Arrow Season Four: Beyond Redemption

How will Quentin deal with this shock?

Laurel has to deal with a feral Sara when she brings her back to Star City meanwhile rouge police officers lead by Liza Warner (Rutina Wesley) are causing trouble for both Green Arrow and Quentin.
I have praised him a lot this season but Quentin, Paul Blackthorne, defiantly deserves it because he had the spotlight in this episode. He was involved in both of the major subplots and made a big contribution to both with which is probably his best performance in a episode of far in Arrow. Him finding out that Sara was alive was so well done; his initial shock at seeing her tied up in a basement, having some shred of hope when he thought she was responsive and then horror at when he had to save Laurel from her. It made for some really powerful stuff but the real emotional scene came when he took Damien's advice and tired to kill Sara, seeing it has a kind of mercy. The way he almost pulled the trigger and then broke down when he couldn't do it, again this is Blackthorne's best performance in my opinion and scene speaks for itself. Then of course he was part of the subplot to stop Warner and this is when you can tell how hard it has been for Quentin to have the double life of being a cop and working for Damien. He almost lost his faith in the city (like Oliver) after seeing the corruption in the force but managed to claw out of the darkness with a great speech that inspired both Warner and Oliver during the fight at the end. I also of course have to mention the two scenes with him and Oliver talking in his apartment because those where also some of their best scenes together. Amell was also so good because of the way he argued against Quentin, saying that for ages he has just wanted his approval and with Quentin saying how screwed he basically is working with Damien. I am glad that he and Oliver have a better relationship now because I defiantly much prefer it when they work together then against one another.

Police gear for a costume does look really cool

As for everything else the villains where really good, corrupt cops aren't anything too special but they tired in perfectly with what Quentin is going through this episode. I really enjoyed the action scenes with them; it was some awesome fighting, their special weapons where really cool and I am glad we got to see the Canary Cry again. Warner also made for a good villain because she really held her own in a fight against Green Arrow, she was really humanised as well with the way she wasn't evil but just someone desperation wanting to leave a dying city and with the way things ended I think we might see a redemption story with her in the future. Oliver's subplot at being mayor was better then I thought especially with the reveal that they are using Sebastian Blood's old office and lair (good call back to Season Two) and that they made a kickass new lair that looked really cool! His Flashbacks are still good, not a highlight or let down they are just good so far. Then there was Felicity's subplot involving Ray's last message and while I like her scenes with Curtis and I want her to find Ray they just felt really out of place this episode and just a mild distraction from the two major plots involving Quentin. Finally Laurel continues to be a weak link this season (shame because I really liked her in Season Three) because again I just think her bringing Sara back has been for selfish reasons and it is hard to sympathise with her when Quentin does a better job of it.

"I will now run this city"

Overall a near perfect episode and Quentin's best so far and I am looking forward to next week's with the arrival of John Constantine! I usually avoid spoilers and previews but him arriving has been such a big topic for this season it was hard to avoid some, like which episode he appears in.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: Best Quentin episode
                   Warner and her cops where good villains
                   Oliver was also great

Let - Downs: Laurel still hasn't been that great
                      Felicity's subplot just felt too out of place

   
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: Public Enemy

Run Team Arrow RUN!

When Ray is injured during an attack on the Mayor's office Felicity's mom Donna visits Starling City again. Meanwhile Team Arrow tries to find Maeso however things take a turn for the worse when Quentin is kidnapped by Ra's al Ghul.

 

This is almost like Season One when Arrow was hunted by the SCPD but the notable difference was Quentin is now almost completely blinded by hatred. Now I say almost because he kind of isn't in the wrong about what he is doing because that speech at the end with Oliver in the police van (standout performance by Blackthorne, he did a great job of being completely overcome by anger this episode) did make a lot of sense in that despite Arrow doing good at the end of the day it is Quentin's job to arrest him and how he actually hates himself for not doing so and even becoming his accomplice. I didn't actually expect him to meet with Ra's al Ghul at all but it was nice that these two characters got a chance to but it was a shame Ra's never used this as an opportunity to reveal more of Sara's time in the League; it is still really vague how she got there and what she did. As for Oliver it really seems hopeless for him now; Slade made him feel that why but who to thought it would be the police this season, just shows you how much Oliver needed them on his side. I guess it's kind of understandable that he turned himself in, in the end because he had no other options but it seems Roy has got his back which is good because he has been on the side lines too much this season. Now I'm not sure how Oliver and Roy are going to get out of this but I really hope it doesn't end in Roy's death (because a character death has been teased for the next episode) since I really like him as Arsenal and he still needs his robotic arm. As for Quentin I like to think he may come to regret his actions, maybe if Roy does die that will trigger it, but I don't know how he is going to redeem himself to Team Arrow and Laurel. Finally this storyline gave us some kickass fight scenes between Team Arrow and the League and some great police chases.

