'Arrow' Season 4 Episode 6 'Lost Souls' Review

Non Spoiler Review- This episode seemed to be a step backward from the quality of last week's terrific episode. The action scenes were memorable in this episode and this episode had some lighter humorous moments that help keep the tone from seeming too dark. The episode centers around finding and rescuing Ray and primarily focuses on the relationship between Felicity and Oliver as the two hit a bit of a rough patch this week. I didn't mind the conflict between the two but it seemed to be unnecessary to the plot of the episode and Felicity's character came off as being a little annoying at times when she was frustrated at Oliver. Overall this episode was good, just not quite what I've come to expect this season. 

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

Highlights of the episode

1. Team Arrow saves Ray- The big moment of the episode was seeing Team Arrow rescue Ray. I liked that this subplot was quickly resolved as I enjoy having Ray Palmer on the show and am excited that this also helps to set up 'Legends of Tomorrow'. I found it to be very interesting that Curtis was brought along for the mission as maybe it's a nod that he will become Mr. Terrific before the end of the season. 

2. Damien Dark's box?- Damien Darhk has some mysterious box that seems to be crucial to his plan for Star City. I have absolutely no idea as to what it could be or what it can do but am anticipating learning more about the object as well as Dark's plan. 

3. Rematch against Darhk- In this episode, Diggle poses as one of Darhk's men and captures Oliver as a distraction to Darhk so the remainder of the team can retrieve Ray. I liked this scene as we see Oliver and Darhk fight again and it's clear that next time Oliver will definitely need some assistance (Flash/Arrow Crossover maybe?) as Darhk once again has a huge advantage with Oliver only escaping by using a trick arrow. I'm hoping to see more confrontations between the two throughout the season and see Team Arrow learn how to defeat Darhk. 

4. Sara in the field- Now that Sara's soul has been restored we see her back in action fighting alongside Team Arrow in the field. However there are consequences as Sara's bloodlust takes over quite a bit and becomes a bit of a problem. However Sara decides the best course of action is to leave and she goes off to Central City to see her mother. I thought it was a little funny to see two Black Canaries in the field at the same time since Laurel took up her sister's mantle after Sara's death. Another thing I found to be a little strange was Sara's use of a gun as her weapon which I don't remember her ever using in any previous episodes.

5. Lance meets Donna Smoak- A small interesting moment occurs at the end when Lance meets Donna Smoak and the two seem to hit it off quite well implicating they may have a relationship soon. 

Promo

'Arrow' Season 4 Episode 5 'Haunted' Review

Non Spoiler Review- This week's episode of 'Arrow' is not only one of the season's best but also one of the series' best episodes. I really liked the addition of Constantine and how that was able to slightly resolve the issues with Sara. I really like how 'Arrow' and 'The Flash' are not only progressing their own storylines but setting up 'Legends of Tomorrow' as well by bringing back Sara and next week they are supposed to save Ray Palmer. This episode was able to incorporate progression of multiple character arcs through the main plot with one or two subplots and it all worked together quite well. I can't wait for next week's episode and really hope this trend of getting a better episode each week will continue throughout the season given how Season 3 of 'Arrow' was a mixed bag. 

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

Highlights of the episode

1. Sara's soul is saved- The crucial core of the episode focused on restoring Sara's soul and I was glad that the show decided to resolve this quickly as it would have felt like it was being dragged on if the subplot was left alone a bit longer. I liked how Oliver and Laurel were both crucial to save her and how that helped resolve their conflict which I will discuss further as well as the inclusion of Constantine. I'm glad to see Sara slightly fixed and see her progress towards becoming the White Canary before 'Legends of Tomorrow' and how her character will be developed. 

2. Constantine- One of the aspects I really liked was the inclusion of the John Constantine character not only in the current story but the flashbacks of the episode as well. I liked how naturally he fit into the episode and didn't feel like his character was forced in the episode. I haven't seen any episodes of the 'Constantine' series that was cancelled last year after 13 episodes but now I'm genuinely very interested in watching the series as I quite enjoyed the character I would love to see the character return in a future episode of 'Arrow' or 'The Flash' or even make an appearance of 'Legends of Tomorrow'. 

3. Felicity learns Ray is alive- This wasn't too surprising to me given the nature of his disappearance. Ray disappeared in an explosion while working on his Atom suit, and the character is supposed to shrink so I suspected he accidentally shrunk himself and caused an explosion as well. I was happy to see that Team Arrow and Felicity now know he's alive and can't wait to see the next episode which will focus on finding and saving him. 

