Arrow: Season 2.5 #19 - A Review

In order to synthesize a fresh dose of the Mirakuru antidote, Oliver Queen and Roy Harper must journey to the last place on Earth Oliver wants to go - Lian Yu.  Because the antidote requires a blood sample from someone who recently took Mirakuru and the only one who can provide that is Slade Wilson.  And even though he's locked up in an ARGUS holding facility, the man called Deathstroke will not bleed without a fight...


Marc Guggenheim's script for this issue is a thrilling one. As one would expect, the fight between Slade and Oliver is a suspenseful one. What really sells this story, however, is a wonderful opening monologue which I would place among the greatest Oliver Queen lines in any medium.


The artwork remains at its usual level of quality. Joe Bennett blocks the action sequences like a master choreographer and does a fine job capturing the likenesses of the actors from the show.  The inks by Craig Yeung enhance the artwork rather than concealing it. And Jim Charalampidis' colors prove well chosen.

Arrow Episode Guide: Season 3, Episode 14 - The Return

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



Plot

Oliver and Thea travel to Lian Yu to begin training to defeat Ra's Al Ghul.  Unfortunately, Slade Wilson is out of his cell.. and out for revenge!

In the flashback, Oliver and Maseo travel to Starling City in search of Chien Na Wei.  And despite Waller's orders to the contrary, Ollie checks up on his family and friends.


Influences

The Count of Monte Cristo (a man who was wrongfully imprisoned returns home, wanting to know what happened to his friends and family while he was away), Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan (Slade's line about leaving Ollie the same way Ollie left him), Green Arrow: Year One (Ollie fighting for survival on an island) and various Green Arrow comics by both Judd Winick (Ollie returning to the island he was stranded with loved ones to learn new skills and Slade's threat to fake Ollie and Thea's deaths) and Dennis O'Neil (Quentin Lance's "fat-cat" speech).


Goofs

It's a hard choice what is more infuriating - Maseo's belief that a multinational corporation would never remove the finger-print records of a dead employee from the database that governs access to their private computer records or his belief that Ollie attempting to access Queen Consolidate's records with his own identity when they are supposed to be hiding the fact that Oliver Queen is alive isn't a stupid idea.


Performances

Manu Bennett, as always, proves a real treat as Slade Wilson, however briefly he appears.

Ditto Colin Donnel as Tommy Merlyn.  If Lazarus Pits become a reality in the DCTVU, I want Tommy Merlyn in line right behind Sara Lance.when they start bringing back beloved characters.

Paul Blackthorne's performance here makes you realize how underutilized he's been during Season Three and his turn as a younger, drunker and more easily irritated Quentin Lance proves a welcome reminder of the character from Season One and serves as an interesting set-up for the powerful scene in which he tells Laurel off in the present.

Finally, Willa Holland rocks every bit of material she is given in this episode, including some lines that almost, ALMOST don't work (i.e. most of Thea's break-down moments).  And then we get that final speech to Merlyn... and all is forgiven.


Artistry

The three-way fight scene between Ollie, Slade and Thea.


Trivia

Ollie says Lian Yu reminds him of who he is.  This is similar to comments Oliver made in the comics, where he would revisit the island where he was stranded for a few days each year.  He also took frequent camping trips to hone his skills in the wild.

The company that Laurel took a job with in San Francisco is Wethersby Posner.  This is one name away from the firm of Wethersby, Posner & Klein - the law-firm from Eli Stone.  Eli Stone was a show that Arrow Executive Producers Marc Guggenheim and Greg Berlanti both created together before Arrow.

When chewing Laurel out for taking a job with a big law-firm, Quentin Lance makes reference to "fat cats getting fatter".  This was a frequent phrase in Oliver Queen's rants about corporate corruption in the Green Arrow comics of Dennis O'Neil.

In the comics, Lt. Matthew Shrieve is an United States Army officer associated with a group called Project M or Project Monster.  Shrieve was the commander of a sub-group of Project M known as The Creature Commandos - a group of monsters that fought the Nazis during WWII.


Technobabble

SHACAL-4 Encryption protests the computers in Queen Consolidated's offices.  This encryption is unhackable, at least by Maseo.

The computers at Queen Consolidated are protected by biometic encryption i.e. finger-print scanners.

Oliver is given a crawler that will search all of Peter Yang's network trafficking.

The ARGUS facility on Lian Yu is a former Chinese prison complex retrofitted by eight ARGUS technicians.


Dialogue Triumphs

(While dueling with Thea)
Ollie: Did he teach you to cheat?
Thea: There's no such thing. There's only survival and death.

Tommy: You shouldn't grow up too fast.
Thea: Yeah, well you're not my brother!
Tommy: You're right. No, I'm not. But I think about him every single day. And for the first time I'm glad he's gone. Because seeing you like this would break his heart.
Thea: Funny how Ollie seems to care about me more now that he's dead than when he was alive.

Slade: I'm going to leave you, kid, the same way you left me - alone in Purgatory.

Felicity: (to a picture of Ollie) You're cute. Too bad you're, you know, dead. Which is obviously a lot worse for you than it is for me. (sighs) I really need to learn to stop talking to myself.

John: Nothing like a rich kid's party to remind me of what I miss about being shot at in Afghanistan.

Quentin: You spoiled billionaires sure know how to throw yourselves a party. You've got underage girls. You've got drug dealers. You've even got dead drug dealers!

