Arrow "Nanda Parbat" Review!

Ollie and Dig take a field trip to Ras's hide out, Ray Palmer gets laid, and Nyssa Ah Gul attempts to slay another one of the Lance sisters (and I don't mean kill). (SPOILERS!)

Episode Description: Ra's al Ghul captures Malcolm and takes him to Nanda Parbat; Ray obsesses over finishing his Atom suit, but Felicity tries to get him out of the lab to prevent him from going down the wrong path.

High Points:

• Really enjoyed the training scene between Ollie, Thea, and Malcom. It really showed in a quick instant what great fighters the three are. (As if we already didn't know!)

• Welcome back Mr. Palmer!

• Laurel Lance really has done a complete 180 in this show. She is such a better character then she has been in the past. Her burning Ollie was my favorite line of the night.

• Malcom Merlyn took Laurel down with both hands behind his back. Laurel was ballsy to take on someone so well trained.

• The flash back scenes were much better this week.The gun fight took raised the stakes in the past and once again showed how big of a bitch Amanda Waller is.

• Ra's mentions being around in the 1800's again. Thus again confirming the existence of Lazarus Pit.

• Big Daddy Dig and Ollie took on the leagues guards in military-like fashion. I can't remember the last time we saw Dig in action so it was really fun and enjoyable to watch. 

• THE ATOM SUIT IS ACTION READY!

• Roy Palmer got laid...

• When Diggle and Ollie get captured, Diggle talks about the war and how soldiers need to keep the "I will be going home mentality". This was a true testament to Dig's character and how he is always the one to show valor and courage when all else seems to fail. 

• Boba Fett dolls make up for all wrong doing. Nice gift, Roy!

Want some ice for that burn, Ollie?

Low Points:

• Sometimes Arrow goes overboard with the melodramatic then it really should. I get it there are a lot of family matters on this show but this isn't Full House. 

• Felicity. I mean my god she gets worse and worse every week. Just showing up ruining peoples day, locking people out of computers. She's like the younger sister that gets mad and goes in your room and fucks everything up. What a poo poo character she has become.

• The conflict between Team Arrow and The League of Assassins could be better. Perhaps a harsher conflict like say Ollie accidentally killed Nyssa, or something like that. 

• By offering Ollie the chance to be the next Demon's Head, Arrow is essentially stealing Batman's storyline. Batman was supposed to be the next Ra's Ah Gul. Not Green Arrow. Now it will be interesting to see how this plays out in the Arrow world, but this is a low point because as Christian and I discussed they could have come up with something original and just as cool. This show hurts itself when it tries to become Batman-Lite. Green Arrow is his own character. I'm sure they could have done something differently.

• When the ATOM suit finally turned on, I wanted to see it shrink not fly around. So little has been seen of the suit so I don't want to pass judgements just yet, but I hope the writers don't turn Ray into an Iron Man ripoff.

Watch Arrow at 8pm on Wednesdays on the CW

Verdict: As predicted this week was an improvement. After coming off of a slow episode last week, Arrow needed this one. I feel like tonights episode spoke a huge amount of how tense it is to be on Team Arrow right now. Everyone is angry and upset. In particular, Laurel has a legitimate gripe with Oliver once again because of his lie about who actually killed Sara. She goes on to tell Ollie she can't remember a time she ever loved him. Now if your a man and you hear that from a previous lover/girlfriend, you just bought yourself a first class ticket to the doghouse. In the end though even with all the Malcom Merlyn shit going on, we still see how this team stands for and cares for one another. Especially Diggle. He is the heart of the show. Mostly he has been used as the father figure of Team Arrow this season, which is cool and everything, but tonight we saw the old Dig. The badass American Soldier Dig that everyone has missed. Him and Ollie make such a good duo, and ya they got trapped, but taking down the league isn't the easiest thing in the world to do. (But Felicity is! O, burn!!!!) 
          Now on to Ray Palmer. Finally he returns to the show and as a bonus we got a taste of his new A.T.O.M suit. Compared to Ollie's night, Ray made out like a bandit. Got a little nookie, then perfected his super suit for a quick test drive. But seriously that character has been missed and it was a great way for him to return.
          Lastly this brings me to the ending. Ra's wants Ollie to be his predecessor, and for both Ollie and Dig to walk out of Nana Parbat alive. The question is what will Ollie say? Will there still be a Team Arrow if he says yes? Will we see Lazarus Pit in the near future?!?! Guess we will have to wait and see. The one downside to the storyline though is that is has been done already with Batman. Green Arrow is his own character and should have his own stories to be told with Ra's.

