Mastodon Mastodon Mastodon Mastodon Mastodon Arrow - The Climb - Review - "Fall Finale Sized!"


    Enable Dark Mode!

  • What's HOT
  • Premiere Calendar
  • Ratings News
  • Movies
  • YouTube Channel
  • Submit Scoop
  • Contact Us
  • Search
  • Privacy Policy
Support SpoilerTV
SpoilerTV.com is now available ad-free to for all premium subscribers. Thank you for considering becoming a SpoilerTV premium member!

SpoilerTV - TV Spoilers

Arrow - The Climb - Review - "Fall Finale Sized!"

Dec 22, 2014

Share on Reddit



The series with the best literal fall finale cliffhanger is hands down Arrow with “The Climb.” The episode was written by the team of Jake Coburn and Keto Shimizu, and it speaks to the depth of the talent of the writing team for the show that the episode can touch on so many core themes without even being written by one of the showrunners. The episode was directed by Thor Freudenthal whose credits include Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The episode has two fantastic fight sequences – a shout out for a terrific first half of the season to James Bamford, JJ Makaro, Jon Kralt and the army of stunt performers that make Arrow the best action show on television (cable, network or otherwise!). There’s also a terrific Olicity scene and terrific performances from the whole cast.

As I said, the episode is carefully crafted, and at the beginning of each segment of “The Climb”, we see Oliver (Stephen Amell) climbing the cliff – to the top of the mountain on which he will fight Ra’s al Ghul (Matt Nable). The title would suggest that the real importance of this episode lies in the journey, not the destination. Oliver has climbed a metaphorical cliff to get here after all. He has gone from being a vigilante to being a hero. He would appear to have lost this fight against evil, if his being stabbed through the chest and kicked over a cliff is any indication, but it’s highly unlikely that he is actually dead. It’s also nice structurally that we begin the first half of the season with Sara’s (Caity Lotz) death and end it with Oliver’s.

While I don’t for a minute believe that Oliver is dead – and the show didn’t really want us to think that given that we see his body on an outcropping of cliff with a mysterious person heading his way in the scenes for the next episode – I do believe we may not see him in the present storyline for some time come the second half of the season. Oliver’s absence is necessary to allow a number of the other storylines to move ahead. Stephen Amell certainly had a “mysterious” amount of time off from filming in November to pursue some other projects. Amell has been cagey about what happens next. He posted a fan picture of an arm and arrow emerging from the Lazarus Pit – the secret rejuvenation method of Ra’s – but later pointed out that he’d be unlikely to post something that would so obviously reveal the secret. My money is on Maseo (Karl Yune) coming to Oliver’s aide – or maybe even Malcolm (John Barrowman). After all, if someone did throw him in the Lazarus Pit, he’d hardly be missing for long, right?

From our initial shots of Oliver climbing the cliff, we are taken back to 48 hours earlier. The Arrow has dropped off a Christmas present for Quentin (Paul Blackthorne). If I had a complaint about the first half of this season, it’s how little of Quentin Lance that we’ve seen. Unfortunately, Blackthorne’s social media presence makes it look like that isn’t going to change any time soon. We do see that he’s brought Dinah (Alex Kingston) to town for Christmas for Laurel (Katie Cassidy).

       But the Lance scenes that are really important in this episode are between Dinah and Laurel. Dinah immediately picks up on Laurel lying about Sara’s whereabouts and tells Laurel that her intuition that once told her Sara was alive is now telling her, Sara isn’t. Laurel tells her mother about Sara’s death but swears her to secrecy because of the dangerous people Sara was involved with and because it will kill Quentin.

Laurel actually confesses Sara’s death to two people – and has two major scenes in the graveyard. When Thea (Willa Holland) bumps into Laurel at Sara’s grave, she’s curious as to why she’s there. Thea seems genuinely shocked and upset by news of Sara’s death – and this is explained nicely later in the episode. Holland is really terrific in this scene. Cassidy really shines in the second cemetery scene with Kingston. Dinah tells Laurel that Sara deserved better, and this opens the door for Laurel to tell her mother that she’s going to find whoever did it and make them pay. Rather than dissuade her, Laurel finally gets someone who believes in her, and Dinah tells her, “You make them pay, and you make them suffer.” This is the kind of reinforcement that will steel her resolve going forward.

