Arrow S06 E03: Next of Kin

Back during the time of late high school and college when I wasn’t actively reading comics any more (I know, shocking), a lot of things happened.  One of them was the first appearance of Onyx, a naive vigilante who Green Arrow crossed paths with in Star City.  Sheltered in a monastery she learned martial arts, and in a move that would make Batman proud, Onyx went out into the world to do good, her parents having been murdered years before. 

Later she was completely revamped as a Batman associate in the War Games story arc.  Now she was trained by the League of Assassins, and no longer naive.  Personally I liked the original teenaged Onyx with the cape better, but it’s the later version who has been brought to the small screen on “,a href="http://monsura.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html">Arrow.” 

Continuing from this season’s first episode, Team Arrow is in pursuit of Alex Faust, with John Diggle taking over as the Green Arrow.  He took on the mantle at the end of the last episode, in spite of the degenerative cell damage he suffered on Lian Yu.  So far only Black Canary also knows, but neither has told Oliver.  Seems like Oliver has definitely rubbed off on the team. 

This pursuit has John pulling the insane stunt of jumping off a building and letting Black Canary’s scream propel him across to another building.  It sounds nuts and comic booky, but the way it was executed I totally believed it.  Bravo.  Also notable the opening gauntlet of symbols lacked one for Spartan, giving more commitment to the idea that John is now the Green Arrow.  Nice touch. 

When Oliver shows up for work the next day Samanda is waiting for him.  She’s not stupid, and despite Oliver’s airtight alibi, she knows someone else was playing Green Arrow, someone who’s not an archer.  Samanda also brings up how the cops might feel slighted (at best) with the mayor leaning on a vigilante.  It’s a thought I had as a little kid watching the original “Batman” TV show - why do the Gotham police even bother showing up to work?  They’re either bored or disillusioned, right? 

Meanwhile the slick Onyx, here a crooked ex-CIA operative named Onyx Adams, breaks into Kord Industries (will we ever see Blue Beetle?) and downloads some serious intel, including a deadly nerve gas (Kord makes nerve gas???).  When Team Arrow protects the gas shipment, Onyx takes them out pretty easily.  I did like Rene’s “Surprise, bitch.” though.  We need more Rene in the show as he gets the best lines.  Why not put him in the Green Arrow suit?  Or Dinah or Felicity, they seem to be leading as well. 

Rene asks Oliver to come back, but he gives John a pep talk instead.  So, the team is splintered when it next goes into action against Onyx and her team - who having seen John in action are unimpressed and don’t see him or his team a threat.  Not good.  Things do turn around however, and the fight sequences of the last act are quite impressive, and a vast improvement over the first episode this season.  And John proves himself. 

Unfortunately, as the end stinger reveals, John is using performance enhancing drugs to stabilize his tremors.  Well, that’s not going to come back to bite anyone in the ass.  There’s more soap with William as Oliver finally allows Felicity into his life.  There was a lot to like about this episode, but all things considered, I’d rather have Oliver as Green Arrow.  This is like one of those tired cliche comic arcs where the hero is replaced.  I’m just waiting for the real Green Arrow. 

Something I talked about last time, but have since given further thought to is the existence of Batman in the Arrowverse.  After a brief exchange with friend Tim Murr on Twitter I’ve reconsidered my position.  There may well be a Batman in the Arrowverse.  And while I’m thinking of it, check out Tim’s work at Biff Bam Pop! right here.  He’s only been with us a couple of months, coming over from the late Popshifter, but he’s written some great stuff.  And a book too.  Check him out. 

So maybe Batman does exist.  After all, we’ve seen Harley Quinn, right?  Felicity wouldn’t take the name Oracle (she does it again subtly in this very episode) when suggested because it was already in use. And then there’s Rip Hunter from “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” who remarked from a dark future that he’d seen dark knights and men of steel fall.  That’s pretty conclusive. And there’s no reason why Green Arrow couldn’t have fought all those Bat-villains before Batman did, right? 