Anyway I want to give tonights episode a solid 7.5 out of 10! Mostly cause Ray Palmer is awesome.

Ray Palmer's theme song

Thanks for reading! What do you guys think of Ollie becoming the next Demon's Head? Let us know in the comments or tweet at us @Caped_Informers. And make sure to tune in next week for "The Offer". 

Arrow "The Return" Review

Ollie goes back to his favorite vacation spot while in the past Ollie creepily stalks his family in this week's Arrow. (SPOILERS!)

Episode Description: Malcolm (John Barrowman) puts Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Thea (Willa Holland) in a dangerous situation that lands them on Lian Yu with Oliver’s former enemy, Deathstroke (guest star Manu Bennett). A flashback reveals when Oliver and Maseo (guest star Karl Yune) returned to Starling City to retrieve the Omega bio weapon, and despite being under strict orders from Amanda Waller (guest star Cynthia Addai-Robinson) not to reveal himself to anyone, Oliver looks in on his family, Laurel (Katie Cassidy) and Tommy (guest star Colin Donnell).

High Points

• I wanna grab a beer with Young Detective Lance.
• I wanna grab a drink with school girl Thea.
• Cool reversal seeing Ollie on the island in Present day and seeing him in Starling City in the past.
• Slade Wilson is on the loose y'all. Thanks Malcolm, you always make everyone's lives suck.
• I wanna grab a drink with young Tommy Merlyn.
• I wanna grab a drink with young Felicity Smoak.
• Throwback FLO RIDA track!

• I wanna grab a drink with young John Diggle.
• I wanna grab several drinks with young Laurel.
• Tommy Merlyn's pick up game is fire. "Have you ever had sushi eaten off of you?"
• Killing a drug dealer is the fastest way to end a bitchin' party.
• Drunk detective Lance is an asshole and I love it.
• Maseo takes a shot at Ollie's season one look. "That look wouldn't work even if you smeared grease paint on your face."
• Ollie's booby traps still work! 
• Ollie finally tells Thea that she killed Sara. I feel like every week I'm writing that Ollie finally told somebody something. Dude has more secrets than Ted Bundy.
• The Queens vs. Slade was a pretty awesome fight.
• Ollie viscously punched out China White!
• Thea took the path of the hero by not killing Slade.
• Present day Det. Lance's anger is 100% justified. 
• Willa Holland did a great job tonight. Her character is completely different from how she was way back in Season 1. 

Slade be like...

Low Points

• China White's conflict worked well in getting Ollie back into Starling, but overall it was a slow and meaningless conflict.
• Hated how the episode was not dedicated to the Slade Wilson's breakout.
• The flashbacks did little to further the story. All they did was retell stuff that we already knew. (Thea did drugs, Lance was a drunk, Tommy was a perv, ect.)
• That Robert Queen video was unneeded and weirdly prompts Ollie to be a vigilante.
• Captain Boomerang was in the other cell on the island and we never got to see him.
• Slade Wilson took a season to take down last season. It took about 15 minutes to take him down this season.
• We hear about Ra's Al Ghul constantly, but yet have only seen him for about 10 minutes this entire season.
• WHERE THE HELL IS RAY PALMER? Three episodes in a row with no Ray.
• No present day Roy, Diggle, and Felicity also hurt this episode.

Did that Robert Queen video remind anyone of this?

