Arrow season two review
Arrow Season Two: This season takes place five months after Oliver/The Arrow failed to stop Malcolm Merlyn/ the dark archer from destroying the Glades, the Glades is the worst part of Starling City. The shame of his failure, plus the death of Tommy (His best friend), causes Oliver Queen/The Arrow to leave Starling City. After he's informed that things in Starling City have gotten worse, his family and the family business are in trouble, he returns to Starling City to try and fix things. Meanwhile, someone from Oliver’s past has come to Starling City to turn his world into ashes. So Oliver has to stop this person, plus deal with a family secret that could tear his family apart.
This is a good follow-up season that builds off the previous one. Mr. Nolan needs to take notes because this season borrowed elements from The Dark Knight Rises and does them better. For example, how the main villain was handled in this season is what I expect from Bane in Rises. None of the episodes are bad, well, episodes 10 and 17 are the weakest episodes to me. This season feels like fan service because it gave almost everyone what they wanted. I'm impressed that the creators didn't drag out the story; however, I wish they would save it for next season. The themes of this season are the same as last season; they are family and redemption. The first episode should have been a two-part episode because Oliver becoming the vigilante again seemed rushed to me.
I also like the flashbacks because the flashbacks to the island connect to what’s happening now. The flashbacks are about a Doctor name Dr. Ivo, who's looking for a serum that can heal any injury and cure any disease. Dr. Ivo didn't make the best first impression on Oliver because he tried to kill him and his allies, looking for it, so Oliver and the others have to find it before he does. The issue I have with the flashbacks is the dynamic between Oliver and his allies. The reason why this is an issue is that I'm having a hard time buying it for reasons I can't get into without spoiling anything. Also, Oliver tells us what happened on the island before or after we see the event happen. Doing that undermines the flashbacks. What's the point of watching them if Oliver is going to tell us what happened?
I'm fond of the two arcs Oliver Queen/The Arrow have this season. The first arc is him changing his image as the vigilante, the second arc is him learning how to forgive himself for what he did on the island. I'm annoyed that Oliver didn't use his hit list because I suspect that the writers might go back to that list in the future. I also think it's funny that he didn't use that list because one of the new characters name is on that list. My beef with Oliver/The Arrow is that he turns into Pinocchio; you'll see what I mean when you watch this season. I was also annoyed to see where Oliver went when the Glades was destroyed. I hope that has some payoff in the future.
I like Roy Harper more than I did last season because he's trying to do better, and he treats Thea better. I also appreciate what this show has done with him; however, I was let down by how it played out. The gripe I had with Roy last season was that we don’t know much about him, and we still don’t know anything about him.
I feel sorry for Thea Queen because she's in a good place mentally, and things happen that ruin it. Also, she's less annoying than she was last season.
If you didn’t love Laurel Lance last season, you’re not going to love her this season, for the most part. Sorry! I can't get into details without spoiling anything. It seems like the writers don't know what to do with her. I understand what the showrunners are trying to do with her; however, it could have been done better. Also, is it me, or does the actress who plays Laurel look like she had a facelift, or is it the makeup?
I still despise Oliver’s mother, Moira Queen, because she still hasn’t learned her lesson; well, she redeemed herself towards the end.
John Diggle is more or less the same character from last season; his subplot from last season continues into this season.
I don't have much to say about Felicity Smoak because this season hasn't done anything new with her besides her drooling over Oliver more than she did last season. I don't understand why she does that. I mean, I get that she finds him attractive, but she isn't bothered by the fact that he used to be a Playboy and drop bodies? Plus, Oliver showed no interest in her besides feeling jealous when she had eyes for someone else. However, she has her moments where she can be frustrating.
Off. Lance is more helpful with The Arrow than he was in the previous season. Also, his attitude towards him has changed, and we get to see their relationship grow.
Isabel Rochev (Oliver's business partner) is all work and no play. That's a shame because we had an episode where she lightened up a bit. I wish this season didn't foreshadow what it will do with this character.
