The Arrowverse Memorial

Main Plot: We start with Oliver having to prove he wasn’t dead to a court of law. Now I’m no legal expert, but I’m not sure the judge had a hard day at work with this case. Meanwhile, Laurel is gunning for a corrupt businessman who’s been working with the Triad and had a witness killed.

Luckily, Oliver also has it in for this guy, so he kills all his bodyguards and leaves him alive, with the threat that he’d better testify in court or else. He clearly picks or else, and arranges for a Triad assassin, China White, to murder Laurel. And they strike right as Oliver and Laurel are reconnecting over an enormous tub of ice cream. Our man Diggle bursts in to save the day and scare them off though. What a guy.

Quentin and Laurel get into a fight: he wants to keep her safe no matter the cost, and she doesn’t want pesky things like police protection to get in the way of her... legal aid job? Before anyone can win, Quentin is called away because there’s a disturbance at the docks.

Oliver’s found pesky businessman trying to flee the city and has attacked, killing all his bodyguards and leaving him alive. After a brief tussle with China White, the police force them both to flee, but Oliver is cornered by Quentin. Easy to escape, but Oliver also leaves him with a dart containing a recorded evil businessman confession. Seriously, how does he make these? One quick ‘party boy destroys his public image’ scene and visit to Dad’s grave later, and the episode’s over. 7/10

Flashbacks: Meanwhile in flashback-land, Oliver’s on the island now, and has to bury his dad to keep the seagulls away. So far so joyous. Except, gasp, he finds a blank notebook in his dad’s pocket. A blank notebook with a mysterious symbol inside. And before he can finish the burial, Oliver is shot by a mysterious hooded archer! Hope he survives! 7/10

Villain: Martin Somers is your generic evil businessman that Season 1 is filled with. Hotter than the usual fare though, that’s for sure. The main ‘antagonist’ though is China White, played by the always-brilliant Kelly Hu. She’s given next to nothing to work with here, but she’s proven to be Oliver’s match. 6/10

Action: We get a few decent mook fights through the episode, but nothing special. The fights with China White are superb though, and clearly showcase what the fight team can do at their best. 8/10

Soap Opera Factor: Not as heavily CW as the pilot, but there’s still traces. Mostly with Thea’s plot, sad to say. This whole episode she’s chewing Ollie out for being antisocial, this despite the fact that he’s spent five years ‘alone’ and is covered head to toe in scars. Seriously, I don’t remember her being this unreasonable early on. 3/10 (Also, for this score, the lower the ‘better’)

Stinger: Moira’s still sneaking around, and enters a car with a mystery figure. She tells him her son knows nothing about the boat being sabotaged, and mystery man lifts up a book(?) with the same symbol as the one on Robert Queen’s! Bit of a rehash of the pilot’s ending, but now we know she’s working for someone. 7/10

Overall Rating: 7/10 - A perfectly serviceable second episode, with a better action showcase this time round.

Quote of the ep: “Oliver just got back from five years on an uncharted island. Before that he was cheating on me with my sister.” 

Plot: We all know this one. Oliver Queen gets rescued after five years ‘stranded on an island’ and has to deal with readjusting to normal life. The world has changed while he was away, and with an ex that hates him, a police chief that’s out to get him, a bodyguard who won’t let him out of his sight, and a sister who’s very into the party lifestyle, he has a lot to reckon with. Oh, also he’s a vigilante who hunts down enemies from his dead dad’s old notebook now. So normal stuff.

Speaking of dead dad, we also get flashbacks to their boat capsizing, Sara Lance being no doubt killed at sea, and Ollie’s dad shooting their captain and himself in order to give him a fighting chance at survival. Your regular Arrow trauma train basically. 9/10

Villain: Adam Hunt, an evil businessman who has swindled millions from innocent people, and is embroiled in a lawsuit from Laurel’s legal aid firm. A bog standard starter villain, but having the connection to Laurel at least links him a little more with the active story.

Oliver kills all his bodyguards but leaves him alive, plants a ‘money hacking’ arrow in the wall and returns all the stolen money in a real ‘Robin Hood’ moment. 6/10

Action: As our intro to ‘the Hood’, I’d say the action delivers. It’s mainly Oliver against a bunch of mooks, and watching him effortlessly work through them quickly shows how much of a threat he is post-island. 8/10

Soap Opera Factor: Look, at the end of the day it’s a CW show. We’ve got your checklist of shirtless hunks, nightclub parties and petty romantic drama. We can let it slide as a lot of the drama is expository this episode, but it’s easy to chuckle as Oliver moodily watches Tommy and Laurel flirt from a fire escape, or as Thea lays into her newly-alive brother for disapproving of her drug habit. Just enough trauma to keep it balanced though. 5/10

Stinger: SHOCK HORROR! Moira Queen was involved in the shipwreck?? And she had Oliver kidnapped to see what he knows?? (Oh yeah, that was a subplot too.) No notes. 10/10

Overall Rating: 7.6/10

An enjoyable intro into the world of Arrow, which tees up enough questions and fun action that you’re bound to at least tune into the next episode.