Arrow S03 E07: "Draw Back Your Bow"

Back in the day, the 1950s to be precise, Green Arrow wasn't nothing but Batman with a bow. Millionaire playboy with a masked alter ego, check. Young ward/sidekick, got one. Cave headquarters, themed vehicle and arsenal, got them too. He even had a signal in the sky and an arch criminal clown for a recurring bad guy. Much like Batman had Catwoman and Poison Ivy, Green Arrow had his share of romantic interests/opponents as well.

Most notable is Miss Arrowette, who for decades was lost to the mists of time until resurrected in the Young Justice comics as the mother of new member Arrowette. Like similar villainesses, like the aforementioned Catwoman and the Harlequin who pestered the Golden Age Green Lantern, Miss Arrowette may have posed as a criminal, but she really had a soft spot for Green Arrow, which could reform her at the drop of a bow.

In the Modern Age, a new darker take was tried with an Arrowette-like character. This one however was a full-fledged sociopath, and her name was Cupid. "Arrow" showrunner Andrew Kreisberg created Cupid himself for the Green Arrow/Black Canary comic in 2009, so really it was only a matter of time before she showed up live action. CW veteran actress Amy Gumenick plays the bow and arrow armed villainess obsessed with Arrow on the TV series, and she is very good at psycho. As far as psycho girlfriends go, I much prefer Gumenick to Jessica DeGouw's Huntress.

In the Felicity subplot, she delivers the best line of the episode while watching Brandon Routh's shirtless Ray Palmer doing the salmon ladder in his office, "Oh god, I have a type." It still creeps me out that Ray thinks he can buy Felicity's love, but I kinda dig how Routh is out-barechesting Stephen Amell. I never really thought of the Atom being so buff though. I guess you miss it because he's so small. And just wait, it looks like he'll be getting smaller.

Just like in the comics, Cupid finds an arrow shot by Oliver in a previous battle (Brother Blood's assault on the city in this case) and fixates on it. She begins hunting Arrow's enemies and killing them, for him. Her lair, a love nest that would make any stalker jeal, is really really crazy ex-girlfriend creepy. Over at "The Flash," Cisco usually names the bad guys, and here Felicity pegs Cupid as 'Crazy Pants.' I like that name better.

At last in Flashback Hong Kong, we not only have a few nice moments between young Oliver and Tatsu, but finally we get to see Katana in action. Thea finds a potential new boyfriend in a really annoyingly cliché subplot, and Oliver pushes Felicity into the arms of Ray Palmer, only to change his mind too late. I'm also happy to see the name Arsenal in use finally as well.

Lots of DC Comics name drops this time out. There's St. Walker most famous of the Blue Lanterns, Baron Street in homage to writer Mike Baron, and Sherwood Florist which in the comics was the flower shop run by Dinah (Black Canary) Lance for years. And of course, rather than Iron Heights, Cupid is put in with the other inmates in the Suicide Squad, and an indirect reference is made to Harley Quinn. The biggest Easter egg however is Palmer hunting white dwarf alloy and revealing his A.T.O.M. suit of armor.

This is also the second episode in a row to end with a sneak peek at the next episode's villain of the week. I'm not sure I like that. It just seems a little bit too much Batman '66 for me. In this case, we get another "Spartacus" alum Nick Tarabay as the decidedly non-Australian Digger Harkness AKA Captain Boomerang.

Next: Flash Vs. Arrow!



And remember to see all of my reviews of the "Arrow" series, click here, its companion series "The Flash," click here, and if you'd like to discuss the latest episodes on Facebook, here and here.

Arrow S03 E05: "The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak"

Being a hardcore comics fanboy, I appreciated the comics title of this episode, and it's about time we learned the television origins of Ms. Smoak. Like many elements of our sister show "The Flash," Felicity Smoak comes originally from the pages of Firestorm comics. Much older and brunette in the comics, Felicity ran a software firm and eventually married Ronnie Raymond's father. Much like her TV counterpart, she was burdened with secrets as she knew that Ronnie was part of the Firestorm entity.

We open on a wonderful and intense training montage - Oliver and Roy, Laurel and Ted Grant, Thea and Malcolm - followed as Thea asks what normal people do in the morning, cut to Felicity doing sit-ups to the TV. Ray Palmer shows up, followed by her mother. Felicity is not pleased. Donna Smoak is Charlotte Ross, like Barry Allen's Grant Gustin, another choice from "Glee." Mom is so far from our girl, Ray asks if she's adopted. Also, why does Ray have to seem so slimy? Or is that just Brandon Routh?

