So How Was Arrow Season 3?

So How Was Arrow Season 3?

So Arrow season 3. Boy has this one split the fans straight down the middle. You could easily argue that the show has really upped the stakes and taken things in a bold new direction while others could just as easily talk of how the show has become bloated and lacking in focus. My thoughts? Read ahead and beware of spoilers.

 

So Arrow season 3 starts 6 months after the end of season 2. Everyone’s happy for once and the whole crime fighting thing is going well. Being a 23 episode season Arrow has to at least at the start be very episodic with a villain of the week thing going on and season 3 was no exception. While this is not a bad thing as these villains are often used well and early season 3 felt a lot like early season 1 and 2.

 

The big thing of course was Sara dying very early on. Whether you liked this season or not you cannot help but agree that there were some seriously big twists and moments in Arrow season 3. Some bold moves were certainly made to the show and this is where some people have a lot of problems. Arrow’s biggest strength in my eyes has always been its core group of characters. While side characters have always been sort of up and down the main group, usually Oliver, Diggle and Felicity have always had great and interesting interactions and been enjoyable. This ‘Team Arrow’ was what made the show tick. Season 3 introduced a lot of new characters and equally bought a lot of others into the spotlight. While especially towards the end of the show some of the shows lesser characters such as Laurel, Thea and Roy were really improved and developed. New characters were also introduced and the show became rather bloated. This was one of the shows biggest shortcomings however. With so many characters it didn’t give enough screen time to pass around. Going into season 4 however the show is looking far more streamlined so hopefully this won’t continue being a problem.

 

Arrow’s flashbacks have always been a high point for me of every episode. The plot going on was always just as if not more exciting than the present day and it always linked and benefitted the present day plot seeing the island flashbacks. Hong Kong was an interesting turn, however I don’t think it worked. I don’t think they really added to the show and honestly the flashbacks I enjoyed most were the ones focused on characters other than Oliver. I know I’m not the only one to share this opinion, hopefully the flashbacks will pick up again in season 4.

 

More problems. Arrow is a dark and gritty show but the darkness and grit has gone into overload in this season. Especially when compared to the Flash Arrow to some has seemed extremely dark and over dramatic. Strangely however I haven’t had a problem with it. The theme of season 3 has been self-identity and discovering oneself and a dark tone I think was necessary. It’s easy to forget what these characters are going through. After everything Oliver has been through and always prevailed Ra’s al Ghul broke him. As for the romance related angst I again think this was an important point. Oliver needed to learn to accept both himself and the love and support from others to progress as a character. Do I think this was all done perfectly? No, it was a little overdone at times however I’d rather they try to progress the character like they did than keep the show standing still.

 

A problem I did however with the identity theme was that the show at times didn’t really feel like Arrow any more. Arrow at times was used as a platform to promote spin offs and new characters and at other times everything got a tad convoluted. Despite me enjoying the new characters and an interesting new direction I want Arrow to remain as Arrow, not a stepping stone for other shows.

 

I’ve moaned enough, a lot of good came out of the series. I’ve mentioned I enjoyed some of the characters developments and I’ve really enjoyed Ra’s al Ghul. He was everything I wanted Ra’s al Ghul to be. I loved the presence he had every time he was on screen. There was such a sophistication to him and yet it was made very apparent how powerful he was. He was also very interesting as a character with some interesting backstory and giving us some interesting insight into the league of Assassins. Season 2 had one incredible villain in Slade Wilson but I think season 3 did as well as it possibly could to follow up on the fantastic Deathstroke.

 

I really need to talk about Malcom Merlin. I really want him to be back for season 4, Merlin is perhaps one of my favourite television characters period. Always an ulterior motive, always having a plan and being a lot of fun to watch on screen. I really liked the twist of him working with Oliver, any time we saw Malcom really lit up the scene. 

