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Oliver Queen Courts War. The Magician is back in Starling. Malcolm Merlyn returned this episode as we finally got to see Ra's al Ghul and understand why he and Oliver are to be at odds for the next 18 episodes. Yes, as it turns out Malcolm Merlyn is the reason for tensions between Team Arrow and the League of Assassins. Oliver struggles against his inner desires as Malcolm returns to Starling with a vengeful Nyssa in tow. He is forced to choose between saving Thea's father or putting an arrow in his arch-nemesis, a conflict which Amell portrays admirably well and the show addresses maturely. Ultimately, through choosing to protect Merlyn, he has earned the wrath of the League and Ra's himself, a move which quickens the pace of the series as our rolling conflict begins. Elsewhere, Laurel descended into traditionally irritating roles this week, with her anger towards Malcolm translating into fits of rage and stroppy behaviour, which only furthered my distaste for the ch...

Filling in the Blanks. Upon discovering the Arrow  comic series I was extremely excited to discover that it linked to the TV show and in particular claimed to fill in the gaps between episodes. Having read the first issue and it's three storyline ('Time's Arrow', 'Prey' and 'China White'), I realise that the connections aren't as direct as I expected them to be, but they are still enjoyable nonetheless. 'Time's Arrow' is the most forgettable of the three. It is essentially a direct scene-for-scene rip off from the second episode of season one, 'Honor Thy Father', with Oliver speaking to his father's grave about having to dishonour his memory. It was a nice introduction to Arrow  in graphic novel format however so I enjoyed it despite nothing new being introduced. 'Prey' stepped up the ante, introducing a target on Oliver's List called Scott Morgan and chronicling his face off against the Hood as he begins sys...

You'll Never Be A Hero. 'Identity' didn't impress quite as much as 'City of Heroes', but was a fun, slightly more focused episode in which we are introduced to Sebastian Blood and Bronze Tiger. The flashbacks dive deeper into Oliver's relationship with Shado and how it is affecting Slade, which foreshadows the dramatic events to come for the trio. The plot this week was strange and a bit weak, with Triads targeting medical vans for no apparent reason. Unfortunately, this thin plotline was made weaker by the return of China White as the villain of the week, who is once again strangely wooden and at this point feels like the meme of the Arrowverse. Don't get me wrong, for some reason I love it whenever she crops up randomly, but damn she is a REALLY weak character. It seems some of this rubbed off on her associate Bronze Tiger, who made his debut this week in similarly random fashion. His introduction explained none of his motivations beyond wanting t...

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...

I'm Not Robin Hood. The villain this week shares a name with the title of the episode, but Dodger is a lacklustre character to say the least. This is a typical Arrow  trope of dropping a dull, one-off villain in to pad out the 22 episode season. Aside from the adequate main plot revolving around Dodger, we are introduced for the first time to Roy Harper! Roy is a great, grounded character and one that will go on to be a fan favourite, but for now we just learn about his current social status. Additionally, both Diggle and Oliver go on dates this week and it is a nice change of pace to see them in a different environment to taking criminals down. Hilariously, both dates go terribly although in true Arrow fashion, all is resolved by the end of the episode. We get a darker look at Oliver in this weeks flashbacks, as he is forced to accept that trust cannot be given freely to all those in need. Oliver understands the dangers now that the island poses and thus takes a stronger sta...

When I Didn't Feel Lost, I Felt Free? More Than One. This episode introduces Helena Bertinelli as the Huntress and she is a bad-ass who is more violent than Oliver so Oliver tries to change her. The two bond over their weirdness and then hook up at the end. Meanwhile we learn that Malcolm Merlyn is Tommy Merlyn's father and Thea and Moira grow closer. At the end Walter returns to Moira. Also, Malcolm threatens Moira over Walter. Badass back to back fight between the Huntress and the Hood, although there really doesn't seem to be any romantic spark there between the two. STARRING: The Huntress (Helena Bertinelli), Frank Bertinelli, China White EASTER EGGS: - The original Huntress was the daughter of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle (Batman and Catwoman)                        - Helena is the first person to figure out on her own that Oliver is the Starling City Vigilante             ...

Home is a Battlefield. The second episode of Arrow 's debut season sees the hero continue to scratch names off of his list - this time it's Martin Sommers. We start to see the complexity of Oliver and Laurel's relationship and also how Oliver is struggling to reconnect with his family after being apart for so long. It's done well and is not too cheesy - i like how he faked being drunk to shun responsibility in the company, although the acting was a bit over the top and Amell's attempts to portray a billionaire playboy don't quite land. His better performances stem from Oliver adapting to life back in Starling City, the moments when the facade collapses and we get a glimpse into the vigilante's inner conflict. The final battle between the Hood and China White is bad-ass and it's nice to get a proper villain being introduced for the first time. Unfortunately, China White is (and continues to be in future appearances) a wooden bad guy who delivers crin...