Arrow: Season 2 (2013/14) - Written Review
After
such a fantastic first season, I was left wondering where Arrow would go in its
second, and the series surprised me in which direction it decided to go. Not
only are the events of season one unforgotten, but they become an integral part
of season two. Arrow: season two builds on what was learnt and the events of
the first season to continue the story.
Season
Two follows Oliver’s return to Starling City after six months back on Lian Yu
mourning Tommy, when he finds that the whole city is in a worse state than when
he left it after the Undertaking. Queen Consolidated is about to be taken over
by the suspicious Isabel Rochev, Moira Queen is locked up in jail leaving Thea
on her own, and crime is worse than ever. When Thea is kidnapped by a gang on
thugs pretending to be the vigilante, Oliver decides to don the hood again, now
calling himself the Arrow, and wish a fancy new bow takes to the streets to
bring justice to his city.
The
first thing I greatly admire about season two is that it is set six months
after the Undertaking at the end of season one, and Starling City’s Glades are
absolutely destroyed – an element that not only builds on the environment of
Arrow but also proves to be a major crux in the season, with Sebastian Blood
running for Mayor to fix the Glades, to get the power he wants, which causes
Walter Steele and another party to encourage Oliver’s mother Moira to also run
for Mayor with part of her campaign being that she is doing this for her
children, as she is a strong person (even though none of the public should
believe this as she says she was overpowered by Malcolm Merlyn, but whatever,
they do). There is also the addition of Isabel Rochev, who is taking over Queen
Consolidated in Moira Queen’s absence. This all of course is building up to
Slade Wilson’s return, now as Deathstroke, to bring Oliver’s world crashing down
on him.
However,
the story of Season Two really is Oliver Queen’s trials and tribulations of
being a hero. Since Tommy died believing him to be a murderer, Oliver has
sought to fight crime without killing, which provides some interesting and
tense situations. The big question running through the season finale isn't whether or not Oliver can stop Slade, it’s a matter of how he’s going to stop
Slade. Will he break his vow of not killing?
The
show provides some interesting and complex choices for its main character, and
the stakes are built up for Oliver more so emotionally than just more stuff
blowing up unnecessarily. Can he kill Slade though, as during the season he
breaks his vow to not kill by killing Count Vertigo to save Felicity, although
he would betray the vow he made to Tommy if he was to kill Slade, but then
again Slade has already taken his mother’s life. It’s interesting to see the
choices Oliver makes.
There’s
a lot I can talk about with Arrow: season two, but the one thing right off the
bat that I just have to talk about is just how fantastic the cast and
characters are. Stephen Amell gets even more development time this season showing
how he goes from being the ‘Vigilante’ of the first season to the Arrow in
season two, and how he wins the trust of Starling City as not just a protector,
but a hero. Oliver’s journey gives Amell a lot to work with, and he just shines
throughout. The costume upgrades for Oliver also get rid of the strange
eyeliner he had last season (which did bring up a few plot holes) and he also
gets a cool new bow to fight crime with. He doesn't quite become the Green
Arrow by the end of the season, but he’s definitely on his path to.
We
also get to see Roy Harper’s arc into becoming the Arrow’s sidekick, with
not-so-subtle hints and an interesting character dynamic explored between Roy
and Oliver, as well as what happens between Roy and Thea, and his character, although
perhaps annoying sometimes to some, goes on a real journey here, which will be
interesting to see explored in Season three. Colton Haynes is great, and makes
what could have been a very annoying character into a relatable and enduring
one. Roy also ends up having a major part in the overarching plot of the
season, and it was great to see him take up a bow, arrow and mask to fight the
armies in the season finale.
While
Roy spends most of the season becoming the Arrow’s sidekick, Arrow in the
meantime gets Black Canary to contend with. The twist that the Canary was in
fact Sara Lance back from the dead (and not from the dead as Oliver had
described) could have worked really well as a great twist in the season, but
sadly the fact that a new actress plays her – and incidentally looks completely
different to the Sara we see in the flashbacks of season one – takes the impact
of the twist away, and its difficult to see quite what lead her to becoming the
Canary. She also appears in the flashbacks, yet already seems to be pretty much
Black Canary save for the fight skills in those scenes, which doesn’t all add
up in the end, which proves to be distracting as Canary has very little
character development seen in the season.
Of
course with John Barrowman barely appearing in the season, Manu Bennett is up
for season villain as Deathstroke. The twist that Slade Wilson would become
Deathstroke was sadly spoiled for me before I saw the season, which did annoy
me, but I was left in the position of comic book fans, who knew that Slade
would become Deathstroke, and it’s clear the season knew it would have that
problem – they don’t focus too heavily on the fact that Slade Wilson became
Deathstroke, more so on what lead him there. What lead him from being an
Australian agent trapped on an island to becoming a full-on Supervillain, and
his arc throughout the season is one of the best developed of Arrow so far. He
also doesn’t just become evil, and it’s very clear that the Deathstroke you see
destroying Starling City at the end of the season isn't the same Slade Wilson
Oliver Queen met in plane wreckage on Lian Yu during the first season.
Deathstroke not only looks awesome in his costume but comes across as an
interesting and threatening adversary for the Arrow.
We
also get to see some villain returns from last season with the Huntress,
Deadshot and Count Vertigo with new additions including Bronze Tiger, Shrapnel,
the Clock King as well as the formation of ARGUS’ Suicide Squad, lead by Amanda
Waller. The actors are all good, although Sean Maher as Shrapnel seems to
barely feature as a member of the Suicide Squad, and it’s a shame a potential
spin-off with these characters has been ruined by the upcoming David Ayer film,
which will sadly probably be much worse than a spin-off from Arrow.
Another
addition is Isabel Rochev, played superbly by Summer Glau, who may seem like a
waste of time for the best part of the season, but when her true motivations
become clear she becomes a much better character and adversary for not just the
Arrow but also Oliver Queen. Summer Glau at first may seem like an odd choice
for the role, but I think the reveal that she was in fact working for Slade and
was trained and ready to fight Oliver more than makes up for it.
The
final character I want to talk about is Moira Queen – Oliver’s mother. Moira is
a character that I feel the writers didn't know quite how to develop over the
course of season one, with a lack of consistency in the writing. Was she evil?
Was she good but enslaved by Merlyn? Was she in fact much worse than Merlyn?
These questions don’t get much of an answer in this season either, although the
mystery as to her true motivations is revealed – that she is in fact doing this
for her children, Oliver and Thea. This provides a slightly sinister edge to
her, as she would do anything to protect her children, including letting
thousands of innocent people die. Her arc in season two is that of a
redemption, although with that edge still in place – and when she is about to
reveal all, of course she is silenced by Slade forever. Moira’s death is one of
the most atmospheric and tense scenes in Arrow so far, with some brilliant
acting from Stephen Amell and Willa Holland as well as some great directing.
The scene really got to me, and the use of a Moira-centered flashback throughout
the episode ending with her telling Oliver that she’d do anything to protect
him is a fantastic line to end on. Its shows her care for her children, but it
also shows a slightly evil edge as that is her motivation for everything she
does. It’s interesting to watch.
Overall,
Arrow: season two builds on what the first season set up and goes further into
the story, exploring the characters and interesting storylines all carefully
weaved together with the excellent writing. The acting is top-notch, the
writing great, the directing fantastic and the season gets another brilliant
score from the great Blake Neely. I think I prefer season two over season one,
despite its flaws, so I’m intrigued to see whether season three can top this...
...watching
it so far though, I don’t think it will.
Comments
Post a Comment