Arrow Season 1 vs Season 2

Now that we have come to the end of the second season of Arrow, I think it is a good time to compare it to the first season.

The first season had a lot of potential, however, it lacked good villains. I know what you guys are saying "Oh but they are setting the plot". True but the lack of good villains resulted in decent but not great story telling. In the second season, the villains are really good. We have Slade as Deathstroke, assassins from the league of Assassins and Clock King just to name a few. The addition of these villains raised the stakes of th eshow and put everyone's life at risk which is what the viewers want to see.

Another thing that the second season does better than its predecessor is character development. In this season, we see Laurel's downward spiral into a drunk and than rising up to her feet, a stronger person. Oliver also changes as he has to face tougher opponents as well as take care of his family and everyone he loves. He also has to overcome the fact that Slade is after him for events that occurred 5 years ago.

Another genius thing that season 2 of Arrow did was the introduction of the character Sara or Black Canaary. Sara has charm, character and is enjoyable on screen. This is surprising has in season 1, Arrow did not handle secondary characters that well. Another character that has improved a lot is Felicity. While just a computer geek in the first season, she acts as Oliver's moral compass in season 2. She helps Oliver stay on the right path and helps Oliver get through tough situations by stating that it isn't his fault.

All in all, season 2 of Arrow was a far superior show as compared to the first season with better characters, more development and finally better villains.

References:
Picture from: http://images.aido.com/0/images/product/DVD07952_630x930.jpg
AND
http://img.ibtimes.com/www/data/images/full/2013/10/15/419787-arrow-season-2-episode-2-black-canary-bronze-tiger-in-oliver-queen-s-s.jpg

Arrow Season 2 Episode 22: Streets of Fire

This week's episode of Arrow set the tone for the finale next week. This week's episode answered many of the questions and had many returning characters. One of them was Sarah. Sarah return was very welcome as she is one of the characters that has added a lot of character to the show. Sarah saves Laurel from a  mirakuru injected solider an Laurel reveals that she knows that Sarah is the black Canary. However, Sarah is depressed that she is an assassin and can never change as she is a demon. Laurel says that she can change and that she is actually a hero in her eyes. We see the change as Sarah saves a child from a burning building and is called a hero by the child's mother.

Meanwhile, detective Lance finally regains his badge and gets the police involved with the Arrow in order to save the city from utter destruction. What is more, detective Lance is finally able to meet his daughters who are not fighting with each other for once. Additionally, this season sees the return of Season 1 villain Malcolm Merlyn who saves Thea from a thug, however, Thea states that she doesn't need his help and that he has nothing to offer. Eventually, she releases her anger and shoots Malcolm. Probably not the reunion, Malcolm was expecting with his daughter.

After standout performance was Felicity. Oliver was again thinking was surrendering and throwing in the towel claiming that everything that is happening is his fault and that he has failed the city. Felicity gets angry with Oliver and states that if he was not there, countless villains would be roaming the city and that he always finds a way to overcome his enemies.

After last week's warning to Sebastian, we could sense that he was going to be betrayed by Slade and that is exactly what happened. Sebastian learnt the hard way that he was just a pawn in Slade plan and that he was no longer needed and could be disposed of. Sebastian does have some redemption as he steals the mirakuru cure from Slade and gives it to Oliver and gives him a way to equalize the playing field.

With that all said and done, I do not know what to expect from the finale. The city is still in ruins and Slade still has an army under his command. Also if Oliver doesn't finish the fight before dawn, the entire city will be blown up in order to stop the mirakuru injected soldiers from leaving the city. To find out what happens in the finale and the conclusion of season 2 of Arrow, tune in next week. As always a preview of next episode is available below:

References
Image from: http://static2.hypable.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Arrow-season-2-episode-22-synopsis-stills.jpg
Video from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTACdGNCkec&src_vid=AD9c7diaQJM&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_1151466461

Arrow Season 2 Episode 21 - City of Blood

It is not surprising that Arrow delivers another good episode. However what is surprising is ability of the writers to produce great content whilst still being relatively faithful to the comics. This time the episode started with the funeral of Moira Queen who was previously murdered by Slade. It appears that Oliver has run away as he is not present at the funeral. Sebastian Blood (Brother Blood), now mayor after the death of Moira is at the funeral and gives Thea his condolences. It is here that Laurel feels that Sebastian has a ulterior plan for being present at the party. She asks her father to have a look into Sebastian's computer to find any evidence of foul play. They found out that the speech that Sebastian said when becoming mayor was written one day before the death of Moira, leading them to believe that Sebastian was in leagues with Slade.

Meanwhile, Diggle and Felicity find Oliver who is mourning after the death of his mother. He states that he has failed and that everything that he had, Slade has taken take away from him. He makes the decision to finish this and give himself up to Slade, ending this. While his crew disagree, Oliver is firm on that decision. However, before he can give himself up, he is shot with a sleeping dart. He wakes up back in the den with his team and Laurel surrounding him. Laurel tells Oliver that he cannot just give up and has to find a way to fight back. She also tells him that Blood is in league with Slade.

Oliver visits Blood for his celebratory dinner and both Oliver and Blood exchange identities (Oliver being Arrow and Blood being Brother Blood). Oliver and his team locate the place where Blood is making a super army and decide to take it down. Having reached the place, Oliver tries to destroy the place, however, he is detected and surrounded by the super soldiers. He shoots an arrow which brings part of the building down and than there is a fade to black.

This episode gave a very Batman vibe where the city has gone to ruin and the hero is outclassed and out numbered. This episode was also setting things up for the final two episodes which look to be great. I don't know if they are going to resolve the Deathstroke plot this season, but if they do, it will sadden me as he is such a good villain But, there is only one way to find out what's going to happen next and that is to watc hteh next episode of Arrow!!! To wet your appretise, there is a preview of the episode below.