Verdict: "The Return" was very much the proper title for tonight's show. Present Day Oliver returned to the island. Long-Haired Ollie returned to Starling City. But why I found the title so fitting was because this episode felt like a return to Season 1. And that's not a compliment. This episode felt like it was from the first half of Arrow's inaugural season, when the villains and flashbacks were lame. In fact most of what we saw in tonight's flashbacks were things we already knew about (Thea did drugs, Lance was a drunk, Tommy was a perf, Laurel wanted to bang Tommy, ect.) . The only new piece of information we got was that Ollie was back in Starling briefly. So my question is why did these flashbacks take up the majority of the hour? They did nothing, but put Ollie right back on a plane to Hong Kong. As for the villains, can someone tell the writers to stop using China White. Her scheme was easily stopped and she didn't even put up a fight. She has never been a compelling antagonist and never will be. 
          Now for what disappointed me the most this week. "The Return" also marked the return of fan favorite bad guy Slade Wilson (played by the incredible Manu Bennett). Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim had promised that this episode would give closure to Slade and Ollie's arc from Season 2. Now while Slade never breaks his promises, Guggenheim clearly breaks his. Slade was seen tonight for total of 5 minutes in which he got his ass handed to him by the Queens. I would be completely okay with that if he had some sort of closure with Ollie, or maybe he revealed something unknown, but he didn't. Just got his ass beat and casually threatened Felicity. The whole scenario of an escaped Slade just felt like a wasted opportunity. So when Deathstroke does eventually come back to Starling, I hope he gets treated better than he did tonight. Deathstroke deserved better.
          On a positive note at least Ollie finally told Thea that she killed Sara. Thus officially ending her relationship with Malcolm Merlyn. She is finally starting to make smart decisions  Thea may have started out as a whiny druggy, but has since turned into a hardened badass. Every episode she inches closer and closer to becoming another one of Green Arrow's sidekicks. Seeing her don a costume will be a delight (mostly because it will probably show her always visible mid-drift). And while we are in the business of talking about donning costumes, next week's promo seems to show that Ray Palmer will finally suit up as the Atom. So there is definitely stuff to look forward to this season even though I spent most of this review bitching. I just think Arrow needs to be more like the The Flash by setting up more intruguing possibilities for their future, instead of just breaking down the past that the audience already knows about. So at the end of the day I have to give "The Return" a 6.5 out of 10. Don't worry though Arrow-heads, things are always darkest just before the dawn. With Atom suiting up and Ra's Al Ghul reemerging, I predict a return to form for Arrow next week.

We love you, Manu!

Thanks for reading! Was I too harsh? Are you excited to see the Atom? Let us know in the comments or on twitter @Caped_Informers. and @cstrand73. Be sure to check back regularly for more show/movie reviews and breaking news/stories regarding the comic book universe. Arrow returns same time next week with "Nanda Parbat" as Ra's Al Ghul returns to the show! It's can't miss TV.

Update!: Robbie Amell posted this pic of him and his cousin Steve on Instagram. Looks like Firestorm is coming over to Arrow!

Arrow "Canaries" Review

Black Canary fights regular Canary while Thea gets upset and bangs a DJ in an all new Arrow. (SPOILERS!)

Episode Description: Oliver (Stephen Amell) is thrown by the changes within Team Arrow. He’s used to calling the shots but sees that the team has evolved in his absence and tensions quickly escalate in the lair. Oliver is furious that Laurel (Katie Cassidy) has been going out as the Black Canary and tells her to stop risking her life, but when Vertigo (guest star Peter Stormare) hits the streets again, Laurel goes against Oliver’s wishes and tracks down Vertigo who hits her with a full dose of the drug.

High Points

• Laurel's arc is becoming one of the strongest parts of the show. Every week she is improving as a crime fighter both mentally and physically. 
• Thea finally learns Ollie's secret and doesn't get mad he lied, but instead thanks him.
• Thea also realizes Malcolm manipulation of her. (Except not that she murdered Sara.)
• Amanda Waller is doing Amanda Waller things in Hong Kong. The day Batman finally water boards her with gasoline will become a national holiday.
• Canary on Canary was awesome. Laurel's fears being tied to her sister's death and her addict past were perfect for further insight on her motivations as a vigilante. ("Stop trying to be like Sara and be yourself").
• Frustrations in the Arrow cave are beginning to boil over and like usual Daddy Diggle comes to the rescue.
• Gotta give props to Katie Cassidy. She looks strong. She put work in the gym and it has paid off.
• Post sex fights are the best fights.
• The Black Canary fucking beats down Vertigo.
• Captain Lance finally gets told the truth about his daughter's death. It was sad but he deserved to know.
• The League Of Assassins is down a DJ.
• Ollie was back in Starling City at some point during his five years away.

