The Flash Season Two: Legends Of Today

Vandal Savage (Casper Crump) and Hawkman (Falk Hentschel) both set their sights on Kendra for their own purposes so Team Flash asks Team Arrow for help meanwhile Wells develops a serum that could improve Barry's speed.

I have been so looking forward to these crossover episodes, especially since we have had a week break from Arrow and Flash and so far it did not disappoint. You know what is the best part of a crossover? watching the interactions between Team Flash and Team Arrow when they have to work together. Like the rivalry between Felicity and Cisco, the reactions of Diggle has he tries to wrap his head around the Meta Humans in Central City and easily Barry and Oliver rely on each other which makes you think their shows have always been combined. It is nice to see that the cast of both of these shows feels so comfortable around each other that these crossovers don't feel forced at all. Now on to the events and we have got three new additions to the cast; Kendra (who is now properly Hawkgirl) Hawkman and Vandal Savage and this was a awesome episode for the debut of all three. First off Casper Crump as Savage was just really, really good; he brought a lot of threatening charisma to the character and I enjoyed watching his attacks on Team Flash and Arrow. Again they are doing a really good job of introducing magic now, first with Damien and now with Savage who now brings immortally which is a real step up. I also liked that his story tied in so closely with Hawkgirl and Hawkman's plot and that there is another praise; I was really impressed with the Hawkgirl/Hawkman subplot because it felt like it was ripped right out of the comics, they just followed it so closely! Hawkgirl was the bigger standout because we got to see her realising her true self and gaining her wings and we really got to see struggling with that in every scene. Hawkman kind of felt shoved in out of no where for the plot but I am not going to mark that down because he still made a really impressive debut, Falk Hentschel did an awesome job and as I already said his plot with Hawkgirl was a standout.

As for everything else the fight scenes in this episode where truly damn awesome!! Everyone one of them where just so great like Green Arrow and Flash vs. Hawkman (them two fighting a flying enemy was great) and their fight against Savage for the staff of Horus, loved that fight because the effects where just so cool! A let down however was the fact that Malcolm was in this episode (his first crossover one!) and we didn't get to see him fight at all which was a real shame. Since this was an immortal being they where facing I thought this would be defiantly be more up the League's street but they weren't as involved as they should have been. Another let down was the plot involving Well's serum for Barry; it was nice to see they haven't forgotten about Zoom even in the crossover and it was good seeing Jay again but it really was just a distraction from the main plot. I just got annoyed because again if Patty wasn't just kept in the dark about everything her shooting Wells could have been avoided and Joe didn't even bother to tell her with this perfect opportunity again. Finally this isn't a let down I just wanted to say I enjoyed that Damien got a little role at the beginning with his HIVE forces vs. Team Arrow, and useful new trick arrow too.

Overall a great part one for the crossover over which perfectly brought the Hawkgirl/Hawkman plot from the comics to live action.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Team Flash and Team Arrow working together
                   Awesome fight scenes
                   debut of Savage and Hawkgirl/Hawkman plot

Let - Downs: Malcolm and the League should have played a bigger part
                      Didn't car much for the serum subplot

Again sorry that there is no images for this episode but screencapped is undergoing maintenance.        

Arrow Season Four: Lost Souls

"I wish I was big"

Team Arrow work to try and free the trapped Ray from Damien meanwhile Felicity's mom visits again and Sara goes back out into the field.

 

You know I was really looking forward to the return of Ray AKA The Atom because he was my favourite character in Season Three but this episode was kind of a disappointment overall. To start off with what I did like I loved seeing Donna back because it is so fun to see how awkward she makes Felicity. I did like the heart to heart they shared because we got to learn a bit more about their past, I liked how much contact Oliver with her and how that surprised Felicity but the biggest surprise was the moment Donna had with Quentin at the end! If a romantic subplot does develop between these two characters then I say go ahead because it will be something completely new for Quentin and we might get some nice funny moments if the other characters find out lol. I also really enjoyed the two break - ins Team Arrow did because I liked how they where both heist style raids and it was cool that they brought Curtis to the last one. They fight scene between Team Arrow and HIVE was really awesome to watch and of course its also great to see more of Damien's powers; the way he quickly overpowered Green Arrow makes me wonder how they are going to beat him? We also got a look at some weird table thing that Damien wants to power up using the data they got from the ATOM suit but I still have no idea what his plan is yet so this really just fuels my curiosity.

 

Get in there Quentin!