I realize there’s been a lot of negative response to Laurel attempting to take over as Black Canary, even though the comic version had Dinah as the original Black Canary with Laurel taking over (more or less – it’s complicated – which is ironically what Laurel tells Thea about Sara’s life). There is a 3 episode arc coming up in the new year that will focus on Laurel’s journey, so this sets us up for that. Oliver’s absence creates a void in Starling City – both for the city’s protection and for the present day storyline. With Oliver away, it will give Laurel a chance to step up – with Diggle (David Ramsey), Roy (Colton Haynes), and possibly even Felicity’s (Emily Bett Rickard) help. I hope people will wait for this story to play out before deciding whether they like it or not.

I still feel like the writers may have put the brakes on Laurel becoming Black Canary in the first season once they realized they were a hit and would have time to tease it out. On the other hand, it seems to have backfired as fans have gotten firmly behind Olicity, thus creating backlash for Laurel on the romantic front and fans also got behind Caity Lotz as Black Canary, creating resistance for anyone else picking up the mask. Interestingly, on The Flash, Barry (Grant Gustin) has already declared his love for Iris (Candice Patton), even though she is clearly with Eddie (Rick Cosnett). All of which is in the comics – though there are other deviations from The Flash comic in the show. It does feel like they’ve done things a little differently with their lead characters.

Oliver’s absence also paves the way for Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh) to play a bigger role in Starling. He finally approaches Felicity about their kiss. Fall finales have come to either be cliffhangers or holiday specials. This episode has a fairly heavy Christmas feel – mainly due to Thea’s gigantic tree, but there’s also a subtle reminder that that is not the only December holiday celebrated by our team. Felicity has a menorah sitting on her desk at Palmer Technologies. I loved the scene at the beginning of the episode when Ray tries to explain but is cut off by both the elevator and Felicity’s phone. I haven’t been overly impressed with Routh before this episode, but I loved his face when Felicity tells him she has to go – “Work!” and he points out that she’s already at work.

It’s a little creepy when he “pings” her phone and GPS’s her to Verdant. He’s a smart guy. How long until he realizes that Verdant is the Arrow’s lair? However, this was a great scene as Ray finally tells Felicity – and us! – what happened. His fiancé, Anna, was killed during the Siege and he wasn’t able to stop the mirakuru soldiers from breaking her neck right in front of him. He feels guilty, even though they’d broken his leg, and he vowed that he’d never kiss anyone again… and until Felicity, he hadn’t. Routh is great in this scene as we see him be more than the goofy, eccentric super-smart billionaire. Rickards is also terrific as we see her starting to fall for him.

Lest we forget, however, Felicity is nobody’s idiot either, and she follows Ray back to Palmer Technologies to find out why exactly he bought Queen Consolidated. She knows he’s still hiding a secret from her. He tells her he can’t tell her, but he’ll show her. There’s a great shot of Felicity’s face as she listens to Ray geek-talk that’s just priceless – these are the sweet-nothings she likes to hear.
        He tell her that he’s taken all of the military grade technology of Queen Consolidated  and made it small enough to fit in your hand – and he’s designed a super suit with it – the ATOM (advanced technology operating mechanism). He tells her he’s going to use the suit to protect the people of Starling city. And then he tells her he wants her help to do it. With a long-suffering look – that’s just perfect – Felicity wonders why this keeps happening to her.

It’s Felicity who tells Oliver that when it comes to his family, he ends up feeling guilty for their mistakes. She tries to tell him he’s not responsible for what Thea did. It’s clear that just as Oliver returned to Starling to avenge his father’s death, it’s important for Ray to avenge Anna’s. With Oliver missing, there will be more opportunity for Ray to step in with the ATOM to help keep the city safe. It will be interesting to see if Felicity will try to consolidate the superheros that she is helping – will she tell Diggle and Roy about Ray or vice versa?
Nyssa (Katrina Law) comes back to Starling to tell Oliver he now has only 48 hours to produce Sara’s killer. Oliver thinks they are Malcolm at first, and it’s a good reminder that Malcolm’s beginnigns were with the League and he still dresses as one of them. She brings Maseo with her only he is now calling himself Sarab or Phantom. Maseo is the one who is charged with killing 50 people a day if Oliver fails to produce the killer. We also learn that Maseo arrived at the League of Assassins at the same time as Sara and went there after “it” happened. We don’t know exactly what “it” was, but the flashbacks may shed light on the event. Maseo must have arrived at Nanda Parbat not long after the events of the flashback.