Maseo: What were you thinking!  Anyone at that party could have seen you!
Ollie: Yeah... I pulled the hoodie down to cover my face.
Maseo: That disguise wouldn't work even if you smeared greasepaint over your face!

Maseo: Oliver, if you want redemption, start with all the lives Chien Na Wei's bio-weapon could end.
Ollie: Those people are strangers to me.  These people... they're my friends and my family.
Maseo: And they will be ashamed of this selfish choice you are making.
Ollie: They're already ashamed of me.

Thea: This whole thing with Lian Yu...This is ridiculous! What the hell are we even doing here?!
(Slade comes up behind Thea and puts a gun to her temple)
Slade: I ask myself that very same question... over... and over...

Robert Queen: You can right my wrongs. You can be better than I was. You can save this city.

(After stepping in to save Maseo from a firefight)
Ollie: I'm sorry I'm late.
Maseo: Actually, you were right on time.

(Thea is holding a gun on a helpless Slade)
Ollie: You're not a killer!
Thea: Tell that to Sara!
Ollie: What happened to Sara is not on you! What happens to him is! All this is what Malcolm wanted! He freed Slade to prove that we're killers because he wants you to be just like him. You've got to prove to him that you're not!

Slade: How many people can Oliver Queen lose before there is no more Oliver Queen?

Quentin: The reason why I want to open up this bottle and want to crawl inside is because of what you did to us. I loved your sister. I loved your mom. So much like each other, and, you know, these wild spirits. But you and I, we had something more than that. 'Cause we were the ones that were alike. And we had a trust. And we had a bond. And you broke it. And - I don't know... how you could do that to us. Look, I'm going to survive this. I mean, I've got to. It's my baby girl. But what you've done... I don't know how I'm going to live through this.
Laurel: Daddy, I think we should go to a meeting...
Quentin: Yeah.  I'll to go the one on Broxton.  You go to the one on Fourth.

Thea: (to Merlyn) I will work with you to stop Ra's, because that's what my brother says we need to do. So I will be your student. I will be your partner. Even if I have to, I will be your soldier. But never again will I be your daughter!


Dialogue Disasters

Laurel: Hey! Do you remember when I was going to take that corporate job in San Francisco? Do you remember what you said to me? You were mad because I wasn't choosing a life where I was going to help people. It's like you knew. Already even then. You knew that my life was always heading towards that mask.


Continuity

Starling City celebrated its centennial in 2010.

Ollie refers to his returning to Lian Yu between Season One and Season Two.

Thea refers to Laurel telling her about Sara's death (A309).

Ollie says Sara's name in his sleep.

Oliver buried a gun with his father's body on Lian Yu.

Slade refers to the murder of Moira Queen (A220) and Ollie's lying to Slade about how Shado died (A209).

We get our first look at Andy Diggle and find out the first job he got John working security after he left the US Army was as security for Tommy Merlyn.

Laurel originally planned to work for as a lawyer for a corporation in San Francisco before a drunken rant by her father made her reconsider her desire to "save the world in Starling City".

Oliver kills the drug-dealer who sold to Thea by snapping his neck after the dealer recognized him.

Ollie makes reference to the one other inmate of the Lian Yu ARGUS jail - Captain Boomerang - who has been imprisoned since A308.

We finally see the message Oliver's father left him regarding The List, first mentioned in A111.

General Matthew Shrieve is Amanda Waller's superior.

In 2010, Laurel gave up the job in San Francisco to take a job with CNRI.

Quentin calls Laurel by the name Black Canary.


Location

Lian Yu.  Starling City five years earlier, in the flashbacks.


The Bottom Line

A wonderful return to form after last week, with nearly every element of the show rocking on eight cylinders.  We don't get nearly as much Slade Wilson as we might have wanted and it's a little disappointing that Merlyn engineered his escape rather than Slade escaping on his own.  Still, the flashbacks are fun in how they play against the events of the present and Ollie and Thea finally lose the final layers of secrets between them.

Heart of Texas ComicCon 2014 - A Con Report

Heart of Texas ComicCon is a new convention, held in Waco Texas.  Work prevented me from being able to attend on Saturday, but I was able to drive down for the Sunday festivities.  It's the kind of convention I like best - small, intimate and clearly a labor of love. 

The convention staff was great and I should note that they had the most well organized parking lot of any convention held in a community space I've ever attended.  Little details like that can make or break a show and this one was definitely made. I can't wait to see what they do next year!


I premiered a new cosplay for this convention - Slade Wilson from Arrow.  Admittedly, a nice suit and an eye-patch isn't the most complex costume... even if you can dress it up a decent impression of Manu Bennet's voice and accent.  But I'm quite pleased with the result if for no other reason than I think I totally rock a nice suit and eye-patch.


Manu Bennett agreed, for what that's worth.  I got an autographed picture with a nice dedication.


After that, I wander around a bit and said hello to some friends who were also there while taking pictures of the cosplayers and posing for a few myself. I helped Terry Parr of ShoNuff Studios take down his booth, as he decided to leave early due to not feeling well. And I checked in with Michael Champion, as he was in the midst of a new work that I won't spoil but will say looked amazing.

And speaking of looking amazing, time for some cosplay photography!



X-23 and Storm from X-Men


A fencing demonstration by The Shire Of The Emerald Keep.


Black Widow and Jessica Rabbit


A foursome of Sailor Scouts - Mercury, Mars, Moon and Mini-Moon. 


Black Canary 

Lady Annaka Vader as The Sorceress from Masters of the Universe.


