Arrow rewatch - Season 1, Episodes 1-5

I started an Arrow rewatch to try to recover from season finales - it's sort of working. This will be my third time through most of the episodes - I watched as it aired, then rewatched season one last summer, and the first half of season two over the winter break. So this is my first time watching season one after having seen season two. I meant to just jot down a few interesting notes and/or quotes from each episode, but that expanded rather quickly... This will be split up into blocks of episodes that I watched on the same day.

Pilot

• Oliver having bad dreams is something I wish we'd seen more of
• He does the finger thing around Laurel in the beginning!
• Isabel Rochev is on the very first page of the list you see
• Guys smoothly vaulting fences turns me on big time

Honor Thy Father

• So much anger right under the surface
• Diggle having his back from the very beginning
• Lance: "I'm your father - I live to keep you safe."
• Oliver: "It will never be enough."
• Having Oliver narrate worked well early on
• Oliver: "I didn't know how painful it would be to keep my secrets"

Lone Gunmen

• When he climbs the wall to dig the bullet out - gymnast's gracefulness right there
• The way he looks at Laurel then is the way he looks at Felicity now
• Badass Laurel
• Oliver and Tommy's friendship was so awesome
• Felicity!! and Oliver's smile totally says he thinks she's cute
• Plus he is such a TERRIBLE liar :)
• Oliver: "I can't do this alone."
• Laurel did know him well enough to know that he knew about her and Tommy
• Tommy: "You said you didn't think I was a one girl type of guy. I'm gonna prove you wrong."
• Pretty sure he was planning on telling Diggle even before Diggle got shot
• What is it with Oliver and putting arrows in eyes?

An Innocent Man

• Oh look - the opening sequence for the season makes its first appearance
• On the rewatch it becomes quite apparent how much thought Oliver put into the reveal
• Diggle: "You're a criminal. And a murderer."
• Love the little moments where he and Thea actually connect
• More bad dreams. In my headcanon, he never sleeps without at least one nightmare
• Why don't we see him making his arrows anymore? That's just awesome
• The first time Oliver tells anyone any part of the truth of what happened during those five years - to Diggle: "We both made it to a life raft but there wasn't enough food and water for both of us so he shot himself in the head."
• Even when she doesn't know who he really is, or really anything about him, Laurel instinctively knows she can trust the vigilante
• She also understands how lonely his job must be
• Laurel: "I think they need someone who cares about the lives of other people. Someone like you."
• Oliver hassling the replacement bodyguard is hilarious
• I love Laurel as the badass lawyer fighting for justice
• I really miss this Laurel - a strong woman who was more than just a way to create love triangles and unnecessary drama. I want her back in season 3...
• Laurel: "He's a killer. He would have killed that man. I looked in his eyes - it's like he had no remorse."
• The pain in Oliver's eyes as he hears her say that...
• The bird was the first step to becoming a killer. Felicity was the first step to becoming a hero.
• Oliver: "Diggle, I'm not looking for anybody to save me." Diggle: "Maybe not. But you need someone just the same. You are fighting a war, Queen, except you have no idea what war does to you, how it scrapes off little pieces of your soul. And you need someone to remind you of who you are - not this thing you're becoming."

