DC Live Action

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Now THAT was one hell of a mid-season finale. I don't think that I can wait until January to find out what happens next. This season really is living up to the full potential of the show.

[Avaitor]

I read a brief article about Arrow in TV Guide, and it promised that the next couple of episodes are going to be hella intense. I can't wait, wow.

Flash also had a great mid-season finale. Man, these shows just can't come back soon enough!

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Arrow season 1 was alright, and showed potential, but it was ultimately just "solid" entertainment. Good, but nowhere near great, IMO. Then we got season 2, and the writers were clearly showing some valuable experience gained from the first season. The first half of the season still wasn't great, but it had a good sense of build-up. To something bigger. The second half of the season gave us a big jump in quality, with the Deathstroke storyline taking center stage. It was the first time that the. Series felt like it was starting to live up to its potential. That said, when the season ended, I was wondering if that momentum would last, and not only didn't keep going with strong force, but I'd say that, so far, season 3 has proven to be even another step up from the before, which is saying a lot.

At this point, I'd say that the current show is pretty great. Like, Whedon-quality great, even though it's not a Whedon show. I'd still say that it's on par with any good Buffy or Angel season, for the most part. As for The Flash, I definitely think that it had a much stronger start than Arrow's first season, but like that season, it still has its shortcomings that it has to work out, most,y with the supporting characters, in this case, but given Arrow's track record, I'm absolutely sure that it'll catch up to that level of quality before too long. As it stands, it's about on par with the quality of the first half of Arrow's second season, which by no means is a bad thing. It just means that, while good, it can certainly get even better from here.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I'm not going to rank season 3 episodes, mostly because I need to view them multiple times to rate them, but I decided to put up my list of top ten Arrow episodes so far. You might be surprised by some of these, maybe not, I dunno, but while I have watched it from episode one, I only became a fan by episode six. Even though the show was not 100% consistent, it was the episode that proved to me the show would be going places. Without further ado, here are my top ten episodes of Arrow (so far):


10. The Odyssey (Season 1, episode 14)

I'm mostly a fan of this episode because for most of season 1, what was going on on the island was more interesting than Starling City. This is the episode where we learn a lot about Slade Wilson and what exactly Fyers is up to. The added bonus is that at the end of the episode, Felicity joins the team. All in all, there isn't anything about this episode I don't like.


9. Salvation (Season 1, episode 18)

This is, I think, the episode where Arrow learns what it's best at. There's a villain that is inspired by our protagonist in order to clean up the streets of Starling City, and nobody on the team can seem to stop him. Then Roy is captured who admits he's nothing more than a low-life and doesn't disagree when "The Savior" tells him that his life is worthless. But eventually the Vigilante catches up with him and offers both the villain and Roy a chance to start over. "The Savior" rejects his offer forcing Ollie to kill him, but Roy secretly takes it to heart. Meanwhile, Moira gives up Frank Chen and Slade and Oliver rescue Shado at the cost of potentially losing many more. All in all, this was one of my favorites.


8. Legacies (Season 1, episode 6)

Up to this point, Arrow had been a competent action series. The problem was that while Oliver was justified in cleaning up his city-- he wasn't the right person to do it. Diggle, his bodyguard, was finally let in on the secret only to watch Oliver arrested for being the Arrow and then freed in a plan that was remarkably selfish in how little he thought of his family and used Diggle as a tool in order to proclaim his innocence. But this is the episode where things begin to change because Diggle has had about enough of Ollie's crap. He convinces the vigilante to go after a bank-robbing gang known as the Royal Flush Gang in which our "hero" quickly learns two things. One is that he can't simply kill them and two is that his precious list is not the golden key to crime-fighting he thought it was. In this episode, the Vigilante fails because he's not a hero and he doesn't save anybody because he doesn't know how to. To me, this is the episode that shows where Arrow would eventually go, and is the exact episode where I became a fan.


7. Time of Death (Season 2, episode 14)

The Clock King has always been a tricky villain to get right, but I think they nailed him on Arrow. Just as much Felicity's nemesis than Oliver's, this was the episode where she got to stand out on her own. And that's no small feat-- Temple FugateWilliam Tockman is sharp, quick-witted, and always thinking ahead hours ahead by the minute. She proves herself an invaluable member of the team, also saving Sara's life in the process. The episode also ends with the reveal that Slade is, in fact, alive and at Ollie's house. This is the time the main plot kicks into overdrive. Not to mention, on the island we learn why Sara is always looking out for Sin, which adds a nice touch to the whole episode. Great stuff.


6. Sacrifice (Season 1, episode 23)

The first season finale made quite a deliberate point. The Vigilante fails. While they stop Malcolm Merlyn and one of the earthquake devices, and Moira actively sells the villain out, it doesn't matter. Oliver loses his identity to his nemesis, a backup device levels the glades, and Tommy dies. The Vigilante was not enough to stop someone like the Dark Archer and in the end is left wondering what it is he can possibly do to make up for his failures. This is the episode where the show permanently changes. The Vigilante dies with Tommy Merlyn, and Oliver begins to reevaluate everything he has been trying to do since he returned from the island. It's a bittersweet season finale as on the island Slade, Shado, and Oliver, stop Fyers, but they are still trapped on the island. Meanwhile, it seems that Starling City might not last much longer. With an ending like that, I just knew I had to keep watching, and I'm glad I did.


5. Deathstroke (Season 2, episode 18)

Things get knocked off the rails as Slade finally puts his plans into motion, torturing Oliver and the ones he loves. During the distraction Deathstroke kidnaps a group on convicts, Roy leaves the city, Lance goes to jail, and Laurel learns the Arrow's true identity. Not to mention that Thea is told the truth of her parentage. Oliver even loses his company. What makes this episode so good is how everything is set off based on build ups that have happened earlier in the season, including Slade's master plan which we get a peak of when we flash back to the island where he chews out Sara for trying to deceive him. From this point on, it's a roller-coaster to the end of the season.