"I forgot how good it felt to chase masks"

As for everything else I enjoyed seeing Felicity's mom again because she brings a breath of light hearted fresh air and again raises questions about who Felicity's dad was with her comments. However while Ray's nanotechnology was interesting I didn't like that he was put on the sidelines this episode when we saw him in action in the last one; I just felt he could have played a larger role and all in all this small subplot felt out of place compared to everything else that went on. Also I'll say again I'm not bothered about the relationships in the show (it sometimes focuses too much on them) however I can't believe they have opened to possibility of Felicity being with Oliver again because I just do not like that. I think her conflicted feelings for Oliver has just been such a downer for her character (when she has been so cheery in the previous seasons) and I just want it to end already. As for the Flashbacks I did like them because it was a nice way to bring Shado and her father in it again even if it was just for closure for Shado's twin.

How is Roy going to get out of this one?

Overall it is a desperate time now for Team Arrow and I don't know how they are going to make things right which is why I can't wait for the next episode.

 

SCORE: 8/10

 

Highlights: A Quentin focused episode

                   All seems hopeless for Team Arrow

                   Great action and chase scenes

 

Let - Downs: Ray's subplot felt out of place

   Felicity still can't decide who she wants to be with which I'm sure will just waste future screentime

 

  

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/   

Gotham Season One: Pilot

It turns out Screencapped (The awesome site that lets me uses their screenshots) now has Gotham on there so I'll start now and hopefully be up to date on it soon like The Flash. Like with all of my TV series reviews this is an in depth look at the episode and meant for those who have already seen it.

The episode begins with a young Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova) stealing a wallet and milk from people on the street and feeding it to her cat in an alley but quickly gets out of sight when she hears someone coming. Thomas and Martha Wayne are with their son Bruce (David Mazouz) but are soon shot dead by a masked thief while Bruce looks on. Detective Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) and his new partner James Gordon (Ben McKenzie) arrive at the scene and Gordon promises Bruce to find the murderer, Alfred Pennyworth (Sean Pertwee) then collects Bruce. Later two other detective from Major Crimes Renee Montoya (Victoria Cartagena) and Crispus Allen (Andrew Stewart-Jones) want to take the case from them but an annoyed Bullock refuses.

"You like bats kid?"

Gordon and Bullock begin to rough up some of Gotham's criminals to find answers to the murder and even get coroner and forensics operative Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) to examine evidence at the scene. They then go to question underworld mobster Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith), who is employer of Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor), but they still get no answers. Their investigation eventually leads them to the residence of Mario Pepper who resists arrest and is killed in the struggle. While searching his apartment they find a necklace that resembles the one stolen from Martha Wayne and the case is apparently solved. Later however Cobblepot tells Montoya and Crispus that Pepper was framed for the murder, Montoya later confronts Barbara Kean (Erin Richards), Gordon's fiancé, about this and then Gordon himself.

"You'll find I shoot first and ask questions later"

Gordon suspects corruption in the police department after questioning Pepper's wife and then decides to question Fish but is knocked unconscious along with Cobblepot who is found out as a snitch. Bullock tires to save him but fails and he and Gordon are almost killed until they are saved by Don Carmine Falcone (Carmine Falcone) the boss of Fish and who doesn't want cops killed. Falcone orders Gordon to kill Cobblepot as a test of loyalty but Gordon refuses to go through with it and fakes shoots Cobblepot instead, telling him to never come back to Gotham and throwing him in the river. Gordon then goes to Bruce's manor to tell him that Pepper was framed but he will find the killer one day. The episode ends with Cobblepot emerging from the river and killing a fisherman.

Now that is one scary ass butcher

When I first heard that they where going to make a series set in Gotham that didn't actually have Batman I admit I thought it was a bit of a gamble. Batman is one of the greatest and iconic superheroes ever created so this series had to be interesting enough if it focuses on other characters. Fortunately after watching this Pilot I have to say that it is a gamble that paid off because they sure did make it work. Gotham is almost like one of the numerous cop shows that are on TV right now the biggest difference of course is that the audience will feel familiar with this because it is based on existing material but what is great about it is that it is a take on Gotham just after the murders of the Wayne's which not many Batman comics have touched upon.

"Got to think of a good thief name......"

