Arrow (season 2) (1 Viewer)

[Sam Favate]

I thought the bit about Oliver forcing Roy to stop seeing Thea was not genuine, and didn't feel real. Otherwise, it was a solid episode, although Helena having a small army help her take over the court house strained credibility.

My suspicion is

Spoiler

(spoiler space, just in case) that Slade will end up killing Sara before or at the end of the season, as payback for what he perceives as Oliver being responsible for Shado's death, and also because Caity Lotz is still listed as a guest star, and the producers have stated that this incarnation of Black Canary is the "beginning" of that character's arc, suggesting it may end up being Laurel by the time the series ends. Which I say is too bad, because Sara is perfect in the part.

 

[Matt Hough]

Yes, I didn't like this episode very much. The Roy-Thea stuff was strained, and all of the Laurel-centric scenes just tried my patience.

Sam, I think you're likely right about the shifting of focus from Sara to Laurel by the end of the season at which time I'll be shifting my viewing habits to The Flash and away from Arrow very likely.

 

[Ockeghem]

Sam,What you wrote in your spoiler is very plausible. I've wondered for some time about how that person has been credited in the show. Your last line? Spot on.

 

[Sean Bryan]

I wouldn't be surprised if Slade recreated a situation where Oliver had to choose between Sara or Laurel, just to twist the knife.

 

[Sam Favate]

Arrow producers talk about the rest of the season:

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/03/26/arrow-post-mortem-thea-slade/

On Sarah (Caity Lotz) and Oliver:
Guggenheim: I don’t think anyone is ever in a good place for too long on Arrow. So I will say that where they are right now is not where they will end up by the end of the year — either personally or professionally.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I'll be honest, I was hoping it would be Thea that would learn Oliver's real secret rather than Laurel. As it stands now, she's got to learn by the end of the season. Every secret Oliver keeps from her is just more ammunition for the whispers Slade Wilson put in her head.AFAIK, this is the first episode where we've seen that the Mirakuru's effects are manifesting in the form of schizophrenic hallucinations of Shado that urge Slade Wilson toward his most vengeful instincts. That's ultimately an advantage for Oliver, because once he gets a handle on things, he'll be the one thinking with a clear head.I liked that the fight with Isabel Rochev in the boardroom quickly resulted in Oliver outmatching her. She just took everything from him professionally, but its adds an interesting edge to their dynamic now that she knows he could snuff her out like a candle. She makes a great villain, because it doesn't get much worse than taking advantage of a family crisis to destroy someone. She's also smart, so it'll be interesting to see how she reacts when Slade Wilson's plans start crumbling.

 

[Matt Hough]

So now Roy has bolted. For the moment.

I'll swear, if I hear one more character say, "That's it. I'm done," I'm going to scream. It has become the ludicrous watchword of this show.

And now Laurel is hip to the secret. I guess that was inevitable if she's eventually going to become Black Canary.

 

[Jason_V]

Haven't watched tonight's episode yet, but something struck me about last week. When Sarah was rescuing Laurel, how does Laurel not get that this blonde woman is her sister? Sure, it was a dark and I don't think Laurel ever got a really good look at her face, but come on. The voice was similar enough for me.

 

[Ockeghem]

So now Roy has bolted. For the moment.

I'll swear, if I hear one more character say, "That's it. I'm done," I'm going to scream. It has become the ludicrous watchword of this show.

And now Laurel is hip to the secret. I guess that was inevitable if she's eventually going to become Black Canary.

Matt,Is that all you have to say? That's it. I'm done.

Seriously, I DVR'd tonight's episode but for the first time in a long time I didn't have time to watch it tonight. But tomorrow is another day!

 

[Sam Favate]

Haven't watched tonight's episode yet, but something struck me about last week. When Sarah was rescuing Laurel, how does Laurel not get that this blonde woman is her sister? Sure, it was a dark and I don't think Laurel ever got a really good look at her face, but come on. The voice was similar enough for me.

Sara does wear a wig when she's BC.

Something I remember from 35+ years ago: Someone had written in to DC's Ask the Answer Man - a feature that took random questions about the DC Universe - and asked "Why doesn't anyone realize Oliver Queen and Green Arrow are the same person? How many blonde-bearded men are running around?" And the answer was perfect, and could apply to any superhero: "For the same reason no one notices Clark Kent is Superman -- These are the comic books!"

We have to maintain a certain suspension of disbelief.

 

[Jason_V]

She wears a wig? I honestly thought she just teased her hair differently. Boy, am I not paying attention...

