TV SHOW REVIEW - Arrow: Season 2
By The Masked Medic
So since I started this website up, I’ve not really had a chance to watch very much TV. However, after being influenced by my colleague The Meticulous Marauder, who gets through TV shows, as I get through food, I thought it was time that I restarted watching some shows. Although there are a number of new shows that I want to get into, I felt like now would be a good time to return to everyone’s favourite broody archer; Arrow. Season 1 introduced us to Oliver Queen and his vigilante activities, who knew what Season 2 had in store for us.
Season 2 of Arrow starts with Oliver back on the Island having defeated Malcolm Merlyn and thus stopping ‘The Undertaking’, a plan which sought to level the slums of Starling City. Having realised that his initial mission was now over, Oliver struggles to understand how his alter-ego now fits into the new scope of the city. However, with half the city decimated, crime levels rise and Oliver finds a new mission; to save his city. Still mourning the death of his closest friend, Tommy, Oliver decides that the Arrow won’t be a murderer anymore. With his team from the first season, Diggle and Felicity, Team Arrow set about to do some good in Starling City. But when familiar face after familiar face begin to turn up, some good and some not so good, Oliver Queen’s life will never be the same. With a few new names to add to the roster of Team Arrow, can this group of heroes face off against the latest threat to their city? You have to watch to find out obviously.
It’s very rare that I re-watch a season of a TV series and actually find it to be more enjoyable, but this was one of those occurrences. The show takes everything that made it exciting in the first season and adds more drama, tension and action. I personally thought that the change in Oliver’s stance to not murder his enemies provides a fairly large challenge as the team come up against threats that previously the Arrow would have put down. I thought that compared to Season 1 where it seems that the Arrow really has all his s**t together, Season 2 sees him always one step behind the main villain. Added to the enjoyment is the fact that we get so many new characters in the sandbox, including an appearance of Barry Allen, as well as the introduction of Roy Harper and Sara Lance as main characters.
Stephen Amell returns as the titular character and with one season already under his belt, it’s quite evident that he has the confidence to continue building on the character. This time around, you see many newer aspects of Oliver’s personality and I thought Stephen did a fantastic job. Caity Lotz is introduced as Sara Lance, Laurel’s younger sister who went with Oliver to the island. However, Sara has a secret and has gone through her own traumas and I think Caity did a good job of bringing a tortured character to life, whilst still keeping her performance distinct from Stephen’s. The supporting cast all stepped up their games, but for me, the standout performance in this season was Manu Bennett as Slade Wilson.
Once again, having already has one season under its belt, it was clear that Arrow was given more of a budget when it came to filmography. I’d say that the CGI, although vastly improved, still had some work to go, but then again, this isn’t a massive film studio funding it. That being said, the fight scenes were definitely a step up and some of the stunts in the show were impressive. The music was clearly used more efficiently in some of the lighter scenes but also some of the darker and more serious scenes in the show.
In conclusion, I think that Arrow Season 2 was probably one of the best seasons in the entire show and certainly across many of the Arrowverse shows really highlighted the impact of being renewed. The writers wrote excellent plots, the acting was on point. The show doesn’t end on a cliffhanger the way that the first season did, however, given the quality of the entire season and the plot, it’s evident that I will be coming back to watch the next season!
Rating:
Story: ★★★★
Acting: ★★★½
Filmography: ★★★
Integral vs Filler Episodes: ★★★½
Enjoyability: ★★★★