Now on to what I didn't like and the first one being that Ray and Sara where completely underused in this episode. I wanted there to be more scenes with Ray and maybe the Flashbacks this episode could have been used to show what he has been up to the past six months because they weren't that interesting this episode. Plus he didn't even get to have one little fight after they rescued him; they might be saving some action with him for next episode but I wanted a little teaser now! As for Sara I feel like the writers have no idea what to do with her until Legends of Tomorrow because they again just skimmed over her return from the dead. I mean she let her mother know she was alive over the freaking phone, I really would have preferred if she came back and then Sara just left at the end; just like with Henry Allen in The Flash I think this was poorly handled and their excuses just not good enough. Another reason she didn't do that good is because of the stupid bloodlust subplot that she shares with Thea and I just really, really have lost all interest in it at this point; they haven't done enough to make me really care anymore and it just feels shoved in every episode as a reminder. Finally while the conflict between Oliver and Felicity was understandable, made some good points and the dialogue was alright I just felt like it dragged on and on until it dominated most of the episode.  

"Hey how about we form our own group with just us three?"

Overall the weakest episode of Arrow so far in my opinion mainly because of how underused Ray and Sara where and I really only liked half of what was going on. 

 

SCORE: 5/10

 

Highlights: Return on Donna/Possible her and Quentin romance?

                   The two heist style raids

                   Badass Damien

 

Let - Downs: Ray and Sara where underused

                      Don't care about the Sara/Thea bloodlust issue anymore

                      Flashbacks

                      The Oliver and Felicity conflict just took over the whole episode

 

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 Four: Haunted

"I'm back!"

Laurel comes clean with the rest of Team Arrow after Sara goes on a rampage so Oliver contacts an old friend, John Constantine (Matt Ryan), for help in saving Sara's soul.

Arrow sure stepped into the realm of magic in a big way with the guest appearance of Constantine and he did not disappoint. I didn't see the short lived Constantine series but everyone praised Ryan's performance and I can see why because he is faithful to his comic counterpart in personality, humour, the way he acts around the rest of the characters and how he comes across as a selfless guy with the way he helped Team Arrow but you can just tell he has a murky past. I'm glad however that they didn't waste too much time on Constantine's backstory they just tied him in nicely to the present and flashback storylines. The Flashbacks really improved this episode because thanks to Constantine we have a better understanding of what the bad guys are up to and we had a nice treasure hunt with him and Oliver. Then there was the present story line and that trip to the "other side" Constantine, Oliver and Laurel took was really cool (and again increases the supernatural element of the show) with them fighting the souls of the deceased League members and those gory, zombie - looking hands that where holding Sara. The let downs for this story line however was that overall Constantine really wasn't in it that much and I think that could have been improved by trimming down some of the scenes with Sara hunting Thea and capturing her; I mean honestly that went on for way too long! Then there was the fact that Sara's reunion with her family could have been a lot more better and had more emotional impact; she didn't even say anything to anybody and it was only mentioned by Quentin and Laurel how she was coping with just coming back. Laurel however was a bit better this episode (even though she doesn't seem to care people are dead because she brought Sara back) with the way she stood up to Oliver for when he used the Pit on Thea.

Don't let go Laurel!

As for everything else I really enjoyed the team up with Quentin and Diggle because they where two characters that haven't had much interaction with each other. I liked that Diggle didn't trust Quentin at first because of his ties to HIVE but was willing to let that slide for the greater good and I liked how Quentin saved Diggle from the guards by pretending to arrest him. Quentin also got some info out of Darhk which revealed the truth about Diggle's brother and I wonder how this will affect him in future episodes. Two subplots that felt out of place was firstly the ones with Oliver's mayor campaign because that really was there just to introduce a new character and Felicity and Curtis scenes trying to solve Ray's message. They where alright but in the light of having a major guest star like Constantine every other subplot should have been on hold or really trimmed down like the Sara hunting for Thea so that he could have had way more screen time. However at least Felicity now knows that Ray is alive and I hope that becomes the big focus for next episode or the one after because I am tried it just being these small subplots.

"If only my last tattoo was this painless"

Overall a great introduction to Constantine in the Arrow/Flash universe and I really hope that the character appears more on both shows or even Legends of Tomorrow.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Constantine guest appearance/improved island Flashbacks
                   Magic has now been more heavily introduced/rescuing Sara's soul scenes
                   Quentin and Diggle team up

Let - Downs: Sara's reunion with her family wasn't as impactful as it should have been
                      Some subplot and scenes took too much screen time away from Constatine

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 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 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/      

The Arrow Season Four: Green Arrow

New season, new threads

Oliver and Felicity have been living a quiet life after leaving Starling City however Laurel and Thea arrive to ask for Oliver's help when a former League member Damien Darhk (Neal Mcdonough) shows up with his own HIVE forces.

