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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...

You're Gonna Need Backup. After the focus on the Suicide Squad last week, we return to Oliver's war against the Church of Blood. Once again there are two stories; in 'Assault' the Arrow and Arsenal go on the hunt for Felicity, whilst in 'Assurances' Roy turns to Lyla for backup when the Arrow takes on Brother Blood and the Renegades single-handed. We also get an epilogue to the 'Crisis in Khandaq' story-line. In 'Assault', we get out first proper team-up mission for the Arrow and Arsenal, as they track Felicity. Brother Blood tries to blow the pair up, before taking Oliver hostage. It's straight-forward plotting and merely serves to bring us back to Starling and its problems following the detour to Khandaq. The next chapter is much more eventful, as in 'Assurances' we learn that it was Oliver's plan to get captured and he wanted Roy to get backup, which he does in the dramatic ACTUAL return of the Huntress! A few issues ago,...

For The Old Gods. Arrow Season 2.5  put the Suicide Squad in the spotlight in this issue, appropriately titled the 'Crisis in Khandaq Special'. I have been looking forward to some development in this arc and finally we got it - thankfully it doesn't disappoint. Feeling like a modern military movie, the Suicide Squad infiltrate Khandaq and hunt down the extremist leader Khem-Adam, kicking some serious ass along the way. I love the relationship between the members of the squad, particularly the banter between Floyd Lawton and Diggle. Eventually the group reach the caves where Khem-Adam is based, leading to a climactic showdown. It was an epic fight, leading to the dramatic death of Ben Turner a.k.a. Bronze Tiger! I really didn't think any major characters would die in this series so I was shocked how swiftly and easily the villain was dispatched! Rest in peace you over-the-top, leather wearing Wolverine knock-off. The big reveal in this one was that Nyssa Al-Ghul, S...

Whatever It Takes. Arrow  season 2 reached its dramatic conclusion in undoubtedly one of the best Arrowverse episodes ever. The episode was relentless from the start. The team healed Roy, who joined the Arrow in an tight fight scene in the clock tower. You know it's going to be a great episode when within 5 minutes, Team Arrow have zip-lined out of a clock tower whilst Lyla, hanging off the side of a helicopter, has fired a rocket launcher into said tower to destroy a group of mirakuru soldiers. What an entrance! We then got a great suiting up scene, where Roy got his mask and the League of Assassins joined forces with Team Arrow. Their subsequent battle against Deathstroke, Ravager and his army was well choreographed and claustrophobic, albeit a bit too short. Ravager's execution also felt rushed, as the character had little time to develop post-rebirth. The real battle took place later in the tunnel, as the Arrow marched to war alongside Roy (who has now become Arsena...

Lies. Nyssa Al-Ghul makes her Arrowverse debut in an eventful episode of Arrow , in which Sara returns to Starling City for good and the League follows her there. The introduction of the Heir to the Demon further fleshes out Sara's backstory and continues to build excitement around the League of Assassin's and season 3's face-off against Ra's Al-Ghul himself. Nyssa is a great character, who clearly showed her many abilities in a number of fight and action sequences which peppered the episode, but it is her relationship with Sara which demands the most attention. Bringing in the Arrowverse's first LGBTQ+ character, we learn that Sara is actually bisexual and she and Nyssa used to be close and the show handles the revelation naturally. The bond the two women share is clear to see on screen lends emotional weight to the villain, since we have no other sense of history to allow us to emphasise with her. Elsewhere, Stephen Amell put on a tour de force this week wit...