 

Arrow season 3 is very difficult to talk about as parts of it were very average and parts of it I thought were up there with the best Arrow has ever been. The episode that stands out in my head is the one where Roy left, I thought that one was great. My overall thoughts however are extremely mixed as I like most the individual elements, not including the flashbacks of course. I still really like the main characters, Oliver is still an incredibly well written and developed character, Diggle is great and even after not quite being as great as last year Felicity is still a superb character. I liked the tone, the action was cool, I liked the Atom and how Thea has developed. Laurel has come on leaps and bound to become one of my favourite characters, the villain was great, there were some great twists I really didn’t see coming and I appreciate what the show was trying to do to keep Arrow fresh and interesting even if it seemed to bite off more than it could chew at some points. Did I enjoy it as much as season 2? Honestly no, however I still think Arrow season 3 was a very good season of television. Take my opinion for what it is, a very biased opinion from a fan of the show but for what it’s worth I thought it was really good. It had its problems for sure but they definitely do not hold Arrow back enough to make the show any less than really good.

Arrow Season 3 Episode 22 - This is your Sword Review

Arrow Season 3 Episode 22 – This is your Sword Review

So things are getting intense.

 

Episode 22, This is you Sword follows team Arrow heading to Nanda Parbat to prevent the use of the Alpha-Omega bioweapon. Meanwhile Thea hunts down Roy and in the flashbacks Oliver and Maseo try to hunt down a cure for the bioweapon to use on Akio.

 

I really enjoyed this episode, overall it was really strong and I hardly have any faults with it. My favourite thing about the episode was seeing team Arrow interacting with Oliver now they think he has betrayed them and gone to the league. Props to Stephen Amell, he pulled off the Al Sah-him character really well and sure had me fooled that he had changed for good. Seeing his former allies, especially Diggle being so enraged at him was done really well and at the same time really painful to see such a strong bond broken especially seeing as Oliver is putting on a façade for this whole thing.

 

I also enjoyed the scenes with Ra’s and Malcom. Ra’s as I’ve said before carries such presence and power and it is very apparent that he is the most dangerous man on earth. Malcom is always a joy to watch, you’re never quite sure of his intentions and it makes him extremely interesting. He also has some charm and almost decency but in a sick and twisted kind of way that makes him an interesting character. Despite how many bad things he does it is as if he sees himself as the good guy and convinces himself he is doing the right thing. It makes for an interesting character.

 

Remember last season when after every episode of Arrow you’d think wow Felicity is awesome. She’s strong and has some sass and wit without being a typical strong female stereotype and brings some humour to what is quite a dark show. These days Laurel is the character that does that for me. I find myself looking forward to her in every scene she’s in and I have actually really enjoyed her growth from someone who I thought was pretty pointless and not needed into arguably the level headed and strongest member of team Arrow. Thea is similar in how I used to find her a whiney brat and now I’m looking forward to where her character is going. I want to see some after effects to the Lazarus pit but equally I enjoy how now she tries to fix her problems instead of crying about them as she did when she went to find Roy.

 

Speaking of Roy I want him back on the show. He had developed into a good character, one who while similar to Oliver in some ways was an individual and could have plots focused on him. Saying that the way he left this episode I think was perfect for the character he has become. He became Arsenal to do the right thing and that’s exactly what he did and now you could argue he’s saved both Oliver and Thea, keeping Oliver out of prison and giving Thea purpose again.

 

The big fight with the assassin’s vs Team Arrow was one of my favourite fight scene all series. I thought it was really well done and it was simply entertaining, plus I’m glad Ray turned up, he’s another character I look forward to seeing developed more in the spin off show (It cracked me up seeing him talk to Ra’s al Ghul, maybe I’m just easily pleased). The fight was entertaining but also had some emotion behind it with Katana and Maseo In their battle. It was quite tragic seeing them have to fight like that, especially for Katana who has now seen both her Son and Husband die in her arms. I do think some more time devoted to them in previous episodes would have been good as this kind of came out the blue having Katana back but she is a really cool character and hopefully she’ll be important in the finale.

 

I even thought the flashbacks were decent in this episode, a rare thing recently. They weren’t amazing but I did enjoy them and it didn’t just feel like being taken out of the much more interesting plot as they did tie in to the present day. Not much more to say on them, they all things considered they were okay.