 

I said that in my Flash review that while it's first episode of the new season was great it didn't have much of an impact however Arrow.......just WOW, it nailed it completely! I wondered how Oliver and Felicity where going to go back to the vigilante lifestyle after we spend the first five minutes with them in suburban paradise and I was surprised that it was mainly due to Felicity who has been secretly helping Team Arrow because she was bored. I liked that they didn't waste too much time bringing them back it was just like; "The city is worse than we thought and we miss the thrill, so lets get back into it.". It was enjoyable to see them come back where we see more of Felicity back to her old positive self and Oliver himself seems a lot more open and light - hearted which is a great change from the depressive tone of Season Three so good job to Amell. As for the rest of Team Arrow Diggle was a definite standout because after three seasons of being Oliver right hand man he is the most reluctant to accept him back because of how Oliver betrayed him; the bromance isn't completely back yet but we still see them working together (plus I like his costume and I don't care what anyone else says). The weak point with Team Arrow however was with Laurel and Thea and while I do really love seeing Laurel as Black Canary and Thea impressed me with her kicking ass during the truck chase they didn't leave much of an impression and felt like they where just there. We get only a one minute snippet of Thea losing control because of the Lazarus Pit but honestly I would have preferred for them to save it until it is the focus of a whole episode and not have been shoved into this one. I'm sure these two will be better when they both get an episode dedicated more to them but there just wasn't much for them in this premiere.

 



The Force is strong with this one

As for everything else the biggest standout was the introduction of Damien Darhk who was just perfectly, and I mean perfectly, cast. He had such a creepy and intimidating presence when he was on screen like his first scene where he comes out and says he is the bad guy and he wants Star City to die. Quickly want to mention Star City and they did an awesome job of making it seem worse than ever like the abandoned buildings, empty streets, the murders of leaders and the fact people just want to leave. This is of course helped by Damien and his HIVE forces who seem unstoppable and even the grunts put up a hell of a fight; they are like a high tech version of the League. Back to Damien his fight scene on the train was so damn cool and when he used his powers to catch arrows and kill with a touch it was just WTF! This is kind of explained with Damien performing a ritual near the end and I really don't know what it means yet but this is what I wanted in Arrow; more powers either through Meta Humans or the supernatural and I can't wait for more. Finally I will talk about the two biggest twists of the episode with the first one being Quentin working with Damien which is something I did not see coming. I liked Quentin in this even before that reveal because while he still doesn't support vigilantes he doesn't go overboard, its like he's "I'll do my thing, you'll do yours" but I think I am going to really like him working for Damien because this will give his character something completely new to work with than just being the cop (though I don't think he is evil or anything). Then there is the reveal that someone will die in six months which is more than a compelling reason to keep on watching. As for who it could be Felicity might seem too obvious and since Thea already died I think it could either be Quentin, Diggle or maybe even Felicity's mom? I know I haven't mentioned the Flashbacks yet but they didn't seem worth mentioning; His back on the island but we get no information as to why, I still don't like Waller and I hated she had to come back so soon and I would have preferred seeing a few episodes where the Flashbacks focus on Oliver being a rookie vigilante chasing criminals in Coast City like we saw for a bit.

 

"It's Team Diggle now, anyone have a problem with that?"

Overall Arrow was a far more impressive first episode than Flash for the new season by delivering lots of action, character development, introducing it's impressive new villain already and giving us two big twists that just hooks us into this new season straight away.            

 

 

SCORE: 9/10

 

Highlights: Oliver and Felicity's return to Team Arrow/Diggle and Oliver conflict

                   Neal Mcdonough as Damien and his mysterious powers

                   Two really big twists/Quentin was really good in this

 

Let - Downs: Laurel and Thea where the weak points in Team Arrow

                      The Flashbacks

 

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/

Top 10 Arrow Season Two Episodes

Now for Arrow Season Two! SPOILERS

 

10. Tremors




Starting off is an episode that had Ben Turner AKA Bronze Tiger as the main villain which I really liked because he is one of my favourite villains in the Arrow TV series, it is such a shame his character has been possibly killed off because he has been in the comics. We also had some good moments with Oliver training Roy and revealing his identity to him and it was the start of a good subplot where Moira runs for mayor.

