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Arrow: Missing (2017)
5.22 Missing
This season has just been an amazing roller coaster ride that really got intense with the big Chase/Prometheus reveal. The first part of the episode provided a great opportunity for Team Arrow to bond, enjoy Oliver's birthday party, and relax enough for the moment while Chase was behind bars. As enjoyable as it was to see the team bonding, they were also in a sleep state, so that Team Prometheus was able to slowly capture/kidnap members of Team Arrow in such a sneaky and creepy way. Meanwhile, the flashback scenes were also amazing as Oliver was forced to remember the painful scars, deaths, and choices he made over those five years he was on Lian Yu/Hong Kong/Russia. He overcame the drug's effects that Kovar had injected him with, and finally had real motivation to make his journey back home to his family. The entire first half of the episode was all about putting pieces into place for the ultimate battle in the finale in present day.
Then the second half of the episode was not-stop thrilling suspense and action with the return of Malcolm Merlyn as Oliver's ally as Oliver must free Chase to keep his team members/family alive. Oliver will essentially be enlisting past villains to stop Prometheus and Prometheus' team. When Oliver learned that Chase had William, as well as his Team Arrow, this was definitely the turning point of this battle with Prometheus to hold no punches. This will be one explosive, epic battle! Go Oliver, Team Arrow, and Oliver's Villain Allies! This really felt like the first hour to a two hour movie. It really was just setting everything up for next week and about wrapping up the flashback sequences before the finale as well. The writers are doing an excellent job bringing all of this full circle.
Pros--great OTA scenes as well as Oliver/Quentin/Thea scenes. Great use of individual character skills/strengths with bringing back Merlyn and Nyssa for the epic Lian Yu battle. Amazing! Amazing overall story idea by having the bad guy kidnap all of Team Arrow and bringing them to Lian Yu where it all began for Oliver. Chase truly is a psycho who really researched his victim (Oliver). Evelyn the traitor and Talia are psychos in training as well. (can't wait to see how Team Arrow and the villain allies take them down).
Cons--was really hoping Roy Harper would be going to Lian Yu too to help Oliver and rescue Thea.
10/10
Arrow: Underneath (2017)
Underneath Review - episode 5.20
The Arrow Cave was used as weapon against Oliver and Felicity to keep the team distracted, so that Chase can find Oliver's son. Chase really has found every possible way to attack, torture, and torment Oliver and the Team. Please tell me that Team Prometheus (Chase, Talia, Evil Evelyn) will get what is coming to them sometime soon. There are only 3 episodes left-time to turn the tables.
Personally, I think Oliver and Felicity did need to have this discussion, and it was overdue. However, this kind of episode should have been done earlier in the season. Oliver and Felicity have been downright cold to each other at times this season, and their breakup in season 4 was so abrupt and pointless. It does not seem appropriate for two members working on a team together. Their relationship did need some repair work. My biggest argument regarding S4's Olicity storyline was the engagement taking center stage and how Oliver/Felicity were having arguments with each other over the coms(4x06) during Team Arrow missions. If this is a true Olicity makeup/reboot, I hope some lessons were learned by the writers and that there is better Olicity pacing/done in moderation this time.
Underneath was another filler episode like Dangerous Liaisons that disrupted the awesome build up to the Prometheus storyline that started with the big Prometheus/Adrian Chase reveal. Although these two episodes -Dangerous Liaisons and Underneath- were pretty good Team Arrow-focused episodes, these episodes would have been more enjoyable/appreciated as the newly teamed Arrow was still in its development back around episodes 12/13 or so. It took until episode 12 to really even get John Diggle back on the team this season/repair OTA. Team Arrow has been in disarray most of the season, and this is a big part of why Team Prometheus seems to be winning right now.
Pros: Oliver shooting Arrows again! Team Arrow had some great moments together, and each member was utilized. I am hoping this episode was sort of a preview of what a S6 episode would look like, if flashbacks are used. The fact that only main cast members were used in these flashbacks made those scenes more meaningful. Felicity giving Oliver the adrenaline shot was enjoyable too. This episode also included an Oliver salmon ladder scene, which then lead into a shirtless scene.
Cons: Time to get back to the Prometheus storyline full-force. No more filler episodes like this one. And, it is time for Oliver to get Psycho-Adrian Chase out of his head, which started back in episode 9. Lyla's backstabbing and overly critical comments of Oliver/Team Arrow seemed so out of place and hypocritical coming from her/her history.