Inu Yasha
 
The littlest Sith. Somehow, I think she joined The Dark Side for more than cookies.


Lyndsey Elaine as The White Rabbit.  The Batman villain. Not the Spider-Man villain.


 Glitzy Geek Girl as Black Cat.  This was her first time as a featured guest and her first time running her own table.  She deserves the success, being one of the best cosplayers I know.  Congrats, Anna!

Arrow Reviews: Season 1, Episode 16 - Dead To Rights

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



Plot

After The Hood kills the assassin the Starling City Triad had brought in to fulfill Moira Queen's contract on Malcolm Merlyn, China White approaches an expert assassin believed to be dead by most of the world and certainly by The Hood - Floyd Lawton a.k.a. Deadshot.  Backed by The Triad and armed with a new eye-piece that replaces his damaged eye while enhancing his vision, Deadshot intends to make his move during a ceremony declaring Malcolm Merlyn Humanitarian of The Year - an award which has led Malcolm to attempt to reconcile, once again, with a taciturn Tommy.  At the same time, Ollie continues to pursue McKenna Hall (who is now one of the two detectives on the SCPD team to bring down The Hood) and Laurel begins to receive phone calls from her own long-absent parent - Dinah Lance.

On the island, Ollie tries to repair Slade's broken radio so they can contact help.  He fails to get the transmitter to work but does fix the receiver to where the two men can monitor Fyers' radio transmissions.  It's then that they learn about a new superweapon that's come to the island... something called Scylla.
  


Influences 

Green Arrow: Year One (The Island sequences), Giligan's Island (Slade hangs a lampshade on the obvious solution of building a raft to escape the island), The Odyssey (Fyers' new weapon is called Scylla, in reference to a monster from that story), Spider-Man: The Animated Series (The main hero unknowingly saves the life of the criminal responsible for most of his hardships) and a general theme of children and parents reconciling.


Performances 

Honestly, the whole cast does an amazing job and it's hard to single anyone out this time around.  But if I had to choose just one of them for a Best Of Show award, it would have to be Colin Donnell as Tommy Merlyn.  The man does some incredibly nuanced non-verbal acting in several scenes and he meets the challenge of some very difficult material given the wide range of emotions he's required to display in a short period.  Most impressive.
 

Artistry 

Geoff Johns wrote the script for this episode and it shows.  Thematically, it's very strong with the theme of reconciliation and family ties coming up multiple times and there's a lot of little scenes of just two characters talking and playing off one another.  I think perhaps the best of these are the three scenes between Ollie and Tommy - first when they're having lunch and Ollie talks about the importance of appreciating your dad while you have him.  The second comes later, as Ollie (as The Hood) pleads with Tommy to let him help save his father's life.  The third and final one occurs in the hallway at the hospital, as Ollie is pressed to answer one question out of all the many questions he guessed Tommy would have.

The opening fight scene with The Hood matching skills against a knife-fighting assassin is very well choreographed as is the fight between Stephen Amell and Kelly Hu.

There is one sequence, totally without words, which moves between Oliver, Diggle, Felicity, Tommy & Moira.  The cinematography, music and performances are all perfectly blended together.

It's a subtle thing, but the shot of Diggle walking off to be alone at the revelation that Deadshot is still alive is a powerful one. 


Trivia

Guillermo Barrera is the real name of the knife-wielding assassin Brutale.  Brutale is a master of bladed weapons, both stabbing and throwing. Created by writer Chuck Dixon, he first appeared in Nightwing and is pretty much like the character we see Ollie fighting, save that Brutale in the comics wears an armored costume that covers his entire body.

Another nod to Laurel's eventual destiny - her sister Sara owned a black canary.

Floyd Lawton is staying at a place called The Bludhaven Apartments.  Bludhaven is a city in DC Comics located just up the river from Gotham City and it was the adopted home of Nightwing for several years.

For a time in the comics, Floyd Lawton did live in Star City - Green Arrow's home town.

Floyd Lawton says that he didn't care if China White killed him or not.  In the comics, Floyd Lawton is famous for his death wish and ambivalence toward people trying to kill him.  Reference is also made to Floyd Lawton drinking and smoking his life away.  In the comics, Deadshot is famed for his love of cigars and booze.

Malcolm mentions the city of Nanda Parbat, where he says he met a man who helped him make sense of things after his wife died.   Nanda Parbat is familiar to DC Comics fans as a Shangri-La of sorts, hidden in the mountains of Tibet.  Many of DC Comics martial arts characters have trained with the monks there.

It may also be worth mentioning that Nanda Parbat also has connections to Ra's Al Ghul - founder of the League of Assassins, which Merlyn is a member of in the comics.  It may also be worth mentioning that Ra's standard MO - killing many common folk in order to save a chosen few - would fit in well with Malcolm Merlyn's "undertaking" from what little we know of the details.


Technobabble 

"Scylla" is a Russian-made S-300 anti-aircraft missile launcher.  It can track 100 targets at once while engaging one dozen.  According to Slade, it could be used to bring down a commercial airliner or start a war.


Dialogue Triumphs 

The Hood: You have failed this city!
Guillermo Barrera:  You've build quite the reputation.
The Hood: And you should have stayed overseas!
Guillermo Barrera: I thought about it.  But then I remembered... I've got a reputation too.