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.

Next: The Black Siren returns in “Reversal!”

Vixen Season Two

Last year, before the live action debut of Vixen on "Arrow," I reviewed season one of her animated digital series on CW Seed. You can check it out here.  This year the character has not only a second animated season, but her grandmother, the Golden Age Vixen, who in Arrowverse continuity was a member of the Justice Society of America, is now part of the "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" crew. 

Her role in "Legends" was tricky as showrunners originally wanted Megalyn Echikunwoke to reprise her role but when she was unavailable, the time travel series turned to time travel for a solution and recruited Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Vixen's grandmother who also used the Tantu Totem to gain animal powers and fight crime and injustice.  When her lover, Hourman, was slain by the time traveling Reverse-Flash during World War II, she joined the Legends to hunt the evil speedster down.  That quest continues through this, the show's second season. 

In the second season of the animated "Vixen" on CW Seed however, Echikunwoke returns to reprise her original voice role. Vixen's journey to uncover her heritage and powers continues.  We once again see guest-stars the Flash and Cisco Ramon, as well as Firestorm when Vixen is called upon to help stop the Weather Wizard from destroying Monument Point.  As you can see from the linkage, this series is solidly entrenched in the Arrowverse continuity. 

Vixen's quest leads her to the discovery of four other totems similar to her own, but granting powers of the four elemental forces.  An old enemy of her family with the fire totem seeks revenge in this tale of consequence and reunion, that also guest-stars DCTV second stringers like Black Canary and the Atom. 

Bottom line, this is a fun adventure, and there are sure to be more as there are still two other totems out there.  CW Seed is a cool app too, now with the much missed "Constantine," and soon to host its possible animated continuation.  Great stuff.

Arrow S05 E10: Who Are You?

First off I should mention that "Arrow," as well as "The Flash," "Legends of Tomorrow," "Supergirl," and a few other CW shows have all been renewed early. Although such an early renewal is unusual, what is really intriguing is that "Arrow" had originally been conceived as a five-year project. I guess the future really is wide open, at least in the Arrowverse.

We open as we left before the mid-winter finale, with Laurel alive greeting Oliver in the Arrowcave. Trust me, he's as shocked and disbelieving as we are. Laurel claims that at the time of her death, Sara rescued her and healed her with the technology of the Waverider. At first Oliver accepts it, then Felicity comes in, and so does she. That said, she can't help but wonder why the Legends can save Laurel but not Malone. That old devil time travel.

Considering however that there was no mention of these events in the previous night's episode of "DC's Legends of Tomorrow," I'm calling shenanigans. And if she's not Laurel, who is she? Prometheus? Laurel's 'resurrection party' is sparsely attended and the mood is a bit grim. Everyone is still upset by Artemis' betrayal, Prometheus still on the loose, and yes, Detective Malone's death at the hands of Green Arrow last episode. But of course, Felicity set the party up with only one intent - to get Laurel's DNA. Even if the rest of Team Arrow is drinking the Kool-Aid, Felicity is still in the job.

The DNA is a match. And just as Rory is joking with Felicity about evil twins, Felicity realizes that Laurel does have an evil twin. Before she can even mouth the words Black Siren, they're attacked by... guess who? The Black Siren. I love when comic book shows are comic booky. It just makes this fanboy right here squeee!

The Black Siren was freed from S.T.A.R. Labs by Prometheus. The video sent over by Cisco seems to indicate magic or teleportation as no alarms were triggered and they were in and out. But things aren't working out between Prometheus and the Black Siren. I guess Prometheus is not as cool a boss as Zoom. She arranges a meet at the Black Canary statue that goes awry, taking the statue with it. Broke my heart to see that.

Still Team Arrow apprehends her, and Oliver tries to interrogate her, to no avail. He can't separate her from her doppelgänger, and if can get redemption for his Laurel through her evil twin, he'll do it. Felicity however knows her ex's weaknesses and tries to compensate. Felicity hooks up the Siren unknowingly with tracking nanites and sets her free. Oliver is of course livid. In the meantime we get some nice interaction between Wild Dog and Mr. Terrific. Wish there was more of that.

