Injustice 2 #5 - A Review

The fake Batman and his Suicide Squad are working to spring Superman from his cell on Stryker's Island. Luckily, the real Batman and Batgirl planned for this eventually. And even with Green Arrow and Black Canary backing them up, they are not alone...


I hate to sound like a broken record, but I love Tom Taylor's writing. Every little thing about the script for this issue is perfect, from how he handles the characters' individual voices to the little moments of humor. The best and most amazing aspect of Taylor's writing, however, is his near infinite capacity for finding ways to surprise the reader.


Daniel Sampere takes over the penciling duties for this issue, delivering more of the quality work that has made me a fan of his since his run on Batgirl. He is well backed by Juan Albarran's inks and Rex Lokus' colors. Together, they are one hell of an art team and every splash page in this issue is poster-worthy.

Final Analysis: 10 out of 10. A must read!

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 5, Episode 3 - A Matter Of Trust

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.




Plot

A new drug-dealer named Derek Sampson is peddling the designer drug Stardust on the streets of Star City. When Wild Dog defies Green Arrow's orders not to go after Sampson directly, the hot-tempered hero inadvertently turns Sampson into a more dangerous enemy. Meanwhile, Thea tries to manage the political fallout of her decision to hire Quentin Lance as Deputy Mayor, John winds up with an unexpected cellmate and Felicity debates whether or not to tell Rory of her role in his family's death.


Influences

The Judd Winick run on Green Arrow (set-up of Oliver Queen balancing his life as Green Arrow and Mayor of Star City), the JSA comics of Geoff Johns, James Robinson and David Goyer (character design of Mister Terrific), the Young Justice animated series (costume design for Evelyn Sharpe), the writings of Mark Twain (Sampson quotes his line about "the rumors of his death being greatly exaggerated."), the movie Lethal Weapon (mentioned and copied as Sampson shows off his inability to feel pain) and the origin story of The Joker as seen in various Batman comics (Sampson gets powers after being forced into a chemical vat.)


Goofs

Given his wife's status as the head of a major Federal agency charged with managing international security and the fact that The President had to be aware of John Diggle's role in helping his wife with averting a nuclear disaster, it's a little unbelievable that John Diggle could be so easily framed.

Thea seems horribly out of character in how foolish she acts in her dealings with Susan Williams, given how generally cynical and savvy she's been portrayed over the past year patrolling the streets and running Oliver's campaign for mayor.


Performances

There's not a bad performance in the episode, but the MVP is David Ramsey. Again, Diggle is short-changed by the episode in terms of screen-time but -  unlike last week - Ramsey is given ample opportunity to show a side of the usually stalwart Diggle we rarely see. The performance improves on a second viewing, as Ramsey offers some subtle hints in his reactions to the episode's twist ending.


Artistry

The use of cinematography of the fight between Wild Dog/Evelyn and the drug dealers looks amazing, as does the fight blocking itself.  The set for the drug lab has as a good design, too.

Likewise, the fight between Green Arrow and Sampson in the hospital hallway is a fantastic scene, perfectly balancing excellent practical effects and stupendous fight choreography.

These scenes pale, however, compared to the final fight between Team Arrow and Sampson's gang. The editing on the whole long sequence is wonderful as we cut between the various battles and the stunt work is top-notch.  It's also well-balanced and gives us a chance to see each member of the team shining.

The script does a masterful job with the fake-out regarding John's cell-mate. Given the changes caused by The Flashpoint Timeline and the fact that Deadshot was able to cheat death once before already, his showing up in John's cell is not the least unlikely thing to happen in the show's history. Which makes it all the more shocking when it turns out he isn't really there...


Trivia

Cody Rhodes- who plays Derek Sampson - is a professional wrestler better known by the name Stardust. The designer drug Sampson peddles on the show is named in honor of Rhodes' former wrestling persona.

In one of his final storylines with World Wrestling Entertainment, Stardust - who had taken on a super-villain persona - began calling out actor Stephen Amell, who plays Oliver Queen on Arrow. This led to a feud that ended in a tag-team match at SummerSlam 2015, where Amell and the wrestler Neville defeated Stardust and his partner, King Barrett.

TV reporter Susan Williams shares a name with a character from the Green Lantern comics.  There, Susan Williams was a reporter for Behind The Scenes magazine who was covering the campaign of lawyer Jack Jordan for District Attorney post in Coast City. During that time, she noticed that Green Lantern kept showing up to protect Jack Jordan from criminals and guessed that Jack's younger brother, Jim Jordan, was the dashing superhero. She began dating Jim and they eventually got married and had kids. Eventually she discovered that it was Jack and Jim's middle-brother, Hal Jordan, who was Green Lantern.

The new District Attorney of Star City - Adrian Chase - makes his first appearance in the flesh. In the comics, Adrian Chase was the second hero to take the name of Vigilante, first appearing in 1983's New Teen Titans Annual #2. A district attorney in New York City who lost his family to mob violence, Chase became The Vigilante to strike against the criminals he could not bring to justice in his day job. Felicity referred to a costumed hero whose costume resembled Adrian Chase's Vigilante (aka Mr. Ski-Goggles) in 501. 

The jacket Curtis wears with "FAIR PLAY" on the sleeve ad the T-shaped mask that he wears as part of his costume are modeled on the costume of the second Mister Terrific from the comics.

Curtis says that his jacket was a replica of the one worn by his favorite professional wrestler - Mister Terrific - a.k.a. "Fair Play" Terry Sloan. Sloan reportedly wore clothing with the "Fair Play" slogan on it because he didn't need to cheat to win.

In the comics, Terry Sloan was the secret identity of the original Mister Terrific, who first appeared in Sensation Comics #1 (January 1942).  A child prodigy and master of multiple disciplines, Terry Sloan also had a photographic memory and Olympic-level athletic skills. Fearing that he peaked too soon and despairing that life held no challenges for him, Terry contemplated suicide only to jump into action to save a woman he saw jumping off the same bridge. This gave Terry a new purpose in life - helping others as a superhero and philanthropist.. He formed "The Fair Play Club" as a way to fight juvenile delinquency and gang membership and wore the words "Fair Play" on the chest of his costume.

While she has not been identified by a codename yet, Evelyn Sharpe's costume resembles that of the heroine Artemis from the Young Justice animated series - with a dark green top and matching mask - with the addition of a black leather jacket.

Evelyn asks what kind of vigilante wears a hockey mask, prompting Ollie to say that he thinks Wild Dog's mask is cool. This is a reference to how Stephen Amell played Casey Jones - a vigilante who wears a hockey mask - in the second of Michael Bay's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies.


Technobabble

Oliver makes use of a bola arrow to bind a drug dealer's hands and string him up over a pipe.

The coroner examining Derek Sampson determines that the chemicals he was found in were non-acidic, based on the lack of epidermis erosion.

The chemicals Derek Sampson was dropped in gave him some degree of enhanced strength and deaden his nerves so he no longer feels pain. As Oliver proves, however, his body can still be damaged and while he may be more durable, he can still be hamstrung.

Derek Sampson steals a molecular transmodality processor - a device which replicates chemicals based on their molecular structure. With it, he can can recreate the formula that gave him his powers and use it to build an army of similarly powered criminals.

Bratva is the Russian word for brotherhood.


Dialogue Triumphs

(To the drug dealer he has tied up over a one-story drop.)
Green Arrow: I won't kill you. But I can't guarantee you'll walk away from this.
(Green Arrow throws a knife, cutting the rope and sending the drug dealer falling to the ground.)

(To the new Team Arrow, watching the video of Ollie taking down the drug dealer.)
Felicity: So... what did we learn?
Curtis: Don't piss Oliver off.

Thea: What are you doing here?  You're not supposed to be here until nine.
Oliver: Our meeting was scheduled for eight.
Thea: Exactly.

(As Evelyn and Wild Dog spy on the Stardust brewing operation, Wild Dog holds up his mask.)
Wild Dog: It's better to ask forgiveness than permission.
Evelyn: You brought that?! What happened to this just being recon?
Wild Dog: We did the recon part.