I'm on board with suspension of disbelief. It has to happen in these kinds of stories. Sometimes it just strains what I'm willing to accept. This doesn't destroy the show for me; just one of those little things that I scratch my head over.

Now, the people in Metropolis who don't realize Clark = Superman...they're just stupid.

 

[Gary Seven]

... I guess that was inevitable if she's eventually going to become Black Canary.

Have they leaked any info regarding this? The way this character is written and cast, it just doesn't make sense to make her Black Canary, no matter how they contrive it. Sara has the training that Laurel will never get (not to mention the character needed to do what she does). My guess is that Laurel bites the big one at some point and circumstances force Sara to take Laurel's middle name, Dinah as her own and the Canary identity is solidified.

 

[Matt Hough]

Have they leaked any info regarding this? The way this character is written and cast, it just doesn't make sense to make her Black Canary, no matter how they contrive it. Sara has the training that Laurel will never get (not to mention the character needed to do what she does). My guess is that Laurel bites the big one at some point and circumstances force Sara to take Laurel's middle name, Dinah as her own and the Canary identity is solidified.

I'd certainly prefer that scenario, but Katie is a series regular and Cady is a mere guest star (and hasn't been upped to series regular despite having major storylines in both the real-time and island scenarios). We'll see how the rest of the season plays out.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Yeah, I think the expectations (from early season 1) were for Laurel/Dinah Lance to eventually find her way to becoming Black Canary. How they get her there is the story we are watching now (if they continue on that story trajectory, meaning Sarah's gonna die in a season or two... and Laurel takes up the mantle of the Black Canary). But it's just idle speculation at this point.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Good episode tonight. It's nice to see Oliver score some wins and Slade suffer some setbacks. Injecting Isabel Rochev with the Mirakuru was an interesting development. It will make her a far more physical threat, but it might destabilize her grip on Queen Consolidated.Glad to see that Laurel didn't go on a self-pitying tailspin after learning the truth about Oliver and making the obvious logical leap with her sister. Her father's explaining his lack of interest in the identity of the Arrow was my favorite beat in the episode.I'm interested to see where Thea's tailspin lands her, though not so interested in the journey getting there.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

EDIT: Mysterious double post.

 

[Matt Hough]

Once again, these tailspins for the characters are really getting tedious. I, too, liked seeing Arrow finally have some success and Slade some setbacks.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Enjoyed tonight's episode. Thought that Isabel was done, but - Whoa! Not so fast. This is a comic book genre show after all.

I wasn't too crazy about the Thea content in this episode. Okay, you're upset, but sign the damn papers and then work out your feelings. Sheesh.

- Walter.

 

[Matt Hough]

Thea's snit is so irritating. Losing a boy friend not through any fault of her own and having a monster birth father whose identity has been kept from you are simply lame reasons to act like the good you've accomplished recently should be negated as if it were nothing. Instead, look at what you've accomplished despite all these disappointing circumstances (and signing the papers would also help her protect her family's fortune, another win for her column), but the writing never seems to plumb any depths of character observation like that. You just want someone to Cher-slap her and tell her to "Snap out of it!."

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

A pretty big game changing episode tonight. After all of the action of the past few episodes, this was a pretty psychological episode that delved into who Oliver Queen is as a person.The left field retcon that Oliver has a six or seven year old child he doesn't know about is a major reveal via flashback. As soon as I saw where they were going with that, I got worried for Moira and Thea, because I figured that if they're giving him more family they must be taking family away.I can see why the show had to go to this place to make Slade a credible threat, but it's a real loss for the show. One of the best innovations of this show for the Oliver Queen/Green Arrow mythology was giving Oliver a living family that's an integral part of his life. Moira Queen has been the show's most morally complex character in a world that's often very black and white, and Susanna Thompson has given a tremendous, often subtle performance in a show that by and large doesn't demand subtlety. We've seen Moira go to some pretty dark ruthless places, especially this season. Tonight's episode flashed back to her at perhaps her most coldblooded. But then, right as she was poised to have her redemptive moment, it was ripped right out from underneath her.And it says something for the show that after Slade Wilson ran the blade through Moira, I thought there was a very real chance the blade was going right through Thea next. I really hope that she finds out his secret sooner rather than later, because she was absolutely right in the limo. Secrets have poisoned that family, and they aren't protecting anyone. The surviving Queens need to present a united front against what's coming. And I hope to see more of Diggle and Thea playing off each other. Those scenes gave both characters new and interesting colors to play. Diggle is fatherly to Thea, but he doesn't condescend to her. And around him, the writers allow her to be smart in a way that she hasn't been written to be with Moira and Oliver.This show has become one of the highlights of my week.