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A Man Cannot Live By Two Names. Arrow  returned for season three in a big way with 'The Calm', as relationships changed and new threats and mysteries arose.  Picking up months after the Siege, we see a well-oiled Team Arrow taking out a criminal truck, showcasing Arsenal in his brand new (incredibly bad-ass) costume in the field with Dig and the Arrow. It's an explosive introduction and sets the pace from the start. I enjoyed seeing what the group dynamic would be like during a time of relative peace, although naturally this was disturbed repeatedly throughout the episode. Werner Zytle posed the threat in episode one, as he assumed the mantle of Vertigo and went around taking over Starling's criminal network. Vertigo was an entertaining villain and certainly an upgrade on Seth Gabel's interpretation of the character. I liked how the writers used him as a plot device to highlight Oliver's worst fear - himself. It might have been cliche, but it was a nice id...

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...

Miscellaneous Expenses. The Arrow: Season 2.5  comic series picked up the pace in #5 with it's continuation of the 'Blood' storyline; 'Transitions' sees Caleb Green escape from the Church of Blood in order to kill Oliver Queen, whilst in 'Gone' Oliver finally realises that Felicity has been taken and enlists the recently awoken Roy to help him rescue her. The 'Crisis in Khandaq' feels close to boiling over, as Diggle replaces pregnant Lyla on the mission and joins the crew at the helicopter. 'Transitions' is a particularly eventful chapter. In it, we see Oliver dreaming of Thea killing him, whilst at the same time Malcolm trains Thea in his house in Corto Maltese, further evidence that she is going to transform into Speedy in the coming seasons. Additionally, Sara enlists Quentin's help to track a target for the League of Assassins and Roy wakes from his coma. All-in-all, it was a great chapter which began a number of story-lines and...

The Fun Is About To Begin. Arrow's Season 2.5  comic series continues with two more chapters in the 'Blood' arc; 'Haunted' sees Oliver face off against figures from his past as he trips on vertigo, whilst in 'Awakenings' Sara returns to rescue Oliver and Team Arrow vow to fight back. In 'Crisis in Khandaq', Ravan Nassar is recruited to the Squad whilst Deadshot and Bronze Tiger train at ARGUS. 'Haunted' is an emotional chapter, where Oliver is forced to contend with his demons after Werner Zytle injects him with vertigo. I liked how Zytle popped up here as I know he is going to reappear as the first antagonist of season 3. Also, it was nice seeing the return of familiar faces including Robert, Moira, Tommy and Slade. We learn about Oliver's self doubts, as his ghosts speak his greatest fears and his failures. Whilst this emotion-driven chapter is interesting, it ultimately doesn't move the story forward in any meaningful way. In...

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...

Not Done Fighting. The SCPD teamed up with the Arrow this week as Starling City descended into chaos and ARGUS prepared for war. The action and spectacle were ramped up in the penultimate episode of season 2 of Arrow  this week, as Slade's goons tore apart Starling City. It was great to watch the level of destruction and it shows just how far this series has come in terms of scope and CGI. I particularly loved seeing the ragtag group of SCPD officers making their war plans in a destroyed police station. Quentin taking the lead was bad-ass, particularly the way he convinced Pike to side with the Arrow in order to save the city. The ARGUS inclusion was also appreciated, as it makes sense that a secret organisation with influence as widespread as theirs would be taking interest in the events unfolding in Starling. The plot device of the missiles which would blow up the city may feel to some like one too many things happening in the finale, but it further increased the pace of the...

The Essence of Heroism. Slade's army is finally unleashed in a dramatic and emotional episode, in which Oliver is forced to pick himself up after the death of his mother and Brother Blood's identity is revealed to Team Arrow. This episode came off the back of the dramatic ending of 'Seeing Red', when Slade executed Moira. The episode begins with a smart and powerful sequence in which Moira's funeral is juxtaposed with Blood's inauguration as Starling City mayor, with a sombre track playing behind both events. It's a strong start and one which does justice to Moira's legacy in the show. It was great seeing how this event had impacted the Queen family as well, with both Willa Holland and Stephen Amell putting in excellent performances as the emotionally exhausted and broken children. We saw in particular how hard it hit Ollie, with him retreating to his secondary facility (very cool concept) to mourn in peace. We get to see our hero at his very lowest...