(Oliver is in his office, talking to the widow of Lt. Conahan.)
Oliver: Trust me - we will get justice for your husband.
Adrian: (entering Oliver's office) I thought that was my job?
Oliver: Goodbye. (hangs up the phone)  I'm sorry. You are-?
Adrian: Pissed. Royally. Off.
Oliver: I'm getting that. What I don't understand is who you are and what you're doing in my office.
Adrian: Adrian Chase. (offers his hand) Your new District Attorney.
Oliver: (taking the hand and shaking it) I'm sorry that we haven't met-
Adrian: I'm buried up to my eyeballs in motion practice and indictments with a staff who has barely made it past three rounds of budget cuts, so how about we save the pleasantries for the next fundraiser and get down to why I'm-
Oliver: - you're so pissed off.
Adrian: Royally! Remember Vertigo?
Oliver: Believe it or not, I tried to buy some once.
Adrian: Yeah, I believe it. Well, what's hitting the streets is a million times worse.
Oliver:  Stardust. I'm not as out-of-touch as most people think. But I do have some work to get done, Mr. Chase, so why don't we get to the bottom of why you're so pissed off?
Adrian: I've been building a case against the dealer, Derek Sampson. I was going to flip him, but last night somebody killed him.
Oliver: A rival dealer?
Adrian: A vigilante.
Oliver: That doesn't sound like The Green Arrow.
Adrian: Not him. Some idiot in a hockey mask.
Oliver: ...I'm sorry. Did you say a hockey mask?
(Cut to Oliver throwing Wild Dog against a wall in their training space.)
Wild Dog: Everything okay, boss?
Oliver: A Stardust dealer was killed last night by a vigilante.
Wild Dog: Lots running around the city these days...
Oliver: Wearing a hockey mask?!
Wild Dog: Hey, short fry was there too!
Evelyn: Thanks, Rene.
Curtis: Rory and I didn't know. Just for the record.

(After Oliver and Felicity both chew out Wild Dog)
Rory: Is this normal behavior around here?
Curtis: More than I like to admit.

Curtis: Does he know? Rory, I mean?
Felicity: Know that I destroyed his hometown with a nuclear missile five months ago? No. It hasn't come up.
Curtis: You didn't destroy anything, Felicity. That was Damien Darhk.
Felicity: Darhk... sent the missile to Monument Point. I sent the missile to Havenrock. I killed tens of thousands of people.
Curtis: To save millions!
Felicity:  Tell that to Rory's family.

(After Diggle threatens to kill him for not shutting up.)
Deadshot: Woo! There's that temper. Good thing your kid won't have to grow up with that like your brother did, huh?
John: What did you say to me?
Deadshot: How's all that going, anyway? You ever find that group that paid me to off him?
John: (quietly)They didn't...
Deadshot: What's that now?
John: They didn't want him dead. He was alive.
Deadshot: (snickers) Like I said - Hell of a world, ain't it. I mean.... wait. Why did you say "was alive" just now? Hmm?  Hello?  John?  Anybody home?
John: Because I killed him!
(John flashes back to killing Andy Diggle.)
Deadshot: So all that hate you poured into me for killing your brother... you really should have been pouring into yourself.

Curtis: If the past four years have taught you anything, it should be that keeping secrets never works out!
Felicity: I don't even know, Rory! And what I do know about him is that he has several-thousand-year-old rags that he can use to mystically strangle me!

John: Stop digging. I'm not going to fight these charges.
Lyla: Johnny, that's insane!
John: Actually, it's the first thing that's made sense to me in a long while... ever since I killed Andy,
Lyla: ... you think you need to be punished.
John: I know I do. Lyla, I didn't have to pull that trigger. But I did. Something's wrong with me, baby.
Lyla: Then let me help you! We will figure this out. Together.
John: When I thought Lawton killed Andy, all I wanted to do was bring his murderer to justice. I still do.
Lyla:  Floyd Lawton was an assassin for hire.You are a good man. And you're alive. Floyd Lawton is long dead.
John: No, Lyla, He's not.  He's...
(John turns to the spare cot in his cell... and realizes there's no one there. No pictures of Lawton's daughter on the wall. He's been alone all this time.)
Lyla: Johnny?  Johnny?
John: (turning back to Lyla) Stop fighting for me, Lyla. I have.

(After Ragman saves Curtis from one of Sampson's men.)
Mister Terrific: You are a freaky kind of scary.
Ragman: (his voice a raspy echo) It's the whispers,right? It just does that. I have no idea how. Your mask looks cool, by the way.
Mister Terrific: Thank you. Actually, it still feels a little weird on my face.

(Green Arrow forces Sampson to the ground in a wrestling hold. We hear the sounds of bones breaking but Sampson doesn't react.)
Sampson: Thought we'd been over this - you can't hurt me!
(Green Arrow grabs an arrow and slashes at Sampson's arm. He then gets up and begins strategically cutting Sampson at the wrist and ankle with the arrowhead's edge before driving the arrow through his other ankle. Sampson flails about, unable to move his arms or legs.)
Green Arrow: Just because you can't feel your tendons being sliced, doesn't mean you don't need them!

Evelyn: What kind of vigilante wears a hockey mask?
Ollie: I think it's cool.


Continuity

Stardust is a new designer drug. Adrian Chase describes it as being worse than Vertigo (first seen in 112) and Wild Dog describes it as making PCP look like children's aspirin.

Rory Regan has a deep hatred of drug dealers and gang members, due to what they did to his hometown before it was destroyed.

Detective Billy Malone informs Green Arrow about a costumed man killing Lt. Conahan (501) and the same man threatening to kill Tobias Church if he moved against Green Arrow (502).

John Diggle is officially charged with Espionage, Murder and Conduct Unbecoming And Officer And A Gentlemen.

Deadshot is seen for the first time since 317. Despite a suggestion that he survived the incident that seemed to have killed him in that episode or may have been restored to life by Flashpoint, he is revealed near the end of the episode to be a hallucination caused by John Diggle's guilt over killing his own brother.

Thea is officially identified as Oliver's Chief of Staff.

Oliver refers to the events of 112 and how he once tried to purchase some Vertigo.

Rory Regan is not homosexual.

Felicity refers to the events of 421 and how - by saving Monument Point - she destroyed Rory Regan's hometown.

Curtis Holt was a biochemistry major in college.

John flashes back to 420 and his killing his brother Andy.

12 years earlier, Oliver picked up Adrian Chase's girlfriend.

Adrian Chase claims not to hold grudges.

Oliver officially appoints Quentin as his Deputy Mayor and refuses to accept Thea's resignation.

At the end of the episode, Evelyn, Rory and Rene are allowed into The Bunker/Arrow Cave for the first time.

Curtis refers to the events of 417 and how he had the flu when he first saw The Bunker.

Felicity tells Rory that she was responsible for redirecting the missile to Havenrock. He responds but just walking away from her in shock.

At the end of the episode, Lyla asks Oliver for help in breaking John out of prison.

In the flashback, Anatoly shows Oliver that the one of the men who he killed by proxy in his first test to join the Bratva was a killer and takes Oliver with him to inform the mother of another Bratva member that his death by the killer was avenged.  This sets up Oliver's second test - standing idle and trusting that a group of Bratva members with knives will only cut his back without killing him.


Location

John Diggle is being held in the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, Langham Penitentiary.


The Bottom Line

Much like Magenta - The Flash episode that aired one day before it - A Matter Of Trust's weakest link is its villain-of-the-week subplot. Unfortunately, Derek Sampson is nowhere near as interesting a villain as Magenta, so the episode stumbles in that regard. However, where the episode excels is in establishing the personalities of the new Team Arrow and developing the relationships between them. The friendship between Curtis and Rory is perhaps the best example of this but all of the subplots have their moments, with the exception of Thea's sudden stupidity in dealing with the press. Still, the fake-out with Deadshot and an amazing performance by David Ramsey make this episode one of the most effective bits of drama in the show's history.

Suicide Squad - A Spoiler Free Review and Some Spoiler-Filled Discussion

Is Suicide Squad a good movie?  Yes.

Is it a perfect movie? No.

Is it an abomination that will surely end the era of the superhero movie and/or DC Comics Cinematic Universe? To the dismay of many a snooty critic and Marvel Zombie... if I may quote Will Smith, "Oh HELL no!"

The best way I can describe the movie, for those who have read the Suicide Squad comics by John Ostrander and Kim Yale that largely inspired the movie, is to compare it to The Ataris' cover of Don Henley's Boys Of Summer. They may have changed the orchestration and the lyrics a little but the spirit and message are exactly the same. 

The performances are all good. Some changes have been made that many annoy certain purists but the choices generally work to improve the story flow. It is worth noting that Viola Davis captures Amanda Waller perfectly. And however you may feel about her costuming, Margot Robbie IS Harley Quinn in all her paradoxical glory.

So yes - I'd recommend it. And be sure to stick around for the scene mid-way through the credits.

More in-depth discussion under the image. Abandon this web page lest ye be SPOILERED!

WHAT WENT WRONG?

Let's just get this out of the way, shall we?