9. League of Assassins




The episode that introduced the League when they where only hinted at in Season One and they did a very good job. We had some awesome fight scenes between the League, Oliver and Sara but I really liked the emotional moments between Sara and Quentin such as when she first approached him and when Sara had to leave in the end. Plus this is probably one of my favourite episodes with Quentin because of the moments I just mentioned and when he teamed up with Oliver and Sara to fight the League, even doing really good against trained assassins.

8. The Promise




The episode of the season when the majority of it focuses on Flashbacks and we got a really entertaining one where Slade, Oliver and Sara take over the boat. Slade was really awesome in this when he wore his old Deathstroke mask and slaughtered everyone in his path also we got some tense moments in the present with Team Arrow trying to secretly take out Slade. What does bother my a bit about this episode is that is that Slade turns against Oliver because of Shado and I always found that reason to be kind of forced .

7. Streets of Fire




The penultimate episode of the season and a really good one where Slade unleashes his army upon Starling City. This episode had a lot of good moments such as Quentin regaining his trust with the police, Malcolm returning as the Dark Archer and a real standout is when Sebastian Blood decides to betray Slade because he truly did love the city. However while I also enjoyed the parts with Sara and Laurel I have just never liked that Sara keeps thinking she is so irredeemable because that was the flimsy excuse she used to leave last time and I never believed it.  

6. Broken Dolls




The introduction of one of my favourite DC villains which is the Dollmaker and he was really good here in live action. Another great episode with Quentin (see he is much better in Season Two than in One and Three) because of his past history with the Dollmaker and that he teamed up with Team Arrow. This was also one of the darkest Arrow episodes because of the method of the Dollmaker's killings, like the part when he tried to make Laurel into his new doll. This was also a strong introduction to the Canary (not just two minutes intro last episode) but I just wish she didn't have to kill the Dollmaker.

5. Unthinkable




Now I know the finale is a bit further down the list than even I would have thought but that is because Season Two has so many great episodes not just the finale. We have here an awesome final fight between Oliver and Slade which was made so much cooler with the use of Flashbacks during it and we have the massive battle between Oliver teaming up with the League (with debut of Arsenal) against Slade's army. However I just didn't like Thea's subplot of leaving Starling because as I have mentioned in my reviews the pay off in Season Three is lacklustre after so much hype.

 

4. State vs. Queen




This episode is a standout in Season Two and I enjoyed watching every minute of it! First off this episode had the return of the first Count Vertigo and while there was some who found him too over the top I've always like him. He had a really cool plan of poisoning the city with Vertigo, he is one of the few to work out the Arrow's identity and he had a great final confrontation with him in the Queen Consolidated building. Besides that the trial was entertaining to watch with many twists and this episode had a big WTF moment with the reveal that Malcolm is still alive and the father of Thea.

3. The Scientist




Yep I just had to put in the two episode arc where we get the debut of both Mirakuru and Barry Allen. First off I complained in my reviews of Season One that the show was too grounded but this two episodes where the start of Arrow being more like a comic book, like with a serum that can make super - soldiers which is a great start. Then of course is including Barry Allen who went on to become the Flash and have a successful TV show of his own and would introduce Meta Humans to both shows. Plus Grant Gustin proved that he was just the perfect casting for the speedster!

2. Three Ghosts




The second episode of the arc to feature Barry Allen and a great follow up it was too. Arrow's fight against Cyrus (like in the last episode) is so awesome but the real standout is the visions Oliver throughout that drives him into despair except for Tommy (always great to see him) that gives him hope once again. This also had an awesome ending where Barry struck by lightning and I was so happy when I saw that because I knew then they where really going to give us fans the Flash and not just Barry Allen as a scientist.

 

1. The Man Under the Hood




My favourite episode of the season and I think it has earned it! Slade was so great as Deathstroke in this with a big WTF moment when he appeared out of nowhere in Team Arrow's hideout and then attacked the STAR labs. This also introduced us to Cisco and Caitlin so this was kind of like the first crossover even before the Flash show and the moments with Team Arrow rescuing Roy where great. Finally this is one only Season Two of episodes where I really liked Laurel because of her investigation confirming Oliver is Arrow, her scene with an injured Quentin and blackmailing her boss which I give her props for.  

Worst episode

Heir to the Demon

While I do like Nyssa as a character this episode reveals she had a past relationship with Sara which I just never liked because it always felt forced to me. Also while Laurel has just been terrible the entire season this episode was the worst for her with her fit of rage against Sara in the end or the kind of person she was in Flashbacks. I'm just really glad she became a way better character in Season Three then she was now.