In the flashbacks, we see Maseo and Oliver try to obtain a vial of a virus before China White (Kelly Hu) can. We see that Oliver has come far in his torture lessons, but they still can’t get the guy they saw steal it on tape confess. Conveniently, this is where we learn about the drug Malcolm used on Thea to control her and wipe her memory. Meanwhile, China White has followed their own trail back to the apartment. We have another great sword fight between China White and Tatsu (Rila Fukushima). I wish this had been shot better, however. While the interesting angles and views from Akio’s (Brandon Nomura) hiding place provide texture to the scene, they don’t really showcase it very well. I found myself wanting to get the camera out of my way to be able to watch. When Oliver and Maseo return, Tatsu has been taken and there is blood all over Akio’s drawings. Is she dead? Is this what turned Maseo to the League?

Oliver’s investigation leads him to Thea, yet he still refuses to believe it could be her. Diggle suggests maybe it was Thea, and Roy points out that Malcolm is her father. I loved the look between Haynes and Amell when he said this. Felicity tells Oliver that she knows how much he loves his family but he has to look at the facts. Once again the virtual autopsy comes into play. Oliver insists on going to talk to Thea. She admits to having spent time getting to know Malcolm, but denies ever leaving Corto Maltese. Of course, as far as she remembers due to the drug, she didn’t leave. She isn’t lying because she doesn’t remember doing it.

Diggle points out that Oliver has a blind spot when it comes to his family, and Felicity tells him that’s why he shouldn’t be the one asking the questions. Oliver takes his advice and goes to visit Thea as the Arrow. I’m not sure it was 100% necessary for him to punch in the window that way, but it did seem to throw Thea off for a moment…. Until she pulled out her new moves and got away! I loved the look on Oliver’s face as she hopped over the balcony!

It’s not really until Oliver is visited by Malcolm that he really believes it was his sister. Malcolm actually has footage of Thea killing Sara. It’s going to be interesting to watch this all play out when the truth comes out. Thea will be racked with guilt, but what will Laurel do? Will she blame Thea or will she blame Malcolm or maybe both. She grew up with Thea like a little sister after all and Malcolm was Tommy’s father too. The scene with Barrowman is simply amazing. It’s been fantastic to watch Barrowman strut his dramatic stuff. It’s quite a departure from how he played Jack Harkness – he inhabits Malcolm with such darkness – and madness just at the edges.

Malcolm points out that Ra’s will never forgive Thea’s crime because she fired the arrow regardless of whether Malcolm was controlling her. He’s set Oliver up perfectly. Oliver has to fight Ra’s or lose his sister. Malcolm’s plan is a win-win for him. If Oliver wins, Ra’s blood blood debts are all wiped out – his own and Thea’s included. If Oliver loses, Thea is still safe and Malcolm is no worse off than he is anyway. Oliver accuses him of giving Thea a death sentence, but Malcolm maintains he’s just given Oliver incentive to fight Ra’s. Once again, Malcolm proves he’s an astute observer.

Naturally, the team doesn’t want Oliver to fight Ra’s, but they accept that he has to. Once again, the writing here is terrific as the episode loops back to the Undertaking in the first season. Oliver tells them that Malcolm told him that he couldn’t win because he didn’t know what he was fighting for – but now he does. He’s fighting for Thea.

Oliver turns himself in to Ra’s. I loved him taunting Ra’s, telling him that he killed Sara because she begged him to. He tells Ra’s that having met him, he can see why. It’s clear that Ra’s and Oliver haven’t met before. Ra’s tells Oliver that he should have him killed “not for killing my daughter’s beloved but for thinking me a fool.” There’s a great reaction shot here as Nyssa sees how little her feelings have played into her father’s actions. Ra’s also says that he hasn’t been challenged in over 67 years! So how old is he? We learn later in the episode that he’s killed thousands. Of course, in one of the other great fight scenes in the episode, we see him “practicing” his sword fighting – by fighting to the death.