* Rick Flag Jr. is mishandled. The character's defining characteristic in the comics has always been that he's been a good soldier who tries to live up to his dad's legacy.  Apparently that was too complicated for a flashback, so instead we find out that Amanda Waller manipulated events so that Rick would fall for June Moon and that she used his love for her to manipulate him into being the field commander for Task Force X, despite his objections to employing criminals for military missions.

* For that matter, the romance between June and Rick isn't developed very well.  I suspect that they may get the least screen time out of all of The Squad members, which is unfortunate since the main plot of the movie is focused on Enchantress.

* Katana's presence is kind of pointless and she doesn't get nearly enough to do.

* Captain Boomerang is criminally underused. And I want to see what his perfect world would look like.  (Maybe that was one of the cuts made to get the movie down to PG-13?)  Ditto Killer Croc.

* The unicorn doll. I don't know if this was added in because of Deadpool or was shot before it came out. Either way, that little gag probably should have been cut.

* The Juggalo fashion designs for Joker and Harley just look ridiculous. And not in a funny ha-ha ridiculous way.

* The soundtrack goes a little overboard in trying to provide appropriate themes. I'm honestly we surprised we didn't get Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic for Enchantress or Down Under for Boomerang.

* Enchantress' dancing while working her spells just looks goofy as all hell.

* A lot of the action-scenes are shot way too close and are way too dark. Maybe it was just the settings in my theater, but I could barely see some parts of the final fight.


Now, with that out of the way... let's look at some of the bits I think we were most worried about.



THE JOKER/HARLEY RELATIONSHIP

I've seen some critics complain that this is ambiguous but honestly, I think that's the way to go with it. Batman: The Animated Series dithered on this point as well up until Mad Love and there''s enough textual and metatextual evidence to make a case that The Joker (or at least one of his personalities) does harbor some genuine affection for Harley AND that The Joker (or one of his personalities) just sees her as one more prop to be used in his performances.

In one flashback, The Joker offers Harley to one of his business associates and Harley plays along with it. Joker winds up offing the guy but it's unclear if it's because he's insulted the man refused his gift or that said associate was even willing to entertain making time with Joker's gal for a moment. Is it romance or possessiveness? Can't it be both?  Or was it because it was Tuesday?

And then we have Joker's line to Harley right before she freely dives into the chemical vat. The one which sounds like a lost line from 50 Shades of Grey - "Desire leads to submission. Submission leads to power." Of course in a consensual BDSM relationship, the submissive does have all the power, but how much control did Harleen Quinzel have over her transformation into Harley Quinn?  Again, it could go either way.

To that end, Margot Robbie is a perfect Harley Quinn. She is both the bad-ass moll and the romantic who dreams of settling down somewhere that's green with The Joker as needed. Which is as it should be. They may seem contradictory to some critics but Harley's whole character is contradictory. That's part of her charm!



THE FRESH PRINCE OF GOTHAM

They did change Floyd Lawton a little bit for the sake of having Will Smith play him but the changes are largely cosmetic. Lawton's famed death wish is present (we see him insulting the guards in Belle Reve and spoiling for a fight when his cell doors are open) as is his snarky attitude. And while it's somewhat rushed, there's even a hint of the odd frienemy relationship that developed between Rick Flag and Deadshot in the original comics. For that, I can tolerate Will Smith calling The Wall "gangsta" after she shoots several of her own men.

We don't learn much of Lawton's history here, but it seems to take more from the New 52 origins where Lawton was the product of a poor family rather than a rich scion and a dark mirror of Bruce Wayne. There's also a fair bit of the character as written by Christos N. Gage in the 2005 Deadshot mini-series, where it was revealed Deadshot had an illegitimate daughter and he made an honest effort to try and clean up her neighborhood and take care of her despite his realization that he had no idea how to be a good guy OR a father.

The desire to do right by his daughter is this Deadshot's main motivation and we see some of that awkwardness in Smith's portrayal. There's a sense that he knows he's a bad man and that won't stop him from at least trying to be the dad his daughter needs.  Even if this does lead to him making a geometry lesson more complicated by trying to factor bullet weights into calculating the hypotenuse of a triangle.



FINAL THOUGHTS ON WHAT WENT RIGHT

* Despite certain members of the cast being criminally underused, there isn't really a bad performance in the whole movie.

* Viola Davis is PERFECT as The Wall.

* The scenes of the characters talking to each other are great. The movie needed more moments like that and less action scenes of the team fighting Lovecraftian beasties.

* The Flash cameo was pretty much perfect.

* As much as I hate The Joker's blinged-out teeth, I genuinely liked Jared Leto's performance as The Joker. Oddly enough, he reminded me of the Caesar Romero portrayal of The Joker, with the nightclub scene seeming like a modern update of the old Batman episodes where you would see the villains openly going out in costume to enjoy a night on the town.

* Jay Hernandez pretty much steals the movie as El Diablo.

* Overdone as they were, a lot of the music-video sequences are pretty good.

* Loved the shout outs to John Ostrander. Both of them.

* The mid-credits sequence. Perfect.

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 3, Episode 17 - Suicidal Tendencies

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.



Plot

It's John and Lyla's wedding day, but their honeymoon is doomed to be a short one. A US Senator has been taken hostage in a Kasnian hospital and Amanda Waller wants to send in The Suicide Squad. Naturally spending more time in the company of Floyd Lawton is the last thing John wants during what was meant to be a romantic weekend but at least he can enjoy watching Lawton squirm as Cupid decides that Deadshot is her new boyfriend.

Back in Starling City, Ray Palmer has turned his considerable fortunes and talents toward tracking down The Arrow following the allegations that Starling City's vigilante is killing once again. Can Oliver evade The Atom or persuade him he truly is being framed?  And where will Felicity's loyalties fall if push comes to shove?


Influences

The film American Sniper (Floyd Lawton's background before becoming an assassin), The John Ostrander run on Suicide Squad (a plot involving a corrupt senator named Joseph Cray), the New 52 Suicide Squad (Deadshot unwittingly attracting a mentally unstable female teammate and his uncharacteristic heroic sacrifice) and the Mike Grell run on Green Arrow (law enforcement turning on Oliver Queen after he is framed for a crime he didn't commit).


Goofs
So did Ollie just forget about the tasered-into-unconsciousness Arsenal following his fight with The Atom as he spun around and walked off dramatically?


Performances

Michael Rowe is given a wonderful episode to go out on as Deadshot. The background for this variant of Floyd Lawton is unique to the Arrow universe and it is to Rowe's credit that - despite everything we've seen Lawton do before this episode - he successfully turns Lawton into a likeable anti-hero, if not a tragic hero.

David Ramsey always excels when he is given a chance to take the spotlight for an episode. This episode is no exception.

Brandon Routh does something nearly impossible in this episode - play a heroic character who we have to see as a villain. Ray Palmer's heart is in the right place and he and Oliver Queen have a lot more in common than he thinks.  Ironically, it is the traits he shares with Ollie - a desire for justice and a stubborn certainty in his own righteousness - that set them at odds with one another.


Artistry

The script for this episode balances two complex plots with equal ease, both of them centering around the season's continuing theme of identity and the conflict between differing aspects of the self - chiefly the desire to do risk one's life doing good versus the desire to settle down with loved ones.

The fight scene between Oliver and multiple dopplegangers is well shot.

The effects work for the scenes with The ATOM suit are brilliant.


Trivia

A friend of Lyla's named Rick was meant to officiate the wedding, but we are told he was sent overseas to the South Sudan. This could be a reference to Col. Rick Flagg Jr. - the leader of Task Force X - who led two different versions of The Suicide Squad in the comics.

Thea Queen is seen at the wedding, but doesn't have any spoken dialogue in this episode.

Senator Joseph Cray was a villain the the John Ostrander run on Suicide Squad. A corrupt senator who used the squad for his own ends, he threatened to reveal the team's existence to the world. He was killed by Deadshot who, having been given orders to stop Col. Rick Flagg from killing the Senator, satisfied the orders by killing Senator Cray himself.

Interestingly enough, given that the other major plot of this issue involves The Atom, Senator Joseph Cray's son Adam Cray briefly took on the identity of The Atom in the comics.  This new Atom was recruited by Ray Palmer as a replacement and joined The Suicide Squad while Ray Palmer secretly took on another identity in order to infiltrate a gang of size-changing criminals called The Micro Squad.

The country where Senator Cray is taken hostage is called Kaznnia with a z in the hearing-impaired subtitles for the episode but the caption on the establishing shot spells it Kasnia with an s.