After a quick flashback to Felicity's college days as a goth hacker whose boyfriend is a bit of a mad hacktivist (and obviously, maybe too obviously as we'll see, our villain of the week), the real story begins. The power grid of Starling City goes out and then only TV monitors come back on with an image of Sauron's eye delivering an ultimatum. It calls itself Brother Eye. I'm betting on the flashback boyfriend or his roommate, but we'll see. Either way, Emily Bett Rickards looks good goth.

Brother Eye is a machine with a long and storied past in the DC Comics, originally created by the great Jack Kirby. Brother Eye is OMAC's advisor, controller, companion. Originally OMAC stood for One Man Army Corps, but later versions have been translated as Omni Mind And Community and as Observational Metahuman Activity Construct. OMAC is, in most versions, a good guy who gets his incredible strength and other abilities from his machine cohort, usually an orbital satellite called Brother Eye.

In some versions of continuity, Batman created the satellite to keep watch over other superheroes in case they went rogue or became threats. This satellite was turned against him of course in the Final Crisis. So while OMAC began as a near future hero by Kirby, most folks of this generation might think of him as an anti-hero/villain. And that goes for Brother Eye as well. Here, on "Arrow," Brother Eye is more a codename for the cyber-terrorist threatening the city.

Felicity's discovery that the virus Brother Eye is using to attack Starling is one she herself wrote back in college is the thrust of the previews for the episode, so it's not really as much of a shock as it should be, but it still packs quite a wallop. I have to learn to stop watching previews. You too. Ignore the video at the end of this review.

When the roommate's name is revealed as Myron Forest (in the comics, one of Brother Eye's creators), we really know who's behind what. Or do we? He claims innocence, and apparently Felicity's boyfriend is dead. But let's face it, the dead boyfriend is always the last one you expect. Holy red herring, Batman, Lifetime this ain't. But really, what kind of NSA super hacker could this doofus really be if he thinks Felicity is just a corporate lackey? I mean, let's face it, Team Arrow isn't the world's biggest secret. He couldn't figure that one out?

Felicity is not having a good day. She and her mom aren't the best of friends, but it all comes together in the end. Speaking of soap opera content, Laurel and her dad are just as much at odds as Felicity and her mom. Thea and Oliver are trying to get along, despite her taking Malcolm's money.

The Arrowcave question I posed last time reared its ugly head. How long will Thea put up with a locked door in her nightclub, 'flooded basement' or not? There was also another Coast City name drop. And did everyone else love the Adventures of Robin Hood movie poster at Felicity's place?

There was an awesome end fight, beginning to drop into a Batman '66 pattern, where we know at twenty of the hour there will be a fight. I loved Arrow misdirecting the motion guns. Diggle definitely needs a better battle suit. And Roy's arrow through the bazooka was so good even he didn't believe it.

Now let's talk about that ending. Roy is dreaming he killed Sara? It does fit in that Sara seemed to know her killer. And he's throwing the arrows? Can he do that without the Mirakuru in his system? Maybe it's not out? Or maybe, just maybe, it's just a dream. Having already faced T.O. Morrow, Solomon Grundy, and Brother Eye - would an appearance by Doctor Destiny be that much of a stretch really?

Arrow S03 E02: "Sara"

We open just moments after we left off last episode. Our Canary is dead, murdered by three arrows in the chest from an unseen (by the viewers) assailant. Laurel brings her to the Arrowcave.

Who did it? Sara knew her killer, and asked what they were doing there. My guesses are Malcolm or Thea (longshots) or someone from the League of Assassins or even Ras Al Ghul himself. Despite this being a show about Green Arrow, there aren't as many archer suspects as one might think. Huntress? Nah. Oliver himself says there are ten he knows of. My money is on Ras, directly or indirectly.

To complicate matters, Lance calls in the Arrow to bring in a new archer in town who's killing people. This was one of the bugaboos of the Golden Age and Silver Age Green Arrow stories. Why does everyone in a costume in Star City seem to want to use a bow and arrows as their weapon of choice? Is there something in the water?

The archer terrorizing the city is one from the comics who goes by the name Komodo. In the comics, Simon Lacroix was a protege of Oliver's father who was obsessed with an 'arrow totem' that supposedly provided enlightenment. He killed Oliver's father for it, and when he didn't find it, became the masked Komodo and vowed to destroy Green Arrow.

In the show however, Komodo appears to be simply another bow-toting assassin. The motorcycle duel between the archers would have been much cooler had it been lighted better, and we had more than just barely different colored helmets to identify the characters. I mean really, a red helmet could have just as easily been Roy/Speedy/Arsenal, right?

When Komodo crashes Ray Palmer's party, and Arrow and Roy follow suit to stop him, all I could think is what all the party goers must have thought - wow, that's a lot of guys with bows and arrows. And it turns out just like we thought - Komodo is not on the suspect list for Sara's death.