Anything For Your Children. Arrow  upped the ante once more this week with an emotional episode. What started off as a simple catch-the-out-of-control-Roy story took a turn in the last five minutes as Slade forced Oliver to make a choice. The Roy focus played out across the first two thirds of the episode, with the main conflict being Sara wanting to kill him, whilst Oliver wanted to save him. The two realise that they are still very different and ultimately Sara decides that Ollie deserves better and leaves. Her dialogue is a bit cliche and over-the-top, but there is still emotional weight to the conversation considering all that the pair have been through together. In terms of Roy, the group face off in a great battle in the clock tower, before the Arrow ultimately takes him down non-lethally. This relatively straight-forward plot is peppered with flashbacks to Oliver's playboy days, when he accidentally got a girl pregnant. We see Moira's motherly instincts kick in as ...

What This City Needs Him To Be. Arrow builds on the momentum of 'Deathstroke' as Slade continues to move forward with his plans. This episode also focuses on Laurel's newly obtained knowledge of the vigilante's identity and how she chooses to deal with it, largely succeeding to push the character through another small arc. The major plot-line here is Team Arrow's attempts to derail Slade's mission. The heist to blow up the QC property at the start of the episode set the tone for an eventful 40 mins, the highlight of which could well have been the epic surprise showdown with Deathstroke in the Arrowcave! I loved this shock twist and particularly how the merc dismantled the team like they were amateurs. By doing this, Slade made a place as secure as the Arrowcave appear unsafe, which again emphasises the threat he poses to both Oliver and Starling City. The other big showdown in this episode involved Isabel Rochev and Slade taking on Dig and the Arrow after ...

Not One To Hold A Grudge. Slade finally starts putting his plans into action in a standout episode of Arrow . As the pieces of the puzzle come together before Oliver's eyes, Deathstroke brings his world crashing down around him in a powerful display of strength. The main plot this week follows Slade attacking every aspect of Ollie's life and relationships, particularly with Thea and Laurel. Having kidnapped Thea at the end of the last episode, Slade wastes no time releasing a hostage video to send Oliver into a frenzy. Meanwhile Roy leaves Starling after turning on Oliver, Isabel Rochev reveals herself to be working with Slade and steals Queen Consolidated from Ollie and Slade drops in on Laurel to tell her the truth about her ex-boyfriend - that he is secretly the Arrow. All of this chaos unfolds over the 40 minute run-time in spectacular fashion, and it is genuinely harrowing watching our hero be broken down meticulously by his arch nemesis.  The final nail in the coffi...

No One Dies Tonight. Although the name is misleading, 'Birds of Prey' doesn't feature the iconic DC heroine group. In fact, the only time the Huntress and the Canary share the screen are when they are entwined in battle. Unfortunately, the plot is unable to save this filler episode, which will hopefully be the last we see of the Huntress for a long time. Helena Bertinelli's return was as disappointing as expected, considering Jessica De Gouw's bland and cheesy take on the character. Once again, her sole blind purpose is to kill her father and once again she fails in her quest, although at least this time Frank is finally dead so that crusade is over. Side plots involved the Canary saving Laurel, with the latter almost resorting to alcoholism before Sara convinces her otherwise. Laurel being used as a pawn for a sting operation mixed up the formula a bit, but Katie Cassidy was forced to return to her 'look shocked and slightly angry' face rather then ge...

Tempus Fugit. The Clock King takes on Team Arrow this week as Sara adjusts to returning from the dead and Laurel comes to terms with her pain. William Tockman takes centre stage as villain of the week, putting together daring heights which rely on precision timing. His intellect is his strength and we see this in his countering of Felicity's hacks. The Clock King, as the media calls him, reminded me a lot of the Riddler from the Arkham games, in that we often saw just glimpses of him sitting behind screens and taunting our heroes, but I mean this as a compliment as personally I really enjoyed Robert Knepper's performance. The Lance's feature for much of this week's episode, with Quentin continuing to prove why he is the best character in the Arrowverse as he attempts to reconnect with his ex-wife. There is also a great moment where he apologises to Oliver for being a dick to him for pretty much the entirety of last season (Which was followed by a hilarious uncomfo...

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...

Guns are a Coward's Weapon. Episode five of Arrow 's second season brings a sense of climax to the events of the last few weeks, as the League of Assassin's finally have their showdown with the Canary in explosive style. Heading the group of black-clad ninja mercenaries is the one-note villain Al-Owal, a.k.a. "The First", who at first carries intrigue via his connection to Sara and Malcolm Merlyn, claiming to have trained the Dark Archer himself. He and the League's threat is made abundantly clear in the brilliant fight sequence in the abandoned warehouse, thus it is disappointing how easily the warriors were dispatched in the final (albeit extremely cool) fight in the clock tower. The only positive was seeing Sara brutally dispatch the assassin in front of her father, showing her strength and survivor instincts she picked up during her time with the nefarious group. Sara and Quentin were the driving force behind this week's episode and their interac...