 

I had one problem, Felicity. Man can she whine. I remember back when she was strong and witty and had a fire inside her. We still see glimpses but for the most part she isn’t that same great character I remember. I realise she’s going through a lot and I like seeing characters going through tough ordeals but it’s being just too much of a downer. Diggle is going through a lot too and he still remains interesting and not whiney. Don’t get me wrong I don’t dislike her, she’s just not quite the same. The thing that sums it up for me is when all team Arrow were locked up and she starts about how Oliver is marrying Nyssa. It seemed a little over dramatic and like something out of a soap opera. It’s not even like I’m against the whole Olicity thing, I think it can work as long as they stick with it throughout the seasons and don’t just throw it aside for a new love interest and thus undermining all that happened this season. Not a major complaint, I still like her as a character, I’m more just a fan of Laurel now instead.

 

Next episode is the final episode of the season :’(. Who knows what I’m going to watch on television for the months afterwards (Suggestions will be appreciated) but despite having some ups and downs I do think they have set up this final episode extremely well. I look forward to the finale after a solid episode today.

 

Arrow Season 3 Episode 16 - The Offer Review

Arrow Season 3 Episode 16 - The Offer Review

After an annoying break Arrow returned with a slid episode to start the push to the end of the season.

 

The offer focused on well, the offer made by Ras al Ghul to Oliver to take over the league of assassins and become the next Ras al Ghul. The flashbacks followed Oliver and Akio as they evade their attackers through Hong Kong.

 

I really did enjoy this episode as I like what it is setting up. Its main job was to set up the bigger things happening towards the end of this season and I think it did its job very well.

 

I think my biggest positive was Ras al Ghul. I like that they make it very clear he is the most dangerous villain Oliver has ever faced, both in terms of skill and his mind. I really enjoyed the scenes of him talking to Oliver in the Nanda Parbat. You could see how clever he is and how easily he got under Oliver’s skin, to a point where Oliver very nearly accepted his offer. It was both the little subtleties and how royal and authoritative he always appears that really define his character and I like he never shows any sign of weakness or panic. We also see how conniving he is and I look forward to seeing him more. He hold and exhibits real power just with his presence on screen and it’s fun to watch.

 

I really enjoyed the scenes with the original team Arrow members, being Oliver, Diggle and Felicty. It was great that it was them who convinced Oliver to not to take up Ras on his offer and it shows that no matter how many new characters they introduce, these will be the big three of team Arrow, a trifecta of awesome. Diggle’s great and his advice is as good as ever but the real enjoyable scenes were with Felicty. We had been missing these scenes between Oliver and Felicty lately and while she’s great with Ray it is nice to see them connect again. Their scenes always have a slight comedic edge with Felicty (Evil incorporated made me laugh) but they are always very heartfelt and meaningful. It shows us how much Oliver relies on Felicty and I will continues to enjoy their scenes. They’re two great characters that really complement each other perfectly and I don’t even mean in the romantic aspect, rather in terms of a bond and how it brings a real connection to the characters.

 

I’ve really come around to Laurel, I think she’s great which is not a popular opinion. I like that now she’s the Black Canary she is very relevant but she doesn’t take up too much focus. Kind of similar to Roy I think they’re using her the right amount and for me personally she really works. She’s pretty badass in a fight, she has some sass about her. She can be slightly overly emotional but so can everyone else, it’s just part of the drama. I no longer find her whiney, instead she’s more proactive and I like that she’s not trying to be Sara. I also find some of her dialogue quite funny, with the sass and occasional sarcasm and I think the writers are admittedly finally doing a god job with her.

 

It looks like we’ll be getting more of Nyssa and that is fine by me. I enjoy her character a lot, sure she does some cool assassin stuff but more importantly she is a very interesting character. She has obviously been very torn up by Sara’s death and her Father’s neglect and I’m looking forwards to seeing her motivations without following the league. I also enjoy her friendship with Laurel, they do have genuine respect for each other they do seem to find some comfort in each other of Sara. They’re both having a tough time and I hope and I hope this isn’t some fake out thing and Nyssa is just using Laurel, the friendships in Arrow are always really great, whether it’s within team Arrow or like when Tommy was still alive. The other thing that makes Nyssa interesting is she believes she is doing the right thing despite how many she kills. She does believe in justice and honour which is why I think she did seek out Laurel just for a friendly face and somewhere to go. Seems like we’ll get more of her and I can’t wait to see.

