Loved It? Hated It? What did you think of "Heir To The Demon?"

[Ica013]

And in this weeks episode we get more balls thrown in the air, followed by possible over-reactions to secrets and lies, a flash back that didn't really add any forward momentum to the overall story IMO, and a hook up at the end. Whew.

Some great action sequences and seeing the Canary/Arrow on the bike was like a classic comic panel. The Sara/Nyssa greeting reminded me of a scene from Torchwood with Captain Jack and an ex lover played by James Marsters.

The Ollie/Sara hook up at the end wasn't a surprise - At least there is a level of caring there and I was incredibly happy that Ollie didn't have to watch her die a third time. Plus there is some baggage that they probably need to work out with each other.

Which leads me to speculate - has Laurel being a plant at misdirection all along so the producer's could take this path? Or perhaps she has been come such? Pretty wild I guess, but at this stage I am engaged in Sara's journey and want her to stay as the Canary. Whereas I just can't bring myself to care about Laurel (even though her scenes were executed well) -

What was a bit of a surprise is where Felicity's story went this week. The explanation of why she was investigating tempest was plausible, we also know that she hates mysteries. So her story gave her a chance to interact with both Walter and Moria (outside of her usually circle so yay). Big points for guts (rather than make an accusation, she gave the people the opportunity to out themselves by confronting them personally) it also highlighted that yes she is still very socially awkward and needs better timing. Still it felt a little off - But I am glad that she wasn't burdened with that knowledge for long at that it serves to strengthen their friendship.

I am not convinced of Oliver's long term conviction though to the - we are through bit.

Not much Team Arrow this week (Digg I miss you) sigh and as we head towards the finale episodes I am not sure we are going to get much - To many other characters story lines to pay off.

I gave it a 7 - better than I thought but not a great as it could've been.

My eye rolls

* the opening sequence with Nyssa taking out the guards - I mean in terms of action it was ok, but really - she is going to go through customs like a normal person
*Lance calling Oliver when Laurel is admitted - I know Oliver proved useful in working at that Laurel was given snake venom, but why would he call Oliver?

[JDBentz]

*Lance calling Oliver when Laurel is admitted - I know Oliver proved useful in working at that Laurel was given snake venom, but why would he call Oliver?

Remember back in Episode 4 or 5 when he came to Oliver to ask him for help? Despite Oliver and Laurel breaking up, they're still friends and Lance knows that if anyone can help Laurel, it's Tommy's best friend.

Now, for the record in general: my review was written when I was half-asleep, but both Ica013 and costas have made my point in much more succinct fashions. It does appear that Sara is likely to be the Canary herself and that Laurel has been the 'decoy Canary' for the audience despite producers' assurances. Like a lot of others, I actually like Katie Cassidy, and she has no fault in the way Laurel has been portrayed. Actors have to work with what they've got. I just hope that, if the writers are going to write her out, they do it in a fashion that's worthy of the actress, if not the character.

Another point for me: While I found the relationship between Ollie and Laurel in Season 1 interesting, the whole relationship at the end was not only rushed, but it seemed more like Oliver was fulfilling a dream of his from his time on the Island rather than reconnecting to someone he truly loves. Meanwhile, he has seen Sara die twice, and the way he has acted about losing Sara continually shows, in my opinion, a bit more commitment than Oliver had with Laurel even after the Island. Also, I saw inclinations of both Sara's relationship with Nyssa and her continued attraction to Oliver back in Episode 4 and 5. The way she tried to pull away when Oliver was trying to get her to return seemed to suggest more. I watch and re-watch episodes quite a bit, so I may be reading more there than there actually is.

Anyways, I forgot to say I gave this episode a ten because it showed quite a bit more and it continues to set up the path to the finale. The real question is, how is Slade going to stop Moira? I was watching that bit again to refresh my memory, and his expression changed after Oliver kissed Thea on the forehead on the TV screen. He wasn't focusing on Moira, but Ollie and Thea. Something tells me Slade knows who Thea's father is.....

[cloisornothing]

Nyssa and Laurel (Katie Cassidy is awesome whatever you think about her I loved how she was upset by Sara) ruled this episode ! Honestly!

Sara is so predictable ("I want to be the princess", "I'm Laurel's victim" bla bla bla), I'm not buying it! And I find it suspicious that she came almost at the same time as Slade and Blood (ok, it can not mean nothing like it can mean everything but I think she's a distraction to weaken Oliver - Slade's plan) and suddenly wanting to see her own sister she blamed for having a boyfriend she had a crush for? C'mon ! She is fake to me. And Caity Lotz lack of facial expression is just boring. As for Sariver hook up : *facepalm* (told ya...)

