Arrow 504 Penance
Written by Oscar Balderrama & Brian Ford Sullivan
Directed by Dermott Downs
505 Human Target
Written by Oscar Balderrama & Sarah Tarkoff
Directed by Laura Besley
Firstly, must apologize for the lateness of the reviews, when I agreed to cover Arrow I didn’t realize that the powers of the internet in my area would need Felicity’s help. Fortunately, it now seems to have been rectified. However, it has now fallen during a busy time for me so though briefer than I would normally do I have tried to capture both episodes.
I was so pleased to be given the opportunity to review Arrow a show I have followed since the start. I have even stuck in there when the show killed one of my fav characters not once but twice. Arrow, in my opinion, has had some rocky patches recently still delivers a dark edge to the CW Hero line up. Who would have thought one of the lesser known DC Hero's would be approaching 100 Episodes.
In this season Oliver Queen in his Green Arrow disguise still does whatever it takes and in Penance, he shows Diggle that while he might want to wallow in prison in his man pain Oliver won’t let him. Of course, not everyone agrees with him busting Diggle out of jail.
In Human Target the consequences of his new recruit’s actions set Oliver on a path that could prove fatal but with Church, not the only one after him the game board soon has fewer players.
So, let’s look at the past few weeks and see where this could all be leading to as we will soon be approaching the Hundredth Episode.
Penance starts with Oliver putting the new recruits through their paces and stopping a theft of some tech. However, Wild dog, who seems to be more pig-headed than even the most stubborn dogs I have encountered, wants to do it his way once again testing Oliver’s patience something he seems to have little of.
At Major Queen's office, Oliver announces he is going to be away due to ill health in truth he is going to bust John Diggle of a military prison. Despite John’s wishes, to be left alone, his wife Lyla and Oliver disagree.
Even Felicity thinks they should abide by John’s wishes and when she sends the team to stop him you can imagine the disastrous results; Oliver kicks them to the curb literally in seconds.
Oliver has left the stolen tech for his deputy Mayor Lance and the DA to deliver to police evidence lockup. However, Tobias Church, who seems to be fashioning himself as some kind of Kingpin, wanted it delivered, it contains a bomb. This blows a hole in the wall which enables Church and his crew to take weapons out the police lock up.
Church armed and dangerous wants to take down Mayor Queen’s Anti-crime unit and with the Green Arrow absent, it falls to the new recruits to try and stop him.
However, they are still one man down as Felicity must talk to Rags’ after her confession of being the one who caused his whole town to be destroyed, killing his family you can understand him wanting to stay away. Arrow is known for its forgiveness speeches and talks and they soon come to a compromise.
Lila uses her piloting skills and soon whisk’s Oliver and John out of harm’s way, the breakout was a success but being away from the team has consequences.
Green Arrow is not there to help the new recruits; Curtis gets injured and Wild dog steps up to let the others get away but Church doesn’t kill him but starts to torture him for information.
I did like the episode, for me, one thing that should come from this is despite his best intentions Curtis isn’t cut out to be a vigilante. The rest of the team though rough around the edges seem to be getting there. That’s if Wild Dog is found!
In Human Target, Green Arrow is busting down doors and people to get a location on Church who seems to have gone underground with Wild Dog. Even Felicity is having no luck until they find some blood in a warehouse and she traces a van leaving the scene. To the Green’s arrows surprise, only a small fight in the woods, he rescues Wild Dog who was digging his own grave, Church got to him and he revealed the Green Arrow is Oliver Queen.
Of course, this puts a target on the Mayor and despite Church getting warned once again by a hooded archer that the green arrow is not to be touched Church hires his own muscle to do the job.
Diggle has a guy who can help and we learn more how he doesn’t later in the episode.
Oliver for once is being the Mayor dealing with a troublesome councilman and reporter in a surprising optimistic manner. When he is shockingly gunned down on the steps we soon learn Diggle hired a pro to takes his place and fake Oliver’s death.
We also see in a flashback while Oliver became Bratva one member wasn’t happy and tried to kill him it was, in fact, Christopher in disguise as a Russian who saved him. In the flashback, we see Oliver is now Bratva and it brings his missing year's story towards a conclusion. I do feel we have more learn about his Bratva days, though.
Back to the present and Diggle finally seems to be the only one to get through to Wild Dog after his torture. He also gets him to think back to things he might have seen while Church had him, he remembers a meeting place. They all suit up and head out including Diggle and it was nice to see at least one of the old gang back in action. Church doesn’t go down easy but soon the Green Arrow wins and he is taken into custody along with other crime bosses.
Mayor Queen addresses the public saying faking his death was necessary to draw out Church. However, Church has bigger problems our Mysterious archer, Prometheus told him to stay away from the Green Arrow and kills Church in an instant.
The reporter, Susan Williams, who Thea hates, is back in this episode shadowing the Councilman later she meets with a contact and a photo of Oliver in Russia is given to her. She now knows he wasn’t always on the island like he claimed.
Human target I enjoyed a lot more than the previous episode though they did seem to get rid of Church as the villain very quickly. It was nice to see Spartan back in the Team and a kind of conclusion to the Oliver felicity romance. I also enjoyed seeing more pieces to the final part of the puzzle of the missing years for Oliver. All these are what ultimately shaped him , not just his time on the Island.
The intriguing part is Prometheus who clearly has ties to Oliver but in what way we have yet to discover.
So what were your thought's ?
Will Prometheus be revealed in tonight's episode?
Please post in comments below