(Ollie returns from his fight with Guillermo Barrera)
Diggle: How'd it go?
Ollie: Badly for him.
Felicity: Who him?
Ollie: An assassin for hire with an affinity for knifes.  His name was Guillermo Barrera.
Felicity (nervously) Was?
Diggle: So we can't ask him about his intended target?
Ollie ... no. 

Diggle: It may not be a good idea to fall for the cop that is hunting you down.
Ollie: Well, it's slim pickings for us vigilantes.

(After Tommy refuses his invitation to the Humanitarian Of The Year award ceremony and access to his money)
Malcolm: I'd still like you to come to the event.  It would mean a lot to me.
Tommy: You know what, Dad?  Sometimes the people you want there the most... aren't.  You taught me that.  Multiple times.

The whole sequence between China White and Deadshot.  It's a treat and a half for fans of John Ostrander's Suicide Squad.

The whole sequence between Ollie and Tommy talking about their fathers.

Tommy: Why should I trust you?!
Ollie: (turning off his voice modulator and pulling his hood down) Because you always have.

Detective Lance: Is this guy (The Hood) a friend of yours, Merlyn?
Tommy: (beat) I don't know who the hell he is.




Dialogue Disasters

(As Laurel announces that the knock at the door is probably the food she ordered and leaves the room)
Ollie: Well, thank god she didn't cook.
Tommy: Amen.



Continuity

The Triad is bringing in assassins to fulfill the contracted placed by Moira Queen in 115.  Diggle has begun training Felicity in basic self-defense.  Robert Queen was a pilot and used to do his own maintenance.  Ollie watched him and got pretty good at doing the same repair work.  McKenna and Laurel already knew each other from around the courthouse.  Sara Lance once kept a black canary as a pet.  Apparently Laurel is a bad cook.  Ollie speaks Chinese with a perfect accent.  Felicity can't speak Spanish.  Diggle can speak Arabic but not Spanish.  Malcolm Merlyn keeps his Dark Archer gear (or, at least, a set of it) in a hidden room in his private office.  Oliver knows how to arrange a makeshift blood transfusion.  Ollie figures out, based on the unique bullets (103) used on Malcolm Merlyn, that Deadshot is still alive.  Moira is put in charge of finding the traitor in the organization.  Ollie admits that he never intended to tell Tommy the truth about his secret identity.  Dinah Lance shows up on Laurel's doorstep and tells her that she thinks Sara Lance may be alive.             



Untelevised Adventures
 Malcolm mentions traveling to the city of Nanda Parbat after his wife died
.

The Fridge Factor

While the scenes with Laurel and her mom are played well by Katie Cassidy and Alex Kingston, they also take up the least amount of screen time relative to all the other subplots getting covered in this episode.
 

The Bottom Line

The only problem with this episode is that there isn't enough of it.  A lot of the supporting cast don't get as much time as they deserve given some of the revelations that come out of this episode (Laurel and Diggle are particularly short-shrifted) but everyone does the best they can with what limited screen time they have.  The script by Geoff Johns offers us quality over quantity, however and this script may be the best written episode of the series so far. 

Arrow Reviews: Season 1, Episode 15 - Dodger

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




Plot

The Dodger - A British jewel thief with a penchant for turning other people into his accomplices with explosive collars - comes to Starling City, presenting Ollie and Digg with a chance to prove to an increasingly resistant Felicity Smoak that they are doing more to help the city than just working against the people on Ollie's list.  At the same time, the two decide, after some prompting from Felicity, that it's time to bring some romance into their lives - Diggle by asking out his brother's widow and Ollie by asking out his former fling, Detective McKenna Hall.

At the same time, Laurel's lesson to Thea about how the other half live is cut short after Thea's purse is snatched.  Thankfully, Thea is no mean detective and eventually tracks down the crook in question - a young man named Roy Harper.  And in the shadows, Moira Queen attempts to win her family free of Malcolm Merlyn's "undertaking", eventually calling a meeting with China White to discuss an assassination.

On the island, Slade's wounded arm becomes infected, sending Ollie on a search for the miracle herbs that Yao Fei used to heal him.  A chance encounter with a bound and bleeding exchange student (or someone claiming to be that) will leave Ollie searching his soul as he considers his options in helping the stranger or saving Slade.
 

Influences

Green Arrow: Year One (the island sequences), Green Arrow/Black Canary (the character of Dodger), the New 52 Green Arrow title (Roy Harper with a criminal background) and Oliver Twist (the original concept of The Artful Dodger).


Goofs

I don't consider this a goof because I honestly believe Felicity IS that stupid but given how fearful she is about... everything in the earlier part of the episode, it seems wildly out of character for her to try and confront Dodger on her own without Ollie or Diggle.


Performances

Most of the supporting cast is firing on all cylinders here, which is amazing considering how little we get of our mainstays.  Quentin Lance and Laurel Lance appear briefly, but don't get to say much.  David Ramsey gets some good moments dealing with his new love interest.  It's been a few episodes since Willa Holland had much to do but her scene at the end is well-played.  Really, the only off note in the whole episode is Emily Bett Rickards and I'm willing to write that off as the writing more than her performance. 

Susanna Thompson doesn't get much screen time as Moira but she nails the Mama Bear attitude with every second she gets.  You honestly believe her encounter with The Hood has shaken her and made her desperate enough for a way out of her situation to look into directly hiring an assassin to take out Malcolm Merlyn. 