Loved Oliver/Moira confrontation on the Queen Mansion : Stephen and Susanna were Awesome ! Like Moira vs. Blood.

Slade taking charge : AT LAST !!!!!! I'm waiting for it (and not) (because I love Slade/Oliver bromance on the island) because a revengefull on Starling City will shake things up !

Out of this points : certainly not the best episode of the show, but loved some scenes.

[badraven]

Yet another great episode. This season continues to impress on every level. Special shout out to Susanna Thompson in 'HTTD'. She was flat amazing. Also great Oliver and Felicity scenes. Can't wait for the next episode.

[President_Luthor]

There were a few stand-out moments in an otherwise average episode.

Nyssa's arrival in Starling was cool. I guess her customs check-in scene was there to give her a 'Bourne Identity' moment so there's no doubt she's not be messed with. If she were to sneak into the country (more believable IMO), it wouldn't have the same effect. The street chase seem was cool, including the sonic "scream".

The flashbacks helped to put into context Laurel and Sara's relationship up to the disappearance of the Queen's Gambit. Laurel's been lied to by Sara and Quentin, despite their rationalizing and/or justifying it. Of course she's going to be upset about it. It reminded her of Ollie and Sara's first betrayal all those years ago. Now that it's proven that she was being drugged with League snake venom, Quentin and Ollie have less excuses to brush off the questions hanging over Blood.

While it was good to get some backstory re: Felicity's family, the whole Tempest investigation just seem to pop up unexpectedly. Heck, it even appeared Walter (like many of us) forgot about it until Felicity gave him an update. Felicity bringing up her Thea conclusions with Moira seemed like jumping the gun just to move the story forward. I'm glad she didn't spend several episodes dwelling on 'should I tell Oliver about it?' but the timing -- at the launch of Moira's mayoral race -- wasn't good.

Ollie can't trust Moira. It's good that he realizes it -- but it's not unexpected. One mystery resolved, Ollie ... now how about digging into Blood more before he corrupts it as the future mayor?

The final fight scene was good, the drama surrounding it -- not so much. Sara was going to poison herself to save her family and break free from the League, but Ollie comes along with the antidote which apparently restores her health completely ... and Nyssa releases her from her oath anyway? Maybe she saw that, if Sara was going to kill herself to escape Ra's influence (and she still cares about Sara), she would grant her that small mercy. And practically, Sara did plead for Nyssa's life when Ollie was likely going to take it. Laurel finding out that Sara was alive, without warning (Quentin was about to, he should have told her then), was the worst-case scenario.

Ollie and Sara hooking up -- yeah, beyond the shipper service it's giving, I don't buy it. "You're back to life, Sara and you've broken free from Ra's grasp, so let's pick up where we left off at the Gambit all those years ago?" We'd have to forget that Ollie still has feelings for Laurel. While Laurel's spiraling into substance abuse oblivion may motivate Ollie's belief in a "blind spot" with her, it doesn't mean he no longer cares for her at all. And who's to say Ra's will accept Nyssa's releasing of Sara from her oath?

To paraphrase his weekly prologue: to honour his friend's memory, Ollie must be someone else aka not succumb to the reckless behaviour that cost him Laurel the first time and, by consequence, got Sara drawn into the League of Assassins' web. You'd think he'd have learned that by now and be motivated to stay at arm's length from Sara -- if only for her own well-being.

At least he has the Olympics hiatus to think it over ...

"Ollie: I think it's time we look into Blood's financial backers. Something's not quite right there.

Diggle: Oh look, it's the biathlon from Sochi. We only get to see sports like these every four years. It's oddly fascinating.

Ollie: We need to check on Blood's files now (watches TV) ... umm, hold on ... they're racing on skiing, then they have to shoot accurately? Bizarre. (sits down) Pass me those Cheetos."

... then again, maybe not.

[evaba]

Here are my very preliminary thoughts on "Heir to the demon".

My impression from reading various forums was that the "Arrow" fandom was in an upheaval last night, especially the shipper fandom (Olicity/Lauriver). When I saw all the anger and disappointment in various "Arrow" camps, I realized that I’m probably the type of viewer who get more upset about fan reactions than about what is actually happening on screen. I didn’t get really disappointed or angry about what happened in the plot or about any of the characters’ behavior. In fact, my main complaint with this episode is that the writers tried to cram too much action and too many storylines into one episode, but that’s been my major beef with the whole of season two.