The nanites lead the team to both Prometheus and the Black Siren. It was great seeing Overwatch in the field, despite alternately being bait and a target. And of course Prometheus got away again, although I'm not sure how. He had a chance to kill Green Arrow but seemed to sneak out the back in the middle of the fight.

The Bratva flashback continues to drag on, only brightening up when Talia al Ghul shows up. I love Talia, but I'm sorry, folks, after Damian Darhk (who continues to haunt the Legends of Tomorrow), I am all League of Assassins-ed out.

Also Oliver goes to Adrian Chase to defend Diggle, but while there he learns that the DA knows Malone was killed by Green Arrow being manipulated into thinking he was Prometheus. Chase does intercede on Diggle's behalf only to find the military is set on eliminating Diggle. Chase cleverly saves him, if only temporarily.

The stinger at the end of the episode fades in from Oliver swearing he'll find a replacement for the Black Canary, someone worthy of the mantle. We see a woman take out two bikers in a bar with a sonic scream. Really? Are there so many metahumans out there now that powers are repeating? And I say powers and metahumans because I don't see any tech here.

Next: Second Chances!

Arrow S05 E09: What We Leave Behind

One of the things I found interesting in the aftermath of the Heroes V Aliens Invasion! Crossover was the way it seemingly ended or at least chilled ongoing plots and subplots in the individual shows. "Supergirl" tied up most of its loose ends, "The Flash" had an Alchemy and Savitar free week, the Legion of Doom took the week off from "DC's Legends of Tomorrow," and the cast of "Arrow" literally dreamed Prometheus and Artemis away. It's nice to get back to normal, almost without missing a beat.

Interestingly we open on the big mayoral holiday party a surprisingly stable Thea has thrown, where she and Oliver discuss agreeing to not talk about aliens and yet do anyway for a good few minutes. Oliver's date arrives, Susan Williams, who I predict will betray him worse than Artemis, and we get small talk and character advancement until Prometheus attacks Curtis and his husband Paul as they leave.

Paul is introduced to 'the gang' just as Billy Malone, Felicity's boyfriend is. If the DCTV shows have proven nothing, they've definitely demonstrated how outdated the secret identity concept is. Jeez, just tell the truth. If you can't tell the person you love the truth, that relationship is doomed. Curtis lies right up to and through his beating at the hands of Prometheus, and continues while hospitalized. I'm shocked, and my respect for Curtis has dropped.

Even when Paul confronts Curtis outright, he still lies. Paul knows that was the throwing star killer, knows Curtis has become a better fighter, can't he put it together? I was happy however that Billy wasn't falling for any bullshit. He figures out Curtis is Mr. Terrific pretty easily, now knows Prometheus is targeting Team Arrow, and wants Felicity protected. Billy should have a real chat with Paul.

When Curtis does confess, after basically being cornered, Paul is angered by being lied to all this time. He gives Curtis an ultimatum, the marriage or being a vigilante. Yeah, Curtis chooses the latter, and is crushed when Paul leaves. On the other side of the coin, Felicity is showing the same resistance to Billy, but that takes more dangerous consequences when he's kidnapped by Prometheus.

Some convoluted clues lead Team Arrow to trap set by Prometheus, where Artemis finally shows her hand. The clue comes from a dead man on The List, Justin Clayborne, mentioned in the series pilot, but never seen until now. Flashback Island this episode takes a break from the Bratva to concentrate on this untold case. Nice to see Oliver in the old Hood togs, and highlighted by appearances of younger Diggle and Felicity.

Is there any way we can get more of the new guys, Wild Dog and Ragman? I loved the gift giving bit at the Arrowcave, and the continuing bonding between the Dog and Diggle. I dug the stockings. Anyone else notice that no one got Artemis anything? No wonder she turns on them. And is weirdly not seen again. Did Prometheus kill her too?