 

As always Merlin (That one big happy family line cracked me up) was great, Detective, I mean Captain Lance is very enjoyable to watch. I really felt the pain he was going through watching this, he was harsh but understandably so, he was lied to by everyone he trusts about the death of his own daughter. I also really enjoyed the action scenes in this episode, they were very well done as was the dialogue as always.

 

 

I did have some weak points though. The flashbacks were pretty pointless, pretty much nothing happened until we saw Shado right at the end. I’m sure it’ll be explained but I doubt that really was Shado, we saw her clearly dead and buried in a grave. It is interesting to see who that is but having Oliver and Akio walk around Honk Kong talking about nothing in particular and basically just filler wasn’t very interesting. It’s a shame as the flashbacks have been pretty weak lately but then again they do seem to be leading up to something so at least it’s not just wasted time, or at least I hope not.

 

Thea was also pretty weak here. She wasn’t awful but she did seem to whine quite a lot, similar to how she was in season one. The only saving grace was that she is going through a lot and it would probably send me crazy too, I just think they spent a little too much time with her as all she did in this episode was complain about how awful everything is. It’s not that they shouldn’t have shown this, just not quite as much.

 

The villain wasn’t very strong but then again he was by no means the focus. He just wasn’t very interesting, all he was there for was something for Oliver to save people from to get his realisation. He didn’t really serve much of a purpose, he could’ve been replaced with any random thug. I also didn’t really like Oliver’s realisation. He realised that he was doing this to help people? Isn’t that obvious and wouldn’t that be even easier to do as head of the league of assassins. Also he says about how there were casualties before saying he’s doing this to help people. I’m pretty sure a lot of people were shot, so a lot of the policemen didn’t make it home like he was saying. Maybe a bit of a nit-pick but I thought it was worth mentioning.

 

So where do I think the show is going? I think Roy is going to die. He’s coming into his own, he knows his place, things look okay for him and now he’s back together with Thea, it seems like they’re setting up a tragic death and I admit it would be tragic as Roy’s a great addition to team Arrow. However I think he’ll die so Thea can take the ‘Speedy’ mantel as well as heap more regret and tragedy onto her character to push her towards bigger things. Maybe it’ll make her do good or maybe it’ll unleash her inner darkness but I think it will happen.

 

Overall this episode was really good, then again I always say that about Arrow. It was enjoyable, it opened a lot of doors for what they can do and set up what is looking like it’ll be a really great climax to the season. Next week’s episode see’s Dig get married, the return of the suicide squad and the Atom learning the identity of the Arrow. I can’t wait.

 

 

 

Arrow Season 3 Episode 15 - Nanda Parbat Review

Arrow Season 3 Episode 15 - Nanda Parbat Review

Damn Arrow and its dumb cliff-hangers right before it goes on a break.

 

Okay these cliff-hangers are great once they’re resolved but I can’t help but sit here and wait in anticipation. Yes reader your right I should go and get some friends.

 

This brings me to the positives of the episode where I’ll start with Diggle or ‘Dig’ as I think I should call him. One of my biggest issues with season 3 is that Diggle has taken a bit of a back seat. That’s not to say the show has been bad, far from it but one of the things that made the show so good was the interactions between Diggle and Oliver. Those conversations they have where Diggle acts as the voice of reason are highlights of the show and we got an abundance of them here. The scene that summed this up was the one when they were in the prison in Nanda Parbat. Diggle calls Oliver a Brother. Diggle was the one who went with Oliver as despite how great the other characters are Diggle is the one he can rely on the most.

 

Diggle getting more time in the spotlight was great. We saw Lyla and his baby again for the first time in a long while. The strongest core of the show I find is the original trifecta of Oliver, Diggle and Felicity. Felicity has also been missing for a while. We haven’t had the funny and slightly awkward Felicity with her tension with Oliver. Fortunately for us she was back to her old bubbly self. Her banter with Ray was admittedly a bit of a contrast with the rest of the episode and seemed more like it belonged on The Flash but I thought it was an enjoyable contrast.