Colton Haynes makes an intriguing Roy Harper.  We don't know much about Roy's motivations or if he really is as dishonest and hard as he claims to be in the warning Thea that she shouldn't believe every sob story she hears.  All I know is I'd love it if his story about the drug addict mom turned out to be true.  Or perhaps he's stealing to take care of an infant daughter abandoned by her mom?   Or would that be too much to hope for? 


Artistry

Ollie's pursuit of The Dodger on a motorcycle is a well-shot sequence.


Trivia

The Sherwood Ruby is obviously named for Sherwood Forrest - the most popular home of Robin Hood, in the folklore of that legendary outlaw, whom Oliver Queen is NOT.  

Ken Williams shares a name with two baseball players and a computer game company CEO.

The Dodger is loosely based on a DC Comics villain created by Judd Winick in Green Arrow/Black Canary #7.  About the only thing that character has in common with The Dodger we see here is that both of them are British thieves who specialize in high-end merchandise and both use a taser-like weapon.  The Dodger from the comics was a neutral fellow with a Cockney accent whereas the Arrow Dodger is a more high-class fellow.  Curiously, he appears to have lower-class sympathies, as he tries to persuade Ollie to let him go at the end by noting that he only steals from the rich.  The Dodger from the comics - who was more of a mercenary than a thief - also briefly hooked up with Mia "Speedy" Dearden, who dumped him after he cheated on her.

Arrow's version of The Dodger we see here has much more in common with The Artful Dodger from Charles Dickens' story Oliver Twist than Judd Winick's Dodger.  The Artful Dodger was a pickpocket who trained other boys as thieves and then left them to take the rap, similar to how Dodger in Arrow recruits other people to commit his crimes for him. 

Roy William Harper, Jr.was the real name of Green Arrow's first sidekick in the original DC Comics.  Adopted by Oliver Queen, Roy was the first teenager to fight crime alongside Green Arrow as Speedy.  His history is far too detailed to go into here (I highly recommend The DC Comics Wiki) but suffice it to say he has a long, rich and very complicated back story.  In the New 52 universe, little has been said about his background save that he has a criminal record.  His full story is meant to be told in the upcoming Green Arrow Annual #1.

Roy wears a red hooded sweatshirt when he snatches Thea's purse.  Most of his costumes have used red as their main color and - like Ollie - he has worn hooded costumes in the past. 

While chasing The Dodger, Felicity tells Ollie that he just passed Adams and O'Neil.  These two streets are clearly named for Neal Adams and Dennis O'Neil - the artist and writer responsible for redefining Oliver Queen's costume and personality in the early 1970s in Green Lantern/Green Arrow.


Dialogue Triumphs

Slade: You're not going to last an hour out there.
Ollie: Well, I guess you'd better hope I get back in 45 minutes, then.

Diggle: What if her next attack of conscience leads her right to the police?
Ollie: No, she won't say anything.  I know it.  I had to make the same calculation when you found out about me. 
Diggle: Mmm-hmm.  And what would you have done if you were wrong?  And I decided to make a call to Detective Lance?
Ollie: (beat) I would have put an arrow in you.
Diggle Ha!  (beat)  Oliver?  Really?  You really would have done that?  Really?

(After Felicity suggests bugging McKenna Hall's phone)
Ollie: It's not how I typically get my information.
Felicity: How do you typically do it?
Ollie: I find the person. And then I put the fear of God into them until they talk.  But we can try your way.    


Dialogue Disasters

Ollie: You're not the only one who knows how to reboot my system. 


Continuity

Ollie makes use of the same healing herbs Yao Fei used to heal him, which we first saw in 103.  Moira Queen has a meeting with triad assassin China White (first seen in 102), to discuss killing Malcolm Merlyn.


The Fridge Factor

Felicity Smoak.  Genius computer hacker.  Scared senseless of becoming accessory to a murder.  Has trouble talking to friendly people.  Suddenly decides to confront a vicious jewel thief known for trying to blow people up and forcing them to wear bomb collars.  Winds up becoming girl hostage because of the one time she is confident in approaching someone and - oh yes - doesn't think of getting the trained security professional or her vigilante boss first!  Also, Felicity - when she isn't doing techie things - is pushing Ollie and Diggle to ask their respective crushes out.  Because while the Manic Pixie Geek girl cannot ever date anyone herself or have any interests outside of her work, she must help her male companions find love!

Averted with Thea, who proved to be a far better detective in this episode than anybody working in the Starling City Police Department.  Come to think of it, given that she figured out something was up with her mom and Malcolm Merlyn (though she was entirely wrong about the details), I think we can safely say Thea IS the best detective on the show.  Sorry, Quentin. 


The Winick Factor

Ollie knocks a man unconscious and steals his motorcycle while wearing one of his best suits after having been highly visible for the better part of an evening at a nearby charity event.  Granting that "A billionaire playboy stole my bike" is unlikely to be taken seriously as a story, it's still not like Ollie (well, not like Ollie lately) to take that kind of chance.  You never know what Detective Lance might overhear and decide to make a big deal out of.


The Bottom Line

Another one of those Arrow episodes where the subplots for the supporting cast are far more interesting than the main plot.  The writing team takes a mostly forgettable DC Comics villain and - while making him far truer to the literary inspiration than the comics villain ever was - still can't manage to make him more interesting than Ollie and Diggle's dating lives, Thea's confrontation with the man who stole her purse and Moira's starting to plot against Malcolm Merlyn and The Undertaking. 