Both spellings have been used in materials on-line relating to the fictional nation, which was originally created for the DC Comics Television Animated Universe and the nation featured in several episodes of Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited and Batman Beyond. It is a Balkan nation, which was nearly conquered by Vandal Savage in the modern day.

In an interview, Deadshot actor Michael Rowe confirmed that the Deadshot/Cupid flirtation was a nod to the similar relationship between Harley Quinn and Deadshot in the New 52 Suicide Squad.

The background given for Floyd Lawton in this episode is unique to The Arrow universe. No version of Floyd Lawton in the comics is an ex-soldier. Here, Floyd is an sniper who came home with a severe case of PTSD, turned to drinking heavily and became violent. This led to him being arrested, his wife getting a restraining order against him and Lawton being recruited as an assassin for a group called HIVE.

Floyd Lawton's ex-wife in the comics is named Susan Lawton. His wife on the show is credited on IMDB as Susie Lawton.

In the comics, Susie Lawton was not the mother of Floyd's daughter Zoe.  Zoe was Floyd's daughter by a woman named Michelle, who was introduced in the 2005 Deadshot miniseries.

There are a few references to Brandon Routh's portrayal of Superman in Superman Returns. When he offers his evidence that Oliver Queen is The Arrow to Laurel Lance, she scoffs at his "x-ray vision". And when Oliver and Ray meet in Ray's office, Oliver addresses him as "Super Suit."

The Atom confronts Arrow and Arsenal at the Meltzer Power Plant. This is named in honor of writer Brad Meltzer, who wrote the Green Arrow storyline The Archer's Quest.

The episode ends with a message directing viewers to The Wounded Warrior Project.


Technobabble

Ray Palmer is able to confirm Oliver Queen is The Arrow from a distance using Felicity's face identification software and a high spectrum portable radiograph (a.k.a. x-ray machine).


Dialogue Triumphs

Lyla: You really want to do this?
John: Hell yes!  Do you?
Lyla: Even more than the first time.
John: Good. Because I'm not letting you get away from me this time.
Lyla: I'm holding you to that.
John: Good.  I love you, Lyla.
Lyla: I love you too.

There's no dialogue as such, but there is an amusing moment when Felicity, John and Roy all have their phones go off when a news article about The Arrow starting to kill again goes on-line in the middle of the reception.

Lawton: Love is a bullet in the brain and if you believe any different you're as crazy as she (Cupid) is.

Ray: Oliver Queen is the Arrow.
Felicity: (trying to sound confused and failing) Whaaaat?
Ray: I have a 140 IQ and three PhD's. It's pretty hard to insult my intelligence but I think you just did.

Felicity: Oliver's not a killer.
Ray: This isn't the first time he's been judge, jury and executioner.
Felicity: He hasn't killed anyone in two years.
Ray: That really is not your best argument.

Felicity: (tearful) He knows. God, he knows. Last year, Ray's fiancee was killed by Mirakuru men. And now he wants to protect the city. So he built a suit out of military grade technology. And he wants to put you in jail. So he used my software to track you down and he scanned you with his X-Rays. And now he knows that you're The Arrow. And he's going to tell the cops.
Ollie: Palmer knows I'm The Arrow?
(Felicity nods)
Ollie: And he has his own mission to protect the city?
(Felicity nods) 
Ollie: When were you going to tell me this?!
Felicity: I have been getting a lot of that today. Look, it's not important. Here's what is - he's going to tell the police who you are!
Roy: Ray built a super-suit? That's kind of awesome.
(Ollie glares at him)
Roy: And reckless!

Cupid: Baby, does it hurt bad?  You were SO brave!
Lawton: Okay. I take it back. I think I DO want to die.

Ray: Huh. Arrow.
Ollie: Super Suit.
Ray: I prefer The Atom.

HIVE Drone: People like you don't get to have a love, children, families. These are just distractions to people like you. For people like you, love is a bullet in the brain.

Felicity: How did it go with Ray?
Ollie: Not well. Your new boyfriend is stubborn. Once he's made his mind up, that's the end of it.
Felicity: Sound like anybody we know?
Ollie: Not only is he untrained, he's unstable.
Felicity: Unstable?!
Ollie: Yeah! Yes! Yes, he's unstable, Felicity. Because he's flying around, in a weapon, looking for a man that has already killed eight people. He's going to be next.
Felicity: (muttered) You'd like that, wouldn't you?
Ollie: Excuse me?
Felicity: You never wanted me to be with him.
Ollie: That's not true.
Felicity: Yes it is.  All that talk about wanting me to be happy was just talk.
Ollie: No, I meant what I said. Right up to the point where I found out he is just like me.  You deserve better.
Felicity: What I deserve is to be with someone who isn't afraid of being happy. Ray told me wanted a true partner. In his work. And his mission. And in his life. Ray wants to be a hero AND a human being!
Ollie: Yes, because he hasn't realized yet that he can't be. I told you that I couldn't be with you and save this city.  Neither can Ray.  He's just too new at this to know that.

The Arrow: The man you think I am... he'd kill you here and now. I told you to back off! And you didn't listen!
The Atom:  So kill me. Go ahead. Show Felicity the kind of man you really are.
(The Arrow lowers his bow)
The Arrow: I have nothing to prove to her.  But you do.
(He offers The Atom a hand up. He takes it.)
The Arrow: She chose you. So trust her.

Senator Cray: The Suicide Squad? Well, you are true to your name if you think that the three of you think you can just shoot your way in here.... wait... there were four of you!
(The mercenary behind Cray screams and falls down dead as Deadshot begins sniping from a distance)

Cupid: Floyd, what about you, baby? How are you getting out?
Lawton: I'm not.
John: Lawton, what are you talking about? That wasn't part of the plan! You said you could find your way down!
Lawton: Yeah, I lied. Someone needs to cover your escape. Me up here is what gets you out down there alive.
John: Why?!
Lawton: You and your new wife. You just get back to your baby girl, alright John?


Continuity

Ollie comments that it had been five months since he saw Ray Palmer and now they've seen each other twice in as many weeks.  This is a reference to their first meeting in 301 and their meeting last week in 316.

Ray Palmer is a registered minister.  He says it is a long story why.

Laurel's arm is in a cast, per her training with Nyssa Al Ghul.

Felicity caught the bouquet at the wedding.

Ray Palmer has a 140 I.Q. and three doctorates.

The arrows The League of Assassins uses are perfect replicas of the ones Oliver uses.

Laurel refers to the events of 105 and how Oliver was accused of being The Arrow but cleared of all charges.

Ray deduces that Laurel is The Black Canary based on her relationships with Oliver and Ted Grant.

It is confirmed that Floyd Lawton's first target working for HIVE was Andrew Diggle.

In the aftermath of the mission, Senator Cray buys the silence of the hostages and Floyd Lawton is identified as the leader of the terrorists who took Cray hostage.

Lyla resigns her position with ARGUS. John is ready to quit Team Arrow but Lyla seems to talk him out of it.

Ollie and John toast Floyd Lawton with Ollie's vodka.  The last time they made this toast was in 311.

In the end of the episode, the mayor is shot dead. The episode ends as we hear another arrow being fired as we see Maseo - in an Arrow suit - lining up a shot on Felicity.


Location

The Republic of Kasnia.


The Bottom Line

A solid send-off for The Suicide Squad and a wonderful confrontation between The Arrow and The Atom. And on a show that has become famous for its epic cliffhangers, this one may be one of the best.

The Flash: Season Zero #15 - A Review

King Shark has been captured by The Suicide Squad, though they nearly killed Joe West in the process. This sets Barry Allen to tracking down this dangerous new villain group and sends him to Starling City looking for answers. Answers Oliver Queen has but doesn't want to give away...


With all the secrets upon secrets and shared information that has been revealed on The Flash and Arrow, it never occurred to me until now that Barry knows nothing about ARGUS or The Suicide Squad.  As such, the central conceit of this issue - that the sudden reemergence of Captain Boomerang with a gang of other killers would send Barry running for answers - is a brilliant one that helps to tie the two series even closer together.  As one might expect, there's a high humor quotient to this issue as Barry intrudes on Ollie's 'Arrow' time and fails to notice that while he might casually hold a conversation in the costume, The Arrow does not do anything casually.


Phil Hester is on familiar ground with his artwork here, having been the artist on Green Arrow for a number of years.  Hester's work with The Flash hasn't been bad but I think he's a better fit for the aesthetic of Arrow, which offers more opportunities for the shadowy, dramatic scenes that Hester excels at.  It's a debatable point but what can't be debated is that this issue is as well illustrated as it is well written.