8.0/10 Good Team Arrow Moments
Arrow: Kapiushon (2017)
Oliver's Confession
So after 6 days of being held captive by Adrian Chase (Prometheus) with constant, grueling torture, and repeated threats against his friends/family, Oliver Queen admits that he likes killing and wanted to kill the bad people of Star City. Specifically, these are the bad people on his father's list.
Has Oliver's perception of himself ever been totally accurate? He really only seems to notice the bad things that he has done rather than the good. Maybe it is true. Maybe he does like killing people. But, honestly, back in S1 specifically the people that he went after/the bad guys that he bullied - deserved it. And, it was enjoyable as a fan to watch those bad guys get bullied/sometimes killed. In the past, it has been hinted that Oliver is (sadly) better at killing people than saving people. Quentin Lance specifically said this to him in S3 Public Enemy, when he was transporting "The Arrow" to Iron Heights, reminding him of the family/friends he could not save. Back in S3, this statement was such a harsh slap in the face alone for all of the good that he has done and the many people that he has saved. Back in S1, Oliver even corrected Diggle when Diggle tried to refer to Oliver as a hero. Oliver just seems to have such a one-sided view of himself and his actions. These were critiques of his character/actions in the past, and these thoughts seemed to be somewhat accurate at times.
As much as I could see Oliver perception of himself is that he wanted to kill and that he liked it, honestly, I think he just enjoys the thrill, the chase, and the rush from being a superhero and crime fighting. When Oliver was a kid, he liked the rush of his playboy/bad boy antics. Now after the island, that has been transferred over to his superhero lifestyle. He just likes the rush, and at times, it results in killing. He truly is the Green Arrow moonlighting as the mayor. It is all about being the Green Arrow. He does become a different person when wearing that hood to an extent, but he still fails to see any of the good that he has done. This was Adrian Chase/Prometheus a.k.a. the psychopath judging him here and pushing him into a confession the entire time. Chase knew ahead of time that Oliver felt this way in the back of his mind, and he used this as a weapon against him. It is just incredible how defeated Oliver was at the end of the episode telling Curtis and the rest of OTA that it was over for him. It is just amazing how this confession could destroy Oliver's entire legacy? Hopefully, this is not truly the deconstruction of Oliver Queen. He went nearly three seasons without killing anyone. After Laurel's death, he did start killing again after Damien Darhk, and he even admitted this to Diggle that he has not stopped. In his mind, he seems to be comparing himself directly to Adrian Chase, which is terribly inaccurate.
This was a very powerful episode. And, for being such a flashback heavy episode, this really was well done and incredibly intense to watch. Stephen Amell did an incredible job across the board. He really put a lot of energy into this performance, he was in every single scene, and it had to be an incredibly challenging episode for him. Of course, the action scenes were amazing in the flashbacks. It was all Oliver with his archery skills and awesome hand-to-hand combat skills. It is my hope that now that this has been brought to Oliver's attention, that he/the show can move forward about the whole killing/not killing issue. It has been a factor in every season's storyline. It is best when Oliver shows restraint but does what he needs to do when necessary.
On a side note, the only disappointing part in this episode was that Evil Evelyn Sharp did not die after all. She is the first and only traitor to Team Arrow, she disgraced Laurel's memory, and stabbed Oliver in the back twice now. There is no redemption for her.
10/10 The Hood/Arrow/Green Arrow was born.
Arrow: The Sin-Eater (2017)
Great Girl Power episode -- SinEater 5.14
This was another fantastic and very enjoyable standalone episode this season. This episode was not so much about the plot (villains) but about character development/great character interaction between some of the core characters.
It is so nice to have the real Quentin Lance back and taking part in the real action. The scenes between him and Oliver were so incredible. Their relationship/friendship has come such a long way since the pilot episode. The only part that even came close to matching their scenes was the surprising scene between Felicity and Thea, when they first hacked Susan William's account. Oliver was right -- Thea really did do something that Moira would have done, if she was still alive. Oliver can be his own worst enemy and these two ladies did do an amazing thing to protect him from himself. Thea did go too far, but it was nice to see how far she will go to protect her brother. After all, Oliver did go as far as to trade his life for hers back in season 3.
This episode was much lighter on the newbies, which made it a much more enjoyable character driven episode. There were many good original team arrow scenes, and there was good interaction between one Lance (Quentin) and the Queens. That was the magic formula from the early seasons that worked so well, when it was about the Queens and Lances.