Maseo comments on Oliver’s perpetual stubbornness. Oliver reminds Maseo that he once told him a man could not live by two names. Maseo says he doesn’t – Maseo is dead. Oliver is still trying to live by two names. Though it would seem that he is slowly letting go of Oliver Queen.
Oliver returns to say his goodbyes. Thea senses something’s up though she lies again by telling him a bird broke the window. I love the scenes between Holland and Amell. I’m really looking forward to the time when she actually joins his team. He tells her that Malcolm doesn’t really love her, but he also says he won’t force her to choose. Instead, he tells her there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to protect her, and that he loves her – no matter what. I suspect she’s really going to need that no matter what…

Diggle tells Oliver it’s killing him to let Oliver go in alone, and Oliver tells Roy to watch out for Thea. And that just left Felicity. Felicity knows she can’t stop him from going, so surprisingly, the one thing she does ask is that he kill Ra’s al Ghul. She tells him she’s afraid that his humanity may make him hesitate and that may cost him his life. Oliver tells her he’s not sure that he is a killer any more. And then he tells her that he does know two things – that he’ll do anything to save his sister. Felicity has to prompt him for the second thing – which is that he loves her. ARGH! Sweet torture between these two!

The fight between Ra’s and Oliver was decently shot, and like the Ra’s sparring scene had some nice crane shots. However, it felt like Oliver was suddenly holding back or a bit sloppy. Amell pointed out in a recent Q&A that Oliver doesn’t know how to fight with swords, but I’d rather have seen Oliver a little more fluid and controlled and Ra’s just that much better. The scene itself was shot on Grouse Point Mountain just outside of Vancouver and the temperature was hovering around 2 Celsius or 35 Fahrenheit. If you watch the scene carefully, you can see Amell shivering.

We learn once again that not all villains are simply evil. Ra’s tells Oliver that he made his first kill at 11. He tells Oliver that he felt ashamed because he’d stolen a life, “But I also felt pride because I had taken up arms against someone who had sought to do ill against my family.” He also tells Oliver that he had “replaced evil with death and that is what the League was set up to do.” In his own way, Ra’s is trying to solve the ills of the world to make it safer for average people – what Oliver is trying to do in Starling.



Oliver arms himself with two swords, and is puzzled when Ra’s picks up none. He tells Oliver that he will simply use Oliver’s when he’s through with them. As Ra’s apparently kills Oliver, Oliver sees his father, mother, Thea, and Felicity as he loses consciousness – all those he loves the most. Ra’s tells him not to be afraid and consider his death an honorable exit. He’s clearly impressed that Oliver not only challenged him and made it up the cliff but lasted as long as he did. He says a prayer over Oliver before sliding him off his sword and kicking him over the cliff: “Forgive and have mercy upon him… Excuse and pardon him… Make honorable his reception… Protect him from the punishment of the grave… And the torment of the fire.” And then he kicks him off the cliff – to be re-born yet again.

This was a terrific fall finale with great action, writing, and acting. Do you think it was a mistake for Laurel to tell Thea and Dinah about Laurel? Is Oliver’s absence, and no doubt expected death, going to drive Felicity into Ray’s arms? Do you think Oliver is dead? If you do, how do you think he’ll come back? Are you excited to see some of the other team members get a little more screen time? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! Arrow returns on January 21, 2015. If you  need more Arrow before then, come back to read my reviews of the comic - my review of Volumes 1-3 of Arrow 2.5 will be up on the site shortly!




About the Author - Lisa Macklem
I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Forever, Defiance, Bitten, Glee, and a few others! Highlights of this past year include covering San Diego Comic Con as press and a set visit to Bitten. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.

25 comments:

  1. I'm excited to see Roy and Diggle fill in for Arrow while he temporarily gone. Also can't wait to see how laurel and ray become black canary and atom

    ReplyDelete
  2. It would be interesting if the Lazarus Pit was used here not as a mean to resurrect the dead but to heal wounds, that would make it suitable for the show's tone, and wouldn't invalidate the deaths of Tommy, Sara and Moira. Oliver wasn't stabbed in the heart, so someone would pick him and put him in the pit to recover. I'd like to see a time jump between the fall finale and when the show returns so it would make more impact in Oliver's absence and Laurel training.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yeah I think the Lazarus pit will be used to heal him instead of revive him. He was stabbed through the right side of the chest so it didn't pierce his heart.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I don't think the Lazarus Pit will be used... If it is, then why wait like 3 months to return? It makes no sense... But there's the posibility that he stays out of the way for some reason, who knows?