Arrow: Season 2.5 #12 - A Review

I have only one word to say after the latest issue of Arrow: Season 2.5 - More!


The recent Suicide Squad: Crisis In Khandaq Special has proven superior to every Suicide Squad comic since the New 52 reboot and I would love to see this as a regular feature alongside the regular Arrow and The Flash comics.  Like John Ostrander before them, Marc Guggenheim and Keto Shimizu have drawn upon real world events to tell a tale that takes advantage of the setting of the DC Comics Universe while still being grounded in a gritty reality.

And yet there are a number of little touches that are offered up with surprising subtlety, such as Deadshot showing the outrage only a father could at the thought of little girls being endangered.  And Khem-Adam - this world's version of Black Adam - proves a frightening foe even without magical powers.  It spoils little to say that not everyone makes it out of this issue alive but hopefully Khem-Adam will return someday... perhaps even on Arrow itself.!


The artwork by Szymon Kudranski is as excellent as ever.  Comparable to Tony Harris in his photo-realistic style and use of shadow, Kudranski's also an excellent caricaturist who perfectly captures the likeness of the actors from the show.  This book has never looked as good as it has under his pencils.

Arrow: Season 2.5 #11 - A Review

About the last thing John Diggle wants to do is go back overseas in the company of Deadshot - the man who killed his brother. But when the alternative is his pregnant ex-wife going overseas in the company of the man who killed his brother (i.e. the very last thing John Diggle wants), he didn't have much choice but to volunteer and lead Task Force X into a war zone. He may be signing his own death warrant but that's why they call it The Suicide Squad.


I asked for it. And boy did I received it!  A full-length Suicide Squad special worthy of the name! I said in Arrow Season 2.5 reviews past that the back-ups by Keto Shimizu and Szymon Kudranski needed to be their own full-length book.  And what we see in this issue more than justifies my belief in the creative team.


I'm reluctant to say more about this issue save this: if you're a fan of the classic Suicide Squad comics of John Ostrander, you'd do well to check out this issue even if you're not normally an Arrow viewer.  Fans of military adventure fiction will likely enjoy this comic as well.  And Arrow-heads?  You'll like it too, especially for the cameo at the end.

Arrow: Season 2.5 #4 - A Review

Arrow: Season 2.5 #4 is primarily concerned with the back-story of the new Brother Blood and how one of Sebastian Blood's underlings came to acquire his boss' mask and formed a doomsday cult in Starling City. The writers do a good job of delivering this information without it seeming like an exposition dump.  Nevertheless, this issue does feel somewhat repetitive as much of it repeats scenes from the show verbatim before building on the established material.  Nice as it is to see the "Bitch With Wi-Fi" scene again, it would have been better to see more new material.


The artwork by Joe Bennett and Craig Yeung is largely excellent, save that it loses fine detail in the middle and far distances.  A larger problem is that Bennett draws nearly every page as if he were emulating a camera that was in the process of falling to one side when it took its shot. I can understand wanting to vary up perspective but there's a number of pages where one wonders if they need to tilt their head to view the artwork properly or if someone changed the alignment of their monitor.


Personally, I found the all-too-brief back-up story involving the Suicide Squad far more interesting, if only for the revelation that Barack Obama is the president in the DC Television universe.  That's not to say the plot - based on current events involving religious extremists in Africa - isn't gripping stuff.  It is and I wish this comic devoted more than a page every two weeks to it.  I'd also like to see more of the photo-realistic artwork of Szymon Kudranski, whose previous work on Green Lantern I enjoyed.

aaa

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 2, Episode 16 - Suicide Squad

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.



Plot

As Ollie prepares for the coming battle with Slade Wilson, Sara tries to back him up only to be pushed away.  Meanwhile, John Diggle is called away by Amanda Waller to assist with some ARGUS business.  An Afghan warlord who Diggle once saved is believed to have stolen a lethal chemical weapon and it's felt that Diggle may be their easiest connection to getting close to him.  Naturally Diggle is all too eager to help... until he is introduced to the rest of his team.

Enter Task Force X - a program that offers time-off to criminals in exchange for service in off-the-books operations.  Everyone on the team is a criminal The Arrow helped to bring down... including Diggle's own sworn enemy, Deadshot!  With the lives of millions at risk, can Diggle afford to hold on to his black and white morality in a world full of greys?


Influences

The 1980s Suicide Squad by John Ostrander, the 2001 Suicide Squad by Keith Giffen, Gail Simone's Secret Six and the 2005 Deadshot mini-series by Christos N. Gage.


Goofs

Why is a civilian like John Diggle allowed to walk into the cell-block housing Deadshot and the other Task Force X members?  Particularly after he told-off Amanda Waller and said he wasn't working for her anymore?


Performances

After spending the better part of Season Two on the sidelines, Diggle is finally given an episode in the spotlight and David Ramsey rises to the occasion.  Ramsey can steal a scene with one good line and the whole episode does a fine job of highlighting his talents.

This episode marks Michael Rowe's longest appearance playing Deadshot so far and it is the first episode where it feels like we really get a glimpse at the complex character that is Floyd Lawton.  Rowe captures both Lawton's death-wish and his dark sense of humor.  He said in an interview that the most interesting thing about Deadshot - and the main reason he loved playing him - was that there is something oddly likeable about Floyd and yet Floyd doesn't like himself at all.  To my mind, that sums the character up perfectly.

Though their parts this week are relatively small, Stephen Amell and Caity Lotz both capture Oliver Queen and Black Canary perfectly in this episode.  Pushing people away when he needs their help the most is vintage Ollie as is his desire to protect the woman he loves, even when she's perfectly capable of protecting herself and probably more capable than he is in a straight-up fight!  Lotz perfectly captures the comics' Canary's loving nature and desire to comfort her man, in spite of her frustration over what an ass he's acting like.


Trivia

Lyla texts Diggle and asks  her to meet him at Room 1141 at the Ostrander Hotel.  This is named in honor of John Ostrander - writer of the 1980's Suicide Squad comic and the co-creator (along with Len Wein and John Byrne) of Amanda Waller.

The nation of Kahndaq is mentioned during Diggle's briefing at ARGUS.  In the comics, Kahndaq is a fictional nation and home to the supervillain Black Adam.  It is in the Middle East, located between Israel and Egypt on the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula

Part of the episode takes place in Markovia.  In the comics, Markovia is located in Western Europe between France, Belgium and Luxembourg.  It is home to the hero Geo-Force.

The blonde woman with the squeaky voice on the Task Force X cell-block is credited as "Deranged Squad Female".  Given that she is played by Tara Strong, and that the woman claims to be a licensed therapist,  it seems clear the woman is meant to be Harley Quinn - a member of the Suicide Squad in the New 52 Suicide Squad series.

The robbery that Ollie goes to stop only to find the robbers already killed by Slade Wilson is located at 5th and Giffen.  This is in honor of Keith Giffen, who wrote the 2001 Suicide Squad comic.

Diggle's call-sign with The Squad is Freelancer. 

As in Gail Simone's Secret Six, Waller's call-sign is Mockingbird

As in Ostrander's Suicide Squad, explosives are used to keep the criminal members of Task Force X under control. 

The idea of Deadshot having a young daughter, whom he provides for using his earnings as an assassin was first introduced in the 2005 Deadshot mini-series by Christos N. Gage.  This series centered upon Floyd Lawton discovering he had a four-year-old daughter in Star City and - lacking anything better to do - deciding to turn his skills against the corrupt cops and dangerous gangs threatening the neighborhood she was being raised in.  His activities gained the attention of Green Arrow, who - finding out the reasons for Lawton's rampage - agreed to patrol the area more often in exchange for Deadshot agreeing to leave town.

Gail Simone would later pick up on this thread in her Secret Six book, where Floyd actually visited Zoe and made an honest attempt at being a father.  He would later decide it was better he not expose her to the dangers of his life and he told her mother as much over the phone.

Deadshot is depicted as having a death-wish and not really caring about whether he lives or dies.  This is consistent with his characterization in the comics, where the kindest thing to say would be that Floyd has issues.  Serious issues.

The detonation code for Deadshot's implant is BATB-25.  This is likely a reference to Brave And The Bold #25 - the first comic to feature the original 1959 Suicide Squad. 


Dialogue Triumphs

Amanda Waller: They're designated Task Force X.
Deadshot: Give me a break!  This ain't no task force.  Let's call it like it is.  Welcome to the Suicide Squad.

(To an arguing Diggle and Lyla)
Harley Quinn: Do you two cuties need some counseling?  I'm a trained therapist!