Little details come out throughout the episode as to Prometheus' identity. He might be Claybourne's son, or he could be someone completely out of left field - I'll get to that in a moment. Prometheus stages a crime scene exactly as the Hood left it when he killed Claybourne the senior, then allows Oliver to kill a helpless Billy dressed as Prometheus. Oliver is crushed and defeated when he returns to the Arrowcave.

So that's Quentin down, Artemis, and Curtis effectively, and Felicity now. Also, as a seemingly afterthought, Diggle gets captured by the authorities. Oliver goes to drown his sorrows with Susan, which will surely come back to bite him in the ass. And then he goes back to the Arrowcave for the shock ending to end all shock endings. Laurel is there waiting for him.

Not so much her possibly being alive, it's the possibility she might be Prometheus that startles me. With hints dropped last week during the invasion and in this episode, I have to wonder how much traction the showrunners will be giving Flashpoint as a plot device and reality reset. Could Laurel really be alive? Could she be Prometheus?

This was an intense episode, with many potential dead ends for characters and plotlines. It's going to take a lot to keep this all together. Hell, it's going to take a lot to hold Oliver together.

The Heroes V Aliens Crossover

You probably have been looking for the review of this week's episode of "Arrow" here at Welcome to Hell, but because of the massive crossover this week, that review appears over at Biff Bam Pop!, along with the other parts of that event.

For the first part, which is really only the last moment or two of the "Supergirl" episode "Medusa," along with some comics background on the Invasion, can be found here.

The Invasion starts full force in The Flash the next night, as the heroes of Earth, and even other dimensions, gather to battle the threat of the Dominators. You can read that review right here.

The third part coincided with the one hundredth episode of "Arrow," and while the Invasion continues, the showrunners also do something special for this landmark episode of the series. Captured by the Dominators, and trapped in a psychic hallucination, members of Team Arrow learn how things would be different if Oliver Queen never became Green Arrow. You can read my review of that here.

The conclusion to the Invasion happens in the Thursday episode of "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" right here. Awesome.

Arrow S04 E22: Lost in the Flood

In the last episode of "Arrow," the town of Havenrock was nuked in order to save the much more populous city of Monument Point. The unavoidable death toll is in the tens of thousands instead of millions. The disaster has made Damien Darhk near invincible. He's powerful enough to kill Green Arrow and Spartan, but he doesn't, so they will live long enough to die in the armageddon when Darhk gets the rest of the missile codes. Rookie James Bond villain mistake - always kill the heroes, always.

Felicity is taking it hard, and she had a hard choice, she didn't want anyone to die. They're going to need help to keep the codes from Darhk, so she enlists Curtis, who more than a little starstruck by her hacker dad, the Calculator. I loved when he said to Felicity that she now made so much more sense, and also the WarGames reference. Of course, in retaliation Darhk enlists Cooper Seldon from "The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak" to work the opposing side of the hack. I loved the Eye of Sauron on the screens when Cooper took over the Team Arrow computers.

Meanwhile Thea is being held prisoner by dear old dad Malcolm Merlin inside Darhk's Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (yeah, I went there) after Anarky killed her boyfriend, who was not Dr. Davis after all. Anarky, who's hunting Darhk, may actually be more of a monkey wrench in his plans than Team Arrow. I am so sick of deus ex machina in these superhero shows of late, Anarky better not be the one to take out Darhk.

While Felicity is called away to deal with the domestic trainwreck that is her parents, and Green Arrow and Spartan discover Darhk's underground EPCOT, Quentin Lance is alone in the Arrowcave. It's during this time that Sara Lance returns from her time journey with "DC's Legends of Tomorrow." If you watched the season finale the next evening you know what happens when she learns Laurel has been killed. Like on "Doctor Who," Laurel's death is a fixed point in time and cannot be altered. Sara returns to the time stream.