Sebastian Blood ( one of the baddies) is a cult leader who's also the voice of the victims of the Glades. He wants to fix the city at the cost of bloodshed, which wasn't intended to be a pun. His backstory is tragic; however, it doesn't make him sympathetic. What bothers me about him, besides the fact that he can't put two and two together, is that I wish he was the main villain, because it would be interesting to see Oliver go up against someone popular with the general public. Also, is it me, or does his mask look like Scarecrow's mask from Batman Begins?
Deathstroke ( the main villain) is a good adversary because he keeps outsmarting Oliver. It makes you question how Oliver is going to stop this guy, or can he stop this person? My beef with him is that his motivation is weak, plus it makes him look crazy.
This season has done two things that almost made me not want to watch this series. The first thing is bringing back two characters that we thought were dead. The first character the creators brought back from the dead didn’t bother me that much because I had a feeling this character wasn’t really dead. What angers me about this character is what was done to this person. I'm going to leave it at that. The second character this show brought back really bugs me because bringing back characters that either died or were removed just disarms what happens in previous events. I’m getting tired of saying that, if you kill off a character, keep that character dead! Also, I don’t buy the big reveal involving this character.
Another thing that bothers me about this season is that it was setting up the DC Universe. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against this, it's just that the creators were not subtle about it. Plus, the writers are limiting themselves to a realistic or serious tone. Introducing comic book characters could overwhelm Oliver, I mean, he's just a guy with a Bow and Arrow. Judging by the first four episodes of this season, I thought this show was going to do a No Man’s Land story. That would have been a good story to adapt into a TV show. Last season, addressed class warfare with Roy’s character; I was annoyed that this season didn’t continue that. A minor problem I have with this season ( Besides the head-scratching moments) is that one of the side villains was killed off. This is an issue because this series could have done more with him. Speaking of villains, I've noticed that the writers are humanizing the villains of the week. My grievance with that is the writers are going about it in one way; there are other ways you can do that.
All in all, this season did what a good sequel does that is elevated the series. The way this season ended made me worried about season three because the ending feels like a series finale. The reason why is that almost everyone who knows Oliver knows he's The Arrow. I'll be impressed if season three is as good as well.
Sebastian Blood ( one of the baddies) is a cult leader who's also the voice of the victims of the Glades. He wants to fix the city at the cost of bloodshed, which wasn't intended to be a pun. His backstory is tragic; however, it doesn't make him sympathetic. What bothers me about him, besides the fact that he can't put two and two together, is that I wish he was the main villain, because it would be interesting to see Oliver go up against someone popular with the general public. Also, is it me, or does his mask look like Scarecrow's mask from Batman Begins?
Deathstroke ( the main villain) is a good adversary because he keeps outsmarting Oliver. It makes you question how Oliver is going to stop this guy, or can he stop this person? My beef with him is that his motivation is weak, plus it makes him look crazy.
Another thing that bothers me about this season is that it was setting up the DC Universe. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against this, it's just that the creators were not subtle about it. Plus, the writers are limiting themselves to a realistic or serious tone. Introducing comic book characters could overwhelm Oliver, I mean, he's just a guy with a Bow and Arrow. Judging by the first four episodes of this season, I thought this show was going to do a No Man’s Land story. That would have been a good story to adapt into a TV show. Last season, addressed class warfare with Roy’s character; I was annoyed that this season didn’t continue that. A minor problem I have with this season ( Besides the head-scratching moments) is that one of the side villains was killed off. This is an issue because this series could have done more with him. Speaking of villains, I've noticed that the writers are humanizing the villains of the week. My grievance with that is the writers are going about it in one way; there are other ways you can do that.
All in all, this season did what a good sequel does that is elevated the series. The way this season ended made me worried about season three because the ending feels like a series finale. The reason why is that almost everyone who knows Oliver knows he's The Arrow. I'll be impressed if season three is as good as well.
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