Damaged

• He is one smart and manipulative guy. This is an incredibly elaborate plan, and relies on a whole lot of pieces working out the way he wants
• Even after Laurel calls the vigilante a killer, she still believes he's trying to make a difference for the good of the city
• For all the harsh things Laurel says to Oliver's face, when she's talking to other people it becomes very clear that she still sees good in him
• Holy mother of god his eyes are a gorgeous blue
• It's amazing how little I care about the island storyline at this point
• Deathstroke 1.0 - how quaint
• Thea: "I can't lose you again." Oliver: "Deal." AND MY HEART FREAKING BREAKS
• His birthday - May 16, 1985
• Realizing now that he actually lies during the polygraph about being on the island for five years
• We get a bit more truth about the island: "No. I wasn't alone. I didn't want to talk about what happened to me on the island." "Why not?" "Because the people that were there tortured me." "Have you killed anyone?" "Yes."
• But then he deflects that to Sara's death - he holds himself accountable for that
• Oliver: "It was never my intention to put you in harm's way." Diggle: "Oliver, I didn't think joining your crusade was ever going to be risk-free. I just don't like being played. Now you might have gotten used to lying to everyone else in your life, but I'm the one guy you don't lie to."
• Oliver: "Why don't you hate me? You should."
• He opens up to Laurel after she forgives him and tells him what happened on the island was more than he deserved: "There were times when I wanted to die. In the end, there was something I wanted more."
• I love Moira Queen when she goes into mama bear mode
• Oliver: "Do you wanna know why I don't talk about what happened to me there? Because if people knew, if you knew, you'd see me differently. And not as some vigilante guy. As damaged. I don't sleep. I barely eat. I can barely sign my name, let alone aim a bow and arrow."
• Diggle: "You didn't think about what happens when you lie, especially to the ones you love the most. When you were stuck on that island, plotting your grand plan to save the city, I don't think you stopped to consider the effect it would have on the people in your life, or how it might hurt them." Oliver: "You're wrong. I think about it all the time. And just to be clear, not being able to tell my family the truth... it doesn't hurt anyone worse than it hurts me."
• This is the episode where I started to actually sympathize with Lance
• Also Oliver is a freaking terrifying killer and Diggle isn't enough to stop him

Last week on TV - May 4th-10th

Finally got caught up on H50 just in time for the season finale...

Once Upon a Time - Kansas: Once again, rushed and predictable - my two most common complaints about this half of season three. Everything fell into place too easily, and things that should have meant a lot, like Regina finding good in herself, or Emma choosing to save Hook, wound up having little to no impact. I was also annoyed by Rumple's character regression. Nothing annoys me more on a show than when character development is discarded for the sake of a plot device. It wasn't terrible - in fact, I don't know that it could have been much better, given the lack of good development up to this point and the pressure to fit a whole lot of plot into just a few episodes - but it struggled in some key areas. Overall grade: B-

Supernatural - King of the Damned: Manipulative Winchesters are awesome, Crowley having feelings and hating it is always fun, Dean was very bad-ass, and the angel command post was pretty cool. I wish they'd given us more this season on the angel war and how it's affecting the world, because that could have been really great. Having Crowley remember the Winchesters' code word was a nice touch. My only thought is that Abaddon went down way too easily, or at least it seemed like it to me. If she's not really dead, that'd be okay, but if that really was the fight to end it all, it was kinda lame. Overall grade: B+

Arrow - Streets of Fire: I've seen it twice and I still can't seem to manage to be coherent... It was amazing. From Felicity hitting Isabel with the van, to all the Team Arrow action, to the Lance family awesomeness, to Slade at his window watching the city burn, it was all perfect. And don't even get me started on the Olicity scene in the clock tower. Felicity balances Oliver out so perfectly, and they are perfect together. I was intending to save the highest marks for the finale, but this episode deserves all the points. Overall grade: A+

Hawaii Five-0 - O Ka Pilo 'Ohana Ka 'Oi: After last week's powerful ending, this episode fell a little flat, though it was still good. It felt more like a mid-season setup episode than a finale - the story was pretty much self-contained, with the only question being exactly what Wo Fat is up to. I think Grover will bring an interesting dynamic to the Five-0 team, if the show can find a good balance between character screen time. It was nice to have a finale that wasn't a cliffhanger, but there are a whole lot of unresolved questions from the season that have yet to be addressed, and I was surprised that none of them were touched on. Overall grade: B+

Last week on TV - Apr. 27th-May 3rd

Yes, I'm down to only three shows that I'm actually caught up on. I'm still watching most of my other shows - I'm just behind, so no episode reviews for those.