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: My Name Is Oliver Queen

"I have saved this city.........three times now"

Ra's al Ghul enacts his master plan which puts everyone's lives in danger and Oliver must decide how much he is willing to sacrifice to stop him meanwhile the rest of Team Arrow springs into action.

Another finale, another season of Arrow finished and while this season has had it's ups and downs (especially in the later half) I was satisfied with what I watched. First off while it lacked the impact and intensity of the Mirakuru army I did enjoy the bio weapons attack on Starling and the rematch between Oliver and Ra's. I liked that all of Team Arrow was united to stop the four League members from spreading the virus but I didn't like that the virus was cured completely off screen by Ray's nanotech; it didn't feel like it was that big of a threat overall. However I did like the fight on the cargo plane and the final fight between Oliver and Ra's because I really like me some sword fighting, it's one of my favourite type of action sequence. I also liked that Oliver mimicked the words Ra's spoke to him on the mountain but I don't think that Ra's is going to be dead for long because the guy is famous for constantly coming back to life. I did like that Thea (she was good for once) got to show up in Arsenal costume for the ending but damn was that brief! I just hope she gets more crime fighting time than that next season. I also liked the team up between Nyssa and Oliver because I really prefer seeing them working together than against one another and when she defending Oliver against Diggle. As for Quentin I hated his relapse into drinking again but there is hope he can support Team Arrow again when he was against the sniper taking out Oliver (liked his funny "this is May" line lol). Then of course there was the reveal that Ra's was also after Damien Darke as well and the fact that he managed to fool even Ra's makes me really look forward to seeing him in Season Four; I liked the whole hotel scene and the moment with Damien's assistant because it was a well done tease for the new villain.

As for everything else Diggle of course shined the most with again struggling to accept Oliver back into the team but at least they came to an understanding at the end. It is a bit of a shame about Oliver's departure because it is almost like an end of an era for those two but hopefully Diggle will continue the good fight and get his own costume! Then there is Malcolm who is always one step ahead and came out on top as the new Ra's, was not expecting that. Obviously he and Nyssa are going to have some friction but with the reveal of Sara alive in Legends of Tomorrow (I've seen the trailer so no need to talk about Ray because I know he is alive too) maybe they will come to a truce. He will probably also go back to being a full villain but I doubt the League will have too much of a presence for a while so the show can focus on other stuff. Then there was Felicity and while she was alright I didn't like her being in the ATOM suit too much (because it was a quick attempt to involve her in the fight which meant we couldn't see Ray in action) and then she drove off with Oliver at the end. I never wanted these two together but I bet the OliverxFelicity fans are jumping with joy now, I guess I just got to accept it. Now I don't think Oliver is retiring for good (because he is the star obviously) but maybe like the Brick Arc he will be absent for a while which I don't mind because the Brick Arc proved that the secondary characters can hold there own so hopefully we will see more developments with Thea, Laurel and Diggle. Finally there is the Flashbacks and I just didn't like them because there was just little for Oliver, Maseo and Tatsu to do and was far less dramatic than the Slade vs. Oliver fight last season. However we got a great Easter Egg for Green Lantern with Oliver boarding a ship to Coast City so I hope we see Hal Jordon next season because he has been teased on Arrow/Flash for ages.

Overall not the best finale out of the three seasons but still a fun one to watch and makes me look forward to the possibilities of Season Four. Plus I liked how they managed to fit in the Flash for the finale, that was cool!

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Oliver vs. Ra's/Oliver and Nyssa team up
                   Team Arrow stopping the virus
                   Malcolm as the new Ra's
                   The possibilities for Season Four/Damien Darke

Let - Downs: The bio attack wasn't as threatening as the Mirakuru army
                       Flashbacks didn't do much
                       OliverxFelicity
                       ATOM didn't join in on the fight

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: This Is Your Sword

"Going to be hard wearing green again after all this awesome black"

Oliver now finishes his training to become the next Ra's Al Ghul meanwhile Malcolm makes an offer to Team Arrow and Thea goes to see Roy.