4. Diggle learns why H.I.V.E. targeted his brother- An interesting reveal was that one of the subplots of the episode featured a Diggle and Lance team up. This was due to Darhk asking Lance to break into a military installation and connect a USB that wiped information about people, one of which was Diggle's brother. Lance asks Darhk about this and Darhk tells Lance that HIVE hired Headshot to kill Andrew Diggle because he was a crime lord competitor for HIVE. Lance brings this information to John Diggle and Diggle reacted quite well to the news given that his brother was a crime lord. I'm curious to see how this affects Diggle's quest for revenge by learning his brother wasn't quite the man he thought he believed him to be. 

5. Oliver and Laurel resolve conflict- In this episode there is tension between Laurel and Oliver as they both are frustrated that they both are consistently keeping secrets from one another and to save Sara have to work together and trust in one another. I liked that the conflict didn't seem to come out of nowhere and was resolved quickly before dragging on across future episodes. 

Promo

'Arrow' Season 4 Episode 4 'Beyond Redemption' Review

Non Spoiler Review- I thought this was one of the best episodes of the series thus far and definitely the best of the season! Paul Blackthorne delivers a phenomenal performance as Quentin Lance this episode with really emotional episode that centered on his character and the dynamic between him and Oliver which also gave Stephen Amell a great opportunity to shine in a more emotional dialogue heavy scene as opposed to delivering a great monologue or one liner in the midst of action. Another thing I liked from the episode was how the opening was tied into Oliver's closing speech announcing his candidacy for mayor and how it also tied into the characters arcs. I was very impressed with this episode and thought the cast delivered some of the best performances on the show thus far, I can't wait for next week's episode and hope the season only gets better from here. 

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

Highlights of the episode

1. Oliver and Lance- This episode primarily featured the relationship and dynamic between Quentin and Oliver and it was very tense and emotional. I loved all of their scenes together this episode and loved how it contributed to the episode! I liked learning more about how Oliver always believed Quentin to be a better man than him and see his disappointment in Quentin and how he inspired him to run for mayor. I really hope to see more scenes like this on 'Arrow' this season as I really enjoyed all of them and the character conflict and resolution was great!

2. Quentin learns about Sara- A big moment and portion of the episode centered around Laurel telling her father about Sara's resurrection and his reaction to seeing his daughter alive. I really enjoyed the scene where he was about to shoot her after hearing from Damien Darhk that she is no longer the same person and the emotional tensity of the scene. I also liked that Laurel realized she should tell her father the truth and he handled it surprisingly well. It somewhat bothers me when characters would keep secrets from one another on a television show and then when it's revealed everyone has such a negative reaction to the fact people were keeping secrets and was glad to see this wouldn't be the case. I really enjoyed this scene and am very curious to see how Sara will be repaired in the coming episodes. 

3. Team Arrow learns about Quentin and Darhk- I was surprised to see the team learn about Lance's alliance so quickly and I suspected it would be revealed closer to the end of the midseason. I really liked how Oliver reacted to this as it ruined the man that he respected and how he confronted Lance about it rather than waiting. I also really liked when Oliver suggested that he remain as a mole so that they can learn more about Darhk and have someone close to him. I'm excited to see what will come of this as Darhk will certainly have a negative backlash to learning Lance is a spy of sorts. 

4. Ray's last words?- This episode reveals that the glitch messages that have been appearing on Felicity's phone come from Ray. I suspected it would be related to Ray being alive but instead was just an audio right before his supposed death but when Felicity is listening to the dialogue it's muffled by the score and Oliver's voiceover so I'm curious to learn if there was important information in that message. I also found it to be hilarious when the encrypted password was password as that was a small humorous part of the episode. 

5. New Lair- At the beginning of the episode Oliver shows the team the new lair he's been working on and we learn that he bought Sebastian Blood's old campaign office which already contained a lair so half of the work was done for Oliver. I liked that they still acknowledged that Sebastian Blood was a part of the show and that it would be logical to buy out his old office for a lair and a campaign office. I really liked the new lair as it looks awesome and I'm excited to see any new features of the lair. One thing that slightly bothered me in the episode was that the electricity kept glitching out a little which was sort of annoying at times. Overall, I loved the look of the lair and am very excited to see how it's used in the coming episodes. 

Promo

'Arrow' Season 4 Episode 3 'Restoration' Review

Non Spoiler Review- I really enjoyed this episode as it resolved many plot points, included some great action sequences, interesting compelling character arcs, and some great easter eggs. As a whole this was a very solid episode and I really look forward to next week's episode which will delve into resolving the outcome of this episode. 

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

Highlights of the episode

1. Oliver takes a "bullet" for Diggle- A huge progression for the troubled relationship between Oliver and Diggle happened in this episode. They not only talked it out a little bit and trusted each other but Oliver went to the extreme and took a "bullet" for Diggle. The "bullet" was actually one of Double Down's card tattoos but it was a symbolic bullet. This was huge progression for their relationship as they both have established trust in one another once again. I hope their relationship continues to get better and better and they become like brothers again but we will see soon.

