We are almost done with our series countdown and for the second to the last, I will be talking about the fourth season of Arrow. Arrow has been my favorite TV series and I absolutely love talking about it here on my blog. If it weren't for this series, we would not have The Flash, Supergirl, The Legends of Tomorrow, and other DC TV shows going nuts around media.
As you all know, the trailer for Arrow Season 4 has just been released online! For those who haven't seen or would like to relive the awesomeness again, simply click this video!
I will not be doing the typical breaking down, but I will express the things I am (and not) looking forward to, this season.
First off, this would be my first time saying that I am excited for Ollicity this season! CW cleverly placed cute moments between the two at the very beginning of the trailer. Although I am questioning how they are able to afford a decent house in a decent neighborhood (which is the American Dream), but I am looking forward to what kind of physics--I mean, chemistry they are going to have together.
Let's not forget Thea Queen, who's finally going to take the helm of Speedy! We get to see more of her in this trailer, compared to how much we've seen Roy Harper in the last three seasons. And yes, perhaps it has something to do with Thea being the major character. In my opinion, Thea has had the most complex yet the most interesting character development in this series by far. The difference between the old and new Thea is drastic. Also, I never forgotten what everyone in Arrow said about Lazarus pit. Nobody comes out the same. Shortly after Thea was revived, she returned to her usual state, only in a groggy form. I was kind of expecting for something twisted to happen for Thea for that season, but I slightly miscalculated that part. Now, I am excited to know what kind of struggle she is going to have for this season.
I have to admit, but Ra Al Ghul was kind of a drag last season. But when I saw Damien Darhk make an appearance, I kinda got my hopes up. If Ra Al Ghul never left his little nest till the end of Season 3, Damien is quite the opposite. His character is so out there, and there are many contrasts you can make with his character and with Ra Al Ghul's. For one thing, he's not wearing dramatic robes to emphasize how serious of a character he is. Rather, he looks like your average, charismatic, smart businessman. Also, he's not wearing dramatic robes for a bit of flare. So I have a good feeling about this character. Or at least, I am going to like him more than Ra Al Ghul.
Another thing I am looking forward to is the drama occurring in Nanda Parbat. First, we see the tension between Nyssa and Malcolm Merlyn, who is now the new Ra Al Ghul. I am so glad that Nyssa will be returning for season 4 because that means I get to see her finally reaching her breaking point as a character. In other words, I just want her to stand up for herself and fight for the title that was always meant to be hers to begin with! I mean come on, when we first met her, she kept rubbing it in to everybody that she is the heir to the demon. I think it is time for Nyssa to shine and become the ultimate badass.
With that aside, I think things between her and Malcolm will get even more messy when Sara Lance also gets revived from the Lazarus Pit. Thanks to the teasers of Legends of Tomorrow, the next DC TV masterpiece, we already know for sure that Sara will never be the same. But whatever, I am excited to see her return! She's my favorite character in the series, and I do not care if she becomes evil. She's just so awesome. Also, it would be interesting to see Caity Lotz take on an antagonistic role, since I am pretty much used to seeing her as an extra in couple of dance movies and random TV series. But I am still confused which Lazarus Pit she will appear in. The trailer looked like she was revived in Nanda Parbat, but Legends of Tomorrow showed a completely different version of it. So yeah, hopefully that will clear up.
We also get a new set of heroes this season. And so far, we got to see Mr. Terrific and the almighty Constantine! It's already a given who Constantine is, since he's the exact same one we all know from the recent DC TV series that got canceled. Well, I haven't seen the series yet, but hopefully this strategy will somehow make Arrow the Lazarus Pit for the Constantine Series (hehe). Yeah, basically I'm assuming they think that another DC crossover might help create more buzz for Constantine, and that a couple of demands for a reboot or revival shall follow. It's a good idea and I actually hope it works. Arrow is kinda the reason why The Flash is now on the top of its game, so it won't hurt to try again.
For those who haven't the slightest idea who Mr. Terrific is, he's the new partner of Felicity Smoak. And he's also an old DC classic, and he's known to be quite the martial arts expert. Based on his history, there were two personas who took the title of Mr. Terrific, but season 4 shall be following the story of Curtis Holt (originally Michael Holt, in the comics). The mystery of who currently owns Palmer Tech, has still not yet been unraveled.