I knew it, I knew that Oliver wasn't turned to the dark side and had his own plan to bring down the League though I did kind of see it coming. It is really cool that Oliver (working with Malcolm!) came up with this big secretive plan, so secretive that they couldn't tell Team Arrow however I wish they didn't reveal it so early. The reason for this is because all of the drama and tension that was built up last episode with Oliver being a villain is gone now because we know it was fake so soon. In my opinion it might have been better to leave the reveal until the end of this episode or the beginning of the finale where it is revealed Oliver managed to cure Team Arrow without their knowledge, obviously they are not going to be killed off just like that. However at the very least Diggle did not just forgive and forget Oliver and is still holding a lot of anger towards him for the events of last episode and I am glad he is. Diggle again had some great material to work with; feeling betrayed by his best friend by the way he punched that criminal or ignored Oliver's explanation, it is going to take some time to rebuild their trust and I will say again Diggle needs a costume! (He could have used one during the chase). Before I move on I want to mention the action sequence in the desert with Team Arrow because that was freaking awesome and probably the biggest fight they have done all season. It was just so cool with Malcolm kicking ass, Laurel showing off her improved skills, Katana slashing away and Felicity having that funny moment with her tablet though it was the only time I liked her this episode. Then of course there was ATOM having an aerial dog fight with that plane and the effects in Arrow just keep getting better and better.

As for everything else I am glad we got to see Katana in full costume and action now however I just feel kind of let down because she has barely been given any character development, we have mostly just seen her as a mother in the Flashbacks. Still the final fight between her and Maseo was done so well; the sword fight was epic and Maseo's death was really sad and I liked how Katana sung to him which mirrored the death of their son. Shame to see Maseo go but I feel that his death was handled perfectly and that his story is complete. As for the Flashbacks they where good but it is a shame we don't get to see General Shrieve as much as we should be he does seem like a good villain with the way he captured Oliver, Maseo and Tatsu. Then there was Thea's visit to Roy and that was alright; mostly just there as a break from the main plot but it gave those two a proper goodbye and Roy has now passed the torch to Thea. As for Nyssa it was kind of funny how she tired to kill Oliver but I kind of think she will be let in on Team Arrow's plan and fight her father with them in the finale. Finally as I mentioned above I didn't like Felicity that much in this which is something I have said lots of times before but I shall explain it now. CW hasn't done a good job with it's women characters in the Arrow/Flash universe; Thea is a whiny brat who gets so much time invested in her yet does not do anything, Laurel was made unlikable with her drinking and drugs (though I admit they have made her way better that I actually really like her now), Iris is supposed to be this reporter but doesn't feel like one, Caitlin just feels like she's just there sometimes for the sake of it and now Felicity is plain annoying. I know they probably wanted to give her character something more to work with than just the light hearted computer expert but this pairing with Oliver has been such a downer for her and she feels that her opinion has to matter for everything.

Overall a great set up for the finale with one of the best action sequences I have seen so far.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Team Arrow vs. the League
                   Diggle dealing with his anger towards Oliver
                   Maseo vs. Katana

Let - Downs: Oliver revealed to not be evil was too soon
                      Flashbacks remind me that General Shrieve could have been more of a major character


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





http://screencapped.net/       

The Flash Season One: The Trap

"All my planning is about to bear fruit!"

Team Flash decides to set a trap for Wells with Cisco using himself as the bait meanwhile Eddie makes a decision regarding Iris.

It is the beginning of the end now because Eobard Thawne's secret is now completely out in the open! First off I want to talk about the Gideon A.I. and that was done really well, especially seeing Gideon with a full body, and the reveals she gave away. Did anyone else notice that Gideon was about to say Barry was the founding member of something? I'm sure that was a reference to the Justice League which is a cool Easter Egg but unfortunately with the films wanting to adapt the group it is unlikely we will see it in the Arrow/Flash universe. Next there was the reveal that Barry will eventually marry Iris which wasn't much of a surprise to me because they marry in the comics but it was interesting that Barry designed Gideon which means that Eobard stole her from Barry at some point for his own ends. Finally there is the fact that Cisco mentioned that seeing the future newspaper could be some kind of time paradox, will that play a factor in future episodes? As for Eobard (will call him that now since no one believes he is Wells anymore) he continues to be the most interesting character in the show and the best live action comic villain there is. I mean the guy is constantly one step ahead of everyone with his camera spying and using Everyman (shame he had to die) and now he has kidnapped Eddie. Eobard mentioned that Eddie is insurance which makes me think that if he dies soon at the very least he will eventually be born in the future and start all over again....maybe? Then there was Cisco using the dream glasses to remember the old timeline which I think was done really well and I wouldn't mind seeing that tech again one day.

