ARROW 100: Season 5 Episode 8 Review
After 100 episodes, Arrow's life hasn't been all smooth sailings. After an anticlimactic season 3 and a truly dissapointing 4th season, Arrow has regained focus and clarity of who it is in its fifth season. Continuing that trend, the 100th episode delivers for long-time Arrow fans and might even provide the hook for new fans to get invested.
Similar to Smallville's 200th episode, Homecoming, this episode of Arrow took a look back at what Arrow was at its earliest points and gave an homage to its heroes, its villains, and its legacies. Seeing the Queen family was such a pleasure. Moira and Robert were both pivotal characters in the earlier seasons and seeing them again reminded us where this journey began. Other characters like Malcolm appeared as well but even characters who weren't able to make it, Tommy and Roy, had great scenes at the end. Even though we didn't see them, their influence on the show is still seen today. Katie Cassidy also returned, highlighting how integral her character was in defining the series. Seeing her and Stephen Amell act side by side was very nostalgic. She is truly missed.
Action was also really well done. Having Deathstroke, The Dark Archer, Damien Darkh, a Hive soldier, and a Mirakuru soldier in one action scene must have been tough to handle but James Bamford delivered some of the best camerawork in combination with his stellar stunt choreography.
After mulling the episode over, I have come to one major conclusion. This episode worked as a great 100th episode of Arrow but not as a second installment of the invasion storyline. And I get why they went in that direction. As cool as Invasion is, The Domainators aren't really compelling enough to warrant 3 full episodes imo. The threat level was there and they could have done something with it, but I liked the direction they went in instead. Arrow pulled off a great 100th episode and I almost wished they had blocked out two hours instead of Arrow and do a 100th episode and 101th episode. 100th could have been a bit longer with more scenes of this alternate reality. 101th could be getting back to basics with the invasion storyline.
I honestly only had a couple gripes with the episode. Getting the B-Team for the crossover was fine but the characters were really annnoying. When you put Cisco, Felicity, and Curtis right next to each other, you realise how they are the exact same character. It was too much to see them all of them together. Also the force ghosts at the end were really poorly done for Roy. Tommy was a bit off but Roy's looked really fake.
Regarding my previous claim about Invasion, I thought I could go more into it. Invasion is pretty two-note. Aliens invade and the heroes fight them off. (I'm not referring to the comic but rather the premise). So by letting the crossover lean on the characters and the stories of the show's is smart. Flashpoint was heavily present in Flash and so was Arrowpoint on Arrow.
Similar to Smallville's 200th episode, Homecoming, this episode of Arrow took a look back at what Arrow was at its earliest points and gave an homage to its heroes, its villains, and its legacies. Seeing the Queen family was such a pleasure. Moira and Robert were both pivotal characters in the earlier seasons and seeing them again reminded us where this journey began. Other characters like Malcolm appeared as well but even characters who weren't able to make it, Tommy and Roy, had great scenes at the end. Even though we didn't see them, their influence on the show is still seen today. Katie Cassidy also returned, highlighting how integral her character was in defining the series. Seeing her and Stephen Amell act side by side was very nostalgic. She is truly missed.
Action was also really well done. Having Deathstroke, The Dark Archer, Damien Darkh, a Hive soldier, and a Mirakuru soldier in one action scene must have been tough to handle but James Bamford delivered some of the best camerawork in combination with his stellar stunt choreography.
After mulling the episode over, I have come to one major conclusion. This episode worked as a great 100th episode of Arrow but not as a second installment of the invasion storyline. And I get why they went in that direction. As cool as Invasion is, The Domainators aren't really compelling enough to warrant 3 full episodes imo. The threat level was there and they could have done something with it, but I liked the direction they went in instead. Arrow pulled off a great 100th episode and I almost wished they had blocked out two hours instead of Arrow and do a 100th episode and 101th episode. 100th could have been a bit longer with more scenes of this alternate reality. 101th could be getting back to basics with the invasion storyline.
I honestly only had a couple gripes with the episode. Getting the B-Team for the crossover was fine but the characters were really annnoying. When you put Cisco, Felicity, and Curtis right next to each other, you realise how they are the exact same character. It was too much to see them all of them together. Also the force ghosts at the end were really poorly done for Roy. Tommy was a bit off but Roy's looked really fake.
Regarding my previous claim about Invasion, I thought I could go more into it. Invasion is pretty two-note. Aliens invade and the heroes fight them off. (I'm not referring to the comic but rather the premise). So by letting the crossover lean on the characters and the stories of the show's is smart. Flashpoint was heavily present in Flash and so was Arrowpoint on Arrow.
**Overall Episode Grade: 9.5/10**
A Look Inside
