‘Arrow’: “Invasion” Clip; Producers Preview

Ahead of tonight’s episode of Arrow, The CW has released a clip from the episode titled “Invasion”. Part three of the four-night crossover is the 100^th episode of the series and features the return of many cast members including Katie Cassidy, John Barrowman, Neal Mcdonough, and Susanna Thompson thanks to The Dominators sidelining Oliver in a dreamlike form of stasis.

The clip has Felicity introducing Cisco to the new members of Team Arrow just before he vibes Oliver’s original bow. In what seems like a major leap requiring a serious suspension of disbelief, the team plans to hack alien tech to figure out exactly where Oliver, Diggle, and Thea are.

Executive producer Wendy Mericle takes us inside the episode which brings us back to the more realistic days of the series in the midst of the shows most fantastical crisis. Die hard fans of the comics are going to lose their shit as they are about to get a taste of what it could have been like for Oliver and Laurel if they had gotten married like their characters were in the comics.

Arrow airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

SOURCE: THE CW

‘Arrow’: “Vigilante” Spoiler Review

Another serial killer is on the loose in Star City this week but this time it’s a more righteous one as the series gives way to the rising of Adrian Chase in his new superhero persona, “Vigilante”. The introduction of the episode which features Vigilante taking out several low-level criminals who are part of a human trafficking ring was serviceable, to say the least. More and more the series is starting to feel a lot like Supernatural as we witness opening scenes that feature the death of no name characters to serve as a plot device.

Team Arrow 2.0 is starting to improve, most notably Wild Dog and Ragman although I still can’t understand a word Ragman says when his mask is on. Wild Dog still has to work on his attitude but he’s come a long way since his beginning as a reckless punk. Curtis needs to start taking things seriously. While I still find him to be somewhat funny, his comedy is slowly beginning to teeter into Felicity territory. Considering the end of the episode, I’ll save Artemis for later.

David Ramsey as John Diggle, Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, Joe Dinicol as Rory Regan, and Rick Gonzalez as Rene Ramirez in Arrow. (The CW)

Dolph Lundgren makes his second appearance in the flashbacks as the big bad, Konstanin Kovar. The flashbacks were a bit better thanks to his inclusion along with the reveal that Taiana’s mother is actually working for Kovar. The twist that Kovar has made a truce with the Bratva seemed to fatten things up a bit as well. We don’t usually get this much to chew on in the consistently half-baked flashbacks but this episode went against that grain. The end duel was a treat to see Oliver Queen basically taking on Ivan Drago but Oliver is still an extremely sloppy fighter. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense considering it’s now less than a year before he makes his grand return to Star(ling) City and rises up as The Hood against the criminal element plaguing his hometown. He’s going to have to undergo some serious training if the writers are planning not to completely botch the flashbacks altogether.

Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen and Dolph Lundgren as Konstatin Kovar in Arrow (The CW.)

Thea and Lance shared a few touching scenes this episode that showed how close the two have grown since working together at City Hall. Thea was able to give Lance the support and the push he needs to stop drinking and get clean. Last week the series tried to trick us into believing that Prometheus is actually Lance but this episode seemed to point away from that. I don’t buy for a second that Lance is getting black out drunk and taking down squads of police and crime lords in a theatrical fashion.

Oliver is beginning to move forward in his personal life. While this plot is the least interesting of the episode it wasn’t bad at all. It’s good to see Oliver putting Felicity behind him even though I don’t think the relationship is going anywhere nor are he and Felicity finished with each other. The show is making it a point to capitalize on the awkward tension between Oliver and Felicity since they began seeing other people and it’s most definitely intentional. Even though Felicity distracts herself with Billy, she can’t hide the way she still looks at him in the Arrow cave.

