Arrow S05 E17: Kapiushon

When we last left "Arrow," things were definitely moving in a different direction.  Adrian Chase had been revealed as Prometheus, and he had defeated (with Talia's help) Green Arrow and kidnapped him.  Now his prisoner, Oliver is at the villain's mercy.  We open shortly after we left last time with Chase spouting philosophical nonsense no one understands yet and putting Oliver through the gauntlet of how the Hood killed Chase's father. 

While Chase tortures Oliver, the showrunners torture us viewers with the neverending Bratva flashbacks.  I sincerely hope there's a point to them, and we get to it soon, because honestly I am sooo tempted to just start fast-forwarding through these things. And then, just as I was about to do that very thing, something grabs my attention. 

John Barrowman's Malcolm Merlyn meeting with Dolph Lundgren's Kovar, now that could be interesting, especially in flashback.  It's suggested that Merlyn has provided Kovar with a weapon to overthrow the Russian government.  With Anatoly, the KGBeast, moving up in Bratva, and the Hood (in Russian, the episode's title, Kapiushon) on his side, there's a good chance that won't happen. 

Meanwhile, Chase's sadistic torture of Oliver, to get him to reveal a mysterious secret to him, is very reminiscent of Oliver's own methods in the flashbacks as the early prototypical Hood.  It's a bit of a wake up call when Anatoly compares Oliver to Slade Wilson and Anthony Ivo.  How's that for a flashback? 

Speaking of flashbacks, in the present, before leaving... I guess for work... Chase gives Oliver a present.  It's Artemis, Evelyn, and she's been beaten, probably tortured - Chase calls it making her compliant, she's definitely broken.  When he returns, one of them had better be dead at the other's hands.  If it's Oliver, Evelyn gets to go free. 

Although we get a final battle between the Hood and Konstantin Kovar in the past, the memory prompts Oliver to confess the secret that Chase wants.  Oliver is a killer, a spree killer, a serial killer (as I noted early on in these reviews myself), not because of a list, or a mission, but because he liked it. 

As the ordeal(s) ends, we see the beginning and end of Oliver's Bratva tattoo, and a Green Arrow beaten and shutting it all down.  He's been defeated.  Meanwhile in the past, Kovar has been resurrected with Merlyn's help, so I'm sure he'll be back in the present (future?).  This is a by far darker cliffhanger than we got last time, can they beat it next time? 

Surprisingly the showrunners engaged me in the Bratva crap that I had long since gotten tired of.  They re-energized not one, not two, but three villains who had lost their edge for the most part.  All in all a good episode, can they do it again? 

Next: Disbanded!

For my other reviews of the entire "Arrow" series, click here. And if you'd like to discuss this episode, anything else in the Arrowverse, or anything in the Marvel or DC television or cinematic universes, please join the Marvel DC Movies TV group on Facebook.

Arrow S05 E07: Vigilante

After quite a bit of foreplay, we're finally getting Vigilante, or at least the 1980s Wolfman/Perez version of the character. When we first saw Adrian Chase, we hoped we'd see his anti-superhero identity, and not be red herringed and disappointed like we were with Kate Spencer AKA Manhunter earlier in the series. Now here it is.

We open on a white slavery ring being taken down by Vigilante, though unseen, we see through his infrared goggles. Like the Hood and the Arrow of old, he kills the bad guys, with guns rather than arrows. And he leaves two hanging outside for the police to find in the shape of a V, with Vs cut into their faces as well. If nothing else, this new killer in Star City has a demented sense of style.

The discussion with Team Arrow is not so much of another killer on the streets, as much as it is - should they stop this one that is killing bad guys? Oliver is adamant that he must be stopped, the others not so sure. After a bank robbery where Vigilante takes out some of the Spooky Crew Team Arrow is still unconvinced. Could Vigilante be a new recruit where Oliver gets outvoted?

I have to confess some disappointment in Vigilante's outfit. After seeing his comics costume look in that police sketch since the beginning of the season, I expected something slicker, less bulky, and more like the comics than what we've gotten. He's more Wild Dog than Vigilante. If they couldn't pull off the look, why use that sketch to begin with?

The final fight between Green Arrow and Vigilante is better than a lot we've seen lately. Being a Silver Age fan I dig the use of more trick arrows, and we got a few this episode. I did hate that Mr. Terrific got the worst of a beating again, and that we were faked out by the unmasking of Vigilante in the coming attractions.

In the soap opera portion of the show, Quentin offers his resignation. When Thea confronts him, he comes clean about his drinking, and his suspicious blackouts, as well as the throwing stars. She takes him to rehab, notably not telling her brother about any of it right away. I guess stubbornness is genetic.