The events of this episode was really good because just like mostly every Pilot episode it more establishes the setting and introduces the main characters more than anything else. This of course introduces younger versions of the characters we know from the comics like Gordon a young detective who still has a sense of justice in this corrupt city and then there's the Penguin one of the most powerful mob bosses in the comics but he is barely up the ladder of power right now. It also does a great job at showing us the corruption of the police department and how unpleasant the streets of Gotham is; its got a kind of neglected, gritty feel to it. It also does an interesting take on the Wayne murders because as shown in numerous retellings in the comics, and Batman Begins, their murders are done just by a lowly criminal. However in this it introduces an overarching mystery that will carry on in future episodes that may involve the police department and mafia.

Your lucky it was Gordon, Cobblepot

I think we got an excellent cast here such as Gordon and Bullock because I really like that they are opposites and the way they interact with each other. Bullock is corrupt and accepts it because he thinks that's how it will always be but Gordon always tries to fight it and actually wants to make a difference in Gotham. The young Bruce and Selina are good too, these are two really good young actors and I hope they become more involved in the story and even meet each other later. It was also good seeing Nygma in this as well, it was only briefly but it was funny seeing him using riddles even to his co - workers right now. There are two standouts in this and that is Alfred and Cobblepot, they where the best characters introduced in the Pilot. First Sean Pertwee is an awesome actor and I have seen him in a lot of films and he brings a uniqueness to Alfred, more no nonsense and wilfulness. For example when Bruce is on the roof of the manor trying to face fear Alfred shouts up "get your bloody arse off that roof" I never would have expected that from the Alfreds I have seen before. Then there is Cobblepot who is just so well acted and really feels like a younger version of the Penguin. The guy is calculating, sadistic and I like the way he speaks as well, it comes off as nervous and really confident at the same time. I also like how he hates the name Penguin right now because its an insult to him but I guess eventually he makes it his own.

At the very least you got good taste in stage performers

However there are a few characters I hated and the first is Fish Mooney; she is an original character created for the series and I just cannot stand her at all. The acting of the actress who plays her is just poor, her voice for one just sounds stupid, and I find her character just uninteresting and unnecessary and I find her attitude just damn annoying. She's probably really only in the show so that Penguin might kill her and take over her turf and I hope that doesn't take too long. Then there are the two Major Crime detectives who are just p***ks for the sake of being p***ks. I don't see any relevant reason for those character to be there at all, especially that prying Montoya whose a real b***h, they suspect Gordon of being corrupt when he makes it so obvious to anyone that he is the only honest cop on the force.

"Riddle me this!"

I guess something I just want to nit pick at, and this doesn't lower the score, is that I think they made it too obvious to who the future villains are. For example the daughter of Mario Pepper is called Ivy Pepper, if she is based on Poison Ivy from the comic (since we also saw her with plants its highly possible) then call her by her actually real name which is Pamela Isley and let the audience figure it out. I guess them having Edward say riddles counts as well because it should have been more subtle. An example when they did it right is when Fish was watching a comedian in her club and I was like "is that the Joker?" but they don't tell you, it was a nice reference for the audience to spot.

How it all started

Overall this is an imaginative retelling of the origins of Batman and the villains he faced from the perspective of one of Batman's closest allies. This is like a cop/detective drama but it defiantly has a comic book feel to it and I am interested to see how they keep this working. It had some great action scenes, character interaction and keeps your drawn in with the conspiracy of the Wayne murders and police corruption.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Great take on the origin of Batman                 
                   Younger versions of the comic book characters
                   They really made the city of Gotham come alive

Let -Downs: Fish and Major crimes are just annoying
                     Should have let you guessing more about the villains

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/   

Anime Review: Death Note (The Kira Arc)

Been a while but I thought I'd finally get round to reviewing an anime that I have had for years and is so iconic that I would have had to review it at some point; Death Note. Now if you are wondering why it says Kira Arc next to the title that is because I am splitting my Death Note Reviews in to three parts; The Kira Arc, The Yotsuba Arc and The Near and Mello Arc. The reasons I am doing this because each of these Arc are quite different from each other so I think it is only fair to split up the anime and give them individual scores, plus I can focus more on each one. The Kira Arc is the first part of the anime which consists of episodes 1 - 17, also I do own the entire manga series of Death Note so I can make comparisons to it. Spoilers because I will go in to detail about the plot and characters because like most of my reviews this is for people who have watched it already.

Death Note is about a young adult named Light Yagami a senior in high school about to go to college who is also a genius and excels in everything. However he is extremely bored and resents that the world is full of evil like murder, rape, war and crime in general. Someone who also shares is boredom is a Shinigami named Ryuk who lives in the decaying Shinigami Realm, to rid himself of his boredom he decides to drop a Death Note in the Human World. A Death Note is a tool of a Shinigami that allows them to kill a Human as long as they know their name and face but it can be used by a Human and who just happens to pick it up but Light. Light decides to use the Death Note to rid the world of everyone who commits evil and takes the name Kira so that everyone will know that someone is in judgement of them. Unfortunately for Light the police will not accept Kira and have even brought in the world's greatest detective L to hunt him down.