I wouldn't mind a pair of those glasses

As for everything else the episode was kind of let down by the romantic filler involving Captain Singh, Eddie, Iris and Barry. It just felt really slow and I wanted those scenes to be over and get back to the main plot, especially with the building fire because that came completely out of nowhere. It was alright and we got to see Barry use a new ability but it just felt kind of pointless and misplaced with everything else that is going on. However at the very least this led to Iris realizing that Barry is the Flash and it is about time! I know I haven't cared much for her character but I kind of hated Joe slightly since the beginning for making those stupid paper thin excuses not to tell Iris which got on my damn nerves. Then there was the Flashbacks which is always interesting to see because this show has had a few but defiantly haven't invested much effort into them like Arrow does. We got some more background into Barry's coma, Joe struggling on whether or not to trust Wells with him, Iris's confession and Eobard's talk with coma Barry. This scene was really cool because it shows just how much Eobard hates Barry (like in the comics) and how ironic it is that he has to save and train him when he came back to kill him.  

"You founded the Jus......wait we can't use that on the show"

Overall a great start to the final battle between The Flash and The Reverse Flash that was bogged down a bit with needless filler.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: The time in the Gideon room
                   Eobard is on top of everything
                   The Flashbacks

 Let - Downs: The romantic subplots
                        Killing Everyman

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: Al Sah - Him

So what will this new team name be?

While Oliver goes through a rigorous transformation the League target Nyssa who is in Starling City training Laurel while in Flashbacks the ALPHA/OMEGA virus has been unleashed.

Now this was one damn good episode I must admit first! I tell you it is different seeing Oliver as the villain and it is really enjoyable seeing him fighting against Team Arrow. Now knowing Oliver it is possible that his programming is all an act and that he has this grand scheme up his sleeve but I have read some comments online and some believe that he isn't and will stay with the League into Season Four. This would of course be a really interesting move and one I hope they would do it because as I just said I am liking Darth Oliver so far (Felicity said that lol). However if this is the case my only gripe with Oliver's transformation is that they have really just skimmed over his programming with the League during the opening montage because I would have wanted to find out more about it. At least we got to find out a lot more about H.I.V.E and the confirmed villain for Season Four; Damien Darhk. Since he was only a minor character in the Teen Titans comics the show has already created a more different back story for him and I liked it, I am really looking forward for Season Four now! We also got some more backstory into Ra's predecessor and that Olvier will have to destroy Starling City however I did not like that the ALPHA/OMEGA virus is now a topic in the present. Those who have read my review when the virus first appeared know that I did not want it in the present because in my opinion it would be too similar to Mirakuru from Season Two but at the very least the virus is only going to be used for a few episodes.

"Guns are so uncivilised"

As for everything else I think the friendship between Laurel and Nyssa has been great; I really liked the scene when they where having fries and milkshakes. This does a good job of humanizing Nyssa, make her more relatable than the villainous assassin who "isn't normal", plus this gives her a story arc that doesn't involve Sara for once and finally gave her a new problem to deal with. Then of course there is the reveal that she is to marry Oliver and I seriously doubt she will go along with that, unless Oliver is acting and lets her in on his plan? As for Laurel this gives her some scenes with Nyssa (such as catching the robber) that didn't involve Team Arrow for once and we got to see the Canary Cry in action and it was really well done. Diggle also was strongly involved with the story because it was his wife that was kidnapped and we got to see him struggling with whether or not he believes Oliver is truly gone; seeing him lose a bit of control with Oliver and Nyssa was something different because he is usually the rock of the team (plus he was great in a swordfight!). Finally there is Thea and surprise we actually got to see her do something and see her in costume though since it was so plain I'm guessing it will be upgraded soon. Despite my annoyance of Thea most of the time I do want to see her in action fighting against Oliver and who knows it might be worth the wait. As for the Flashbacks I did really like them because we got some great action the scenes involving the spread of the virus through the city was really well done.

"So worth the photo with that fanboy"

Overall an awesome episode ands it seems the plot with the League finally knows where it's going because lately it has been all over the place and focusing more on Roy, Quentin, ATOM etc.       

Highlights: Oliver as a villain
                   Damien Darhk and H.I.V.E explained
                   Laurel and Nyssa's friendship and strong Diggle material

Let - Downs: Did not go in depth into Oliver's programming
                      ALPHA/OMEGA virus in the present

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





http://screencapped.net/               

The Flash Season One: All Star Team Up

"I'll be bigger on this than I ever was on The Walking Dead!"

Felicity arrives in town with Ray to get help to improve his ATOM suit however they end up helping Team Flash when robotic specialist and computer genius Brie Larvan (Emily Kinney) AKA Bug Eyed Bandit unleashes hundreds of robotic bees to kill her former co - workers.
 