On Flashback Island, Taiana is possessed of the power of Reiter's Khushu Idol, and planning to bring it home to her village to take revenge on the warlord there, a guy named Kovar. Interesting, the only Russian named Kovar in the DC Comics Universe is the superhero Starfire/Red Star, decidedly a good guy last I checked. Unfortunately, Reiter is still alive and isn't letting anyone leave with the idol.

Back at Darhk's Noah's Ark/EPCOT Thea been drugged and wants to kill Oliver. Merlyn steps in and says the most truthful thing that's ever been said in four seasons of this series. Oliver has always had an inability to do what is necessary. What's he going to do? It's already been established he's not going to kill Merlyn. Only John Barrowman. Cold hard truth. And right there, with those words, Merlyn takes the crown as Green Arrow's archenemy.

Inside the Ark, things have gone to hell, for exactly the reasons I had feared. Team Arrow has nothing to do with actively defeating the bad guy, again. While they stopped Darhk from getting the missile codes and foiling his plan, it's Anarky who makes the crushing blow. While the whole ark city is going up in white dwarf star alloy powered flames, little Lonnie Machin kills Ruve Adams.

As you can imagine, Darhk is at the end of his rope. And why he didn't kill Merlyn for his continued failures is beyond me. Malcolm and Oliver are just different sides of the same coin. As Darhk visits Felicity, Curtis, and Donna he promises to bring hell to them.

For my other reviews of the entire "Arrow" series, click here. And if you'd like to discuss this episode and anything else in the Arrowverse, please join the Arrow Discussion Group on Facebook.

Next: Schism, the season finale!

DC's Legends of Tomorrow S01 E06: Star City 2046

I reviewed the two-part pilot for "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" over at Biff Bam Pop! right here. There was a lot to like, so many heroes, time travel, it was a bit like being a fanboy let loose in a comic shop. Two problems persisted, and continue to persist as the show keeps going. It's predictable, and has far too many characters, forcing the stories to split teams and only concentrate on a few at a time.

However, it has its good points as well. Victor Garber as Professor Stein, and especially Wentworth Miller III as Captain Cold are gold, and the latter is perfect in the role and damned fun to watch. Miller alone as Cold makes the show worth watching. So when a Green Arrow-centric episode came along, seeing as I review "Arrow," I figured I'd write about it.

The concept is time traveler from the future Rip Hunter recruited Hawkgirl, the Atom, White Canary, Firestorm, Captain Cold, and Heat Wave to save the future by fighting Vandal Savage in the past. In mid-mission they crashland in Star City in the year 2046 and need parts for repairs. Star City is under siege however by Grant Wilson, the son of Deathstroke, and his army. The city's only defense is a new Green Arrow named Connor Hawke.

And this is why time travel, mixed with arbitrary TV changes, makes my head hurt. In the comics, Deathstroke did have a son by that name who died on his first mission at the hands of the New Teen Titans. Connor Hawke, in the comics at least, is in fact Oliver Queen's son, by Shado, who's dead on the television series.

Soon it's revealed that Connor Hawke is only the name that John Diggle Jr. took when he became the Green Arrow. Oliver Queen lost an arm when the new Deathstroke took over and quit. Stephen Amell makes a couple cameos as the three decades older Queen. His return is triumphant, and predictable.

As always, and it's a good thing, Cold steals the show clashing with his partner Heat Wave. In this future Star City, the hot tempered criminal could have been a king, but Cold is too invested in stopping Vandal Savage. This is a turning point in the characters and the partnership that will change this dynamic forever. Notably in the comics, Captain Cold and Heat Wave are enemies and grudging colleagues.

Another tidbit from the comics is that this isn't the first time Oliver Queen has lost an arm in the future. He's also in this state in the future of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. See you back in 2016, on "Arrow."

For my other reviews of the entire "Arrow" series, click here. And if you'd like to discuss this episode and anything else in the Arrowverse, please join the Arrow Discussion Group on Facebook.

Arrow S04 E11: A.W.O.L.

