Jmunney's Blog

Season Analysis: With its cast getting better and better and its action continuing to be exciting, Arrow made a case for itself as the best live-action superhero series of all time.

“Streets of Fire”
To know why Arrow’s penultimate Season 2 episode was the show at its best, all you have to do is watch this scene:

Felicity’s defiant declaration of her belief in Oliver’s righteousness and ability is the best possible reminder of his duty to the city, effectively re-establishing the Arrow’s mission statement.  At Oliver’s bleakest hour, the show takes a moment to emphasize how far our protagonists have come and why they deserve faith in the face of seemingly impossible odds.  Almost succumbing to despair in response to all the loved ones he’s lost, Oliver is reassured by Felicity, who responds that “you honor the dead by fighting,” counteracting his list of the dead with a list of all those who meant harm to Starling City that he has stopped.  Oliver Queen has come a long way: he was on his own when he became the vigilante, but now, as one as of his closest partners makes clear, he could not be farther from solitude: he is not alone, and she believes in him.

Season Analysis: The soap opera elements are kind of silly, but it’s The CW, so whatever, because the rest of this show is pure, old-fashioned entertainment.

“Sacrifice”
Arrow went for it in every way in its first finale, and it did not require any twists that came from out of nowhere.  This was all that the entire season had been building towards: Malcolm Merlyn actually goes through with his plan to destroy the Glades, Oliver goes into hero mode, some characters actually die and some others nearly do, Moira’s culpability is revealed … to everybody, Detective Lance is suspended, Roy does something that makes us think he’s not a total idiot, and most important, there is finally justification presented for why Oliver and Laurel might actually work together.  I mean, he still has a hell of a lot more chemistry with Felicity, but all this talk about how Laurel knows him better than anyone else is no longer complete bullshit.