After a group of serial bank robbers hit several banks, almost being wiped out by Vigilante, the team comes up with a clever plan to stage another robbery in order to draw Vigilante out. What threw me off was that the moment Diggle takes down the security guard both he and Felicity pulled their masks off. I’m assuming Felicity shut down the surveillance system off screen but it was still distracting. Regardless, Mr. Terrific’s blood is most certainly on the bank’s floor after Vigilante beat him bloody and took him hostage before Vigilante took on the Green Arrow in a duel. The fight itself was pretty good but a bit overshadowed by Green Arrow when he bested him before by pulling a cable arrow to zip line kick combo in the alley. Josh Segarra’s performance as Vigilante wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t great either. The problem is the voice he put on to disguise his normal voice. It was like an awful impersonation of Christian Bale’s guttural voice as Batman.

Stephen Amell as Green Arrow, Josh Segarra as Vigilante, and Echo Kellum as Mr. Terrific in Arrow. (The CW)

Overall the episode was a step up compared to some of the episodes this season but that isn’t saying much. The show is going a bit back and forth between Prometheus’ true identity as Lance. After the seemingly major reveal last week, this episode attempted to shut that down only for Lance to go off to rehab, leaving his location in question shortly before Prometheus appeared at the closing of the episode which then delivered a big twist as Evelyn Sharp was revealed to be ally of Prometheus, working Team Arrow from the inside. The twist itself comes completely out of nowhere. Based on Evelyn’s past, it seems for likely that her motivations would pit her against a Prometheus type. Regardless, I’m just glad the twist wasn’t revealed through the show’s marketing campaign which loves to use spoilers as a desperate ploy to generate more interest in the show in order to boost ratings.

7.5 – OKAY

‘Arrow’: “Vigilante” Scene; Producers Preview

Last week on Arrow, Oliver finally came face to face Konstantine Kovar (Dolph Lundgren), his target in the flashbacks set in Russia. While in the present day the mysterious villain Prometheus went on a killing spree in order to send a message to Oliver and Team Arrow. Tonight, more bodies are turning up on the streets of Star City but this time the killings weren’t made by Prometheus, but instead at the hands of a new vigilante in town. The episode will see the rise of a new crime fighter as district attorney Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra), fed up with the crime and corruption in the city, takes to the streets battling against the criminal element in his newly created persona “Vigilante”.

Arrow airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

DOLPH LUNDGREN “ROCKY” GUEST STARS – When the bodies of two criminals are dropped at SCPD, Oliver (Stephen Amell) realizes there is a new Vigilante in Star City. The team is split about whether they should stop someone who is helping keep the city safe. Diggle (David Ramsey) is frustrated with his new situation and Thea (Willa Holland) fights for Lance (Paul Blackthorne) who confesses a shocking secret. Meanwhile, in the flashbacks, Oliver finally sits down with Konstantin Kovar (guest star Dolph Lundgren).

‘Supergirl’ Promo Offers First Look at The Dominators in CW Crossover Event

The CW is set to make history this year with it’s largest crossover event ever. The upcoming 4-night crossover will feature The Dominators as the main villains set to take on the heroes of Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow and the latest Supergirl promo offers our first look at the evil alien invaders. In the comics, The Dominators were an Alien race interested in harnessing the metagene (the gene that gives metahumans their powers) to enhance members of their own species featured in the storyline titled “Invasion”.

The crossover episode of Arrow will be the series’ 100^th episode and will see the return of many cast members including Katie Cassidy, John Barrowman, Neal Mcdonough, and Susanna Thompson. Judging from this promo it looks like we will also see the return of Deathstroke but there has yet to be confirmation of Manu Bennett’s return as the superpowered mercenary hungry for revenge against the Green Arrow.

The 4-night crossover event will begin at the end of Supergirl on Monday, November 28^th, and will then carry over to The Flash on Tuesday, Arrow on Wednesday, and conclude on Legends of Tomorrow that Thursday night.

Supergirl airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT, The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT, Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m., and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

‘Arrow’ Season 5 Could Be Final Season

The superhero crime drama Arrow got off to a rocky start in its first season as the show struggled to find it’s legs until it’s fourteenth episode titled “The Odyssey” when (spoilers) Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) was finally brought into the fold after Oliver sought her help at Queen Consolidated after he was shot by his own Mother.

Felicity Smoak was only supposed to appear in one or two episodes originally, but the quirky tech genius struck a chord with the producers and fans alike. Considering the next few episodes were written, it wouldn’t be until the back half of the season when she would become part of what is now Team Arrow.