As Felicity returns to work with Team Arrow, conjuring more than a passing resemblance to Oracle, and meeting the goth ghost of times past, the team goes up against a new threat, Shadowspire. I'm just thankful it's not Damien Darhk and H.I.V.E. And while the Arrowverse does seem to have appropriated most of the Batman mythos, Oliver admits that the name 'Oracle' is already taken so gives Felicity the codename Overwatch. Awkward, but it'll do in a pinch.

Because this is a John Diggle-centric episode (usually not a good thing), instead of Flashback Island, we get Flashback Afghanistan where the Diggle brothers went to war and first encountered Shadowspire. Here in the Arrowverse, the group are just military war profiteers, but in the comics they were a bit more super-villainous, using biological warfare and running afoul of our old friend Deathstroke among others. They were also led by Baron Blitzkrieg AKA Reiter from Flashback Island, a bit later verified in this episode.

Felicity is hallucinating due to her pain meds and is taunted by her brunette goth self from college. She's like an evil twin saying all the things Felicity can't say out loud herself - or more accurately she's saying the things we viewers yell at the screen for the last few years. And have I not been paying attention, or is this the first time John Diggle's superhero name Spartan been referenced?

Speaking of references, Shadowspire is seemingly looking to steal a shipment of railguns from Kord Industries. It's a decoy of course to keep Team Arrow away from their real target, A.R.G.U.S. Black Canary asks what Shadowspire would want with railguns. My question is different. What the hell is Kord Industries doing making railguns?? And will we ever see Ted Kord or Blue Beetle? I know that the Atom was supposed to originally be Blue Beetle on the show, so with Ray Palmer off time traveling with the "Legends of Tomorrow," can we finally get the real Blue Beetle?

Now my first thought when A.R.G.U.S. and Amanda Waller showed up in this episode was one of surprise. With a DC Comics Cinematic Universe film version of Suicide Squad coming this summer and Deadshot, in particular, dead in the Arrowverse, I figured we were done with this little corner of the DC TV universe. While Felicity and the Diggle brothers saved the day, halfway through the episode, something shocking happened - Amanda Waller was shot dead.

Now it's not her in the grave, and all she gets is a glass of wine remembrance. I have to wonder how this changes the Arrowverse. It's one thing to ignore characters, but it's a whole 'nother kettle of fish to kill them. I wonder what kind of repercussions this will have. And there's also the mention by Oliver of the Flash's ability to change the past. How permanent is Felicity's paralysis, and what would the repercussions of that change be?

For my other reviews of the entire "Arrow" series, click here. And if you'd like to discuss this episode and anything else in the Arrowverse, please join the Arrow Discussion Group on Facebook.

Arrow S04 E10: Blood Debts

As we open, we're back at the grave, with Oliver vowing vengeance. Despite the caption "Four months from now," we've still come full circle, especially with Felicity looking fairly dead at the end of last episode. If it wasn't for previews, I might really be worried about our nerd angel. And on the lighter side, did anyone else notice Barry Allen wearing track shoes with his suit?

I've been away for a while, as some of you know, due to some medical difficulties, and "Arrow" was on hiatus as well. I needed that break. The never-ending battle against Damien Darhk and H.I.V.E. (hell, it even continues in both parts of the "Legends of Tomorrow" pilot) was getting very old very quickly this season and seeming to go nowhere. And the who's-in-the-grave game got stale early as well. I think we all needed a break.

Not dead, or not dead yet (just play along), Felicity is going through multiple surgeries to repair nerve damage, while the Green Arrow rampaged through H.I.V.E., as Darhk is in hiding. I have to hand it to Emily Bett Rickards, or the make up folks. She looks very sick in the hospital scenes, but then again, this is also the nerd girl who can also look runway model stunning when she wants to also.

As Green Arrow closes in on Darhk, there's a problem. Anarky is back, he's hunting Darhk too, and is a step ahead of our hero. Anarky is taken down early and easily, and although I was happy John Diggle put him down, I was kinda bored. Team Arrow take turns interrogating Anarky and Andy Dick, sorry, Freudian slip, Andy Diggle for information on Darhk while Felicity is in surgery. Maybe I'm just overdosed on bad "Arrow" this season, but I'm bored.