    I have a pretty good and solid idea as to what to expect from 3x10, 3x11 and 3x12... But i still don't understand Laurel's role in that frame: she's the weakest link, she doesn't have a relationship with Felicity, Diggle and Roy and Ted Grant will be MIA(because the producers are morons and couldn't book an actor without a conflictive schedule). My problem with Laurel isn't about Olicity or Sara, but because again on Season 3 the writers crap all over her: instead of focusing on the interest storyline(she training and grieving with Grant) they dragged the stupid "i can't tell my dad" storyline wich is incredible annoying and pointless.


    Will she just pop up out of nowhere on 3x10 with a costume? I don't know... But it seems bound to happen. I'm not a Laurel fan, but i'm a Katie Cassidy fan and she deserves better.


    A for Ray Palmer, i would love for them to stop focusing on "Raylicity" and focus on his journey to become The Atom. Rickards said Felicity will be taking time for herself after 3x09, and with Oliver's crystal clear love confession it appears they're done with the love triangle. I like the Ray/Felicity combo and their chemistry, so i would love to see her helping him to not get killed given her experience.


    AND FINALLY! I'm hoping Diggle and Roy get more into the action! The EPs promised that 3x10 and 3x11 are very heavy for these two: they are getting their hands dirty!


    Oliver gone for 2 and a half episodes is gonna do wonders to the show! Finally all character will speak their own voice and not be bounded by Oliver's eyes.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think Andrew Kreisberg made the mistake saying that the first 3 episodes were going to be Black Canary centric and boy did that cause a "I'll tune back in at the end of the 3rd episode when Oliver comes back". So Marc Guggenheim has said that it isn't going to be a Laurelcentric arc but will focus on Roy stepping up to the plate and Diggle and Felicity dealing with Oliver's absence. I guess we'll know for definite in a few weeks.


    The fact that Ra's said he hadn't been challenged in 67 years and he still looks pretty good for an old dude, plus when we were introduced to him at first it looked as though he was coming out of a Lazarus Pit/bath my money is on that as the way of bringing Oliver back to the land of the living. Malcolm makes an appearance on the cliff so is it him or Maseo that saves him. Ra's did kind of hint at a certain amount of respect for Oliver challenging him longer than most. Does he bring him back and train him - he is asked to become part of the League maybe become heir to the throne and in return he will leave Starling City alone!!!


    Also interested to see if the Atom will be brought into the lair to work with the rest of the team when they believe that Oliver is dead?? I do hope they stay away from the romantic angle with Felicity and Ray. Oliver and Felicity work - there's no need to overdo the romantic angle or triangle.

    ReplyDelete
  6. If the Lazarus Pit is used, then a 3 month gap or more would be necessary as the Lazarus Pit comes with a price, namely temporary insanity + increased strength for the one who uses it. I'm sure whoever lowers Oliver into the pit would be aware of the side effect and not allow him to return to Starling until it was passed.


    Agree on "Raylicity". Let's focus on The Atom and not another CW Triangle.

    ReplyDelete
  7. L not having a relationship with most of the main characters is exactly what bothers me about the writers of the show , if she for example had actually gotten closer with Felicity seeing they are the only girls in the arrow cave and became friends lm sure no one would hate Laurel as much.Well said N.
    remember in season 1 when Laurel had a best friend and an actual life before they decided to mess her up.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lots of great stuff coming up!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Clearly, I agree that it wasn't a mortal wound. I really don't think they'll use it at all though. One way would be a time jump, but I think we're going to see a lot more with Diggle, Roy, Laurel, and Ray especially without a time jump....

    ReplyDelete
  10. I agree that the not telling Quentin is stupid, but I think they are building her up slowly. I doubt she's going to suddenly be all that at any point this season. When you book an actor as recurring, you only get them for a set number of episodes. I suspect that it's more of a money issue than a conflict, but sometimes actors do have unexpected conflicts come up when another project gets pushed unexpectedly.


    Definitely looking forward to more Roy and Diggle.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oliver definitely got Ra's respect and attention - I like the idea of him becoming the heir - though I doubt know that he's moved away from killing that he'd want an army of assassins! I'm still a bit on the fence about Laurel's storyline. I liked S1, hated S2 and mostly like this season - though not telling Quentin is stupid. I really want to see more of her growing into being BC, but I don't want her to be really effective before next season - she still needs to earn it.


    I think Ray is the perfect blend of Oliver and Barry for Felicity. But like the song says, the heart wants what the heart wants - so I think she's always going to choose Oliver - because, don't we all choose Oliver?

