'Arrow' Season 4 Episode 2 'The Candidate' Review

Non Spoiler Review- Another solid episode of 'Arrow' that maintains the high quality from last week not letting up on either the action or story with very interesting twists and reveals. One little thing I have to nitpick is that the flashback scenes are very boring as of late since we know where Oliver will end up and isn't necessarily effective at filling in any plot holes. I really enjoyed the episode as a whole and can't wait for the next episode!

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode

1. Laurel is taking Sara to Nanda Parbat- One of the big cliffhangers of the episode, which wasn't that surprising because of trailers for 'Arrow' Season 4 and 'Legends of Tomorrow', is that Laurel wants to go revive Sara by requesting permission from Merlin to use the Lazarus Pit and at the end of the episode digs up her tomb and opens it up. This was a little creepy because Sara's corpse was very decayed so it wasn't the most appealing thing to look at. I was very surprised to learn that Laurel never knew about the Lazarus Pit. It makes a lot of sense that Oliver and Team Arrow wouldn't share this with her because her first reaction was going to be to try to revive Sara. Oliver didn't want Laurel to revive Sara because it has an effect on the mind of those revived, which we saw in this episode. I can't wait to see what the repercussions of this will be on Sara's character. 

2. Thea goes crazy- As I briefly touched upon earlier, Thea went a little insane a few times this episode and even burned Anarky. She broke a innocent person's arm in exchange for information, and then fought with Oliver about it back at Team Green Arrow's headquarters. This was interesting to see the argument between the two throughout the episode and watch Oliver try to help his sister and choosing to finally tell her about the consequences of placing her in the Lazarus Pit. I can't wait to see the outcome of this story arc throughout the coming episodes. 

3. Oliver running for Mayor- The big surprising twist was Oliver's proclamation that he will be running for mayor. I'm very interested to see this further explored in the rest of the season and how it will affect his galavants as Green Arrow since Oliver will have to put a lot into running for mayor, etc. 

4. Hive- In this episode we learn Damien Darhk's ghost organization is indeed H.I.V.E. and that he has limitations on how far he will go to achieve a goal as he is very frustrated learning Anarky kidnapped Danforth's daughter. I'm really liking Darhk as the larger villain this season and can't wait to see more of him as well as delving into his character. 

5. Mr. Terrific introduced- Curtis Holt, who eventually will become the superhero Mr. Terrific, was introduced this episode. There were some major changes made to the character as the show made him African American and homosexual, which are two traits the character doesn't have in the comics. I don't have a problem with the changes made but don't really see them as necessary. However I do like the character so far and can't wait to see him become Mr. Terrific this season. 

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