Does DJ Khaled work for the League of Assassins?

Low Points

• Vertigo's fear drug is used to good effect, but I just can't get over how much of a scarecrow clone he is.
• Why did they basically show us the Canary vs. Canary fight twice? Usually you add something more the second time around, but all we got was Ollie firing an arrow leading to the end of the fight. Just thought it was weird.
• Thea's melodrama got a little tiresome.
• Roy or DJ Douchebag? If you chose the DJ, then get the hell out of here. Bad choice Thea. 
• I liked the post sex fight, but wished Roy beat DJ Douchebag instead of Merlyn.
• Two episodes in a row without Ray Palmer. Where the hell is Ray?

Verdict: Laurel has come a long way from the start of Arrow. For much of the show she had been seen as extremely unlikable. So it's great to finally see her come into her own during the second half of season 3. Re-introducing Scarecrow-ripoff Vertigo into the mix tonight led to further insight into Laurel's character. She is afraid of not being as good as her sister. She is afraid that she is a former addict. This episode is all about her overcoming those fears so that she can become her own Canary. A Black Canary! Excited to see her become more and more integrated into Team Arrow. It is surprising though that Laurel's journey to vigilantism has been the most compelling storyline this season and personally I think it is because that once again the League of Assassins looked weak. All season we have seen the League's members get killed with ease and now tonight their pussy DJ took the HYDRA way out. Besides Ra's fight against Ollie, the League has not shown to be a capable antagonist. Flash has plenty of recurring villains and an overarching battle with the Reverse Flash that has kept it's audience extremely interested in. This season of Arrow doesn't seem to have that. Last year we had an epic season-long battle with Deathstroke, this season has one fight with Ra's. Step it up League of Assassins. All in all though the Canary on Canary fights were fun so "Canaries" gets a 7.5 out of 10.

You's a dead man DJ

Thanks for reading! Are you excited to return to the island? Does Count Vertigo suck? Let us know in the comments or on twitter @Caped_Informers. and @cstrand73. Be sure to check back regularly for more show/movie reviews and breaking news/stories regarding the comic book universe. Arrow returns same time next week with "The Return" as Ollie returns to the island and Deathstroke returns to the show! It's can't miss TV.

Arrow "Uprising" Review

Arsenal and Black Canary come up with a last ditch effort to save the Glades from Brick as his connection to Malcolm Merlyn is revealed. (SPOILERS!)

Episode Description: Still without Oliver, the team is forced to consider Malcolm's offer; more details of Malcolm's life are revealed.

High Points:

• Really enjoyed the Malcom Merlyn flashbacks. Always interesting to see the flashbacks use someone other than Ollie.
• The team work between Arsenal and Canary is really growing on me. Together they have proved they can kick some serious ass.
• Robert Queens returns in some flashbacks!
• Diggle continues to prove to be the moral center and daddy figure of the team.
• Felicity is a genius and her brilliance is a key driving force for Team Arrow.
• The Glades fight scene was an incredible bit of TV. Christian and I both agreed it had some resemblances to The Dark Knight Rises. You don't usually see things like that on network TV, unless its Game of Thrones.
• Wildcat vs Brick was a hell of a brawl. Watching Wildcat fight was a lot of fun.
• Welcome back Ollie Q. Such a badass way to come back and tell your city "they did not fail" in his absence. 
• If you're not excited about Merlyn training Ollie, you must have no pulse.

I hope Malcolm teaches Ollie these moves

Low Points:

• Felicity, I'm sorry but you are starting to become the Lana of this show. All you do is whine and complain about everything. Shape up, you're a member of Team Arrow there are no complaints.
• The actor who played a young Tommy Merlyn was awful.
• Would have liked to have seen an explanation to how Ollie's healing process. That whole sequence happened very fast, yet nothing was explained.
• No Ray Palmer this week. He's been a reason to come back week after week, but I guess all the greats need a week off.

