Arrow S2 E3 - 'Broken Dolls' Review


You Have Such Lovely Skin.
The third episode of Arrow's second season really delivers with a great villain and character development galore. The Dollmaker makes his debut and it's one that will last in the memory.
Barton Mathis a.k.a. the Dollmaker is the star of this episode - a deranged serial killer whose work is genuinely creepy. Stuffing bodies with plastic is truly disgusting and it's horrific watching the psychopath work. Actor Michael Eklund delivers a showstopping performance as the former Iron Heights inmate and I hope we get to see him again in some capacity.
I loved watching Quentin and the Arrow working together this week, with the former providing comic relief during his missions alongside the vigilante. Linking his case to the grief over losing his daughter Sara is a nice touch as well and further invests the watcher in the plight to catch the serial killer. There was a beautiful moment between the pair at the end after the Arrow has saved Laurel, in which Quentin thanks him for helping save him also from his demons. I love their new relationship and I hope the bond only continues to grow.
Speaking of Laurel, actress Katie Cassidy put in a decent performance this week (and that's coming from one of her greatest critics), particularly when she broke down following the realisation that she feels guilty over Tommy's death and blames herself. The scene was very well acted and for literally the first time in 26 episodes I actually felt sorry for Laurel Lance.
Elsewhere, Roy's hunt for the Canary is fun to watch and the chase scene between him and Sin is really well done. The Canary herself came across a bit cheesy and forced this episode, although I am enjoying her brutality, particularly with the messenger at the end.
Speaking about the end, this episode offered up a bunch of cliffhangers - first of all, who is the woman behind the Canary mask? (Obviously I know but I didn't when I first saw this.) What dark secrets is Moira trying to hide? Why is Oliver now on the boat in the flashbacks? And the biggest surprise was the name drop of Ra's Al Ghul and the reference to the League of Assassin's at the end! Such a fun revelation that had me gasping first time around. Fingers crossed the next episode answers some of these burning questions.

 AWESOME MOMENTS:

  • Sin referring to Roy as "Abercrombie" is a great throwback to when Thea did the same in season 1
  • THAT SUPERHERO LANDING THOUGH! After the Canary's cringey entrance at the end (why the hell is there a ribbon for her to swing down and why bother when it takes her half an hour to traverse it?!), I loved the Arrow's leap down to face the Dollmaker, such a power stance!
  • Roy's stunt double leaping over that car was bloody awesome
EASTER EGGS:
- The Canary's hideout is in an apparently abandoned clock tower. In the DC comics, Black Canary, along with her partners Oracle and The Huntress, make up The Birds of Prey. Their base of operations is a clock tower
- When Roy first meets Sin, she says "Back off Abercrombie" Colton Haynes who plays Roy Harper used to model for Abercrombie and Fitch
- Felicity notices a van from Metamorpho Chemical in some security camera footage. In the DC comics, the character of Metamorpho, the Element Man, is a hero who has the ability to control all of the chemicals that make up the human body
- Barton Mathis, The Dollmaker, is a new character in what is known as The New 52, a reboot of all of DC's comics. The number 52 is alluded to numerous times in the episode, being the room number at the hotel Mathis was staying in, and when Lance yells Delta Charlie 52 into his walkie-talkie when Felicity is abducted. In the phonetic alphabet, Delta Charlie 52 would translate as DC 52
- The name of the ship off the coast of the island is "Amazo." This is a reference to the Amazo, Professor Ivo's robot, which has been part of the Injustice League
- The doll maker's attorney is named Tony Daniel. This may be a reference to Batman comic artist Tony Daniel
- In season 1 Sara Lance was played by actress Jacqueline MacInnes Wood but in season 2 Sara Lance is played by actress Caity Lotz
- This is the first episode where Ra's al Ghul's name is given. He would later become the main antagonist of Arrow's third season
- In Moira's trail, Docket 4587 is mentioned. This might be foreshadowing for Oliver's prisoner number 4587. However this might just be a coincidence
- Quentin Lance's full name is revealed to be "Quentin Larry Lance". This is a reference to the comics counterpart of the character, who is named Larry Lance
- Moira's defense attorney is Jean Loring. In the comics, Jean is the girlfriend/wife/ex-wife of the superhero The Atom. She later suffers a mental breakdown and kills the wife of another superhero, eventually becoming a villainous incarnation of Eclipso
- This is the last episode where Oliver is referred to as "The Hood"; he uses the identity of "The Arrow" onward until Season 4

RATING: 8.5/10

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Office (US) S3 E6 - 'Diwali' Mini-Review

Image
The Festival of Lights. Michael's inappropriate jokes were in full swing this episode as the office attended Kelly's family's Diwali celebrations. Ryan was grilled ruthlessly by Kelly's parents in a number of brilliant scenes, whilst Michael proposed, unsuccessfully, to Carol in a cringe-inducing moment. The irritating boss went on to sink even lower by attempting to kiss Pam. It's certainly the lowest we've seen Michael this season, and it will be interesting to see how he brings himself back from this. Karen and Jim meanwhile earned my approval, proving their chemistry is undeniable. Also, it's Rashida freakin' Jones, so WHY is he not leaving the Pam thing behind him and getting with Ann Perkins!! Either way, a solid and gag-filled episode, one of the strongest so far. BEST MOMENTS "One of our most ethnic coworkers" "Pam wishes" "I wish some of us still had our shoes on" "At lezst I'm not dressed as a...
Read more

The Office (UK) S1 E1 - 'Downsize' Review

Image
Investment in People. The first ever episode of The Office (UK)  sets up an entertaining and relatable workplace, although a number of jokes fall flat. 'Downsize' is light on story and heavy on exposition as it aims t o establish the characters and relationships within the fictional offices of  Wernham Hogg, whilst encouraging the viewer to sympathise with these characters and plot threads. As such, the best way to address this episode would be to view it as a character study. Here is what I got from the characters: David Brent (Ricky Gervais) - The protagonist, loveable idiot boss David Brent drives the show forward and his cringe-inducing gags and interactions form the core of the humour in the show. He clearly wants to do good, but is misguided and inappropriate, resulting in awkward office interactions which many viewers would likely associate with. Despite his rudeness and poor sense of humour, I instantly rooted for Brent and his passion for his colleagues. Ti...
Read more

The Office (US) S3 E7 - 'Branch Closing' Mini-Review

Image
It's Over. In the best episode so far this season, the Scranton branch is informed that it's being closed. It was nice to see validation for Michael however, when it was revealed that Josh had bailed on the company and joined Staples. Michael, as Jim aptly said, would never have done that. Thus, it is Stamford that is closing, which will be a shame in one sense as it was fun having two different office sets, but it will certainly be interesting to see how the new personalities clash in the office. Also, Karen has announced she likes Jim. Jim buddy, OPEN YOUR EYES!!! Anyway, every one loves a good love triangle so Pam/Jim/Karen will be great to watch. BEST MOMENTS That cold open!! Dwight smashing the mug out of Stanley's hand was hilarious! "Just call me Levinson in the morrrrning, baaaaaaby" "Don't hurt me like I hurt you" "You think Stanley's grow on trees? They don't." "It's over." "We are screwed...
Read more