4. The Man Under the Hood (Season 2, episode 19)

This is the answer episode to the last one. We find out the repercussions of everything that happened there and how it will affect things going forward. Oliver and his team have to break into his own company so that Slade can't use it for himself, Roy is kidnapped as the Mirakuru is destroying him, and Felicity uses her connections to STAR Labs in order to try and find a cure for it. Deathstroke's army gathers, and the endgame is near. On the island Oliver reaches the breaking point, executing Dr. Ivo and throwing away any chance at saving Slade-- which comes back to bite him. As the end of season one proved, Oliver is going down the wrong road in the past while in the present he has to decide whether he can fall back on old habits or be the hero that he promised he would be. Season 2 continues its endgame.


3. Seeing Red (Season 2, episode 20)

Where to start with this episode? Roy loses himself to the mirakuru, nearly decimating the populace on his own, and Oliver having to fight with Sara over killing him. We learn how exactly the mirakuru drove Slade mad as it does the same thing to Roy here, making him want to kill Thea. Knowing that he will come to her, Thea sets a trap at Verdant and Roy is finally brought down. Moira reveals she has known Oliver was the man under the hood since the earthquake and approves of what he is doing to atoning for both his family's and his own sins. But then the episode ends in a rather brutal turn as the three members of the Queen family are captured by Slade, who we learn is hearing voices telling him what to do as Roy was. He succumbs to his madness as he kills Moira Queen right in front of Oliver and Thea and leaves them to suffer. This is one of the best episodes in the series on a character level as heavy decisions have to be made throughout, ending in one of the most unexpected turns in the series.


2. Three Ghosts (Season 2, episode 9)

This is going back awhile from the others, but this was probably the episode that stuck with me the most from season 2. Roy comes back from the dead as Oliver saves his life, Slade comes back from the dead to find he's alone on the island, Shado dies and Oliver unable to save her, and Barry Allen ends up saving Oliver's life, to which he is ungrateful. Lance loses his fellow officers, including his partner, and the city seems to be going down the drain. At the same time, Oliver sees visions from his past telling him (much like the mirakuru does-- foreshadowing?) that he has failed and should give up his pursuit of being a hero, because he is only a killer. as Slade tells him in his vision, "This wasn't to atone for your father's sins. This was to atone for yours." which we later learn is the case. The final ghost is the one of Tommy who tells him the truth, that he is more than a killer and a vigilante, that he is a real hero and he can't give up. To be honest, this is probably my personal favorite episode in the show.


1. Unthinkable (Season 2, episode 23)

This is where everything in the series so far comes to a head. The past and the present parallel each other as in both places Oliver must choose to either save Slade or kill him. In the past when given the chance, he chooses wrong and kills his former friend. In the present, his decision becomes much tougher. The episode title says a lot for everybody involved. Lance leads the police at their darkest hour as Starling City falls apart around them. Thea runs away and leaves Roy with little choice as to become a hero for the city with Oliver, and Felicity makes a gamble to be captured by Slade in order to inject the cure into him. On even ground, Oliver is able to stop Slade without killing him and imprisons him on the island where he promises revenge on him for what he's done. Meanwhile in the past, Ollie awakens off the island and meets Amanda Waller for the first time. It's an interesting contrast how in the past Oliver falls deeper into darkness while in the present he manages to rise above it. This is probably the best episode in the show (up to this point) where about everything comes full circle and is finally able to move forward at the same time.


So, those are my choices. What do you think? Agree / disagree? What would you choose?

[gunswordfist]

that was pretty boring but the ant-man teaser was nice.

[Peanutbutter]

Great to have Gotham back! That Gruber guy actually looked pretty awesome in his costume (he's apparently this show's version of the Electricutioner) from the preview. Gordon and Bullock taking charge at Arkam from that pompous director was nice too.

[Avaitor]

that was pretty boring but the ant-man teaser was nice.

I think you're in the wrong thread. But I think we might need a thread for Marvel's shows. Should I make one, or turn the AOS thread into one for Agent Carter and the Netflix shows as well?

And nice list, Spark! Man, the second season hit such a high near the end, and season 3 has been rolling with it since.

[gunswordfist]

oh now you tell me, lol.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Great List, Spark. Since this season has been great so far, I'll withhold doing my own list until it's finished airing.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I found this list talking about the "divisive" season 3 and what needs to happen next.

The writer doesn't seem to know a whole lot about Ra's al Ghul or the pits as number 9 and 10 will surely be answered. But the others just seem obvious.

I disagree with #2, though. Not that I want Starling City flowing with super-villains with powers, but having none at all now that we know they're out there would feel like cheating. Oliver and the team having to craft ways around beating them, without Barry's super speed, would open up fresh plots. The writer's argument is that superpowers instantly mean Oliver has no way to win a fight with them. That is simply not true.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Arrow was renewed for season 4 and The Flash for season 2.

Not much of a surprise there, I guess?

[Avaitor]

What else do they have? Supernatural is so long in the tooth that the actors are bound to start graying in the next few years, Vampire Diaries is as irrelevant as you can possibly be while still getting renewed, and everything else on the network gets shit ratings.

But yes, hooray for more Arrow and Flash.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I quite enjoyed the episode on tonight. Heat Wave and Captain Cold made a dangerous team, but something tells me this won't be the last we see of either of them. Especially considering what happened at the end.

On the other hand, it's a shame that Joe is almost certainly going to die. I quite like him and he has a good dynamic with everyone else.

[gunswordfist]

i want to start watching supernatural.

[Dr. Insomniac]

i want to start watching supernatural.

Ask Dalek where to start.