There are also things I am very unsure about. Let's start off with the obvious; Laurel Lance. I get it, I've been defending her in this blog for quite some time, but I'm getting worried. In the trailer, we see her taking initiative to go to Oliver and Felicity. So my guess is that she slowly becomes the second-in-command in Team Arrow. However, I still think it is too early for Laurel to jump into becoming a solid badass character. Up till now, I still have a hard time seeing her as the Black Canary. So I'm really hoping her character development will go smoothly. It will not be rushed nor be slowed.
For the first time, I'm dreading the next phase of Oliver's past. He took a ship to Coastal City from Hong Kong (which is near my country omg). So yeah, it is safe to say his next destination is the home of Hal Jordan, aka Green Lantern or another major DC character in the Justice League. Honestly, I kinda bought the idea that Oliver was able to survive in a remote island for five years because, for one simple reason. It's not an ordinary island. As seen in the past seasons, it has been set as the facility for random evil stuff. That alone gave Oliver enough exposure to what kind of shit has been happening. So if you ask me, I'm more on the "so-so" scale with him moving from one place to another for five years. I'm concerned that this subplot of him surviving will slowly deteriorate and it will become a chore to watch, even if his past will somehow have something to do with his future problems in season 4.
I'm scared for all characters, basically. By the end of season 3, a lot of people already know who Oliver Queen is and Team Arrow gets bigger and bigger. And we get to see what kind of impact it gives to the characters. My concern is how the writers will handle such effects on the characters, because most of them have already reached their breaking points (Felicity, Laurel, and Thea, to name a few), and character development from there can be the most difficult part to mold. If its mishandled, the character's essence can slowly saturate and ultimately become overrated or boring. My fear grew when I saw Diggle in his new costume. I don't know what they have in mind for Diggle, but hopefully it won't be over the top. Because right now, he's seen as this guy who intended to carry on the hero work Oliver left, and that kinda doesn't make sense for me. The last time we all saw Diggle, he was slightly pissed at Oliver for not letting him on the plan he had all along. That alone was reasonable, because he has a family and he also cares about the other members in Team Arrow. Diggle getting on that elevator gave me the impression that he would lay low and not handle vigilante work for a while, because he kinda had enough. Then this trailer came and I got slightly confused.
Anyway, that is all I have to say for the trailer. Hopefully season 4 will pick up the pace and be much better than the third. Till the next post~
Hey guys! I'm currently on finals week--which explains my two week disappearance--and that means I am almost done with my sem and in spite of the current marketing plan deadlines that I have, I still have enough time to write a good long post just for you.
The past two weeks, my fandoms went booming with fantastic news and current events. Supergirl Pilot episode leak, a sneak peak on the Legends of Tomorrow, and of course... Arrow and the Flash had their season finales. As much as I want to compensate for the long hiatus, I'd like to focus on the finales of Arrow and the Flash first, since I think it is time for me to let everything out.
Thanks to the finale, it has become a sure fact that The Flash has officially become the best Comic-based TV show in like, forever. And I can see why. In spite of the minor cliches--such as making Barry Allen a goofy, awkward, Peter Parker-like character and the friendzone issues-- the writers somehow found a way to make the show, predictably unpredictable. Not only that, every episode had the best dose of emotional scenes, and the best part was not every emotional scene is not even romantic. The action scenes are even great; the effects are surprisingly really good and the fights are fairly consistent and are not all over the place (well technically, they still are, since Barry was just running everywhere, figuring out how to defeat each metahuman).
In the season finale, we see fairly good character dynamics. Fairly, because not everyone drastically changed for the sake of character development. However, we do notice that there are changes. In the very beginning, we all know how deep the bond Barry has with his father and Joe. In the last episode, we see that Mr. Allen is still Mr. Allen, whose only concern is to see his only son live a life. However, Joe gives us another round of him being the loving father that he has always been for the past season. At first, he urged Barry to accept Thawne's proposal, but in the long run he reveals that he actually doesn't want him to alter the timeline. As for the others... well, Cisco remained Cisco and Caitlin is now more fluid compared to the first time we saw her. Eddie is no longer the hot shot detective we expected him to be and Iris....oh boy, Iris. I want to say she is important but for some reason she just feels like an odd piece of the puzzle. I get that she is trying to be relevant in the story, but she still remains underwhelming. All she was to me in the series was just a love interest that needed protection. Apart from that, she didn't do much for this season.
