Arrow S05 E21: Honor Thy Fathers

The episode opens with bad news, but at least it's realistic bad news.  When your district attorney is a known super-villain, it kind of renders all of his convictions moot.  Not only will they all need retrials, but dozens of dangerous criminals are out on the streets.  That worry is cast aside when a large box addressed to the mayor arrives.

Inside is the corpse of a Glades councilman from 2002, a gift from Prometheus.  The dead man appears to have been murdered by Robert Queen.  Chase apparently has a lot of free time.  It's just a little bit weird how for someone unexpectedly on the run, he can still operate like a super-villain unscathed. 

While Oliver has stretched Team Arrow thin investigating the concrete councilman case, real threats like Derek Sampson are out there free doing real damage. It appears that not only is the wrestling freak who can feel no pain back, but his father and Chase's have a past.  Yeah, they're working together.   

Thea has conveniently returned to see what their dad may have been up to years ago.  She seems weird, maybe high, and uncharacteristically reluctant to put on the Speedy togs again.  When proof that dad did kill the councilman it becomes apparent why she's there, she's the devil on Oliver's shoulder.  Has she really been reduced to this?

Also I'm getting real sick of the negative hockey mask get-up, when are we getting Green Arrow back?  Apparently it's in this episode, as Team Arrow converges on Sampson and Prometheus.  With two more episodes left, we know this isn't the final conflict, but it feels like it.  With both Sampson and Chase in custody, it could be. 

Two more episodes.  Does Chase have some plan B waiting to kick in?  Rene has gone missing from getting his daughter back.  In the past, on Flashback Island, on the eve of Oliver's return to civilization, Kovar attacks, so that's not over.  Surely, the worst is yet to come. 

Next: "Missing!"

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.

Stardust

In the world of film, not many folks may know the name Neil Gaiman, but anyone involved with comics or even on the fringe of the comics world will tell you the man is a master storyteller. His Sandman is probably one of the triumphs of the last two decades in making comics into real legitimate literature. From there Gaiman moved onto writing novels like “American Gods” and “Good Omens.” Then came his entrance into television and film with “Neverwhere” for the BBC and the theatrical MirrorMask.

Now with Stardust Gaiman brings one of his own novels to the big screen. Described as an adult fairy tale in the vein of The Princess Bride in Hollywood-speak, that is actually pretty accurate. Imagine TPB as if it were directed by Terry Gilliam, and you’ve got a pretty good idea what it’s like. Unfortunately from what I understand (I’ve never read the book), the flick deviates a bit character-wise from the novel.

I think it’s a given that both Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer are way over the top but I don’t see it as really out of place. I thought they were both delightful. Stardust is a lot of fun and a must see.

As a preliminary for Stardust we got to see the preview for Robert Zemeckis' Beowulf, which Neil Gaiman did write the screenplay for and is a flick I have been waiting a looong time for. I am looking sooo forward to that one.

And extra special thanks to the Dark Crystal for getting me into this sneak preview.