Ray Palmer continues to pursue Felicity on a seriously creepy stalker level. And maybe it's the writing or the behavior, but he is nowhere near as charming or charismatic as he was last week. After Superman Returns and his creepy Ray Palmer here, I think Brandon Routh should try a full-on stalker role, he might be good at it, definitely better than the way he plays heroes. And how is it Ray Palmer us so rich on TV but not in the comics?

Laurel continues her instability from last season, but at least she's not annoying about it this time. She's playing a little rough and crazy, edging her closer to putting on Sara's leather as the new Canary. The fact that Dad doesn't want her taking risks pretty much telegraphs that she will. Of course, things don't always go as we think they do, right? How many of us at the beginning of this ride thought Tommy Merlyn would become Merlyn the Magician? More on Tommy later.

One Easter egg I actually missed last episode was from the flashback sequences. Oliver was being held in Hong Kong by an Asian man, who in turn was being made to follow the orders of Amanda Waller. She threatened his family if he didn't, and his family? The little girl who in the comics grows up to become the Outsider known as Katana.

Speaking of flashbacks, surprisingly, Tommy Merlyn has come to Hong Kong looking for Oliver, lured by the aborted email last week. Just like "The Sopranos," just because a character is dead doesn't mean they are off the show. Way to go, Colin Donnell. Not much of a return, but still worth seeing him.

Namedrops this episode include Qurac, Amazons, Bludhaven, and Corto Maltese where we see Malcolm training Thea. Sara's death and Oliver's refusal to mourn deepens the gorge between him and Felicity. Roy suspects Thea isn't where she says she is. Without Oliver's mom, the soap opera has lessened, but it hasn't disappeared. And was anyone else creeped out that Team Arrow buried Sara for real in her fake grave??

Next: Corto Maltese!

Arrow S03 E01: "The Calm"

Quite a few changes occurred in the season two finale of "Arrow." Roy got better and was promoted to masked vigilante, still no codename, but if I had to bet, it would be Arsenal not Speedy or Red Arrow. Speaking of Speedy, Mia is now with her birth father, Malcolm Merlin. Sara has returned to the League of Assassins, and Laurel was let in on the secret of Team Arrow. And oh yeah, our new flashback destination is Hong Kong with Oliver working for Amanda Waller.

We open on Team Arrow acting smooth unison taking down a character I swear was a baddie from "Wiseguy," but what do I know? The episode title adequately describes the team here, peaceful and happy. Diggle and Lyla having a baby, Oliver and Felicity pseudo-dating, all friends united for a common cause. Roy is a little rough, but then he's always been a little rough, probably just missing Mia.

We are five months later, Laurel is a little bit blonder (closer to becoming a Canary herself), her dad has a cane and an illness keeping him from fieldwork, and the anti-vigilante task force has been disbanded. Arrow is finally a hero, or at least not hunted by the police. With crime at an all time low, and the police cooperating with the Arrow, it's hard times for the underworld, don't worry, nature abhors a vacuum.

Someone has to step up to organize the baddies against Arrow. That someone has an accent and has modified the drug called Vertigo to show its user/victim their greatest fear. Well, it's a bit more Scarecrow than Count Vertigo, but this series has never shied away from the shadows of the Bat-universe. His name is Werner Zytle, in the comics, he is appropriately enough the second Count Vertigo. And I love his Prokofiev whistle.

Felicity has been working at a tech support job in the time since last season. It begs the question of who's paying for dinner on this big date between her and Oliver. Obviously, she is. One customer takes an interest in her, suspiciously looking like a deadbeat dad super-stalker. Yeah, it's Brandon Routh, only this time he's playing a superhero other than Superman. This time he's Ray Palmer, who is probably not yet the Atom.

Ray Palmer is sharp, quirky, and charismatic. If Routh had been this much fun as the man of steel, I might have liked Superman Returns more. He wants to take over Queen Consolidated, and turn the old brutalized Starling City into the new and improved (and closer to the comics version) Star City. Not only is Routh entertaining as heck, he also wants a piece of Felicity as well.

The date, the date many of us have been waiting for for years now, Felicity and Oliver. Having exhausted any topic that could have talked about on a first date, Oliver decides to conveniently tell Felicity about Hong Kong. And not for the first time nor for the last time, I need to mention that Felicity cleans up really nice. Emily Bett Rickards is super hot. Too bad our villain cuts in to the date with a rocket launcher. Soooo... why does Oliver take the bleeding unconscious Felicity to the Arrowcave instead of a hospital??