Originally Oliver embarked on his crusade against the criminal underworld of Star City on his own but quickly realized he wasn’t capable of cleansing the crime-ridden city on his own. After saving the life of his ex-military limo driver, John Diggle (David Ramsey), who was shot with a poison-laced bullet, Oliver had no choice but to reveal himself as the Star City vigilante. Together with Felicity and Diggle, Arrow found its core and elevated itself past what the producers had initially envisioned.

Another major component of the show are the mysterious flashbacks chronicling a shipwrecked Oliver as he was marooned off the coast of China on the island of Lian Yu for five years prior to hitting the streets of Star(ling) City has a crime fighting hero. During his first year on Lian Yu, Oliver discovered an ARGUS backed military operation to shoot down a commercial airliner with the intention of assassinating a member of the Chinese Triad. Together with his new friend Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett), a former member of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service who was betrayed by his partner Billy Wintergreen after joining ARGUS, the two managed to foil ARGUS’ plot and forged a friendship.

Arrow hit its peak in the second season when the newly formed Team Arrow had to take on a vengeful Slade Wilson in the present day as we saw the friendship between Oliver and Slade fall apart in the past after Oliver betrayed Slade to save the life of his friend Sara Lance, opting to sacrifice the life of Slade’s unrequited love Shado (Celina Jade). Since the end of the second season storyline, the show has struggled to launch a plot as compelling as that mostly due to the focus of the show shifting to serve as a breeding ground for other superhero shows such as The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow.

In an attempt to keep up with the superpowered heroics of the other shows, Arrow dove head first into mysticism in the fourth season and essentially abandoned the dark and mysterious criminal element from the show that made it good in the first place. Fans lashed back hard against what was easily the worst season yet. So far, the fifth season has attempted to get back to its roots, but once again struggles to find it’s footing with a mostly new cast along with the underwhelming big bad Prometheus, who’s identity we still aren’t sure of, preventing us from being able to invest in the storyline.

While promoting the upcoming 4-night mega-crossover event between Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow, Stephen Amell spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the future or possible conclusion of the series based on the turnout of the fifth season:

I do really believe that this season is sort of a throw-down-the-gauntlet year for us, where we’re either going to do what we do and do it well or it’s the last year. If we find that magic formula — which is not magic, it’s just hard work and playing to your strengths — then the show could go on for a really long time.

While I respect the hard work that producing a television series demands, it, unfortunately, doesn’t matter if the final product is as horrible as the last two seasons. The show’s ratings are too high to warrant cancellation, so if it does happen it will be the writers choice to wrap up the series rather continue down what has been an atrocious path. I yearn for the days of the heavily stylized early seasons featuring the badass Arrow as he traversed rooftops and ran down the sides of buildings searching for his former friend turned foe Slade Wilson.

So far I don’t have much hope for the series left after what has so far been a rollercoaster of a season turning in both good and bad episodes one week after the other.The show is still far from being back on track but the end wouldn’t necessarily mean the end of Green Arrow, though, as Arrow has spawned plenty of spin-offs for him to appear on.

Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

‘Supergirl’: “Heroes Vs. Aliens” Preview

The first look at this years CW mega-crossover event is here. The 4-night crossover will feature The Dominators as the main villains set to take on the heroes of Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow. In the comics, The Dominators were an Alien race interested in harnessing the metagene (the gene that gives metahumans their powers) to enhance members of their own species featured in the storyline titled “Invasion”. The four-episode event will be the network’s biggest crossover in history.

The 4-night crossover event begins in three weeks at the end of Supergirl on Monday, November 28^th, and will then carry over to The Flash on Tuesday, Arrow on Wednesday, and conclude on Legends of Tomorrow that Thursday night.

The crossover episode of Arrow also happens to be the series’ 100^th episode and will see the return of many cast members including Katie Cassidy, John Barrowman, Neal Mcdonough, and Susanna Thompson. Colin Donnell‘s schedule could not allow him to return as he is currently committed to Chicago Med but Marc Guggenheim promises the character of Tommy will be represented in the episode he describes as a love letter to the show’s previous 99 episodes.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Guggenheim dished on the upcoming crossover which he said will be the most ambitious filmmaking in the history of network television.

