Some Spoilers Ahead
Arrow hit a wall this week. This was a bit disappointing considering this was the series' 50th episode and was built up a ton. That couldn't save the episode from being boring and missing something. It did have its positives and was pretty entertaining overall, but compared to the previous 3 episodes, this week's just wasn't that good.
The story brought Nyssa back into the fold. I understand that she is Ra's al Ghul's daughter, but I just can't see her importance. In fact, I didn't really like her this week. She just wasn't too interesting. I did like her desire to kill someone for Sara's murder, but I would've been more on board with her had she backed up her theory, rather than just go on a hunch. It does seem like the producers are setting her up for a bigger role this season, and I feel with time I will start to like her. She is a character than can have a super interesting arch if given the chance.
The one positive that Nyssa brought was the introduction of Ra's al Ghul. We all knew he was the big bad of the season, and I was wondering how he will fit into the season. I loved Oliver standing up to the League of Assassins, even though he knew that it would bring them crashing down on him. And that it did surely will. A future conflict was hinted at, but right now it seems more likely that Ra's will just keep tabs on Oliver Queen. As for Ra's himself, everything was perfect except the look. He just looked off to me. He looked a little trashy to me. I am sure that the performance will make me forget all about the appearance, though. He seemed menacing enough, and when we see him and Oliver fight, well that will be a sight to behold.
Oliver was dealing with his no kill policy. He has broken it once before to kill the Count when Felicity was threatened, but I can't remember another time that he has. He saw his policy really put to the test this week. Nyssa, Laurel, and even Diggle pointed Oliver towards the direction of Malcolm dying. This was tested even further when Malcolm told Oliver to take the shot. But Malcolm made the point that he didn't kill Sara, and that he wouldn't because why would he want to bring more trouble his way? It also painted a target on Ra's al Ghul's bback. Oliver and Malcolm will definitely have conflict with him this season, and Nyssa might, too. It would be awesome to see all three of them take on Ra's at point and it just might come to that.
I am not sure how I feel about Thea or Laurel this season. Both of them are stronger characters. I mean that in two ways. They are both physically stronger and mentally stronger. They aren't taking any crap any more. But for Thea, she is just different. She is whiny anymore (which is good), but there is a lot of mystery behind her and I am curious to see what she and Malcolm have planned. Laurel on the other hand is still being a jerk. She won't tell her dad that Sara died. I have no idea what the motivation for this is, but it will certainly cause some permanent damage between the two. I did like that Laurel isn't taking crap either, but on the other hand Katie Cassidy is having a real tough time pulling off the strong/tough attitude. It just seems forced to me. Both characters have left a lot to be desired, but I feel like I will love where they are by season's end.
There was some other small things I would like to address. Roy's little parkour flip was ridiculous. It looked cheesy, and not in the good way. The Malcolm, Arrow, Nyssa fight also looked a bit bad for what the show usually does. The fight itself was good, but I saw a couple kicks that clearly didn't hit (I know they aren't supposed to hit. Editing clears that up). It bothered me and took me out of the scene. The flashbacks were a tiny bit interesting in that Ollie is actively trying to get out from under Waller's thumb. And we did get confirmation that she was the one running Fyers from season one. And this episode was particularly dark for Arrow. The show is dealing with a dark topic, but dang, lighten up a little. This episode really brought into perspective what Felicity does for the show. She is the heart of the show. She brings the cheeriness and happiness. So more Felicity please!
Overall, the episode was decent, but a giant step down from previous episodes. I am curious to see where this season takes us, because all I know right now is that we will meet up with Ra's al Ghul. It does seem like we will see a ton of great team-ups this season and that will be great. Next week, we will see the Felicity Smoak origin episode, so that should be good. Hopefully next week's episode improves on this week.
Arrow hit a wall this week. This was a bit disappointing considering this was the series' 50th episode and was built up a ton. That couldn't save the episode from being boring and missing something. It did have its positives and was pretty entertaining overall, but compared to the previous 3 episodes, this week's just wasn't that good.
The story brought Nyssa back into the fold. I understand that she is Ra's al Ghul's daughter, but I just can't see her importance. In fact, I didn't really like her this week. She just wasn't too interesting. I did like her desire to kill someone for Sara's murder, but I would've been more on board with her had she backed up her theory, rather than just go on a hunch. It does seem like the producers are setting her up for a bigger role this season, and I feel with time I will start to like her. She is a character than can have a super interesting arch if given the chance.
The one positive that Nyssa brought was the introduction of Ra's al Ghul. We all knew he was the big bad of the season, and I was wondering how he will fit into the season. I loved Oliver standing up to the League of Assassins, even though he knew that it would bring them crashing down on him. And that it did surely will. A future conflict was hinted at, but right now it seems more likely that Ra's will just keep tabs on Oliver Queen. As for Ra's himself, everything was perfect except the look. He just looked off to me. He looked a little trashy to me. I am sure that the performance will make me forget all about the appearance, though. He seemed menacing enough, and when we see him and Oliver fight, well that will be a sight to behold.
Oliver was dealing with his no kill policy. He has broken it once before to kill the Count when Felicity was threatened, but I can't remember another time that he has. He saw his policy really put to the test this week. Nyssa, Laurel, and even Diggle pointed Oliver towards the direction of Malcolm dying. This was tested even further when Malcolm told Oliver to take the shot. But Malcolm made the point that he didn't kill Sara, and that he wouldn't because why would he want to bring more trouble his way? It also painted a target on Ra's al Ghul's bback. Oliver and Malcolm will definitely have conflict with him this season, and Nyssa might, too. It would be awesome to see all three of them take on Ra's at point and it just might come to that.
I am not sure how I feel about Thea or Laurel this season. Both of them are stronger characters. I mean that in two ways. They are both physically stronger and mentally stronger. They aren't taking any crap any more. But for Thea, she is just different. She is whiny anymore (which is good), but there is a lot of mystery behind her and I am curious to see what she and Malcolm have planned. Laurel on the other hand is still being a jerk. She won't tell her dad that Sara died. I have no idea what the motivation for this is, but it will certainly cause some permanent damage between the two. I did like that Laurel isn't taking crap either, but on the other hand Katie Cassidy is having a real tough time pulling off the strong/tough attitude. It just seems forced to me. Both characters have left a lot to be desired, but I feel like I will love where they are by season's end.
There was some other small things I would like to address. Roy's little parkour flip was ridiculous. It looked cheesy, and not in the good way. The Malcolm, Arrow, Nyssa fight also looked a bit bad for what the show usually does. The fight itself was good, but I saw a couple kicks that clearly didn't hit (I know they aren't supposed to hit. Editing clears that up). It bothered me and took me out of the scene. The flashbacks were a tiny bit interesting in that Ollie is actively trying to get out from under Waller's thumb. And we did get confirmation that she was the one running Fyers from season one. And this episode was particularly dark for Arrow. The show is dealing with a dark topic, but dang, lighten up a little. This episode really brought into perspective what Felicity does for the show. She is the heart of the show. She brings the cheeriness and happiness. So more Felicity please!
Overall, the episode was decent, but a giant step down from previous episodes. I am curious to see where this season takes us, because all I know right now is that we will meet up with Ra's al Ghul. It does seem like we will see a ton of great team-ups this season and that will be great. Next week, we will see the Felicity Smoak origin episode, so that should be good. Hopefully next week's episode improves on this week.
Highlights:
| The Score: 7 out of 10 Stars |