Felcity and Ollie in the final moment tonight

Verdict: Well you couldn't have asked for a better episode this week people. Action, suspense, top notch flash backs, and the return of a hero. All ingredients for a perfect Arrow filled cake. The flash back scenes were a great addition to the characterization of Malcom Merlyn. We often don't get to see any other back stories besides Ollie's so I very much enjoyed it. All the events of the present though led to Ollie asking Malcom to train him for a rematch against Ras Ah Gul. Personally, I love this. You mean to tell me two bad ass archers are now going to be training together, learning from each other, and becoming more bad ass. What's not to love (unless you're Felicity). I guess the only question I have is what does this mean for Team Arrow now? We saw in tonights episode, a whole range of emotions about having to team up with Merlyn to stop Brick. Does that mean that they are going to be hurt Ollie is now working beside him?  Also tonight we saw the debut of Wildcat as a vigilante. Very cool addition to the Arrowverse and his fight with Brick really proved what a great fighter he is. Ya did he get his ass handed to him? He did, but he'll be back my friends, he will be back. On a final note I want to touch on this whole Felicity nonsense. As I mentioned in the "low points" section she has become such an annoyance and whiner. She get's all the air time while taking away from Big Daddy Dig and others who deserve it. The CW likes to do this with all their shows, and I get that, but this is too much. As I digress, I'm happy Ollie is back, and I'm excited too se what comes next for these guys. 

All in all I give tonights episode a solid 8.5 out of 10! 

Thanks for reading guys. How did you like tonight's episode? Do you like Ollie training with Merlyn? Feel free to comment and tweet at us @Caped_Informers. Make sure to tune into next week's episode "Canaries". 

Editor's Note: Ollie lied to Thea about meeting up with an old buddy in Bludhaven and getting thrown in the slammer. I hope that friend would be Dick Grayson. Ollie and Dick would slay all the red heads in the DC-CW universe. Best tag team since Gronk and Edleman.

Arrow "Left Behind" Review

Arrow is back! Lets not waste time and get right into. (Spoilers!)

Episode Description: As Diggle, Felicity and Roy start to fear the worst after Oliver's disappearance, Merlyn pays them a surprise visit; Ray experiments with part of his new suit; Laurel takes on the role of the Black Canary

High Points:

• Right out of the gate we get a tease of the green suit only to be revealed as Big Daddy Dig
• The team up between Roy and Dig is the type of stuff that could make even the manliest of men cream their pants.
• Vinne Jones who you may know formally as "The Jaggarnaut" played an excellent Daniel Brickwell aka "Brick"
• Brick challenging people promising them they will make it out alive if they win is probably one of the most bad ass things we've seen since Slade Wilson was in town.
• Ray Palmer as a character is amazing. Really excited to see his storyline play out.
• Thea continues to train and become more and more of a warrior.
• Thea's stomach refuses to be covered up in this show and I don't think anyone is complaining. 
• Learning the true fate of Oliver and why Maseo decided to saved him was a lot of fun to watch and it made me feel all the warm and fuzzy feelings you get when touching moments occur.
• We got the first taste of Laurel Lance's "Black Canary" and it did not disappoint.
• Katana and Maseo save our favorite Emerald Archer.

Low Points:

• Within the first 5 minutes of the episode, our good friend Detective Lance or Captain Lance as it is now not only loses his perp, but loses a cop on his force. Please for once can this show do something right for him? It's been three season this guy needs some luck.
• At times the episode seemed to be very slow and dry. Yes I know things have to be explained,  but I felt bored at some points.
• Bitch move by Felicity telling Ray what his fiance would have wanted him to do. Ray was right, it's not her place to say anything.
• Speaking of Felicity, Christian and I agreed that as hot as she is, they need to show less of her. She's a great character, but gets way too much air time. We don't want you to end up like Lana in Smallville. #SaveFelicity that is all!
• The episode needed more Dig and Roy team up scenes. In Oliver's absence they have really stepped up to the plate and taken over Team Arrow, but we want more.
• Malcom breaking the news to Team Arrow about Oliver's death and the reactions of the room was very crushing to see.
• Would have liked to have seen more scenes with Brick, but I guess that will come with time. 