This year, we’re doing by far the most ambitious crossover we’ve ever done. It’s basically a huge three-part story that also brings in Supergirl, so it’s crossing over all four shows. It’s telling one big epic movie of a story. It’s not setting up any other spin-offs, it’s just big, bombastic, huge action. There’s also some really poignant character moments. There’s a lot of plot lines, particularly I would say in Flash and Legends, that come to fruition in the crossover. It’s by far the most ambitious thing we’ve ever attempted. I want to say it’s by far one of the most ambitious things anyone in network television has ever attempted. It’s completely insane.

Supergirl airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT, The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT, Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m., and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

SOURCE: EW

‘Arrow’: “Vigilante” Extended Preview

District Attorney Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra) is finally fed up with the crime and corruption in Star City as he is set to make his debut on the streets as “Vigilante” next week on Arrow.

Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

DOLPH LUNDGREN “ROCKY” GUEST STARS – When the bodies of two criminals are dropped at SCPD, Oliver (Stephen Amell) realizes there is a new Vigilante in Star City. The team is split about whether they should stop someone who is helping keep the city safe. Diggle (David Ramsey) is frustrated with his new situation and Thea (Willa Holland) fights for Lance (Paul Blackthorne) who confesses a shocking secret. Meanwhile, in the flashbacks, Oliver finally sits down with Konstantin Kovar (guest star Dolph Lundgren).

‘Arrow’: “So it Begins” Clip; Producers Preview

Tonight on Arrow, Prometheus finally becomes a part of the main plot as he goes on a killing spree to send Team Arrow a message. So far the characters inclusion has been underwhelming as it seems the producers are expecting us to be interested for the sheer fact that he exists. The ‘Who is Prometheus?’ mystery isn’t very compelling either so hopefully the answer will be revealed sooner rather than later but going off The CW’s obvious formula, I don’t expect the reveal to come until very late in the season like how Zoom’s identity was  revealed in The Flash.

Executive producer Wendy Mericle teases Prometheus as a villain unlike any we have seen before in that he comes at Oliver in a very psychological and personal way. To me it sounds exactly like Slade Wilson A.K.A. Deathstroke in season two. Check out the preview below and judge it for yourself.

Arrow airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

SINS OF THE FATHER — When Prometheus ups his killing spree, Oliver (Stephen Amell) searches for connections between the victims. Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and Curtis (Echo Kellum) discover the victims have a mysterious link to Oliver’s past and this new secret could upend his new team. Meanwhile, Thea (Willa Holland) has a heart-to-heart with Lance (Paul Blackthorne), and Felicity considers telling Malone (guest star Tyler Ritter) the truth about her work.

‘Arrow’: Producer’s Preview; “Human Target” Clip

Arrow is set to introduce Christopher Chance A.K.A. Human Target this week played by Wil Traval (Jessica Jones). In the comics, Human Target was a bodyguard and a master of disguise who assumed the identity of his clients so that he could handle the danger which threatened their life.

The episode will also see the return of this season’s big bad Prometheus. So far I am completely underwhelmed by the character of Prometheus as the writers have not yet given us a reason to care about his involvement in the series.

In a producer’s preview released ahead of tonight’s episode, executive producer Wendy Mericle teases the arrival of a mysterious new villain hired by Tobias Church to take out Star City’s Mayor, Oliver Queen. Tonight will also be the first time Diggle is introduced to Team Arrow 2.0 and he most likely won’t be too happy about the members Oliver has chosen.

Arrow airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

‘Arrow’: “Penance” Spoiler Review

So far, season five of Arrow has been a bit of a hit or miss as it struggles to find its way with a mostly new cast. Considering last week’s fantastic entry to the series, it should come as no surprise that this episode was, unfortunately, mediocre, full of implausibility and conflict that didn’t add up to anything.