Arrow Reviews: Season 1, Episode 14 - The Odyssey

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




 
Plot

After his confrontation with his mother as The Hood ends with him taking a bullet in the shoulder, Ollie is forced to turn to Felicity Smoak once again - this time for a ride to his hideout.  As Diggle rushes to save a fading Ollie's life, Ollie flashes back to his time on the island and recalls how he began his training under the tutelage of ASIS agent Slade Wilson.


Influences

The Odyssey (the password used to confirm the supply plane landing is an Odyssey quote and The Odyssey is a story about a man trying to get home), Green Arrow: Year One (the island sequences), Batman Begins (the training scenes between Slade Wilson and Ollie on the island), the novel version of The Princess Bride (Ollie's dream/nightmare of Laurel as he tries to take his brain away from the pain he's going through), and the film Castaway (Ollie jokes that he's shipwrecked and his only friend is named Wilson). 



Goofs

It's somewhat unlikely that someone who builds their own computers would be able to repair a defibrillator on the fly without the Manic Pixie Drean Girl Magic SCIENCE! that drives 90% of what Felicity Smoak does on this show.

You'd also think that if Ollie was paranoid enough to drain and freeze his own blood in case he needed a transfusion and as well prepared as Diggle is that one of them would have thought to test the defibrillator first and make sure it was in working order.

Slade tells Ollie that the man who tortured him was his partner, despite having already told him this once last episode.  Ollie reacts like this is new news.


Performances

Manu Bennett owns this episode.  While you can sympathize with Ollie's annoyance at the smug Aussie bastard who is mocking his every move, you can also appreciate Wilson's desperation as he realizes that his hopes of escape now rest on an idiot man-child like the Ollie of five years ago.  The interplay between Bennet and Stephen Amell is also good - nearly as good as Amell and David Ramsey's rapport.  Hopefully the former will equal the later in time. 


Artistry

The soundtrack for this episode is damn good and perfectly captured the tension of each scene.


Trivia

This is the first episode where the majorityof the episode involves Ollie's time on The Island.

We learn in this episode that Slade's partner - the man with the matching orange/blue mask who tortured Ollie - is named Billy Wintergreen.  This is a reference to William Wintergreen - Slade Wilson's closest friend and confident in the original Deathstroke comics.  In the comics, Wintergreen acted as a sort of Alfred the Butler analog to Slade, acting alternately as Slade's voice of reason, right-hand and field medic, believing he owed a debt to him after Slade defied orders to save his life.  The Wintergreen we see here has little in common with the comics Wintergreen, who was loyal to Slade until his death.

Wintergreen's identity was revealed several hours before this episode aired, in Issue #19 of the Arrow web comic.   

Slade mentions that Wintergreen was the godfather of his son, Joe.  This is a reference to Joseph Wilson - a.k.a. the Teen Titan Jericho and Deathstroke's son.

We learn at the end of this episode that Yao Fei's daughter named is named Shado.  This is likely a reference to the character Shado, created by Mike Grell for his Green Arrow mini-series The Longbow Hunters.  The daughter of a Yakuza agent stationed in the USA during World War 2, Shado was trained as an assassin and master-archer by the Yakuza following her father's failure in his assigned mission and eventual suicide.  She crossed paths with Green Arrow several times, their first encounter coming after she came to Seattle to track down and kill the American soldiers who tortured her parents to learn the location of a hidden Yakuza treasure stash.  Connecting these two characters is odd, since Shado is of Japanese ancestry in the comics and Yao Fei was Chinese.  Perhaps we will find out that Shado's mom in the show is Japanese? 

Like the Shado from the comics, the young lady we see here has an intricate tattoo.  Unlike Shado from the comics, her tattoo seems to be situated on her left shoulder-blade - NOT along the length of her left arm.  Ollie also has the same tattoo in the same place in the present day.

The password used by the supply plane pilot is indeed from the Ancient Greek epic poem The Odyssey - "Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than man."  The Odyssey is an interesting story to parallel with Ollie, as the hero of that story - Odysseus - is also a clever man and a noble by birth, brought low by his excessive pride.  Odysseus spent many years (over 20, compared to Ollie's 5) trying to get home and he spent a good portion of that time shipwrecked.  Odysseus was also desperate to get home to his true love, Penelope, as Ollie is desperate to get back to Laurel. 

Some other fitting Odyssey quotes...

"It is a wise child that knows his own father."

"For a friend with an understanding heart is worth no less than a brother." - Ollie/Diggle, in a nutshell.

“There will be killing till the score is paid.” - Ollie's mission, in a nutshell.


Dialogue Triumphs

Slade: How did you survive here for six months?  I know Girl Scouts who have more fight in them!
Ollie: (laughing) You're fighting Girl Scouts now, Slade?
(Slade hits him in the knee with an escrima stick)
Ollie: AUGH!


(After failing to start a fire by rubbing two sticks together and discovering Slade had a lighter)
Ollie: Seriously?  I've been working on this for two hours!
Slade: I know.  I was watching.  Thank you for the entertainment.

(As Ollie stares at Laurel's picture)
Slade: Don't worry.  She'll be waiting for flowers, when you get back.  
Ollie: I doubt it.  Remember how I told you I was shipwrecked here?  Her sister was with me when the boat went down
Slade: That's funny.  I never took you as being the bad boy.  You seem to lack the spine.
Ollie: That's why I've got to get home.  To make this right.
Slade: If you think you can sleep with your girlfriend's sister and still make it right, you're dumber than I thought.  And believe me when I tell you that is saying something.