Finally, we have Barry. What I appreciated most about Barry is that he has one thing that most awkward characters do not have; he's very sure of himself. Actually, he's too sure of himself, and he's not ashamed of his intelligence unlike most characters who are almost similar to him. As soon as he got his powers, he already figured out a goal and stuck to it until something or someone wavers his confidence. Grant Gustin, for me, did a great job at being the enthusiastic Barry. Not saying this because I'm biased. I have seen him in Glee, he is a good actor. Harrison Wells, though....wow. He is well-written for a villain. I love how his agenda is so simple, but he had to do major and devious things just so he can get what he wants. And the story was constructed in a way that understanding his back story would be so complicated. To think most of us were overthinking about who the Reverse Flash really is, when the answer was pretty much basic. Actually, it wasn't because I did not expect Eobard Thawne to kill the real Wells and take over his body like that. But wow, that was seriously cool.
As for the epic finale...it feels different. It did not really feel epic, because it was very emotional, just as the writers promised. The epicenter of this entire episode was the weight of Barry's decision, because his choice alone will affect everything. Not an ultimate fighting move, not the accelerator or any huge destructive weapon. Only the decision of Barry Allen will change things, then everything else follows. But wow, this episode was so emotional. I didn't really feel any awe, but everything in this episode was raw and heartfelt. Nora's scene with Barry was just beautiful and it was my favorite part of the episode. Eddie's sacrifice was something I did not really see coming but it was plain sad.
After the emotions, I felt excitement when Barry was going through the speed force. It revealed so many spoilers since most of the glimpses the Flash was seeing was the future. The image of The Legends of Tomorrow were there, KILLER FROST was teased, and not to mention Hawkgirl. Her appearance made my heart flutter. I wanted to enter the screen and give her a big warm hug for finally showing up in the TV universe after such a long time.
Overall, the grand finale delivered its promise, which I like most. It is a definitely emotional and it reveals a lot of teasers, making the viewers beg for more. Now the writers revealed that the plot in the first season was actually an alternate timeline. Meaning to say that the original timeline will be the setting for the second season. Perhaps it explains why Barry Allen's character will change from the awkward goofball to the cocky and confident speedster. I'm more interested on how they're still going to insert a new villain, now that we know Eddie killed himself just so Eobard would no longer exist. I guess this is where Flash will stop being a light-hearted TV show and it will now deal with much more complex stuff, such as the Speedforce and time continuum. And the ultimate ending of it all, felt like watching the first season of Arrow all over again. Just when things are becoming action-packed, they decided to cut it with a cliffhanger. Of course. Well played, guys.
Okay, where do I even begin...is it wrong for me to say I did not like the finale?
I mean, it was about to have a great buildup, but it ended...just like that. And in the end, I was like...Seriously?
The character dynamics were a mixture of bad and good. First of all, the writers went way overboard with Felicity's character. To the Ollicity fans, before you react...allow me to have my moment and explain. Just so you know, I am not bothered by the fact that she had a filler dedicated to herself. But her unending love for Oliver in the second half ruined almost everything for me. I understand that her feelings mostly clouded her mind, but she is just everywhere. It's like the show wants me to focus more on Oliver and Felicity because that is Arrow's so-called current unique selling point. The first half was just following its typical Arrow formula until Ra's Al Ghul shows up and boom. Ollicity takes the stage and pretty much drops the development of Black Canary, Roy Harper, and the bromance between John and Oliver has been completely minimized. It's like, "okay, I think John and Oliver are established bros now. I think we had enough Black Canary origins. Oh, and Colton's contract is going to be finished soon. So lets drop that and focus on Oliver's budding relationship with Felicity."
I love Felicity, I really do. Unfortunately, it annoyed me that she had to completely rub her love for Oliver every time she shows up. They even made Tatsu talk about her love for Oliver. Basically, Ollicity became the rock for this whole Ra's Al Ghul conflict for me. It made the show and its finale lack wholesomeness. What's worse, the only massive action I got to see was Nyssa and Laurel. That's it??? I didn't see enough development between the two of them. Nyssa was starting to become a very interesting character, but I didn't get much from her aside from the fact that she lacks and freedom and gender justice. Also, the fight between Ra's and Oliver was still a question of identity. Like how many times do we have to go through this. Oliver did more stunts in Flash crossovers, seriously.
