Arrow "The Magician" Review

Nyssa Al Ghul returns to Starling in search of Sara and the Demon's Head makes his first appearance in the 50th episode of Arrow. (SPOILERS!!)

Synopsis: A furious Nyssa (guest star Katrina Law) confronts Oliver (Stephen Amell) about Sara. When Oliver learns Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman) is alive, he suspects Merlyn killed Sara. Oliver and Nyssa join forces and go after the Dark Archer, intent on bringing Sara’s killer to justice. Laurel (Katie Cassidy) keeps her distance from Nyssa, as she blames her sister’s death on her involvement with the League of Assassins. Meanwhile, Oliver and Roy (Colton Haynes) work on repairing their respective relationships with Thea (Willa Holland), who has returned home. Nyssa discusses Oliver with her father, Ra’s al Ghul (guest star Matt Nable).

High Points

• Nyssa (the beautiful Katrina Law) returns to Starling
• I need to write all my future secrets in Ghost Ink
• Guess Who's back (Malcolm Merlyn)/ Tracer arrow
• Arrow vs. Nyssa vs. The Dark Archer
• Cross Merlyn of the list of potential Sara suspects
• Nyssa punching Ollie was awesome
• Laurel (Katie Cassidy) is taking names in the gym
• Enjoying secret relationship between Thea and Malcolm
• Enter Ras Al Ghul (Welcome Matt Nable)
• Ollie has made a powerful new enemy

Just a couple of eskimo bros 

Low Points

• Slowest episode of the season thus far (Moved the overall story along just a tad)
• No Felicity or Ray Palmer
• Flashbacks were lackluster (Even when Amanda Waller showed up)
• Oliver Queen sucks at negotiating with children (Just two pieces of candy you cheap fuck?)

Verdict: From the way it was promoted by the creators and actors I expected a bit more from the show's 50th episode, but even when Arrow is slow, it's still highly entertaining. Ollie made a firm decision against killing Malcolm Merlyn which put him at odds with Nyssa Al Ghul, her papa, and the League of Assassins. So the season's main conflict is now set. Also Thea is continuing to lie to Oliver about her ties to Merlyn. It is interesting to see Thea keep a secret from Ollie for once. One thing in particular though I thought was missing this week were moments of levity usually provided by Felicity or Ray Palmer. This was an intense hour and the audience could have used some more brief humor (even though Dig did have one of his patterned one liners) to break up the tension. Finally I would be remiss not to mention how awesome that 3 way archer battle (however brief it was) and the introduction to Matt Nable's Ras Al Ghul were. Those two moments were the highlights of the week. As we look ahead, much more League of Assassins is sure to be in store, long story short I'm just sitting here in excitement for when Ollie and Ras to have a showdown. Overall "The Magician" gets a 7.0 out of 10. Certainly wasn't Arrow at it's best, but it helped set up the season-long conflict and had a few highlight reel moments.

Thanks for reading. What did you think of Matt Nable's Ras Al Ghul? Did you like Arrow's 50th episode? Sound off in the comments. Make sure to check out our reviews every week and follow our live action tweeting of every episode @Caped_Informers and @cstrand73.