Diggle's whole speech about why he's helping Ollie with his mission and how it makes him feel like a good person, after spending so much time in Afghanistan killing children to protect a child-selling warlord.
 

Dialogue Disasters

(Upon seeing Ollie, in costume, in the backseat of her car as he unmasks) 

Felicity: Everything about you just became so unbelievably clear.
(Ollie gives her a look of disbelief that I'm sure mirrors my own)

Ollie: I guess I didn't die.  Again.  Cool.



Continuity

The episode picks up right where 113 left off, with The Hood about to question Moira Queen.  Moira is apparently trained in firearms and is able to wound Ollie in the shoulder at point-blank range.  Diggle has had some medical training.  Ollie foresaw the need to stockpile blood, so he has several pints frozen for emergencies stored in the Arrow Cave.  Felicity recalls every time Ollie came to her with a half-baked lie about something to investigate, including a bullet-riddled laptop (103), a black arrow (109) and a company involved in planning armored car robberies (111).  She further takes Diggle to task for his lie about an energy drink/hangover cure (112).  We find out that Yao Fei has agreed to work with Fyers because he is holding someone important to him hostage.  We find out later that it is Yao Fei's daughter, Shado  Fyers takes a call from his employer, who is worried about "The Plan", which apparently requires Yao Fei for some reason.  Felicity replaces Oliver's computers in the Arrow Cave with something more modern and hacks the police computers to erase the blood sample Ollie left behind in his mother's office.  


Untelevised Adventures


Diggle refers to his time in Afghanistan and how he was assigned to protect a warlord and wound up defending him against armed children.  He describes an attack similar to the one depicted in Issue #4 of the Arrow web comic.


The Fridge Factor

Oh, Felicity.  It's rather hard to believe that while she knew something was up with Ollie and the favors he was asking, she wasn't able to put together the pieces together until he turned up wounded and in costume in her backseat.  Consider how the news talked about a security company she had discovered was planning armored car robberies.... having people involved with said security company die while attempting an armored car robbery! 



The Winick Factor

Granting that Ollie wasn't expecting his own mother to pull a gun on him and that most of the episode depicts him at a time when he was (forgive the pun) green, a lot of this episode is devoted toward showcasing Ollie's screwing up.  Even while unconscious, Felicity and Diggle feel the need to run down all of the stupid lies Ollie told her in the past.


The Bottom Line

A solid episode that accomplishes a lot in terms of story, with the flashback scenes gaining a broader focus as we get our first glimpse of the power behind Eddie Fyers, Yao Fei's motivations and Slade Wilson's background.  There's not as much forward movement in the modern-day storyline, save that we'll never have to watch another awkward scene of Ollie trying - and failing - to give Felicity Smoak a plausible reason for doing whatever SCIENCE! stuff he needs done.  That fact alone makes this episode a good one.    

Arrow #19 (Web Comic) - A Review

Arrow #19 tells a tale that was hinted at in last week's episode but has yet to be expanded upon.  The story focuses upon ASIS agent Slade Wilson and his partner Billy.  Sent to Lian Yu (a.k.a. The Island) to retrieve Yao Fei, the two are shot down and captured by Eddie Fyers and his men.  Tortured for the better part of a year, Slade is finally able to escape the camp with Yao Fei after Billy turns traitor and signs on with Fyers.


The script by series writers Lana Cho and Ben Sokolowski is fast-paced and informative, though we still know nothing of Slade's motivations in seeking out Yao Fei in the first place.  The only real new information we glean from this story is the name of Slade's partner - Billy Wintergreen.  This is an interesting nod to the original comics, where William Wintergreen is Slade Wilson's most loyal companion.
 

Sadly, the artwork by Allan Jefferson and Le Beau Underwood doesn't match the script in quality.  Jefferson's pencils are uneven, with characters losing detail in the middle and far distance.  Underwood's inking is similarly eratic, with some panels featuring objects that are barely outlined, with no detail on the interiors.  Despite that, this issue should be of interest to Deathstroke fans interested in learning more about an alternate-universe take on the character.

Arrow Reviews: Season 1, Episode 13 - Betrayal

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



 

Plot

Still reeling from the revelation that his mother had a copy of The List, Ollie refuses to believe his mother has anything to do with whatever evil his father was a part of.  Diggle is less idealistic but no less determined to investigate the angles Ollie refuses to consider.  Over Ollie's objections, Diggle sets himself up as Moira Queen's driver for a few days - all the better to observe her and see what other secrets she may have.

At the same time career criminal Cyrus Vanch - recently released from prison - has started plotting how to best fill the power vaccum left in Starling City's underworld thanks to the recent activities of The Hood.  His plan?  Prove his power to the disorganized gangs by taking down The Hood himself.  But how to do it?

His answer comes after Detective Lance tries and fails to trap The Hood, using his own daughter as bait to lure The Hood out into the open.  When a tip comes from a traitor within the SCPD, Vanch builds a trap of his own using Laurel Lance as bait.  With bad feelings all around and a lack of trust in their own allies, can Quentin Lance and The Hood put aside their differences long enough to work together for a common goal?

In the flashbacks, Ollie follows the map Yao Fei gave him only to be attacked and nearly killed by another man.  After fighting back, the man introduces himself as Slade Wilson and explains that he needs a second man to help him retake the air-field that is the only way off the island.  He then asks Ollie to choose a weapon, so he can begin training to be of use in a fight.


