Arrow Season 2.5 Review


Bullseye - Bridging The Arrowverse.
After I finished Season 2 of Arrow, I was worried about how fast things would go downhill, since I considered Arrow's sophomore outing to be the peak of the series. Fortunately, I was proved wrong by Arrow: Season 2.5, which featured a great array of villains old and new, whilst explaining Sara's journey back to Nanda Parbat, the Suicide Squad's epic new mission in Khandaq and of course Oliver's campaign against the resurgent Church of Blood.
This campaign took up the majority of the series, after Clinton Hogue adopted the mantel of his former employer. I thought that the 'Blood' arc was really well written and featured some great moments for the Arrow, Arsenal and the Huntress. It also featured Roy's transformation into Arsenal, including how he obtained his costume, which was very exciting for me as an Arrowverse fan as these events are never shown onscreen. The story was well paced too and although the extension arc, 'Green', didn't quite manage to reach the same heights, it was still a fun little story.
The Suicide Squad's 'Crisis in Khandaq' was a highlight of the series. Diggle and his nefarious teammates undertook a kick-ass mission in the fictional middle-eastern country of Khandaq. The plot was straightforward, although the death of Bronze Tiger came as a shock, as did the revelation that Ra's wanted Khem-Adam dead himself. Serving as an enticing distraction from the main arc, I liked getting to see Task Force X in action once more.
The ending of the series was also well handled, as Oliver contemplated his selfishness and the pieces all fell into place regarding the beginning of season 3 of Arrow. A couple of other series highlights has to be the Renegades and Deathstroke, who all added spice to the already absorbing arcs.
Overall, Arrow: Season 2.5 is a marked improvement on its predecessor, Arrow (comic series), as it incorporates aspects of the TV show in a way which makes them relevant to the outcome of the show. Seeing the beginnings of Roy's time as Arsenal was also a thrill to watch and more Suicide Squad is never a bad thing (apart from the movie I suppose). All in all this is a must read for fans of Arrow, particularly as it fleshes out the Arrowverse prior to season 3 and after the fallout of The Siege in season 2. 
I promise you it's worth your time, and much like Slade, I keep my promises.

 RATING: 9/10

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

Arrow S1 E16 - 'Dead to Rights' Review

Image
So... Who Needs Two Bullets in the Chest? 'Dead to Rights' is a solid episode in Arrow 's first season. The episode chooses to refocus upon the Undertaking and the overall running arc of the series, and it is all the better for it. We see fractures in the List organisation, as Moira and Frank turn on Malcolm. Similarly, we see Malcolm struggling to maintain the lie of his identity from his son Tommy, and this conflict plays out well across the 42 minute run time. He kills in front of Tommy and almost reveals his Dark Archer outfit to his son, before Lawton interrupts by shooting Malcolm. Lawton's reintroduction as Deadshot is another excellent move by the showrunners. Deadshot, now missing an eye thanks to his last encounter with the Hood, is a great foe and I'm glad he's back in action and likely to return in the future of the Arrowverse. His new robotic eye is bad-ass, as was the fight scenes between Oliver, the Triad and China White. In the past, little...
Read more