Verdict: After a crushing blow (no pun intended) during the mid-season finale of Arrow, it was a tough one to predict how this next episode would play out. First off, it was great to see both Diggle and Roy step up and become the leaders of Team Arrow. Obviously everyone is worrying about Ollie, but they know that the city itself and protecting the city is what Oliver would have wanted. Dig has a great line in the episode that describes their partnership and what is left of Team Arrow perfectly "This is our work, this is what Oliver has set out to do. We have to do this" Leave it to Big Daddy Dig to pull on the heart strings. So now we move to Ollie's story. I must admit in my mind I knew he would be back but not the way they portrayed it in the show. A mysterious man, dressed in a black hood takes Oliver's body on a sled and drags him to a shed. Later to be revealed as Ollie's old friend and mentor Maseo. Then Katana is also revealed, but it seems that her and Maseo being together seemed unexpected for Ollie. Which leads me to believe that she will be found in the Hong Kong flashbacks, but perhaps the happy couple will not stay together. On a final note lets briefly talk about the first look at Laurel's Black Canary. I have no complaints. The suit looked great, she looks great, she's got the attitude, and plus the sonic canary was a great DC animated TV solute and I loved it.
All in all I give tonights episode a solid 7.5 out of 10!

PS.....HE'S BAAAHHHCKK!

What did you think of tonight's episode, and what do you think will happen with the remainder of the season? Feel free to comment and tweet us @Caped_Informers and let us know what you think! Stay tuned for next week's episode "Midnight City"

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. 

Arrow "Corto Maltese" Review/Thoughts

Oliver, Roy, and Diggle go on "vacation" in this week's Arrow. (MILD SPOILERS!)

Synopsis: Oliver decides it's time for Thea to come back to Starling City, so he packs for Corto Maltese, where Felicity has traced Thea's whereabouts. Lyla asks Diggle to go with Oliver because one of her field operatives, Mark Shaw, has gone dark in Corto Maltese and she'd like him to look into it. Feeling responsible for Thea's departure, Roy joins Oliver and Diggle on their journey.

High Points

• DC references galore! - Ted Grant (Wildcat), Corto Maltese, Mark Shaw (Manhunter), Thea using Mia as an alias, and even a Lazarus pit reference
• Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional (Wise words of Papa Merlyn)
• Brandon Routh's charm lightens up the show
• Everybody Loves Felicity (or rather needs her help)
• Thea Training flashbacks
• Black Canary Begins! (Wildcat trains the Canary)
• Emotional scene between Ollie and Thea
• Hotel-made arrows
• Thea beats Papa and heads home
• Ollie and Roy broin' out
• Nyssa!

Just look at the flowers, Roy

Low Points

• Double cross was a bit obvious
• The Shaw storyline in general was predictable
• The hunt for Sara's killer takes a backseat

Verdict: Arrow took a break from hunting for Sara's killer so that Ollie and the gang could take a trip to Corto Maltese in an attempt to convince his adrift sister to come home. It sure was amazing to see how much Thea has transformed since last season's finale when she left with Papa Merlyn. She is officially a badass and now with her returning to Starling her story is the most interesting it has ever been. Elsewhere there was an ARGUS mission assigned to Diggle while in Corto. And while I love Diggle, this Manhunter storyline was predictable part. Although I do love when Roy, Ollie, and Diggle all team up together. Meanwhile back in Starling, Laurel had one of her best character arcs. Katie Cassidy and Laurel have received the bulk of criticism aimed at the show over the first two seasons, but her arc is finally in the place where fans want it to be. She has the fire for crime fighting now and with the addition of Ted Grant, I suspect the Black Canary will be stalking the streets again soon. Go Laurel! Lastly Brandon Routh continues to bring charm and lightness to every episode he is in. Felicity and his Ray Palmer have great interplay. Overall I give this episode a 8.0 out of 10. May have not been a very Ollie focused episode, but former underachieving supporting characters like Thea and Laurel are starting to shine. Also how could I forget to mention that Ra's Al Ghul is coming to Starling next week. Caption Cold on The Flash on Tuesday. The Demon's Head on Arrow on Wednesday. #DCHeaven.

Thanks for reading. What did you think of Thea's transformation? What did you think of Arrow's third 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. 

Who's the Best Daddy?: Tyrese has become a surrogate dad to Judith on The Walking Dead, while Daddy Diggle has recently been blessed with a little bundle of joy of his own named Sara. Even Flash has two father figures in Henry Allen (though he is in prison) and Joe West. My question to you is "Who is the best Daddy on comics TV?" Personally I'm not sure who the best daddy is except that it ain't Rick Grimes. Tell us what you think in the comments.