Oliver goes on a date with Susan Williams, the nasty news reporter from channel 52. Many folks might not be aware, but she's also from the comics, a minor character from Green Lantern. She was the reporter wife of Hal Jordan's brother who believed her husband was actually the Green Lantern. On the show, it's hard to tell if she really likes Oliver (although technically it was the Human Target who charmed her) or is leading him on. She does have proof he was in Russia when he was supposed to be on a desert island.

Speaking of Russia, in Flashback Russia, as opposed to Island or Hong Kong, Oliver has a stressful dinner with Konstantin Kovar. Dolph Lundgren shows that he can still be scary after all these years. And after he beats Oliver down, our hero learns the hard truth, that Kovar and Bratva have made a deal.

Did anyone else catch the name drop of the Papp Hotel? Nice reference. George Papp was the co-creator of Green Arrow in 1941, along with Mort Weisinger. Papp was responsible for the look and design of the character, and the series artist for years. He also co-created Congo Bill and drew Superboy for a long stretch as well.

The closing stinger was a bit of a shock, but completely believable. We see Artemis meeting with Prometheus. Obviously here, just as in "Young Justice," Artemis is a double agent...

Next: Invasion!

Arrow S05 E02: The Recruits

Team Arrow is recruiting. First up is Wild Dog, who as opposed to the comics here is really Rene Ramirez rather than Jack Wheeler. Pretty much everything else is the same though, hockey mask, guns, camouflage, and red dog shirt. Second is Curtis Holt, who it seems like we have been waiting forever for him to finally take on the identity of Mr. Terrific. And then there's Evelyn Sharp, who masqueraded as the Black Canary, but rumor indicates will become Artemis.

When we first see Flashback Island this episode it becomes apparent that Green Arrow is using his old Bratva initiation tactics to train the new recruits. No matter how you slice it, our boy is being rough with the newbies. You'd think after four seasons Oliver would have learned some social skills.

There's a callback to AmerTek as the company funding a new hospital/free clinic. They appeared once before and in the comics is a corporation that plagued Steel and produced the Toastmasters battle armor. Their execs are being attacked by our mysterious stranger - to be named later as Ragman.

In the comics, originally, Ragman was Rory Regan, an Irish-American war vet who through an electrical accident gained the powers and abilities of his father and his friends, then put on a rag costume and fought crime. This version was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert. Post-Crisis, his origin was retconned, and Rory became Jewish, and the costume became magic. Made from cloth thousands of years, Ragman's cloak and costume could absorb the souls of the corrupt, adding to his power.

Here on "Arrow," Ragman is played by stage actor Joe Dinicol, and is the lone survivor of the Havenrock nuclear blast. Magic cloth of the devarim and atomic mutation, as well as a drive for vengeance have turned him into the Ragman. He looks to be simply dressed in rags, with no cool comics cape, but mystical animated tendrils of rags do extend to grab and entangle his opponents. He could be fun. At the end of the episode, Oliver asks him to join what's left of Team Arrow.

To protect the opening of the clinic, the new Team Arrow grudgingly gets its baptism of fire. Ragman arrives, and attacks another AmerTek exec. His speech sounds very familiar, "You have been judged and found wanting." It's almost as if he's been watching "Arrow" reruns. Nevertheless he kicks the crap outta Green Arrow (how did Oliver change into his costume so quickly?) and Wild Dog and takes off. Definitely a meta.

So Ragman is after AmerTek, and AmerTek is going bankrupt because of their involvement with Genesis Day - the catch all term for the day Damien Darhk nuked Havenrock last season. They made the missiles. And now to make back some of that money lost, they're selling $100 million in weapons to Tobias Church. Yeah, that'll work, pardon me while I roll my eyes.

Green Arrow's reprimand after the clinic debacle makes everyone leave the team. Curtis is the one who stands up to him and tells him what's what. I liked that. And yet still, it's Felicity who finally gets through to him. Too bad Oliver ruined that relationship. Felicity has already moved on to detective Billy Malone, who she's using for his police access. I can't help wondering if he's really just a cop... Prometheus maybe?

As if the Bratva flashbacks aren't enough of a diversion, we also have a subplot with John Diggle in Chechnya getting double-crossed by his own men. A General Walker, also reacting to Genesis Day, is stealing one of Darhk's missiles to defend against metas, and leaving Diggle as the patsy. My guess is that a future episode will have the Green Arrow and his new team saving Spartan's butt.

Next: A Matter of Trust!