Diggle: A girl needs a father.
Deadshot: Nah.  Not this father.  Best thing I can do for her life?  Not be in it.

Ollie: I can't...I don't know how to stop him.
Sara: You start by letting people help you.
Ollie: But he's going to come after you!  You're alive... because Shado isn't.
Sara: And when he does do you think it will make a difference whether or not we're together?  Let him come.  I'm not the girl he knew on The Island.  I'm not that easy to kill.  Together?
Ollie: Together.

Lyla: What about us, Johnny?
Diggle: Last night the man who killed my brother showed more character than the woman charged with protecting the world.  Good and Bad, it's not so clear to me.  One thing I do know for sure- Black and White - is that I can't ever lose you again.


Continuity

Ollie and Sara are seen sleeping in the Arrow Cave at the start of the episode, indicating Moira's threat to kick Ollie out of her house in 215 was not an idle one.

Oliver makes contact with Alexi Leonov - his contact with the Russian Mafia in Starling City, last scene in 112.  By episode's end, Ollie with have cut all ties with the Russian Mafia and Alexi is dead by Slade Wilson's hand.

Waller's Suicide Squad is made up of villains Arrow was responsible for catching.  They include Bronze Tiger (last seen in 212 ), Shrapnel (last seen in 210 ) and Deadshot (last seen in 206).  We also see Amanda Waller for the first time since 212.  Shrapnel is killed after he attempts to escape.

We see John Diggle's current girlfriend/former wife Lyla Michaels for the first time since 206.

Ted Gaynor, whose death we witnessed in 111,  is seen in the flashback scenes.

The mask Slade leaves at the robbery scene is identical (if not the same mask) that we saw on The Island in the pilot episode.

By episode's end, Waller says they'll implant the kill-chips for the Squad members in their spines.

Ollie and Thea both hated swimming as children.

In the episode's final moments, it is revealed that Oliver Queen and Amanda Waller have some manner of prior relationship and that Oliver is aware Amanda knows his secret identity.  He also has some reason to hate Amanda but notes that she is much lower down on his list these days.

Waller reveals that Slade Wilson's assassin alter ego has been dubbed Deathstroke by ARGUS.


Location

The flashbacks for the episode - six years earlier - are set in RC South, Kandahar, Afghanistan.

The majority of the episode takes place in Markovburg, Markovia.


The Bottom Line

For once, the interplay between Ollie and Sara isn't the focus of an episode nor is it the best part.  Forget a Flash TV series next season - I want more Suicide Squad!  With Harley Quinn as a series regular!  And Clock King as a part of the Squad!  And blackjack!  And hookers!

Dallas Sci-Fi Expo 2014 - Saturday, Part One

Dallas Sci-Fi Expo was a bit more of an ordeal than it should have been this year.  At least, Saturday was.

I am not sure this could have been avoided given their usual venue of the Irving Convention Center.  It is a nice building but one that was built more for business conferences than sci-fi conventions filled with tens of thousands of cosplayers and collectors.  Couple that with Dallas Comic Con's amazing ability to procure celebrity guests who don't usually come out to Texas and this can cause problems in regards to parking, lines, and crowds as every geek in the area (and more than a few from out of it) rush like so many Zerg upon Las Colinas.

Case in point.  There were two guests who were only scheduled to be there on Saturday - Stephen Amell (most famous for playing Oliver Queen on Arrow) and Karen Gillan (most famous for playing Amy Pond on Doctor Who).  I know for a fact this was Karen Gillan's first appearance at a convention outside of New York and San Diego.  I suspect it was one of Amell's first trips to an inland American comic con as well.  As such, there was a lot of demand for autographs and photo opportunities with them.  And as such, there were some insanely long lines for them.

How long?  It took me and my pal Jeremy (seen below in his classic Deadshot costume) the better part of four hours to meet Stephen Amell.


This was not, it should be noted, all in one line.  We started out waiting in line for Stephen Amell at 11:30.  Around noon, word came that Stephen was taking his lunch break and that he would be doing photos with his fans from 1 to 2.  Deciding we didn't like the idea of sitting around for two hours just to keep our place in line - and deciding a photo with the man would be as good as an autograph - we decided to head to the third floor, where the photo-ops were being sold.

And here is where things get weird.

By that time, most of the third floor had been consumed by a line of people waiting to buy tickets for photo ops.  I heard complaints from people ahead of us directed at the Con staff about how they had been made to wait in line for nearly two hours (they were trying to get photo ops for Karen Gillan at 5:30 that evening) and how there was no point in making them wait in line when they were letting people who wanted tickets for the most immediate celebrity guests cut ahead. 

In the case of Stephen Amell, this didn't help matters.  Jeremy and I wind up waiting in line to buy a photo with Stephen Amell until about 1:45 pm - 45 minutes after the Stephen Amell photo-shoot started!  Then we were informed that they had too many people and we couldn't get a photo-op.  So we went back upstairs and got back in line for an autograph, where we waited for about another hour.

And yet, it was worth it in the end.  Because this happened.


Yes, I made Stephen Amell a boxing glove arrow.  And he loved it!

Looks a bit like a kid on Christmas morning, doesn't he?   This left myself and Jeremy with much less time than we'd planned to hit the rest of our respective "things to do" list and even less time for wandering about and taking picture of the various cosplayers. Still, we did get some time to do that.


I was behind this gentlemen while waiting in line. During that time, three people asked him if he was meant to be Wesley Dodds - a question that confused him. It turned out he was a dapper victim of The Empty Child from Doctor Who and not, as you might guess, the Golden Age Sandman. 

The Longbow Hunter and Aela The Huntress from Skyrim.
Aela portrayed by FriscoBlondie.  

It is he!  The mad monkey, mad in this case meaning crazy and not angry, though he too is angry, who lives to make life miserable for the accursed Powerpuff Girls...MO-JO JOJO!

The War Doctor, The Eleventh Doctor and The First Doctor from Doctor Who.

Jeremy quipped this con had "a quiver-full of Arrows".  Here he is with one of them as the modern Deadshot

I call this shot "A Princess And Her Scoundrel".
That's Marla of MCubed Cosplay with her boyfriend David.

My friends Wade and Sarah as Westley and Buttercup from The Princess Bride.

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 2, Episode 6 - Keep Your Enemies Closer

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.



Plot

Pulled off the street during a routine night of watching The Arrow's back, John Diggle finds himself in the custody of ARGUS and under the supervision of Amanda Waller herself.  It seems Lyla Michaels - John's contact with the organization - disappeared in Russia while following the trail of the assassin Deadshot.  Waller's superiors think an extraction is too risky, leaving Waller to blackmail Diggle with the knowledge that she knows Oliver Queen is The Arrow in order to "persuade" him to take action.

Even without the knowledge that his night-life is at risk (a fact Diggle keeps from Ollie and Felicity), Ollie is all too eager to help Diggle in rescuing his old friend.  Oliver's contacts in the Russian mob can get Digg into the Russian gulag called 'Nightmare' but Diggle may have to turn to the man he hates more than anyone else in the world to get out.  More, they have to carry out the whole operation under the nose of Ollie's business partner Isabel Rochev, who insists on accompanying them on their sudden trip to inspect Queen Consolidated's Russian holdings. Meanwhile, Thea is told that her relationship with ex-felon Roy could endanger her mother's case when she goes to trial.

In the flashback, Oliver learns why Doctor Ivo is so interested in the island of Purgatory and the Japanese graves there.  He also learns how Sara came to survive the wreck of The Queen's Gambit.


Influences

The general style is reminiscent of several Mike Grell stories based around espionage and various Cold-War thrillers involving Americans needing to be rescued from Russian prisons. 


Performances

David Ramsey hasn't been given much to do this season as John Diggle, apart from making dry comments.  Granting that he usually gets the best lines in each episode, there's been very little of Diggle as the man of action in Season 2.  This episode rectifies that oversight, giving us a glimpse of Diggle the Lover as well as Diggle, Man of Action.


Trivia

First appearing in Legends #1, Amanda Waller has been the leader of many clandestine organizations in the original DC Comics Universe.  Having lost a husband, son and daughter to violent crime, Waller dedicated herself to public service and earned a Doctorate in Political Science.  She used the knowledge gained in her position as a Congressional aide to reactivate The Suicide Squad - a government program which offered super-villains time off of their sentences in exchange for working various suicide missions on behalf of the U.S. government.  Waller also served, at various times, as a regional department head for the Department of Extranormal Operations, The Secretary of Metahuman Affairs and as The White Queen and Black King of the spy organization Checkmate.