The episode opens with Team Arrow 2.0 in the midst of a training exercise as they attempt to stop petty criminal sporting a cheesy gold chain from committing a burglary. The scene does nothing but shows us that the trainees have not made any progress in their training from last week. At this point, the only members with a fighting chance are Wild Dog and Ragman. Evelyn and Curtis are going to get themselves killed if they don’t start improving fast. They are both sloppy and it’s impossible to buy them as formidable crime-fighting vigilantes.

While I’m not a big fan of Ragman’s look, Joe Dinicol’s performance at Rory is fantastic. Unfortunately, most of his scenes were bogged down by Emily Bett Rickard’s insipid performance. She just can’t play the emotion needed to bring the scene to life. Her acting feels contrived as she lacks conviction in almost all of her scenes. Even Rickard’s doesn’t seem to be on the side of her character when she’s arguing with Oliver for the sake of conflict. She really has no business telling Oliver or Lyla what decision to make and her attitude makes it extremely irritating. I used to be a huge fan of her character in the first and second season. I was even a fan of Olicity. But at this point, scenes with Felicity are tiresome and make me yearn for her exit from the show.

Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak in Arrow. (The CW)

The flashbacks continue to slug along in Russia as we get four quick scenes dispersed sparingly throughout the episode. I would say that they were pointless and really amounted to nothing if it wasn’t for the fact that it was Oliver’s was finally accepted into the Bratva, something I thought actually happened when he passed the test last week. But no, we had to go through another few quick scenes to get us there. The problem with the flashbacks are consistent with the last two seasons. They feel generic and uninspired. You can tell it’s a chore for the producers to fit the flashback storyline into the script and the budget. They are just trying to skirt by with a serviceable storyline until it catches up to the first season and they are no more.

Tobias Church had the only clever storyline of the episode as he staged a burglary to smuggle in an explosive device into the evidence lock-up at the police station. Unfortunately, it all collapsed on itself as his motives were never clearly explained. I have no idea what he was trying to achieve. And did anyone see that goon in the sunglasses? Seriously, the costume design for criminals has always been whack on Arrow but this episode took it to all new heights. At least the ones who were wearing hats had hats that actually fit and weren’t cocked to the side like goofballs in previous seasons.

Chadwick Boseman as Tobias Church in Arrow. (The CW)

Adrian Chase’s viewpoint that vigilantes are a superficial solution and that if it takes them to solve the city’s problems the criminal justice department isn’t doing their jobs well is accurate, however. His turning point felt organic after he was rescued by the rookie superheroes of Star City, making him realize the ones who wear a mask can be an effective force for good in a crime-ridden and corrupt city such as theirs. While I still can’t buy him as a future crime fighter, the motivations are most certainly falling into place.

Joe Dinicol as Ragman, Echo Kellum as Mr. Terrific, Madison Mclaughlin as Artemis, and Rick Gonzalez as Wild Dog in Arrow. (The CW)

The prison break was fun but a bit underwhelming. There just wasn’t enough action and Oliver sneaking in through the laundry was totally silly. The immature and unprofessional prison guard didn’t help either. But it did bring us a fantastic scene between Oliver and Diggle that reminded me of the brotherhood that the two share that made this show so excellent in the first place. Diggle still has a lot of healing to do after murdering his brother, but it seems Oliver – as his new brother – got through to him, making him realize he can still find redemption resuming his crusade as Spartan. Unfortunately, the silliness reached an all-time high when Lyla flew a military cargo plane over the prison and extracted the two from the prison yard much like skyhook program used by Batman in The Dark Knight when Batman extracted Lao from China. Considering the show’s budget, I think they reached a little too far with that one.

David Ramsey as John Diggle and Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen in Arrow. (The CW)

Ultimately, this episode got the job done breaking Diggle out of prison and getting him one step closer to returning to Team Arrow. His presence in the Arrow cave is sorely needed especially given all the new mentees Oliver has taken on in his struggle to keep Star City safe. Episodes like this only highlight why 23 episodes per season are far too many. As we see with shorter seasons, they allow for a tighter more compelling and engaging narrative that doesn’t feel like it wasted our time, which is exactly how this episode made me feel.

6.5 – WASTE OF TIME