The Death Note manga was written by Tsugumi Ohba who has only done Death Note and another manga I don't know however the anime was developed by Madhouse and I know quite a bit about their work. I know that Madhouse is really good at adapting serious manga in to anime with two of their most notable work in my opinion being Black Lagoon and Monster. It was also directed by Tetsuro Araki who directed Black Lagoon and would go on to direct two of my favourite anime High School of the Dead and Attack on Titan.

The series is a Detective/Psychological thriller with elementals of the supernatural because of the existence of Shinigami and a note book that can kill people. This first part of the anime mainly focuses on the mind games between L and Kira and seeing which one can outsmart the other and ultimately prevail. For a detective/crime story there are no big action sequences or shootouts because those aren't the type of people L and Kira are instead each one will make these elaborate plan to try and reveal each one's identity. This is the biggest draw of the series because when I first watched this it literally had me on the edge of my seat because L and Kira are such genius that you want to see who will make the mistake first because it will result in death for either one of them.

As for the characters Light is a really interesting protagonist since because of his genius level intelligence and the fact he possesses the Death Note he develops a God complex and feels that he is the only one who can lead the world on the right path. You do want to side with him because he is trying to make the world better however because of his God complex he has no qualms killing anyone who is after him or in his way be them L, the police just doing their jobs, anyone who finds out his identity or Death Note and he even considers kills his family several times. What I don't like about Light is his high level of arrogance and believing that he can never be wrong and I think that is intentional on Ohba's part because maybe he wanted to make some traits the audience won't like (after all he is the villain).

Now for Light opposite and you could say the real protagonist of the series because he is obviously the good guy; L or Ryuzaki as he likes to be called by others. L is one of my favourite characters because of his unique design, personality traits and intellect. He is like some mad, modern day Sherlock Holmes and just like him he can make accurate assumptions out of the littlest information. For example Light of cause is extremely careful in hiding the fact that he is Kira and to any normal detective there is no cause for suspicion but to L he nit picks so much of how Light acts and his personality that he believes that Light fits as Kira. L also provides a lot of light hearted and comedic moments which is what the series needs like the way he sits or his obsession with sweets.

As for the others characters Misa is really good as the Second Kira and the main reason she is designed was because Ohba wanted a cute girl character to work along side Light and for the most part he succeeded but she can be so over the top and stupid sometimes to the point of annoying. I do like her character but she sometimes seems more of a inconvenience created for Light's plan more than anything else. We also have the Shingami Ryuk and he is one of my favs because it is interesting having a none Human observing Light and making his own side comments. He also provides a lot of fun comedic moments because of his obsession with apples and that he knows less about the Death Note than Light. Finally we have the members of the Japanese Police Department who work along side L and while they are filled with likeable characters like Light's father and Matsuda but I feel there not as important as L and Light in the case. I understand why they are there however because you can't just have two super genius playing a cat and mouse game with each other, you need some more normal characters on the investigation and they do contribute because of L reluctance to show his face.

As for some notable parts in the first 17 episodes we have Light's dilemma in accepting Shinigami Eyes for half his life span which will allow him to see a person's name and life span. There are several moments when Light could really use those eyes but considers it out of the question because of the he does he create such ingenuous plans to get what he wants. Examples of this is the plan to get the names of 12 FBI agents for the real name of one of the FBI agent's wife. We also have the introduction of the Second Kira and a new Shinigami because its interesting to see someone with a completely different personality than Light possess a Death Note. Also there is Light's plan to free Misa from custody and I admit I wasn't sure how he was going to pull that one off and the plan continues in to the Yotsuba Arc.

Finally quickly mention the animation and soundtrack which are two of the best I have ever seen. Probably because of the lack of fast paced action scenes I quality of the animation for character designs, movement and overall look perfect such as Light's evil expressions and I really like how when a character is deep in thought the whole scene slows down and is in a shade of colour; Red for Light, Blue for L. For the soundtrack most of it is orchestral such as Kira's theme music which suits because of how Kira becomes a God - Like figure however my favourite one is L's theme. Also the voice acting is some of the best I have heard especially Alessandro Juliani as L.

Overall the first part of Death Note was a great start to the series and does a good job of establishing the characters and building them up. I recommend this anime but it might not be for everyone because you really have to be highly invested in each episode and you really have to pay attention to what is going on. Misa does let it down slightly because I find her a bit too much sometimes but that is just one small thing and she still is a good character.

SCORE: 8/10