2. Nyssa nullifies the Lazarus Pit- One big surprise was the end of the episode when Nyssa takes the extreme of nullifying the Lazarus Pit to where it is now useless. It was interesting because Nysa obviously is not very happy that Merlin is the current Ra's rather than herself and they have a troubled relationship. She does this because he allowed Sara to be resurrected, which made Sara insane with I will discuss below, and she wants to prevent Merlin from having access to the pit in the event of his death, etc. So it appears Merlin will definitely punish Nysa for her actions and probably do something along the lines of imprisoning her. 

3. Sara resurrected- Sara is finally resurrected. This has been teased ever since the first teaser for 'Legends Of Tomorrow' which features her as a part of the team so we knew she would come back sometime on 'Arrow' and in 'Arrow' trailers they have teased this repeatedly so it's not necessarily a surprise although the after effect on her mental psyche was a very interesting aspect of the episode. I liked that they just weren't able to instantly bring Sara back exactly as she was and brought her back with a more extreme version of the problem's Thea has been suffering. She is very violent and obviously not quite mentally stable right now but we will see what happens to her character soon I believe Constantine is being brought onto the show to help rest Sara's mental state which will happen before the midseason finale. I'm excited to see what is going to happen to Sara for the remainder of the season and how it preps her for her role in 'Legends Of Tomorrow'. 

4. Thea's problem- We learn in this episode that the Pit has indeed made Thea crazy. However we now know that it gave her a blood lust to get revenge on her killer and she will be driven to kill until her killer meets their death but Ra's is already dead so Thea can't ever be completely repaired. I liked that Malcolm helped quench her thirst for blood but surrendering two members of the League by allowing Thea to kill them. This showed he is willing to do whatever is necessary to fix his daughter. I also liked that the reason he resurrected Sara was to repair Thea's conscience, it makes his character that much greater by showing he wants to be a good father and help his daughter any way he can. I'm curious to see if Team Arrow finds a solution for this problem in both Thea and Sara.

5. Damien Darhk- As I've stated in my reviews for all the episodes this season, I'm loving Damien Darhk as a very ruthless villain that is being further developed quite well each episode while still being shrouded in mystery. I can't wait to see more of him throughout the season and learn more about his powers such as where they are derived from and what they are exactly.

6. Double Down- Double Down was the minor villain of the week on this episode. I liked the way he was brought into it and thought it was cool to see another metahuman on 'Arrow' and I liked the way his powers were realized onscreen. He was somewhat of a throwaway villain but I enjoyed him in the action scenes so hopefully we'll see him return somehow. I also really liked how they connected him to Central City and used him to name drop Cisco a few times as Cisco named him, etc.

7. T-Spheres- A great tease/easter egg was seeing Curtis who will eventually become Mr. Terrific showcase what will become his "T-Spheres" which are an important part of the character. I'm very excited to see him step into becoming Mr. Terrific this season.

Promo

'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. 

Promo

 

'Arrow' Season 3 Episode 2 'Sara' Review

Non Spoiler Review- This episode deals with the mourning of a character who was killed in cold blood. This manages to affects everyone in Team Arrow and Laurel Lance. This episode is another good one with great action scenes and a plentiful amount of character development. Overall, this was a great episode and I can't wait for the next episode!

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

Highlights of the episode

 1. Farewell to Sara- This was a very heartfelt part of the episode where Oliver and Co. give Sara a proper burial and say their goodbyes. Dingle then decides to name his new baby girl Sara in memory of Sara Lance. Definitely a great part of the episode.

 2. Laurel tries to kill- It's clear that Laurel wants revenge for Sara's death and the fact that she pulled the trigger means she plane to kill Komodo. Luckily Oliver foresaw this and didn't leave the gun loaded. Laurel is changing and will probably become the new Black Canary by the end of the season to honor her sister.

3. Oliver saves Tommy- I thought it was interesting that Oliver went to the trouble of kidnapping Tommy to pretend to release him just so he wouldn't be forced to kill his best friend. This was definitely the best flash back scene from Hong Kong even though there have only been two flashbacks. I'm interested in how the future flashbacks will reveal more about Oliver. 

4. The murder mystery- Well this episode narrows down the possibilities of who murdered Sara. We now know it wasn't Komodo and I doubt it was either Thea or Merlin since they aren't in Starling City. I think it was someone who Sara was familiar with because she was very calm when she saw the killer so it could have been Ra'as Al Ghoul or one of the members of the League of Assassins. 

5. Thea is training with Merlin- The cliffhanger of the episode was the reveal that Thea is training to become deadly with Merlin and seems to be much more dangerous than she has ever been in the past after what is shown of her training. I'm interested in learning what she has been up to since she left Starling and can't wait to see what she becomes.

Promo