As happy as I was to see Canary come to the rescue when Arrow goes after the new Vertigo, I was once again disappointed in the recent trend in superhero stories - why can't the hero win on their own? I mean, isn't that why they are the hero? As for Sara Lance, our first Black Canary, I wish I could say we'd be seeing her again.

As we know who this season's big bad is - Ras Al Ghul - it's not hard to guess who took her out. If it's not him, he gave the order. The real question is... how long before Laurel puts on the leather looking for revenge?

San Diego Comic-Con Catch-Up

Yeah, I realize it's all over, and no one's really talking about this year's San Diego Comic-Con any more, but I've been busy, and haven't been able to chime in. So consider this your official wrap-up.

We learned new details about the upcoming season of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." including what role Lucy Lawless will play, and who the next big bad will be. Details are here at Biff Bam Pop!. On the "Agent Carter" front, Avengers fans will be pleased as Edwin Jarvis will be in the show, in his youthful prime, hopefully kicking ass and cleaning up. Sorry, butler joke, couldn't help it.

Other Marvel news included the official announcement the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel and animated series, an entertaining Avengers: Age of Ultron panel seen here, and a movie poster and details on the Ant-Man movie. Apparently we will have some kind of Wasp-ish character, and surprisingly, Yellowjacket, who's not Hank Pym, is the villain of the piece.

On the other side of the street at DC Comics, we finally got our first look at Wonder Woman from Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, for a full view, Biff Bam Pop! has it here. There was lots of TV news about "Constantine" and "Gotham," but the real stuff was all about Green Arrow and the Flash. Con goers got to see the pilot for the CW's "The Flash" which I reviewed here, and Ras Al Ghul was announced as the big bad on this season of "Arrow." And that's not even mentioning date night with Felicity or former movie Superman Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer. It's gonna be good.



Other news at the Comic-Con included Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah being in the Godzilla sequel, a King Kong prequel called Skull Island, and the trailer for the new season of "The Walking Dead." It was a good con, shame I missed it.

Quickies 10-4-2011

Harper ~ Although it looks and feels as dated as it is, this quirky Paul Newman detective thriller is still entertaining because of Newman's charm, and the source material. It's based on John MacDonald's 1949 novel The Moving Target featuring Lew Archer. The story was updated to 1966 standards and Newman changed the name of his character because he thought his films that started with an H (Hud, The Hustler, Hombre) did better in the theatres. Wonderful detective flick, great William Goldman script, and an all-star cast of the time. Recommended.

Table for Three ~ The more I see Brandon Routh in movies, the more I think he's better suited for comedy than he ever was as Superman. Yeah, Superman was definitely a mistake. This flick however, a screwball comedy about a lonely guy with commitment issues who becomes involved with his two married roommates who may or may not be psychotic, is beautifully suited to Routh. Good for a laugh.

The Guard ~ We walked into this film blind after missing a showing of Columbiana by just a few minutes. I still haven't seen Columbiana, and I think we made a good choice. This comedy thriller from writer/director John Michael McDonagh was a pleasant surprise. The odd combination of small town Irish police officer Brendan Gleeson and FBI agent Don Cheadle in this offbeat buddy cop flick is highly entertaining in the spirit of the Irish comic cinema. Fun flick, recommended.

Unknown ~ This Liam Nielson starring thriller portrays a man with memory loss who may or may not be who he thinks he is. It's slow and predictable with a much too underrated score for a supposed action flick. And January Jones offers another wooden performance that cements her title as the worst actress working in movies and television today. Wait for free TV for this one.

Almighty Thor ~ This is the official copycat rip-off of Thor by The Asylum. You know The Asylum, they make movies that seem like real blockbusters but are simply designed to cash in on the original movie's name. Sometimes they are funny, sometimes they're not half-bad, and most Saturday nights they run on the SyFy Channel. This one's not really that bad. Thor and Loki tussle on Earth and in Asgard, and the god of thunder wins in the end. Decent but cheesy story and special effects, but an enjoyable watch.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Zack and Miri Make a Porno ~ All the hype about taking the “porno” out of the title and the advertising and even the movie listings aside, this is actually a rather sweet film from Kevin Smith – or at least as sweet as Kevin Smith gets. It seems that as much as making the critically panned but well-intentioned Jersey Girl and visiting familiar turf in Clerks 2 with a eye towards fun rather than gloom, has mellowed Smith – it also seems that the presence of Seth Rogen has invigorated him. Formerly Smith stayed within his own bounds and used the same entourage of folks in his films, but Rogen (and Elizabeth Banks as well) has brought the new blood and the new vision needed to make this Smith effort that much more entertaining. Craig Robinson and Superman Returns' Brandon Routh, as well as Smith alumni Jeff Anderson are priceless. A great film (for fans of Smith), and hopefully the start of a new partnership.