That said, I did like Green Arrow using that old ploy from kaiju eiga, that of setting monsters against each other, so you only have to deal with one once the smoke clears. Letting Anarky lead Team Arrow to Darhk was risky but it worked. Unsatisfyingly, Green Arrow fought Darhk and Speedy fought Anarky, yet both villains went free at the end. Enough foreplay, get it over with!

Meanwhile on Flashback Island, which is where the writers go when they're stuck or have nothing to do in the present, Oliver has been found out. His punishment is a flogging until Baron Blitzkrieg/Reiter sees the symbols that John Constantine placed on his abdomen. I wonder how long we will have to wait to see what that means.

As we close, Felicity can't walk, and is shown in the future graveside, eliminating her as a victim. It makes me wonder, what with Roy Harper coming back from doing Candy Crush commercials, could it be Thea in the ground? Whoever it is, I wish the show would get better... it's been in a downward spiral for a while now...

For my other reviews of the entire "Arrow" series, click here. And if you'd like to discuss this episode and anything else in the Arrowverse, please join the Arrow Discussion Group on Facebook.

Arrow S04 E07: Brotherhood

Before we go anywhere this week, I just want to note why the emergence of John Diggle's brother as an actual character on "Arrow" is so weird. Diggle was named in homage of Andy Diggle, one of the Green Arrow writers in the comics. When the opportunity came up to give Diggle some backstory, someone clever behind the scenes thought it would be fun to give him a dead brother named Andy.

Now, this brother is figuring heavily in the current storyline, and it's odd to keep hearing the name Andy Diggle and seeing an actor play him. This is a step beyond the Neal Adams remark a few weeks back, because I doubt we'll ever see Neal. The Andy Diggle thing is different.

Speaking of homages, the trail to find where the H.I.V.E. ghosts are coming from leads to a raid on another corporate entity peddling in super science. Since it doesn't matter the name, at least they decided not to tease us with a real DC Universe company this time like Kord Industries to get our hopes up. This one is Wolfman Biologics, named for writer Marv Wolfman, who did his share of Speedy stories during his reign on New Teen Titans. Ironically, it's also where Diggle finds his brother.

Andy Diggle is alive, and working for H.I.V.E. To get to the point where we find any real information about it is a long road. This episode seems to be about quick action scenes to get to the slow dreary soap opera parts - as opposed to the other way around. Thea is juggling an undercover romance (again?) with Davis, and dealing with her Lazarus Pit blood lust (again??), although it's always nice to see John Barrowman.

The Andy thing brings back the annoying bugaboo between Oliver and Diggle over family and secrets. It seems that the H.I.V.E. ghosts are definitely enhanced by a drug, as well as bound by Darhk's suggestion - and probably dead as well. Ray, coming out his back-from-the-dead funk, pinpoints their home base. It was a thrill to see the Atom join the fight after so long.

The big deal however is Darhk's mini-confrontation of the week. He corners Thea, noting her fighting style as that of R'as Al Ghul, then flips it by asking how her father is. But the whammy is that when he tries to take her heart a la Mola Ram, he surprisingly can't. Lazarus Pit immunity maybe? Weirdly though, the encounter took away Thea's blood lust.

Flashback Island has unearthed a revelation for me in that boss man Reiter was referenced as 'Baron.' Now I am able to place him in the DC Comics mythos. This is the TV version of World War II baddie Baron Blitzkrieg. This Nazi super-villain clashed with the All-Star Squadron frequently, as well as Earth-Two versions of Wonder Woman and Superman. In comics it should be noted the Baron never really had an interest in magic, and on "Arrow," he won't be going by his Blitzkrieg monicker.

Next: the big Arrow/Flash crossover, when Heroes Join Forces, against Vandal Savage!



And then there's this...