Overall, there was great action, great character interaction, and great character development. Oliver's escape from police capture was awesome. It is hard to say if Oliver or Quentin earned the ultimate title of "Sin-Eater". However, looking over the course of this season, both of these men have to be at their max. Oliver has had literally everything go wrong this season, and poor Quentin basically lost everything. Both of them need some luck to turn their way. This almost seems like overkill. Not every little thing has to go wrong to make for an exciting season finale.
Arrow: Bratva (2017)
Original Team Arrow Reunited
This was such an amazing episode. There were so many good parts that I will watch over and over. But the main reason this was such an awesome episode was the character interaction. I loved every second of Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity interacting as true team members again. It really seemed like old times. They are just so incredible together, and each one of them has so much hurt/drama in their lives right now.
**The other great part of this episode was the return of Quentin Lance. I loved his big entrance into Oliver's office. That was amazing timing. His interaction with Rene/Wild Dog was very impressive and enjoyable. Quentin actually helped to bring out some interesting qualities in Rene that never surfaced before.
**Dinah Drake is really an interesting character, and she had immediate chemistry with the main characters. It is like she has always been there on the team. I really enjoyed the scene with her and Oliver when they were discussing his past.
**The other character interaction in this episode that was interesting was Oliver and Susan. I loved her reaction to the Bratva tattoo, which she recognized and focused in on even more than all of scars. It was interesting how Susan was sort of brought in to help drive the Russian flashback storyline and brought attention to all of Oliver's past scars again. All of the other current characters on the show are aware of them, and they just do not have the reactions/interest that a new character would have to seeing them for the first time.
**Although this episode did not have the exciting Green Arrow/superhero action scenes, those scenes were replaced by such great action scenes as Oliver being Oliver Queen. There really are some exciting and interesting subplots going on here.
**When Anatoly mentioned that he would be visiting Star City, that was a jaw dropping moment. He is really scaring me now, and I always somehow trusted Anatoly in the past. Oliver's re-initiation into the Bratva will -- I am sure-- cause some issues in the future. Honestly, I think the Bratva will make a more interesting adversary (if this were to happen/if they become a problem) than Prometheus.
**There were a few other great subplots in this episode, such as Adrian Chase still covering up Det. Malone's death. The Felicity storyline is becoming very interesting too, and it's a much better subplot than turning her into a vigilante too. Overall, this episode had the best character interaction of the season. The storyline and overall plot was great, and this episode really set up some neat future plot directions. 10/10
Arrow: What We Leave Behind (2016)
What We Leave Behind
This was such an amazing and exciting episode for so many reasons. 9.5/10 -would have been a 10 with Paul Blackthorne in it. The big Prometheus identity reveal did not disappoint. This was such an awesome backstory. The fact that Prometheus' father was such a big bad, who had created a bioweapon (of TB) to make a profit was a good enough reason for the Hood to go as far as to kill him, when he did not stop after Oliver's threats four years ago. It is still shocking that even Team Arrow Traitor Artemis the Airhead feels Prometheus is the better partner. Well, I can't wait to see her taken out--hopefully Prometheus will kill her.
There were some really great Team Arrow moments in this episode after all these tragic events happened with Artemis's betrayal/Billy's death. I thought the Oliver scene at the end when he returned to the Arrow Cave was so powerful. The new Team Arrow looked the strongest and most united they have all season in that moment after the tragic events of the day. This episode did such a nice job answering questions, but then it also setup so many parts for the second half of the season. OMG Poor Felicity, poor John Diggle - was not expecting he would get caught so soon. Thea back in her Speedy uniform seemed right. And, of course, there was that magical moment seeing Laurel standing in the Arrow Cave in front of her Black Canary uniform. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out with Prometheus as well.
He is a very unique villain and it will be interesting to see who the mystery woman **spoiler** (guessing Talia al Ghul?) from Russia and how she will play into this. In many ways, I am relieved that Prometheus did not turn out to be Tommy or someone else that was a friend of Oliver Queen turned foe again. This episode made the villain much more interesting and scary. Really looking forward to the Mid-season premiere.
Arrow: Invasion! (2016)
Amazing Celebration of 100 episodes
This episode was so fantastic on so many levels. The acting by Stephen Amell, Willa Holland, and Caity Lotz was so powerful as they tried to process these painful re-surfacing memories. The memories were such a unique way to replay 5 years of episode history. It was nice to replay those special moments without totally consuming the episode with old footage. Hats off to Arrow's creative team for that--it was very nicely done.