    ReplyDelete
  12. here a New Zealand promo not much but it from various show. I hope it get posted soon

    http://olicityalways.tumblr.com/post/105929466943/captainswan-skyeward-arrow-fans-the-new

    ReplyDelete
  13. I have suspision the 3x10-3x12 episodes will all happen in span of a day/night or at the most a span of few days. Just because the villian is the same throughout those episodes. Will see how Vinnie Jones does in his role.

    ReplyDelete
  14. That's a really nicely done promo ! Not a lot of arrow but still very nice ! I'm wondering if the man on the phone halfway the promo saying I want you to come back... is that Ray Palmer ?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hey Lisa, great review, love the title.
    It was an amazing episode, lot's of stuff happend and a lot of fighting.
    Have been enjoying Hong Kong flashback storyline.
    Loved the montage of the climb. It reminded me of the opening montage of 305 somehow.

    Agree about the sword fight between Katana and China White it was great choreography and I would have liked to see more. But maybe they did not want to "zoom" out cause a (long) sword fight does not make sense in closed quarters. They easily could have chosen to have the jap. short swords (wakizashi) but of course they don't look as impressive on screen like the katanas.

    Had my issues with the Thea/Arrow fight, I had to rewatch it a few time so not to get distracted from those pants. Arrows reaction to Theas skills was pricless.

    Ra's - I really like this version. He is so detached you can feel the weight of time on Ra's. As if Oliver Queen piqued his curiousity and gained his respect. Specifically Oliver Queen and not the Arrow.

    I can understand why you and many others felt a little underwhelmed by the duel. Everybody was expecting Oliver at least to hold himself better and that he did not made it was perfect for me. Oliver was good but Ra's much better, since the sword is not Olivers weapon of choice. He was too emotional - loosing his footing, balance etc. and he was rather hacking than cutting. Still he showed he had combat skills like Olivers surprise move just before the end. They really made a point of showing Ra's superiority - Oliver does not have a fighting chance.Ra's taking away the sword - that was so bad ass. This fight indicates he will not be defeating Ra's anytime soon or at least I hope not. Because what is to come for our show if Oliver is able to defeat Ra's in one season. I rather hope Oliver finds a kind of truce with the Leauge and at some point later he beats Ra's.

    Laurel for me is developing just fine and then again as many others I don't find her interessting. IMO the mistake was in dropping her development as Black Canary. It would not necessarly interfered with Saras introduction. She showed her self defence skills in S1, boxing and sport could have been part of Laurels rehab. She could have had some training from Sara etc. They dropped the lawyer angle - why? It was an interesting. Her scenes over the seasons are often not coherent and sometimes an overload.

    Even if at first implied that we will get a Laurel centric episode - I never truly believed that she will take over the show for this period. Except for 305 and Suicide Squad no other character has been the sole focuse of an epsiode. I think they are going to establish the cast a bit more so they don't have to rely too much on their lead actor - and well developed ensambles are always popular.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Good review. I like th eliteral cliff-hanger bit especially.
    I'm curious about how they're going to handle the Atom; is he actually going to be like the DC Atom and able to miniaturize himself? That would seem to push against the limits of this show's willingness to go into superpower territory, in contrast to Flash. I agree that Brandon Routh finally made Ray Palmer interesting this episode, too.

    ReplyDelete
  17. No, Jim Gordon on Gotham saying he wants Barbara to come back...

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks! I almost made a comment about those sparkly balloon pants! Of course, even Thea's wardrobe has changed to allow her to fight at a moments notice - can't do those moves in a miniskirt or skinny jeans!
    I really liked Ra's characterization and Nable's performance too. However, I wasn't impressed by his fighting because Oliver looked like anyone could have beaten him! In order to make Ra's impressive, he had to be fighting an exceptional fighter. However, thinking about it more, it does make Oliver that much braver for climbing the cliff only to face certain death to save Thea because he knows he sucks at fighting with swords.
    I can't forgive bad filming of a fight scene though! Not for any reason!
    Completely agree about the Laurel storyline. Sparring with Sara could have been a good way for the two sisters to bond. I get that Laurel needed to move into the DA office - to prosecute those Oliver apprehends, but I miss her friend and the atmosphere of the legal clinic.
    Amell really needs to have some time off! This became a real issue on Supernatural with the two leads having to be there for almost every hour of every day - and they are very, very long days. It's why an ensemble cast makes so much sense.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks - I don't think they are going to may Ray able to miniaturize himself - except maybe when he's actually in the suit? But that's not how it works in the comics, right? I hope they keep to their guns to keep the super-powers in Central City. If Stephen really wants scenes with his cousin Robbie, they can always happen on The Flash in another crossover!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Of course they will be a spam of two to five days. The thing is it's already a month or so after 3x09 when we pick up(we might see the aftermatch, but then it will go a month after). They always said the amount of time off in real life is the same as the show.