In the New 52 DC Comics Universe, Waller still serves as the head of The Suicide Squad and is currently the head of ARGUS.  Little is known of Waller's background in the new universe, save that she has a background as a spy and was part of the covert-ops group Team 7 along with Dinah Drake, Slade Wilson, Steve Trevor and Cole Cash among others.

Walller was original depicted as a short, heavy-set woman of middle years.  Her New 52 incarnation is younger, taller and thinner by comparison, as is her Arrow incarnation.

ARGUS (Advanced Research Group Uniting Super-Humans) is a national security group in The New 52 DC Universe officially charged with acting as a liason between the US government and organized superhero groups such as The Justice League.  Unofficially, ARGUS is meant to study superhumans and look for ways to neutralize them should they become a liability rather than a benefit to society.  The ARGUS in Arrow stands for Advanced Research Group United Support.

The ARGUS squad that abducts Diggle uses the call-sign Strike Force X.  In the original DC Comics universe, Task Force X was a government organization started by Harry Truman in 1951 to fill the void left by the retired Justice Society of America.  The Domestic Branch of Task Force X was called Argent and the International Branch was the first group to be known as The Suicide Squad.

Amanda Waller's call-sign with ARGUS is Mockingbird.  Mockingbird was also the alias used by the leader of each incarnation of the government spy team called The Secret Six.  A group of mercenary villains - including Deadshot - later appropriated the Secret Six name, receiving jobs from two separate figures who used the Mockingbird name.  The second of these figures was Amanda Waller.

Dr. Ivo seeks a lost Japanese super-drug called "Miracle".  This may be a reference to Miraclo - the drug created by chemist Rex Tyler which gave him super-strength, speed, stamina and durability for one hour at a time, allowing him to fight crime as the Golden Age superhero Hourman.  The abilities attributed to Miracle are almost identical to the powers granted by Miraclo.

It is worth noting that there were rumors The CW was looking into a series based on Hourman.  Perhaps this "Miracle" drug is planting the seeds for that storyline as the references to a particle accelerator in Central City seems to be setting the stage for The Flash.

Moira's lawyer is identified as Jean Loring.  In the comics, Jean Loring was also the name of the love-interest of the Silver Age Atom, Ray Palmer.  She was also also a lawyer.  The two were married and later divorced.

This is not the first time Ollie and Diggle have taken a trip to Russia together.  The two also journeyed to Russia to track down a person on Oliver's list in Issue #6 of the on-line Arrow comic.  Coincidentally, this comic came out nearly one year to the day before this episode's original air date.

Isabel Rochev, like her comics counterpart, is revealed to have been born in Russia.  Unlike her comics counterpart, the Arrow version of Rochev was adopted by an American family at the age of nine.  The comics version of Rochev grew to young adulthood as a slave in a Siberian diamond mine.

Deadshot is revealed to have a twisted work ethic similar to his comic book counterpart.  He takes pride in how he "never misses" and follows his contracts to the letter, only killing those mentioned in his contract - no bodyguards or innocent bystanders.  He only kills for money, resents people like Diggle who take what he sees as business matters personally and tries to avoid killing in self-defense whenever possible.

Deadshot tells Diggle that the only reason he killed Diggle's brother Andy was because he was paid to do so by a group called H.I.V.E.  In the classic DC Comics universe, H.I.V.E. (Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Extermination) was a criminal organization who focused on mercenary acts of terrorism and high-profile assassinations.


Technobabble


The super-drug Miracle was based on Japanese research into "stem cell genetic therapy" decades ahead of the other major nations during World War II.  It is said to increase strength and cause rapid cellular regeneration.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Regarding the gulag Koshmar)
Anatoly Knyazev: It's full of violent psychopaths and killers.  And that's just the guards.

(After long exchange in Russian with guns being brandished threateningly, Oliver whispering something and then being handed the keys to a Russian armored police vehicle)
Felicity: What did you say?
Oliver: Please. (winks at Felicity)

Isabel: Why do you try so hard to make me think you're a lazy idiot?  I know you're not.  Underneath that swagger, I see you pretty clearly.
Oliver: Really?  And what do you see?
Isabel: You're intelligent.  Driven.  And lonely.
Oliver: How do you see that?
Isbael: Because it's what I see when I look in the mirror.

(After leading Diggle to the cell block where Lyla is being kept)
Deadshot: You bust in, she's in there - what's keeping you from shooting me?
Diggle: Honor.

(As Diggle holds a gun on him, clearly contemplating shooting him before finally lowering it)
Deadshot: That's the thing about honor, John.  You can't turn it on and off.


Continuity

In the Previous On Arrow sequence, The Russian from 204 is confirmed to be Anatoly Knyazev - the Russian Mafia member whose life Oliver was said to have saved back in 103. 

We see him later in the episode where he is a nightclub owner who agrees to help Oliver and Diggle with their plan to break Lyla Michaels out of prison. 

Diggle knows who Amanda Waller is when she introduces herself. 

Waller knows that Oliver Queen is The Arrow. 

Oliver gives the name "Tommy" after Sara shakes her head when Ivo asks him his name. 

Knyazev and Oliver toast with the word "prochnost" - Strength in Russian - in reference to 204. 

Lyla is being held in a prison called Koshmar - the Russian word for nightmare. 

Lyla is revealed to be Diggle's ex-wife. 

Roy's arrest by Quentin Lance marks the second time he's been arrested in less than a month, the first time being in 202. 

Roy knows about how Quentin lost his Detective's badge because of The Arrow and there is a suggestion that the two realize that one another also works with The Arrow. 

Slade is revealed to have survived the attack in 203 but the right side of his body is badly burned.  His right eye is still intact. 

Oliver is tricked into revealing Shado and Slade are still alive by Sara, but she uses her influence on Ivo to save Ollie's life after the fact. 

Deadshot is capable of killing a man by throwing an icicle into his back. 

Thea dumps Roy until Moira gives the two her blessing after learning that her lawyer asked Thea to dump Roy for Moira's sake. 

Oliver has a quickie with Isabel Rochev. 

Yet another reference is made on the news to the STAR Labs particle accelerator in Central City.       


Location

Moscow, Russia.


The Bottom Line

A damn fine episode that plays more like one of Mike Grell's scripts for Jon Sable: Freelance rather than his work on Green Arrow.  Would be perfect if it weren't for the subplot with Roy and Thea seeming totally tacked on.  Still, it could have been worse - we could have been treated to more scenes of Laurel popping pills and acting erratically. 

Arrow Reviews: Season 1, Episode 20 - Home Invasion

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here. 

 
     

Plot
 

Deadshot is on the prowl again in Starling City and John Diggle is ready to bring him to justice, despite a threat from his friend Lyla at ARGUS about staying far away from this case.  Thankfully, the Starling City Vigilante is on the case so Diggle can keep his distance.  Or is he?  Laurel's most recent case has seen her clients murdered by an assassin known as Mr. Blank and their seven-year-old son is the only witness.  When Laurel takes the boy into her own home, putting herself and Tommy in danger, Oliver will have to make a fateful choice about which assassin he will focus on - Deadshot or Mr. Blank?

In The Glades, Roy Harper is obsessed with tracking down The Hood, sensing a kinship with the vigilante who saved his life that he can't explain.  Will Roy's new relationship with Thea be imperiled when his search for answers puts him on the bad side of Detective Lance yet again?

On the island, Shado begins to teach Oliver the fine points of archery so that he can cover her and Slade as they raid Eddie Fyers' camp.  There is a brief hint of romance between the two, but Ollie - citing his love for Laurel - cuts things off after one brief kiss.

Influences
 

Green Arrow: Year One (the island sequences), Mike Grell's Green Arrow (the training scenes with Shado), Cyrano DeBergerac (love triangle where one man realizes the woman he is attached to would leave him in a heartbeat if she knew the truth about their friend's secret nobility), Witness (the hero protecting a young boy who is the sole witness to a murder), Serenity (With his professional manner and habit of talking to his targets, Mr. Blank could be an ancestor of The Operative), and various Errol Flynn swashbuckler movies (Ollie's fencing with a poker before a fireplace)

Goofs

Deadshot makes a big deal about not killing Diggle because nobody is paying him to do it.  While this does correspond to the code of ethics employed by Deadshot in the comics (he always made sure his contracts were fulfilled if he got paid and wouldn't complete any contract where the money didn't come through) it doesn't jibe with what we've seen of Deadshot elsewhere in the episode or in the show so far.  He was perfectly willing to gun down both The Hood and Diggle before (3) even though they weren't his targets and he was perfectly willing to gun down the ARGUS agents trying to ambush him.