Influences

Shakespeare's The Tempest (a story where great play is made about characters swearing loyalty to one another, even as they are constantly betraying one another to meet their own goals), Green Arrow: Year One (the island sequences), Batman Begins (the training scenes between Slade Wilson and Ollie on the island), Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies (the triangle between Laurel, Tommy and The Hood vs. Mary Jane Watson, Harry Osborne and Spider-Man), various Robin Hood legends (specifically, Maid Marian being used to lure Robin Hood into traps) and Les Miserables (Quentin Lance's attitude regarding The Hood is very reminiscent of Javert's attitude toward Jean Valjean)


Goofs

David Anders mispronounces the word "sheathes", like "chefs"


Performances

Honestly, the entire cast is firing on all cylinders this time and it's hard to single anyone out.


Artistry

The opening scene lets us know exactly what we're in for symbolically, as a criminal betrayed by his lawyer's sudden development of a conscience responds by literally stabbing said lawyer in the back while hugging him.  Quentin Lance later makes reference to "twisting the knife in my back", regarding what he sees as Laurel betraying him by working with The Hood after he told her not too.

There's some nice cinemaography as Quentin Lance glances around the police station and realizes any one of his fellow cops could be a traitor. 

The fight scenes at the end as Ollie storms Vanch's mansion are also very well choreographed.



Trivia

The episode opens at Iron Heights Penitentiary.  In the DC Comics universe, Iron Heights was a high-security prison for superhumans located in Keystone City - home of The Flash.

Reference is made to Kate Spencer - a lawyer with the D.A.'s office of Starling City.  In the comics, Kate Spencer is a lawyer who also fights crime under the alias Manhunter.

Laurel says Cyrus Vance, among other crimes, is connected to 52 different homicides.  52 is a number of some significance to the DC Comics universe.  52 was the number of comics released by DC Comics as part of their initial New 52 revamp in 2011.  It was also the name of  a well-received mini-series focusing upon several minor DC Comics heroes, set during a year where Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman were out of active duty.  It was also, briefly, the number of official alternate universes making up the DC Comics cosmology following Infinite Crisis.

Ollie asks to meet Laurel on the roof of The Winick building.  This is a reference to Judd Winick - a comic writer who wrote both Green Arrow and Green Arrow/Black Canary in the early 21st century.

Slade Wilson is the real name of the mercenary/assassin and long-time Teen Titans villain Deathstroke.  His costume in the comics does feature an orange/blue mask like what we see among his gear and what we saw the man who tortured Ollie before wearing.  He's a master of many weapons but his preferred weapon, as he notes here, is the sword. 


Technobabble

Ollie makes use of an arrow with a listening device built into it.  The Bug Arrow, perhaps?  He also makes use of an explosive arrow.


Dialogue Triumphs

The hilarious sequence where Diggle's spying on Moira results in him having to feign being desperate for a bathroom while maintaining his cool at a birthday party. 

(After Laurel finds out Quentin used her as bait)
Laurel: So what happens when you catch him?  What happens then, Dad?  You're going to find another criminal?  Someone else to blame for Mom leaving?  For Sara dying?  For your drinking?
Quentin: That's enough, Laurel.
Laurel:: Yeah, you're damn right it is!
(Laurel turns and starts to walk out)
Quentin: Laurel!
(Laurel turns around, looking at him, hopefully)
Quentin: ...the phone.  Give me the phone.
(Laurel approaches him, looking disappointed, and slams the phone down on his desk) 

(As Ollie and Tommy talk about Laurel's lying about working with The Hood)
Tommy: Lying.  Keeping secrets about who she's spending time with.  Does that remind you of anybody we know? 
Ollie: (beat) Me, in every relationship I've ever been in.
Tommy:  Me too.  Except this one.

Cyrus Vance: I love a girl who can take care of herself.... but can't block a taser.

(After knocking the gun from Quentin Lance's hand before he can shoot Cyrus Vance)
*Lance looks at The Hood as if to ask "Why?"*
The Hood: I'm the vigilante.  You're the cop.
Quentin Lance: (charging Vanch) That doesn't mean I have to read the bastard his rights, though! 

Slade Wilson:  Now, you're going to find yourself a weapon.  Have you considered a sword?  I like swords.



Continuity

 The episode opens at Iron Heights Penitentiary, last seen in 104.  Cyrus Vanch refers to the death of the local Triad leader and Frank Bertinelli's arrest (108). Moira destroys her copy of The List after Ollie confronts her about it.  Reference is made to "The Hood" saving hostages at Christmas (109), stopping an arsonist (110), thwarting a group of armored car thieves (111) and busting the Vertigo drug ring a week before (112).  Reference is made again to Kate Spencer at the Starling City District Attorney's office, last seen in 105.  Laurel makes reference to The Hood helping her with two cases (104 and 110).  Moira meets with Malcolm Merlyn to discuss her handling Carl Ballard, which was first brought up in 111.  Slade Wilson claims to be with ASIS (Australian Secret Intelligence Service) and claims that he and his partner were sent to get Yao Fei out of prison. 


The Fridge Factor

Averted somewhat, as Laurel is able to fight two men at once until being brought down with a taser by a third.  It doesn't stop her from being a hostage through Act III, though. 


The Bottom Line

A brilliantly scripted episode made better by the ensemble playing off one another perfectly.  The episode opens with a criminal literally back-stabbing someone who betrayed them while in the middle of a hug and nearly everyone turns on someone else or betrays their own ideals at least once over the course of the next hour.  Thematically, it's brilliant.  A high-water mark for the series.