makes up for it's two episode absence and proves that the Flashbacks are one of the best things about this series. I really didn't believe Fyers would have been captured that easily and that's good because we had an epic battle between Wintergreen and Yao Fei. I am surprised that he wasn't the real Deathstroke (Deathstroke's real name is Slade Wilson) so I guess this means Wintergreen might be an apprentice of the real Deathstroke or his apprentice his Deathstroke? (seriously thought that at the time and it doesn't sound that bad of an idea). I guess Oliver is on his own now and I wonder how long he will last without Yao Fei or how long Yao Fei will last under torture. We also learned more about the island and it is interesting to know this really isn't just some random spit of land but has a lot of backstory.

Look behind you Walter!

As for the rest of the episode once again the subplot involving Walter was good but I don't like how he is now taken out of the story. It almost feels like the writers don't know what to do with him or his investigation with Felicity so they decided to get rid of him for now which is a shame. Quentin was really great in this one because he actually stood up for The Hood when Brian wanted to blame him for the murders, I guess Quentin is getting around to seeing that The Hood isn't all bad. Lastly Thea has been a let down again; I said it before but I'll say it again the writers are trying to make her out as some troubled, rebellious, rich party girl but do we really care? Why does she have to justify the stupid things she does at the end of the episode why can't they give her an interesting subplot like Walter.

"I should have expected this!"

Overall this is one of the best episode so far and that is thanks to Malcolm and the great Flashback we had. You might have noticed I am speeding up my Arrow reviews but that is because I do want to catch up to season three but don't worry; there won't be any drop in quality because every review of old episodes I write are done at least a week in advance before upload so I got lots stored. Of course currently airing series like Gotham and The Flash have to be written in a day.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: The Dark Archer and the fights with Oliver
                   The Flashback - Yao Fei vs. Wintergreen
                
Let - Downs: Thea
                      Walter now out of the story

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/