There was such nice character interaction in this episode. It was so enjoyable to see the core cast interacting this much together. I thought it was adorable that even Lance, as well as Moira and Robert, kept insisting that Oliver just had cold feet, while he was having these resurfacing memories. Paul Blackthorne and Stephen Amell are so good together in scenes and so great to watch. Poor Thea just seemed so depressed and lonely in this episode from the start, something she normally hides pretty well as the Mayor's chief of staff and by helping Quentin Lance.
Bringing back all the big bads was such a nice touch too. I do not remember such an episode that made me cry, laugh, and cheer all within an hour time frame. I came into this crossover a little unsure of how "aliens" could play out in the Arrowverse, but I love the "mind games" that these aliens played on the heroes in both the first and second part of Invasion. It was so unlike past threats that the heroes have battled.
These core characters really have been through so much over these last five seasons, and seeing all the characters that have been lost was such a powerful reminder of that. I am hoping that the aliens leave peace offering in the end in the form of resurrecting Laurel/Black Canary. TeamArrow just seemed so much more complete with her in this episode-even wit her role as the bride. This truly was a love letter to the fans. Also, I loved every second of Stephen Amell shirtless in the opening scene. But, I missed not having a shirtless scene with all of his scars because it tells such a painful tale of the challenges and torment that Oliver has been through. I think this was a well-written, well-designed, and very well-acted 100th episode. 10/10
Arrow: Human Target (2016)
Human Target/Season 5's direction
It is amazing how good this show is at making each season totally unique from the others. I do love this show. But in comparison to the other seasons, it just seems like the character interaction between the core characters is seriously lacking in season 5. The interaction between these characters is what made each episode so good in past seasons and that interaction alone would make an episode exciting/emotional. The new recruits are taking some of that magic away. Then, Laurel is so missed, especially in the bunker but also in the field and even in the courtroom. Thea and even Lance are missed in the bunker. They usually have such priceless reactions to Oliver's actions/skills. In Human Target, it was a good episode but more could have been done to keep the intensity and emotion during the plot. With a Team Arrow member captured and being tortured and Oliver been the subject of an assassination attempt, this should have been a nail-bitter. But there were too many gaps between each scene to keep that intensity and emotion.
***spoiler warning***** The jump from Christopher Chance (as Oliver) getting shot in front of City Hall jumped to Lance and Thea at the press conference to another jump to Christopher Chance (as Oliver) meeting with Oliver in the Bunker left too much to the imagination and killed the intensity of the action. **end of spoilers**
If season 5 is supposed to bring the Oliver Queen story full circle, it was a disastrous mistake by killing Laurel. Season 1 was all about reconnecting with Laurel after the shipwreck, and I thought that was the focus throughout the other seasons as well, even though - it was not in a romantic capacity. Wasn't the point of the flashbacks for the other characters to one day find out what actually happened to Oliver on that island? Well, honestly, most of the characters (Moira, Tommy, Laurel) have been killed off at this point and never learned anything about the island/Oliver's five missing years.
Arrow: Penance (2016)
Original Team Arrow is back!
So much went on in this episode between characters. Almost felt it should have been broken up into two episodes. Dig is back! That is all that really matters. I loved the scenes with Thea and Lance during all this. I loved when they came down to the bunker. It's clear they don't know totally what goes on down there. The recruits are becoming more interesting and really are better at working as a team. This season is "mean" so far. I do like it, but I am worried for these new recruits. Overall, I could have gone for more Oliver with Dig and Lyla scenes. A little less judgmental/always too emotional Felicity would have been nice too. Even with that being said, I am looking forward to Original Team Arrow being back together. Dig has really been missed. I think he will be a big help to Oliver as he has these two very full-time jobs. Hopefully, he will help Felicity get back on track.
Ray Donovan (2013)
Love this show!
OMG I love this show. I just started watching the seasons earlier this spring/summer, and now I am hooked. The acting is "the best". The chemistry between each of the actors/characters is beyond words - just so excellent. The characters are each so unique in their own way and so dimensional and so extremely troubled. I am just totally in love with these characters and all of their individual problems. The messes these characters get into and the "fixes" that Ray (Liev Schreiber) comes up with are so entertaining. I can't get enough of Ray (Liev Schreiber) and Mickey (Jon Voight) in scenes together. Great show! Great entertainment! Great Donovan family!