 

I was wondering where Ray had gone recently and it gave a suitable answer. Apparently there are a lot of fans for the whole Oliver and Felicity romance thing but I think she is necessary for the Ray Palmer character to work. I did find it funny how sex gave Ray the inspiration to complete the problem to finish his suit. I also found it funny how he nearly blew up the building. It was a little out of place but I enjoyed the slightly lighter tone of these scenes.

 

The other biggest positive is Ras al Ghul. After the return of Manu Bennet as Slade Wilson last week I wondered if he was going to be a little underwhelming but this certainly was not the case. He is incredibly menacing and powerful. I loved the part where he has Malcom Merlin begging for mercy. Merlin is a powerful character, we saw him as the villain in series 1. He can kill without remorse and even earlier in the episode took out Laurel with ease. Since he became an assassin we haven’t seen him in any kind of vulnerability but Ras al Ghul had him begging for mercy. He commands such authority and power and I think the actor did an excellent job in portraying this.

 

We also see how intelligent he is in how easily he tricked Oliver and Diggle and trapped them. I love the dynamic between Oliver and Ras al Ghul. There is clearly a respect between them as shown by the ending. However Oliver fears Ras as Ghul as he’s the one opponent he cannot defeat.

 

I like the consistency in Laurel’s character. Yes she makes some irrational decisions such as taking on Merlin but it does highlight how inexperienced and how much of a novice she is. We saw this when Nyssa walk past and tells her to stand aside. She’s not as ridiculous in her actions as before though. I was glad she didn’t blame Thea and I like her scenes with Nyssa. It was a heart-warming scene when they talked about Sara and I really enjoyed the scene where Laurel talked to Thea. She’s like a younger sister to Laurel and the conflict it sets off is hard for the both of them. I have been critical of Laurel but every episode makes me like her more. I just wish she had a cool weapon and not just a stick.

 

Thea is an interesting point. I wouldn’t call her a negative per say but there were more issues with her than anyone else. She is getting very dark and while I like it  as she is going through a lot, the problem I had was she did play the victim a bit. When talking to Roy especially she acted like she was in a fa worst place than anyone else. Yes it is very hard for her, but it is for Roy too and I felt quite bad for him when he was trying to help Thea. I am interested to see what happens between her and Nyssa though. Obviously Nyssa won’t kill her, she too important a character but Nyssa doesn’t strike me as the understanding type and it’ll be interesting to see how she escapes.

 

The other negative was the flashbacks. They weren’t terrible, it was just nothing really happened. They need to expand on them next episode since as really all that happened was they hid for cover from machine gun fire for a while.

 

Now it’s time to discuss the ending. I think we all know Oliver won’t become the next Ras al Ghul but I do wonder if he’ll at least consider it. I doubt Ras will simply let him think about it without trying to be persuasive. Ras truly believes in any means being necessary after all to purge the world of evil. I wouldn’t be surprised if Oliver seriously thinks about it, especially considering the cracks starting to appear in team Arrow. With Thea so guilty, Felicity moving to Ray Palmer and Laurel so conflicted since Oliver came back he hasn’t been the leader as he was before. Things have changed, even Roy stood up to him and really only Diggle is actually at his side as he was before. Diggle is still a brother to him and I think there will be a huge internal conflict within Oliver. The series has been about identity and he may think becoming Ras al Ghul is the best way to save his city.

 

I really enjoyed Nanda Parbat. It did start a little slowly but I felt the build-up was necessary for the overarching story of the episode. I can’t wait to see what happens when the show returns, in particular I’m interested in how team Arrow seems to be fracturing. I also have to mention that we saw the Lazarus Pit. Thinking back to series 1 who ever though immortality would be a thing in Arrow. Episode 15 was definitely great and I’m excited to see where the show is going.

Arrow Season 3 Episode 12 - Uprising Review

Arrow Season 3 Episode 12 - Uprising Review

The moment we all were waiting for has happened. Oliver Queen is back in Starling City and the Arrow can once again be in the show called Arrow.

 

In this episode team Arrow take the fight to Brick to liberate the Glades. We follow Malcom Merlin in the aftermath of his wife’s murder in the flashbacks and Oliver Queen returns to Starling.        