The the return of the ultimate duo - Ray and Cisco! Had to get that out of the way first because those two are so funny like when they where working on the suit or coming up with the villain name, they have got to work together more often. It was great seeing Felicity on Flash again because she was awesome the last two times and gave us some of her light hearted comedy (it was like she was back to her old self) and her showdown with Bug Eyed Bandit was epic and bringing Ray was a plus because these two really fit in the Flash show. We got to see Ray shine again in the ATOM suit but Felicity finally got herself a nemesis too with Bug Eyed Bandit who was a really great villain; I like that she is a computer match for Felicity and I liked her robot bees however I feel we barely got to know the character, heck her bees got more screen time than her. I hope she appears again to challenge Felicity in the Flash and Arrow because it is possible she is connected to HIVE with her whole bee theme. Plus I actually really liked Emily Kinney in this, she was better in this one Flash episode than she ever was in the Walking Dead, and I don't mind that they gender swapped the real Bug Eyed Bandit from the comics because he was never really a major villain anyway and I really liked the robotic bees because I always like seeing advanced technology in the Flash or the Arrow.




It's a bird, it's a plane, it's.......the ATOM!!

As for everything else I did really like how Barry found it hard to trust anyone because he does have a right but it was good seeing him struggling with it throughout the episode. In the end (with help from Felicity) he decided to trust Cisco and Caitlin and his theory is even being confirmed by Cisco who remembers the alternate timeline. I don't know how he can but maybe it has something to do with the fact he was the only one killed in it, maybe? Finally it was good having a part of the episode with Eddie dealing with his problem because he usually takes a back seat and him having these problems with Iris and blaming Barry and Joe for it might turn him into a villain...maybe. However I really didn't like that Iris had to be a bitch the whole episode; I do want her to finally be told Barry's secret but I found her attitude towards Eddie to be annoying and she made that dinner scene just plain awkward when it could have been a pleasant and funny moment. I do like her character but they just make her damn unlikable and they don't focus on her investigating The Flash or S.T.A.R labs nearly enough when it's really is in the end the only good storyline she has had so far.

I'm not that fond of bees myself so you have my sympathies Flash 

Overall a very decent episode that was obviously filler but is such good filler! Thought I'd say I am going to be really busy the next couple of weeks so my uploads may be late.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Two computer experts face off
                      Felicity and Ray worked so well in this episode
                      Eddie and Barry subplots

Let - Downs: Not enough Bug Eyed Bandit
                      Didn't like Iris that much in this and she was a bit unfair to Eddie 

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/

Bleach Review: Against The Judgment

"With us you Soul Reapers can finally leave"

Aizen prepares to bring down the entire Soul Palace despite the protests of the Soul Reapers however the surviving Sternritters in the Wandenreich intervene led by Sternritter U, NaNaNa Najahkoop.

Been a while since I have reviewed Bleach but as I have said before when I am really busy during the week I make Gotham, Arrow and The Flash my priority over this plus despite Aizen I have been so disappointed in Bleach's constant standstill in terms of plot development lately. Anyway this chapter is really good because it brings back the Sternritter who survived Yhwach's Auswahlen but what is weird is that they seem to have their powers back, I thought Auswahlen drained them of their powers? Still we get to see NaNaNa in action and find out that his Underbelly power allows him to analyse Reiatsu over time and damage his opponent. It was really cool and while he didn't complete stop Aizen he certainly didn't mind taking him on which is why I didn't like Bazz - B stopping NaNaNa. NaNaNa has always been one of my favourite Sternritter, I really like his design and personality, and it would be a shame if he dies now without ever having a proper fight especially when  he was hyped to face Renji for a time (more evidence that I think Kubo has just been neglecting him). However even if he wasn't I would have preferred a fight between the surviving Sternritter and the Soul Reapers in place of a team up; it is understandable that Bazz - B is against Yhwach now because he almost died by Auswahlen but still in my opinion one last fight against the Soul Reapers would have been better (plus it looks like Shunsui was finally going to fight too). Not much else to say about this chapter other than the dialogue between Mayuri and Aizen was funny because I wanted these two great minds to have a argument for a while now and I wasn't disappointed; each trying to prove who is better was typical of them.

If this is the end of NaNaNa than I am going to be really ticked off

Overall a good chapter but it is a shame that NaNaNa may have been taken out but hopefully the story might actually move now and we get some proper fights.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: NaNaNa showing off his power and trying to stop Aizen
                   The banter between Mayuri and Aizen

Let - Downs: NaNaNa taken out?
                      Not sure I like the Sternritter and Soul Reaper team up that much