How has Diggle not been arrested by ARGUS for interfering with an investigation by the episode's end?  Lyla warned him before about getting anywhere near Deadshot at the start of the episode and it's unlikely she'd let it go even if Diggle did save her life. 

Performances

Yay Laurel finally getting a storyline devoted to her work and doing something besides supporting her dad or her boyfriend! Laurel taking charge of protecting an endangered child is very true to Black Canary's character in the comics and it was nice seeing that reflected here.  Katie Cassidy plays the mama bear role to the hilt.

There's a magical little scene where Colin Donnell talks with the young witness about Tommy's mother's death and how he sees her every time he closes his eyes.  Should the unthinkable happen and an American version of Doctor Who ever get approved by the BBC, I'm going to immediately start a petition for Colin Donnell to play The Doctor based on this scene. 

For that matter, I want Paul Blackthorne to play Samuel Vimes in any upcoming films based on Terry Pratchett's Watch books after this episode.  His speech to Roy Harper about the problems with vigilantes - in terms of tone - totally a Vimes moment.

Honestly, there's so many little things in all the performances this time I could spend another five hours trying to write about them all and still not cover everything.  See the Dialogue Triumphs section for the many, many, many examples of what went right with this episode.

Artistry

The script, which gives a lot of good material to the entire ensemble cast.  Even Moira gets a few brief but nice moments.

The fight scene between Oliver and Mr. Blank is very well choreographed and artfully shot, with perfectly timed lightning strikes and effective noir-esque use of shadows.

Trivia

Felicity is not a natural blonde.

Oliver is a skilled enough shot that he can shoot two arrows at once through the windshield of a stopped mini-limo and pin the shoulders of a man sitting in the back of the limo without  hitting the driver.

Diggler's friend Lyla's call-sign is Harbringer.  Harbringer is also the name of a superheroine whose real name was Lyla Michaels.  A servant of the Monitor (the life-affirming cosmic being who sought to save all reality during Crisis On Infinite Earths), Harbringer had the power to create multiple reality-hopping duplicates of herself as well as flight, super-strength and also possessed an orb that told her the history of the multiverse.  It was she who traveled to the various Earths, gathering the heroes and villains needed to thwart the Anti-Monitor.
  

Detective Lance refers to Roy Harper and Thea Queen as "The Wonder Twins".  Best remembered from the Superfriends cartoon (despite repeated attempts to introduce them into the actual DC Comic books with no degree of success), The Wonder Twins were a pair of alien fraternal twins named Zan and Jayna.  Zan had the power to transform into various objects made of ice or water.  Jayna had the power to transform into any animal, including alien species unknown on Earth.  They were not criminals but most people found them as annoying as Detective Lance undoubtedly finds Roy and Thea.

Dialogue Triumphs

Diggle: So when did you become, ah.. "lunch dates" with Laurel? 

Ollie: Look... we're just.... *sighs* We're friends.

Felicity: Friends are good. 

Ollie: ... But?

Felicity: Couldn't you be friends with someone less complicated than your ex-girlfriend, who's you ex-best friend's current girlfriend?  

Ollie: I wear a hood and I put arrows into criminals.  So when it comes to complexity, I grade on a curve.

Quentin: Ok.  Look, I'm gonna park a patrol car outside your place.

Laurel: Fine.
Quentin: (To Tommy) And you.  You look after them, alright?
Tommy: I spend most nights at your daughter's anyways.
*long silence as everyone glances at one another*
Tommy: There was probably a better time to tell you that.

Quentin: Probably not.

(Talking to Taylor about his mom)

Tommy: Every time I close my eyes, I can see her.  Every time I go to bed, I see her in my dreams...Try it.  Close your eyes... Whenever you are sad or scared just remember that they will always be there. 

Mr. Blank: It was the badge that gave me away, right?
Laurel: You know, my father's a cop?

*Mr. Blank spins around to where he heard Laurel's voice and fires, looking surprised when Laurel returns fire with a shotgun*

Laurel: And that's not all he taught me!

Quentin: Hey!  I think you've got something that belongs to me.
Roy: You set this up just to get your radio back?
Quentin: Well, I DO love that radio.

Shado: You're thinking too much.

Ollie: Nobody ever accused me of that before.

Shado: I see my target in the distance.  I feel the variation in the wind.  I hear the bowstring tighten.  And I let go.  Give in to your senses.  Don't think.

*Ollie and Shado kiss a moment but Ollie pulls away*
Shado: You're right.  This is definitely not the time or place.

Ollie: No, it's.... no... There's someone... and it's a mile past complicated, but... I can't.

Shado: She knows how much you love her? 
Ollie: I suspect right now she doesn't.  But as soon as I'm home, she will.

(Looking at old pictures with Laurel)

Moira: I remember Oliver telling me once that he wished your father would let him come over to your house more often.  That being there made him feel less like Robert Queen's son and more like himself.  I liked who my son was when he was around you.

(As Detective Lance shows Roy Harper the body of a man killed by The Hood, trying to scare him straight)

Roy: Maybe this guy deserved it.

Quentin: Maybe he did.  But that's not how justice works.  You see, the vigilante?  He doesn't have to answer to anyone but himself.  That's a dangerous power for one man to have.

Roy: He saved my life!

Quentin: How do you know that tomorrow he won't just as easily take it?

Tommy: You still love her, don't you?

Ollie: It doesn't matter how I feel.  Because of what I do... I could never be with her.  So you don't have anything to be afraid of.  She is never, ever going to know my secret. 
Tommy: It doesn't matter if she knows.  I know.  And I don't know how to be with Laurel knowing the entire time... that if she ever found our who you really are... she would choose you.

(After Tommy dumps her)

Laurel: You can't be serious.
Tommy: This is me serious, Laurel,

Laurel: But... it doesn't make any sense.  I mean... Why now?  Why even at all?
Tommy: I thought I wanted this... you.  The other night made me realize I don't.
Laurel: .. you're lying.

Tommy: I am not a liar.

Laurel: If you've changed and I know that you've changed... then you... you would never do this!
Tommy: Then I guess I haven't changes as much as people thought, then.

(Roy and Thea discuss why Roy is trying to find The Hood)

Roy: I can't stop replaying that night in my head.  The night I got kidnapped by that psycho.  I just... I thought I was going to die.

Thea: But you didn't!

Roy: Yeah.  Because of him.
Thea: You don't owe him anything.

Roy: You're wrong.  I owe him everything!  I can't go back to the way things were, Thea.  I can't just go back to being nothing!  You're the one who keeps telling me that I can be better than who I am and... this... this is my chance to be.  I can't explain it.  It feels... like my life is connected with his.

Thea: So let's find him.

*Roy looks up, surprised*  

Thea: I can tell this means the world to you.  And you mean the world to me.  So let's find him.  You and me.

Oliver: I want us to get back on the same page.

Diggle: Oliver, we're not even in the same book, you and me.  Not anymore. 

Dialogue Disasters

Mr. Blank: The child got away. 
Rasmus: Got away? Did he see you?

Mr. Blank: No, Mr. Rasmus.  All he saw was the face of the man who will reunite him with his parents.

Thea: Do you have a police radio in your pocket?

Roy: No, I'm just happy to see you.

Mr. Blank: What happened to you on that island?
Ollie: You're about to find out!

Continuity 

Oliver refers back to his promise to help Diggle bring down Deadshot (19).  Diggle meets with Lyla from ARGUS, last seen in 19.  Starling City patrol officer's badge numbers begin with a 0.  Lieutenant badge numbers begin with a 1. Quentin says he thinks Laurel should consider moving, indirectly referring to the last few times her apartment was destroyed by criminals because of a case she was involved (2 and 13).  Roy Harper and Thea Queen are apparently officially a couple, after their falling-out in 18.  Deadshot has a rule against killing people unless he's being paid to do so but he has a space reserved for John Diggle's name next to his brother's on his body just in case.  The Hood's official murder tally with the SCPD is 26.  Yao Fei leads Fyers and his men to Slade's base.  

The Fridge Factor

Totally averted.  When Mr. Blank storms Laurel's apartment, it's Tommy who takes the traditionally female role of hiding with Taylor while Laurel takes the fight to the assassin.  Granted, this does make sense given that we know Laurel's taken gun use/self-defense classes but it's still nice to see the cliches being avoided.

The Bottom Line

Arrow needed to come back with full force after it's most recent break.  It did.  There's not a false note or a bad performance in the whole episode.  Even the Roy/Thea subplot - which feels somewhat tacked-on relative to the rest of the interwoven story-lines in this episode - pays off big in the end.  One of the best episodes of the series so far.