Once Upon a Time - A Curious Thing: The good: Outlaw Queen is adorable and I ship them hard. Plus the number of snarky one-liners in this episode was amazing. And let's not forget the extremely shallow but also extremely important fact of the hotness of Charming, Hook, and Robin. I also liked that the good guys were actually the ones who cast the curse; it was a nice twist. The bad: the good guys casting the curse had exactly zero lasting effects on them. I know no one ever really dies on this show (except for Neal, and don't get me started on how that was a terrible way to get him out of the way for Hook), but for something to have a proper impact on viewers, it has to last for longer than a minute or two. Also, those monkeys are cursed people - you might want to think before going around shooting them. And then we come to my constant complaint about this half of the season - it's way too rushed. I really like the ideas, but the material covered in this episode alone would have been enough for at least two, and maybe three, more in-depth episodes. It wasn't terrible. It made me smile. But it wasn't as good as it easily could have been. Overall grade: B-

Supernatural - Bloodlines: Mediocre episode, which had a very different feel from a normal episode of Supernatural. That was okay, though, because it was intended as a backdoor pilot. However, it would have worked better somewhere around episode 14-16 of the season. At this point, three episodes out from the finale, with so many unresolved plot lines, I didn't want to be wasting time on an only-halfway-decent MOTW episode. Nothing I'd heard or seen up to this point had made me excited for the spin-off, and this didn't really do much for me either. The bad guy being human was obvious from the beginning - I'd rather have seen the werewolf girl die, and him survive as a super villain or something, though. The shifter guy is hot, the hunter kid is not interesting at all, and although I'll still probably watch at least the pilot for the spin-off, I don't see myself really getting into it. Overall grade: C+

Arrow - City of Blood: Loved it. Still rather incoherent with happiness. Loved how all the pieces played out, loved watching Oliver say his goodbyes, even loved that Laurel was able to give him a new purpose. There was no way he was going to be talked out of giving himself up. It wasn't that Felicity failed and Laurel succeeded. Laurel just had information Felicity didn't have, information she'd obtained at great personal cost. It's nice to see her storyline getting the payoff it deserves (yes, I like Laurel). I want to see Felicity get similar treatment next season. But for now, I will be satisfied with that perfect scene where they both knew it was very likely the last time they'd ever see each other, and their guards were both down all the way. I really thought he might kiss her then, but I think he didn't because he didn't want to make his impending death any harder for her to bear. Just replaying that scene in my head makes me scream internally. Only two more episodes left, and I am so psyched. Overall grade: A

Last week on TV - Apr. 20th-26th

I didn't get lazy this time around - these were actually the only three new episodes I watched this week. (What can I say? I got the complete Indiana Jones collection on sale and I've been making sure those discs all work...)

Once Upon a Time - Bleeding Through: This show loves to play six degrees of separation. Except here, it's more like one or maybe two degrees. It makes me want to tear my hair out. Best part of the episode: Killian around Emma - very well acted on Colin O'Donoghue's part. I actually do find myself rooting for Robin and Regina as well, even though that hasn't been given the development it should have been. Plus, Roland is adorable. That's about all the good stuff I have to say. Like every other episode in this second half of the season, everything felt rushed. I feel like they're trying to do too much, too fast, and none of it has the impact that it should. This show has actually struggled a lot with pacing, being in turns too slow and too quick with plot lines. I really could care less about most of the characters at this point - I'm just watching because I'm hoping it gets better again. Overall grade: C+

Supernatural - Alex Annie Alexis Ann: Bob Berens is awesome. This was a great MOTW episode that didn't forget about events in the larger world and season arc. Another plus was the multitude of well-fleshed-out characters. The brothers felt right, though the Mark is changing Dean in ways that are more than a little frightening. Jody Mills is always a great character, and I loved the way she was written this week. Alex/Annie was a little cliche, but then again, vampire stories are also cliche, and her character was likable and fleshed out well for only having one episode. I hope she sticks around with Jody and we see more of her later. And the momma vamp was also awesome - just the right mix of creepy hick and grieving mother. Basically, the ep left me feeling good about my show, at least until worries about Dean and the Mark start to creep in... Overall grade: A-

