Movies / Comics Movie Reviews

Arrow Dead To Rights Review

By Alexander Jones
February 28, 2013 - 01:12

Arrow featured a script written by comic book veteran Geoff Johns this week. Johns brought some new elements to the table this week and delivered an episode of Arrow that was above average. Last week a hit was ordered on Malcom Reynolds by Moira Queen because Malcom is one of the only living people who currently knows where Moira's husband Walter is. After Ollie discovers that the hit has been placed on Malcom he begins to make plans on intercepting the assassination. Tommy hosts a birthday which Malcom inappropriately crashes and asks him to come to an awards ceremony. It is but a mere coincidence that this award ceremony was also the venue where the hit was planned.

Tommy rejected the invitation to the awards ceremony but decides to go anyway after a convincing conversation with Ollie. Which by chance is where the Triad is operating out of. After Ollie goes in and uses the tactic of squirting sauce on someone’s face so the Triad would not see him would not see him he continues his conversation with Tommy. Ollie resumes lying to Mckenna at each and every turn and opportunity. How long can a relationship built on lies truly last?

At the awards ceremony everything that could possibly go wrong occurs. The assassination attempt on the life of Malcom Reynolds was unsuccessful twice as Deadshot tried to shoot Malcom several times. Why Ollie decided to save Malcom’s life is still a mystery to the audience. In the same scene Ollie reveals his identity to Tommy. The sudden blood transfusion to save Malcom’s life was a mix of unrealistic, unsettling, and suspenseful as Tommy’s character was going through an intense amount of shock. Malcom also attempted to reveal his Arrow cave to Ollie but was shot when he tried to do so. In the hospital Malcom mentions Nanda Parbat and renewed purpose for living but nothing more. He also tells Moira there is a traitor in the midst of the Undertaking. The last minute or so featured a Laurel’s mom delivering the revelation that she thinks Laurel’s sister is alive.

The plot by Johns diverted from some of the usual tropes of the show by blending many of the subplots together. For instance Malcom was tangled up in the main subplot of the episode regarding the assassination attempt and exploring his relationship with Tommy as well. Melding the plots together made for a more interesting episode overall. Deadshot and China White did not bring anything new to the episode, which is disappointing when considering that Johns was handling the script. Deadshot’s eye made him a more frightening and physically imposing villain. Even though the use of these returning villains was not handled well, it is good to see some villains coming back from earlier episodes when the show has strayed away from past villains completely. Tommy has a great moment with Ollie towards the end of the episode expressing his disappointment with all of the lies and secrets Ollie has concealed.

John Barrowman is quite evil in the role of Malcom and it is interesting to watch him manipulate the rest of the cast in Arrow. At this point it is frustrating that the audience has not been given more answers regarding the Undertaking and the show at large. So much of Malcom Reynolds is unknown and it is unsure at times at whether or not he is truly a villain. What were his true intentions of inviting Tommy to the ceremony, Did Malcom wish to show him the cave? It is difficult to tell whether or not Malcom knew about the hit because he knew exactly how to handle the situation. In Year’s End Malcom was revealed as the villain known as Merlyn so it is possible that he did not predict the situation but knows how to handle himself. All of this wild speculation has a danger of making the show uninteresting if it does not reveal enough to its viewers.

Seeing Laurel’s mom was also a major disappointment because she had the same melodrama that every other character on the show has when they interact with Laurel. Even at the beginning of the show Ollie was taking that same stance with her regarding the sister. Hopefully in the next few episodes the show will open with some answers before the audience stops caring.

Rating: 7.5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12