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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...

A Good Teacher. Team Arrow took a vacation this week as Oliver, Dig and Roy travelled to Corto Maltese to bring Thea home in an episode which was entertaining, if a bit empty. The core plot was thin, as clearly the main push in this episode was the reintegration of Thea (Willa Holland). To validate a trip to Corto Maltese, the showrunners devised the concept of a rogue A.R.G.U.S. agent attempting to sell agents identities (a plot thoroughly well tread, in films such as Mission: Impossible ), however the whole event feels rushed and unnecessary. The only benefit of this adventure was watching Diggle take centre stage once more, a position he consistently thrives in. No, the most important aspect of this episode was Oliver and Roy reconciling with Thea, who has spent five months on a remote island training with Malcolm Merlyn, who Team Arrow still believe is dead. I liked that for once it was Thea withholding secrets from her brother, rather than the other way around, and the...

Oliver Queen Is Dead. Caleb Green and Oliver Queen finally have their dramatic showdown in this issue, which consisted of two stories as per usual; 'Home' featured both Ollie and Malcolm experiencing unwanted guests in their houses, whilst 'Recompense' showed the epic battle between Green and Queen as a burning mansion collapses around them. 'Home' is more of a set-up episode for this confrontation. Laurel is kidnapped and makes a great joke about how often she gets broken into, which has been a common trope and inadvertent running gag throughout the first two seasons. This then leads to a war of the words between Ollie and Green, which is fairly standard villain victory talk which leaves Green feeling undeveloped and two dimensional. The best part of this chapter was seeing Malcolm come under threat from the League, which again sets up the conflicts that will play out in Arrow  season 3. The follow up chapter, 'Recompense', depicts the set-piece 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...

I'm Finally Ready Now. The penultimate issue of the Arrow  comic series is one of the best yet and delivers in a multitude of ways, despite none of the three main stories focusing on the Hood himself. 'No Way Out' is a darker tale about a handyman for a mob boss who gains a conscience following an encounter with the vigilante; 'From the Darkness' reflects upon Malcolm Merlyn's past and how he became the Dark Archer; whilst 'Potential' examines Roy's past and forces him to consider if he is ready to become a responsible adult. 'No Way Out' focuses on Tony, a handyman for a mob boss on the Hood's list. In a relatively straightforward story, Tony grapples with guilt over his work and needing money to support his family. He questions himself at every turn and ultimately chooses to let the Hood kill his boss so he can get out of the industry and pursue more legal work. It's a nice alternative take on the Hood's crusade and focusin...

We All Have To Die Sometime. Issue #8 of Arrow  follows a similar pattern that I have noticed in recent issues - they all seem to include one great backstory, then two pretty empty stories revolving around the Hood's campaign. This issue contains the stories 'Back from the Deadshot', 'Hunters' and 'Diamond in the Rough'; 'Back from the Deadshot' fills in the blanks between Deadshot's appearances in season one whilst also showing how he escaped after his first showdown with the Hood; 'Hunters' takes a different approach and shows how Oliver would fare whilst being hunted by a wild beast; and 'Diamond in the Rough' puts Felicity front and centre as she becomes caught up with one of Oliver's targets. 'Back from the Deadshot' is by far the highlight of this issue, with the always brilliant Floyd Lawton shining in his solo adventure. We learn how he was abducted by a strange group after being shot in the eye. Unfortuna...

What You're Willing To Sacrifice. Arrow 's first season concludes in spectacular fashion in'Sacrifice', as Oliver battles with the Dark Archer for the fate of the Glades. This episode is fast paced and thrilling from start to finish, with great action sequences and a dramatic ending. The battle between the Hood and the Dark Archer was simply bad-ass and such a well choreographed and shot fight. It was so satisfying seeing Oliver finally defeat Malcolm and an excellent twist that there was a second earthquake device. Although I originally criticised the 'earthquake device' concept as being far-fetched and a bit ridiculous, I must admit it was an effective weapon and the destruction it wrought on the Glades was graphic. I didn't think Arrow  had the capability to deliver on CGI, having seen poor examples throughout the first season, but the earthquake damage was truly spectacular and I'm glad they opted to allow the Undertaking succeed, as it would...

Malcolm Merlyn... You Have Failed This City. The penultimate episode of Arrow season one puts all of the pieces into position entering the finale. The Dark Archer makes his return and it's great to see the bad-ass villain in action. The fight between the Hood and Malcolm at the end of the episode was brilliantly done and did much to emphasise the threat Merlyn poses. It will be interesting to see how Oliver gets out of this situation in the next episode. The flashbacks also advanced their plotline, as Fyers full plan was revealed and Yao Fei is executed by the mercenary leader. A major death, it will beinteresting to see how Slade, Oliver and Shado move forward after his murder. Fyers' plan and motivation seem slightly far-fetched, although I suppose compared to the Undertaking it is realistic. My only major problem in this episode lay in the actions of Oliver and Laurel. After attempting to amend his friendship with Tommy, Oliver inexplicably experiences a rush of emotio...

It's Just Beginning. This is a great episode as the Big Bad of the series is finally revealed - The Dark Archer, who is extremely bad-ass in both costume and fighting style. Oliver dealing with a hostage situation was a cool idea and worked well. Walter is 'dealt with' by the mysterious list group, due to him looking into their business too much. I like that the Hood was defeated as it made a nice change of pace. The party was tense and fun. Meanwhile Yao Fei captures Fyers but it was all a ploy - Fyers men jump out and capture Yao Fei. STARRING: The Dark Archer, Adam Hunt, Yao Fei, Fyers EASTER EGGS: - The scene where the Arrow, after suffering an injury from a duel with the Dark Archer, jumps out of a window and calls Diggle for help is quite similar to the scene in Batman Begins (2005) where Batman, after being set on fire by the Scarecrow, jumps out the window and calls Alfred for help                       - ...