Arrow - Seeing Red: All of Sara and Oliver's disagreements finally came to a head, and she realized they really didn't work as a couple. (I think she may have headed off to find Nyssa...) Thea wasn't able to get through to Roy, in a twist on an overused trope. Felicity reminded Oliver of how far he's come (and hopefully he remembers who helped him get there). Diggle was just plain awesome, although he's not really that great a bodyguard when the attacker is hyped up on Mirakuru (not his fault, though - no one would be). And just so no one forgets, the people we were shown during Slade's first big declaration of his plans were Quentin Lance, who was thrown in jail and beaten up for being loyal to the Arrow, Roy, who has now gone nuts and become a killer, thanks to Slade, and Felicity. Makes you wonder what's coming for her. And Oliver is not going to be in a good place to fight back, not after watching Slade kill his mother in front of him. Moira's death wasn't a surprise, especially after she revealed that she'd known Oliver's secret for the past year. I was sad to see her go, because, like pretty much every other female character on this show, her potential was somewhat wasted, and now can never be realized. But I'm hoping for some good fallout. Overall grade: A-

Last week on TV - Apr. 13th-19th

Yes, I realize I went a whole month without writing up anything. And yes, I did watch more than two shows this week. I was actually about ready to call this whole experiment a complete failure, and give up, but then both of these episodes frustrated me so much that I had to write something.

Once Upon a Time - The Jolly Roger: I like Hook. I like the complexity of his character, and the way it's been developed up to this point. And it doesn't hurt that he really is a dashing rapscallion. But this episode wound up falling flat for me. Everything that I think was supposed to be a surprising plot twist was not. And then we ended with the overused cliche of the lovers who can't touch/kiss for some reason or another. Not saying that can't be done really, really well (see Pushing Daisies), but it can also be a total failure (think Dark Angel). And sadly, this is already feeling like the latter. I wanted to like this episode; it was centered on one of the best characters, and there were moments when I really felt like it had potential (watching Hook react to losing Emma could have made for a really good story), but it never got off the ground. Overall grade: B-

Supernatural - Meta Fiction: Interesting ideas, poor execution. I've found that with Robbie Thompson's scripts, I either really like them, or they feel very disjointed and poorly paced - no middle ground. And this episode was the latter. Sam needed more time to react to seeing Gadreel, and to seeing what Dean did to Gadreel. Gabriel felt off, but since he was basically just the result of Metatron writing fanfiction, I'd be willing to let that one slide. If all he's brought back for is a poorly written cameo (whether that be Robbie's or Metatron's fault), I'm going to be ticked, though. I'd really like to see that last eyebrow quirk pay off and him play a role in either the end of this season or the beginning of the next, but I feel like that's probably hoping for too much. And apparently the fandom was hoping for too much as we waited for Cas to find out about Dean and the Mark. That was probably the worst paced part of the episode. Seriously, guys? Ten seconds to show Cas' reaction?!? That should have been a scene right there! I swear, the only reason I didn't throw something through the TV screen was because at least Jensen and Misha put enough emotion into those ten seconds that I can pretend it happened differently and rewrite the scene in my head, given what they portrayed. This episode made me sad, because there were so many things that could have been brilliant and were just wasted. And now those opportunities are gone. Overall grade: C

Last week on TV - Mar. 2nd-8th

This is me attempting to get back to actually writing these mini reviews... I feel like this experiment is failing me.

Teen Wolf - The Fox and the Wolf: The way the Japanese internment camp/nogitsune origin story played out was incredible (and a perfect example of how to do exposition without boring your audience). And I'm a huge fan of Derek, Mr. Argent, the sheriff, and Allison all working together. Plus, having the sheriff comfort Allison was really nice - her breakdown made her seem more human and more likable. Gotta say, I'm loving Sheriff Stilinski a lot - he's smart, caring, and passionate about doing the right thing. Overall grade: B+