Oliver's identity crisis could have been really good if he wasn't such a wuss about it. I had a hard time appreciating his character when he was slowly becoming disconnected from his group and started acting on his own. His inner conflict made almost made him flat for being the same old tortured Oliver Queen he was in the first season. And it really frustrated me. So I guess something good came out of this Ollicity ending because we will (hopefully) get to see a major attitude adjustment from Oliver. I mean, he's gonna spend most of the break being with Felicity. He's bound to get joke pointers from her, eventually...
Also, I have a question...what is CW and the term, "rebound"? Ray Palmer. Rebound. Linda. Rebound. Eddie. Rebound. And Felicity is the Rebound of the Rebound of the Rebound of the Rebound of the....ugh. This has been a season of rebounds. Perhaps my reason why I got so disappointed because Arrow had great finales, especially the second season. What made them so good were the teasers they pull. This season did not have much of those, either. In short, I was expecting that the third season's ending would be as good as the other endings we had for Arrow. But all we get is Oliver and Felicity riding away into the sunset, trying to give the Arrow a happy ending for a change.
I really do hope season 4 will redeem itself and keep the romance to the minimum. And to the Ollicity fans...we get it...you won.
The premiere of season three is upon us and I am very excited. The ending of season two has definitely brought me to the edge of my seat and ever since I watched the ultimate ending, tons of theories and predictions for the show came exploding in my mind.
Now that the third season is three days away, all of my favorite scenes in the last season have come flooding back in my mind and I would like to share these certain moments right here in my blog. Personally, these scenes totally defined Arrow and perhaps DC. These scenes are the reason why this show (and DC) is truly epic and awesome. I know there were a lot great scenes in that show, but the scenes I am going to talk about still linger in my mind. In other words, they created a huge impact to me. And yes, this is my way to keep everyone excited and very well anticipated for the brand new season!
For the nth time, stop asking if she's okay (source)
1.) Laurel's antagonistic moves
Her character pissed most of the viewers off. She tried to be her father and attempted to capture Oliver because she was blaming him for the death of Tommy. Then she thought Tommy's death was her fault and started drinking and acting like a total jerk. But let's focus on how she tried to put The Arrow in jail, shall we? Like I said several posts ago, she's not a completely bad character. She can be a badass anytime she wants, irregardless of how right or wrong the situation is. I guess this was not her season, and just like any other human, she turned to a very dark path for a little while. It happens. Hopefully, Laurel will be back on her feet in season 3. But her antagonistic tendencies proves that she's not to be taken too lightly.
2.) Dr. Ivo making Oliver choose between Shado and Sara and Slade Wilson repeat of the same dilemma
I had no choice but to merge these two scenes into one because they are not only related to each other, but they are very intense. I'm sure no one wants to go through what Oliver has experienced, especially this one. I guess these scenes show that humans cannot love everyone equally, which is a cold truth. You can divide your love among people, but deciding who gets the bigger piece is a tough choice.
3.) Deathstroke randomly killing Sebastian Blood's henchmen
He did not just kill them for any plausible reason. He killed them because he's pissed. And he had to wear his Deathstroke outfit. That's how much of a dangerous badass he is.
Like Laurel, the second season was not Roy's season. He had random fights with Thea, he got punched and arrested a few times, he had the Mirakuru in his system and went on a rampage for a few episodes, then he had to leave Thea but Thea eventually left him...yeah. However, all the things he had to go through had to happen, if he has to be in Team Arrow. But his impatient attitude is so Roy Harper, which I adore. So I give kudos to the writers for making his character spot on!
I am so glad that this episode finally happened! The fight between the Birds of Prey was not only sexy, but it was awesome! It was even accurate because Black Canary and Huntress always had a rocky relationship. I wish it was not their last episode together and hopefully next time, the Birds of Prey will finally be complete.
Come on. It was so cool. Words cannot describe the emotions I had whilst watching this very scene. Nothing beats seeing two (maybe three, including the Suicide Squad, somehow) epic organizations work together.
This is probably the first time I've seen a comic superhero who does not need a kiss from a very pretty girl to feel energized and encouraged. All it takes for Oliver to move on is Felicity saying that she still believes in him. Heck, that's all he ever needs to hear because almost everyone was looking down on him at this point. So it is good to know that we have the "Bitch with Wifi" who not only threatens and interrogates people using her computer, but also knows what are the right words to say to a man she really cares about. Rejoice, Olicity fans, rejoice!
So what were your favorite scenes in the second season of Arrow?