    I'm having a lot of Lemire's "Broken" feelings about this trilogy. I think it will be great.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Ramirez has another show in wich he recurs and the producers knew that when they casted him. Imagine what they could have done with all the time wasted on the "i can't tell my daddy" storyline and an actor who could be available.


    I would say they're not building anything... She started great on the first couple of episodes and then she was hardly on one(3x05), vanished for 2(3x07 and 3x08) and used the mid-season finale(3x09) to do nothing.


    At this point Laurel is floating in the story frame of the show, being Katie Cassidy's acting the only thing that's keeping her afloat.


    Even if she keeps gettin' kicked at first, are we supose to buy her working with Digg and Felciity(who are a team for 2 and half years) and Roy(who is part of the Team for 1 year now)? Am i supose to buy her being friends with all of them or them trusting and respecting her? Calling her a partner? "IF" that happens that would be the writers asking us to look the other way.


    The problem with Laurel is that the way she is written doesn't work with Oliver, and he is the eyes of the show. I always said it's unrealistic for a woman like Laurel to still talk to a man like Oliver after what he did... Two years after? When she knows the secret? Sure, but she started to be conflicted about her feelings frm the freaking pilot.


    These are two character who have such a toxic past that keep bringing the worst in each other. Because of this the writers exiled her from the core cast and now i don't see how they can work. Laurel on the Foundry seems off, out of place.


    The best thing they can do is make her Black Canary fast, endure the hate of bad writing and by the time Season 4 starts the viewers will be on good terms... The same thing happened with Roy's training.


    I'm sure that by 4x01 people would forget about the clumsy writing if they give us cool stunts.


    What would i have done? Make Laurel hate Oliver on Season 1 while working with The Hood, believing in him as a force of good. At some point during Season 1 Felicity would have a minor argument with Oliver, she'll encounter Laurel and they would start talking(the begining of a friendship).


    On Season 2 Tommy's death would have make her a little bit more aceptable of him and then when she finds out about his secret she would have facts that he is a changed men.


    On Season 3, given her 2 and a half year relationship with Felciity she wouldn't feel out of place alongside her. She could start seeing Oliver with other eyes, knowing this new man.


    If this would happen people would still like Laurel, they would still ship Lauriver and she would have been ok now. Instead they tried to do an EPIC romance about something so toxic, so fast that every episode Laurel's personality changed depending on what they needed to force her into the story(this episode she hates him and the next she gives him relationship advice: WTF?! And that actually happened).


    Laurel problem isn't Felciity, Olicity or Katie... It's just a severe problem of character concept design.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I actually was hoping that if they used the Lazarus Pit they would show the side effect. How cool would have been seeing an unstable Oliver and Digg, Felicity and Laurel trying to control him? That should be some interesting story!


    I think, on the DC TV Universe, the Pit just is a pit with a water with certain properties that slows you getting older. On 3x09 they showed clearly when Oliver put his magic herbs on the bag he took to the duel.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Yeah, she having a friend, a great job we see her doing, a great relationship with Thea, a really healty relationship with Tommy... The good days Jajaja


    That's what got lost while pursuing the remnnants of a incredibly toxic relationship without any beliavable facts or context...

    ReplyDelete
  24. I think they would use this time for Oliver to do more training after his Epic Fail, it would be like a mediation & training time passage. He would need to go through some sort of "training" to up his skills as he is only just holding his own against mid characters for the LoA.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Temp insane Oliver would be really good to see, Stephen Amell would pull it off nicely.

    ReplyDelete

NOTE: Name-calling, personal attacks, spamming, excessive self-promotion, condescending pomposity, general assiness, racism, sexism, any-other-ism, homophobia, acrophobia, and destructive (versus constructive) criticism will get you BANNED from the party.