Supernatural - #THINMAN: Subtle, this episode was not... That didn't mean it wasn't good, though. I will admit to finding the Ghostfacers annoying the first time they appeared, back in season one, but after a few series rewatches, I've come to really like them. Yes, they're ridiculous - but it works for me. The story this week was interesting, the parallels to the Winchesters were nice, although more than a bit heavy-handed, and I actually really liked not getting to see Sam and Dean's reactions to those parallels quite yet. I also like it when episodes explore the darker side of human nature, rather than having a supernatural baddie - that's about the creepiest thing, in my opinion. Overall grade: B+

Growing Up Fisher - Blind Man's Bluff: This show is, in my opinion, a breath of fresh air in the arena of half-hour comedies. Sure, it's cheesy, and sappy, and fairly predictable, but somehow that's really working for me. It's refreshing to watch something that, while not being laugh-out-loud funny, still makes me smile because of the way it approaches living life. It's not yet another jaded sitcom, and I like that. The family interactions are well played, the blind-guy gag isn't overused, and I feel like all the characters have potential. Overall grade: B

NCIS: Los Angeles - Fish Out of Water: The Afghanistan storyline has dragged on too long. This week's episode should have been an exciting reveal regarding the White Ghost - Kensi obviously reacted when she saw him, and the audience is supposed to be left wondering who it could be (her ex-fiancee being the obvious choice). But I don't care anymore about who the White Ghost is. I just want the team back together, and Deeks to have his partner back. The LA case was decent, and Sam and Callen's banter was back on form. Also, I totally believe that Hetty invented the internet. Makes sense to me. Overall grade: B

Chicago Fire - Keep Your Mouth Shut: I'm just gonna come out and say it: Jones is an ass. I know she's probably going to undergo major character development, but right now I hate her enough that I really don't care. On a brighter note, I'm liking Severide's storyline, and also really liked Mouch finding himself without a couch - it was entertaining. Overall grade: B-

Arrow - The Promise: I liked this episode a lot. Was it my favorite of the season? Probably not, but it was up there. The best parts, for me, were little moments that stood out among the rest: Ivo's call to Jessica, Slade picking up the mask, Sara making Oliver promise to tell her family she died on the Gambit. And of course, Oliver donning the hood for the first time. Slade is a perfectly menacing villain - I'm looking forward to seeing more of him as the bad guy. Overall grade: A

Modern Family - Spring-a-Ding-Fling: The best part of this episode was Lily lying through her teeth and blaming everything on Joe. I totally used to do that with my younger siblings. I also liked seeing Haley step up and be there for her dad. She isn't mature yet, but she's getting closer. Cam and Mitch have been irking me in recent episodes and sadly, that was true again (which sucks because I did really like their dynamic). Overall grade: B-

The Tomorrow People - Enemy of My Enemy: I wish we saw more of Astrid and John and Russell, and less of Cara and Stephen. The show would be much better if they cut out the whole love tangle (it's not even a triangle - that's how messed up it is). Julian was a good enemy, and I felt like they wasted his potential. The only thing I really liked about the episode was Jedikiah - looks like Mark Pellegrino is stealing the spotlight on yet another show. Overall grade: C+

Last week on TV - Feb. 23rd-Mar.1st

Sadly, my motivation for writing up episodes has failed me this week. I watched a lot more shows, but these were the only two I bothered to write up...

How I Met Your Mother - Rally: I always like getting glimpses of Ted and the Mother in their life together - can you say, "Awww"? This episode wound up revolving around what's always been my favorite part of this show - how much this group of friends cares about one another. It wasn't as funny as some episodes have been, but seeing their love for each other made it a worthwhile watch. Overall grade: B

Arrow - Time of Death: Laurel reamed out Sara and Oliver, which needed to happen, but then was mature enough to move on and still love her sister. Diggle was, as always, the glue that holds the team together. Oliver had his moments, but also ticked me off with a lot of what he said to Laurel. And Felicity, even in her insecurity, was the hero of tonight's story, saving Sara and stopping the bad guy herself. Plus, she's mature enough to not be jealous of Sara. It was a much, much better episode than I was expecting. Overall grade: A-