 

While the previous episodes were still good this does feel like a bit of a return to form. The last two really highlighted how important Stephen Amell is to the show. Strangely this episode wasn’t exactly filled with Oliver Queen either, but we did get to focus on Malcom Merlin who is interesting in his own right.

 

So what was good about episode 12? Morale dilemma seemed to be the theme of the episode and it was interesting to see different characters on the same side have different points of view. But the standout here was Merlin who we see a different side to. After the whole manipulating Thea into killing Sara I thought he was far past forgiveness and while I still think he has ulterior motives in all this we do see he’s not just a killer. It’s strange to think so after watching season 1 but he genuinely does think he’s not an out and out villain. He clearly does care about his daughter.

 

The flashbacks were a nice change of pace from Honk Kong. It gives background to why Merlin does what he does. We see he was a good person at one point and he does believe he is doing the right thing. He’s not that different from Oliver himself, the main difference being he believes any means will justify the ends. It puts the undertaking into much better context. Not only this but they showed him at his lowest point and to what drove him to joining the league of assassins. His outlook on life darkness greatly. While we don’t agree with his methods we can at least understand the reason behind his actions.

 

My favourite scene was when team Arrow were discussing whether to take up Merlin’s offer. It was like you as the audience were there trying to decide whether to accepts Merlin’s help. I’m glad that Diggle got the deciding vote in the whole thing. It highlights his importance and with all the new characters being introduced I’d hate to see him side-lined. It will be interesting to see if there’s any internal rifts within team Arrow over Merlin.

 

It’ll be a shame that we probably won’t see Brick for a while. While it did confuse me how he just tanks bullets and arrows like they’re nothing he did prove to be a perfect foil for a team Arrow with no Oliver Queen. He induced chaos at a time where the team was in disarray and I really liked Vinnie Jones in the role. He stole a lot of his scenes and was all around a good villain.

 

While I liked the mass brawl scene I preferred seeing Malcom Merlin take on Brick. Really it was more him struggling with himself since as powerful as Brick was he was no match for a fully trained member of the league of assassins. It was good to see the Ted Grant/ Wildcat character and particularly Cyn back. I was so relieved that someone finally noticed that the Black Canary running around is not Sara.

 

On the other hand however I do find it funny how everyone can figure out who Arsenal is but not the Arrow himself. Roy used to go around in a red hoody and want to help the Arrow so who thought that a slightly different red hoody with a bow was a good disguise.

 

There were problems with the episode. My main issue is they don’t really seem to know what to do with the Lances. Captain Lance hasn’t really got much of a reason to be there although Cyn pointing out to him that the Canary not being Sara does seem like it will give him more purpose. For now however he’s kind of just there because he has to be. Speaking of which lets talk about Laurel. I don’t dislike her per say, certainly not as much as a lot of other people, it’s just that she’s kind of getting in the way at the moment. I get the Comic books say she has to become Black Canary but I think it was rushed. The show does show that she is nowhere near the level of the other characters, Arrow has always done a good job of giving different characters different fighting styles depending on their background, but Laurel is again only there because she has to be.

 

The next episode is called Canaries so hopefully it will improve on her a nit and I hope it does but right now she doesn’t make much sense. I don’t understand why she wants to be a vigilante in the first place. Sara was killed, indirectly by Merlin so why did she want to accept his offer. Come to think of it he’s also the reason Tommy is dead so Laurel seems like the character who should hate Merlin the most, or at least to the same extent as Felicity does. The other thing is how come no one recognises she isn’t Sara? She’s a different build, her face even with the mask is different, her voice is different, even the costume is different with all its buckles. She doesn’t even use a staff, instead opting for what looks like a piece of lead pipe. But the main issue is she just isn’t as well developed as the other members of Team Arrow. Hopefully we’ll see another side of her soon.

 

Finally there’s Oliver Queen travelling back to Starling City. This was a very minor point of the episode so it’s difficult to know what to say although it did remind me a lot of Batman Begins. I’m just glad he’s back, we all knew he wouldn’t die so it’s good they didn’t try to make us think so. I am looking forward to see him training with Merlin, let’s all hope for an epic training montage.

 

Next week we have an episode called Canaries, which is set to feature the Count. Hopefully this will be the making of Laurel as the Canary but this week’s episode was an excellent one and truly an uprising.