References:
Image from: http://d1mxyp5ceukbya.cloudfront.net/photogallery/images/zap-arrow-season-2-episode-21-city-of-blood-ph-001
Video from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZI0oerwV5U

Arrow Season 2: Episode 20 - Seeing Red

Going into this episode, one could have guessed that this episode was going to be about Roy as he was heavily focused on in the preview. While this would have been great, Arrow generally does not do well when its focuses on secondary character. Hence it was a great relief that Roy was just a catalyst for other things.

Roy now pumped up with mirakuru was kept in Arrow's cave until he found a way to escape and caused havoc in Starling City. Having realised this, Arrow and Black Canary (Sarah) go after Roy, only to be overpowered and defeated. In the course of their fight Roy manages to break Oliver's leg. Thea having realised what happened to Roy lures him into Verdant (her nightclub) where Arrow stuns Roy using venom arrows. Sarah and Oliver have a fight and Sarah leaves Staling City saying that she cares "too much for him to be with him". It is uncertain as to whether Sarah has left the show for good or is going to come back later on in this season or in the next season.

The main focus of this episode was on Oliver's mother, Moira Queen. She is still struggling with her relationship with her daughter Thea and this struggle is not helped as Thea is sabotaging Moira's campaign for becoming city mayor. A suprising thing that we learnt is that Moira knew that Oliver was the Arrow which not only shocked us, the viewers, but also Oliver.

It wouldn't be Arrow if something shocking didn't happen in the end. When the Queen family finally gets together after the evens of the episode and Moira starts to open up to Thea, their car is ambushed and they crash. It is here that we realise that this was set up by Slade and he wants Oliver to choose who to save, his mother or his sister. Of course, Oliver is unable to choose and so Moira sacrifices herself.

After all that, the episode concludes leaving everyone with their mouths open. With only three episodes till the end of season, we are left wondering as to what is going to happen next. Will Slade get his revenge on Oliver? Will Oliver be able to save Starling City? Will Sarah return? These are questions that will hopefully be answered in the next episode. So tune in!!!!!! A preview of the next episode is available below:

References:
Picture from: http://www.toonzone.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/arr220b.jpg
Information: http://arrow.wikia.com/wiki/Moira_Queen
                      http://arrow.wikia.com/wiki/Mirakuru
Video from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KFw0L_JDEY

Arrow Season 2: Episode 19 - The Man Under the Hood

Well after last week's explosive episode, one could have hoped for a slowdown in the action. However, this being Arrow, action and drama doesn't stop. Last week we were left wondering what Laurel will do with the information that Oliver was the vigilante Arrow. What Laurel did was something most didn't predict. We were expecting Laurel to react badly to the fact that Oliver has been running around the city for a year as the Arrow, however, her reaction was surprisingly one of grace and acceptance.

Also in last week's episode, Thea learns that Merlyn was her father and as many expected she is not coping well with the situation. When Oliver brings some papers for her to sign in order to save their business, she rejects Oliver saying that she isn't a Queen. Even when Oliver tells her that her father (Oliver's dad) knew that she was Merlyn's daughter, he didn't care and still loved her, Thea wasn't moved by this information and stated that her father "was just a liar".

Slade infiltrates the Arrow's stronghold in order to obtain a skeleton key (a key that unlocks any door) in order to gain a device that will allow him to create an immortal army after Oliver and his gang destroyed the one in his possession at the start of the episode. A battle occurs in which Slade overpowers all of Oliver's gang and gets away without a scratch.

The last important detail we find out is that Oliver had the chance to save Slade on the island (flash backs) but he chose to kill him instead and that everything that is happening is his fault. So that's that. Another episode done, more secrets revealed and everything is building up to an explosive end to the season. How will Oliver and his crew defeat the immortal army of Sladse? Well in order to find out, you just have to tune in to the next episode!! A preview of episode 20 "Seeing Red" is available under:

References

Video from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPR0uZWh6Vs

Image from: http://static2.hypable.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Arrow-season-2-episode-19-Deathroke-fights-Diggle-e1397146589764.jpg

Arrow Season 2: Episode 18 - Deathstroke

Arrow unleashes its most powerful episode

After two mediocre episodes, Arrow finally released an episode that could be considered as its best to date. Stakes are raised as Slade (Deathstroke) out-maneuvers Oliver (the Arrow) in every step. Slade hits Oliver where it hurts by kidnapping his sister Thea only to release her later with the knowledge that her real farther is actually Malcolm Merlyn (the villain of Season 1). This is information that Oliver had been hiding from Thea and now that she knows, she distrusts Oliver. Than Slade proceeds to tell Laurel of Oliver's identify as Arrow which makes her the first civilian to know of his identity. This is especially important as Laurel believes that it was the Arrow's fault that led to the death of her boyfriend's death. 

All these factors and with Oliver losing his company makes the situation from bad to worse. Everything that could have gone wrong for Oliver went wrong in this episode and viewers are left wondering on how things are going to improve for our favourite superhero.What will Laurel do? What will Slade do next? Will Oliver be able to recover from this? These are the questions that will hopefully be answered in this Thursday's episode titled "The Man Under the Hood". Well one thing is certain, whatever happens, it will be epic! A preview for the next episode is shown below:

References

Youtube clip from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTjWKYcftNQ

Image from: http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140403223445/marvel_dc/images/1/16/Slade_Wilson_Arrow_006.jpg

Hyperlinks about characters from: http://arrow.wikia.com/wiki/Arrow_Wiki