TV Retrospective: Arrow Season 1 episodes 7-9

It's time to return to the Arrow front once again

Before I begin, I must apologise that the reviews are so short. You'd think with 40 minute run-time, I'd have to more to say than with the 20 minute Legend of Korra retrospectives. 

It's easy to talk about something that's great, it's really easy to talk about something that's terrible, but a lot of early Arrow episodes were more average, and those are much harder to talk about. 

Muse of Flame

That previously on section really doesn't explain much at all

This show does seem to like their Batman villains, don’t they, first Deadshot, then Royal Flush Gang, now we have the Huntress. Or at least the foundations of her

But we have the actually quite irritating position of Oliver here, where he tries to stop someone finding justice through murder, when at this point that's EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS DOING!! Helena was right in pointing out that they are very similar.

The vigilante really doesn't have much to do in this episode, in fact I don't think Oliver appears in costume at all in the entire episode, it's fairly clear this is 1 part of a larger arc, continued in the next few episodes

Meanwhile we also have Tommy and Laurel. Laurel is always supportive of those in need, her work at CNRI proves that beyond any reasonable doubt, so it's nice to see her provide that support when she finds that Tommy has been cut loose by Malcolm.

Frank is gonna be annoyed when he finds out that Ollie really has no way to provide him with that contract.

Walter's back already, good, Moira kinda needed that morale boost after the events of this episode

Rating 7/10

Vendetta

There was only one way this can end, Diggle has seen it, everyone in the audience has seen it and we're just waiting for inevitable blowout, and it’s getting irritating.

So, let's focus on the other parts of this episode, Walter still on the hunt for answers. Felcity has got his attention with the knowledge that someone else tracked Moira's Tempest investments, and he discovers Moira's version of the list (because the best thing to do when you're part of a secret undertaking is to keep a list of everyone who's involved, I know it's in invisible ink, but still…)

And there's also Tommy and Laurel pursuing their relationship, even with Tommy broke. It's nice to see him resistant, but eventually accepting to take on the responsibility

The last 10 minutes or so were interesting. China White and the triad laying siege, Helena showing up to kill her father, Tommy finally bringing the job discussion up to Oliver, the Arrow intervening with the Bartinelli family, and the blowout I was mentioning. Everything came together at the end, just such a shame it took so long to get there.

I have noticed something else, no Island flashbacks for the last couple of episodes

Rating 6.5/10

Years End

And we're at mid-season finale point (which is odd, seeing is 9/23 is nowhere near mid-point) ah well.

And we're introduced to Malcolm Merlyn's alter-ego. The Dark Archer? I suppose when you can't use his real name, Merlyn, it's fine to use a new alter-ego. And he's killing people the hood had targeted because… Drawing out the hood?

We also have this week's sub-plot, the Queen Christmas Party… Wow, Oliver did all that, and without a single scene of any sort showing it, good job. We'll see this again in season 2

On the Island we find fake Deathstroke capturing Yao Fei, and that's pretty much all that happens there; ah well.

And then came the ending, the undertaking is coming in 6 months (good excuse for a long break) and thousands will die, and it's all orchestrated by Malcolm Merlyn, oh and he had Walter Kidnapped. And that's what we have for the winter break. So, yeah, it's got me excited, and I suppose that's the purpose of the mid-season finale. Not a huge reveal since the identity of the Dark Archer was barely in doubt, and we all knew Malcolm was up to something.

Rating 7.5/10

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Images used in this review are from Arrow and belong to their respective owners. All images in this review are subject to fair use.