However, there was some great acting in this episode from Katie, Susanna and Katrina Law, and Stephen had one of his best scenes ever when he went up to introduce his Mom after the Thea reveal. I also loved his scene with Susanna at the Casa Queen…these two actors play off each other so well, especially then their characters are at odds with each other. Katie also displayed her emotional range in this episode, when she went from carefree 19-year old (?) in the flashbacks to her desolate and bitter present day self.

As for the general plot and storytelling, this episode verged a bit too much on the melodramatic for my tastes. Of course, in my eyes “Arrow” has always been a superhero soap opera, along the lines of the great prime time soaps of the eighties and nineties. I don’t mind the melodrama and the exaggerated/sensational emotions and events…in fact, I have a soft spot for the whole soap opera aesthetic/style of storytelling. However, I felt there was a much better balance between the soap opera elements and the more in depth characterization in season one, in the sense that there was a lot more room for subtle character moments that didn’t drive the plot forward, but provided insights into the major players and their personalities. This is something I miss in season two-it’s like the characters are there to serve the action, rather than the other way around…which is the way it should be IMHO, even in an action superhero show. In this episode I felt that many characters behaved in this or that manner just to create drama, like the inexplicable Sara/Oliver hook up in the "Arrowcave". I mean, I understand that they were both upset about their family dramas, but did they really have to jump each other's bones? And how are Laurel and Oliver ever going to patch things up after this second betrayal? Sometimes I just suspect that the writers must have gone on some "Vertigo" trip which has made them forget more or less everything that happened last season (including the character portrayal) in order to create even more (cheap) sensation and melodrama...

[Quark]

Was a great episode. There are a couple of things I didn't particularly like. Oliver barely managed to beat Malcolm but he was able to beat the supposed heir to the demon with seemingly minimal effort? Seemed kind of strange. I did really like Nyssa. Hope to see more of her.

Also I hope Sara realises that being with Oliver is not going to help the situation with Laurel...

I did like the fact that Moira still has that manipulative streak in her. If Thea ever found out the truth and couldn't forgive Moira, it would be great to see Moira with nothing to lose...

Also, maybe it was just me, but for a split second when Oliver was having that go at Moira I thought he was going to tell her he was the Arrow.

[Queens gambit]

Loved the episode. So much to tie up in this season compared to the first. I think in some way the League ends up helping Moira win. It was great to see Oliver get the jump on someone after almost getting killed by Daley. Obviously Oliver is gonna need some help against Slade but he is better now and from the way it sounds he did jam an arrow in Slade's eye. The fight scenes/stunts are best on tv. My favorite part about show is it surprises me. I know some people complain "it's not like the comics", but I would be rather the writers keep us on edge. Giving us Oliver and Felicity right now doesn't make sense. It's building regardless of Ollie baking cookies with Sarah. Oliver knows he can trust Felicity and that's huge. He doesn't have to put a monitor on her, like Sarah. Cannot wait for the episode when Oliver finds out Slade is alive. I think Thea will be the one killed, and the rage inside Oliver and Roy will outmatch Deathstroke. Merlyn is the wildcard. I think that one more person that we think is dead, could still be alive. Yao fei possibly or even Shado.

[Anno_Domini]

I don't want to sound creepy talking about that hot mess of a kiss between Nyssa and Sara, lol, so I'll just talk about the other elements of the episode.

- I don't think this is the end of the League of Assassins just because Nyssa released Sara from the LoA. More and more assassins will show up and I'm show Ra's will make a very memorable intro as well.

- I'm glad we didn't have to get some mind-numbing slow pace of Felicity keeping the secret about Moira from Ollie. She was clear and told him the truth upfront and that's awesome, but Ollie's speech about Moira being a liar wasn't needed….this is coming from a guy who becomes a vigilante at night without his family knowing, lol, so this could end up biting him in the ass in the end.

- Disappointing Roy didn't show up in the episode since he was seen in the extended promo.

- While Laurel needs to be slapped, I really hate that Ollie and Sara are once again together behind her back. Ollie is really becoming more and more of a douche towards the women on the show.

[Anno_Domini]

Maybe Laurel will steal her life back! It is like the writers hate the Laurel character...Katie Cassidy deserves better IMO.

This.

The writers talk about how people shouldn't criticize the way Laurel is on the series and that they should give the development time, but it's not Katie Cassidy at all, it's the writing. The writers are doing a horrible job with Laurel's arc.

[NightHawk777]

Here are my very preliminary thoughts on "Heir to the demon".
In fact, my main complaint with this episode is that the writers tried to cram too much action and too many storylines into one episode, but that’s been my major beef with the whole of season two.

This is what I think also. I don't feel like I remember a lot after watching an episode in this season, there is so much going on so fast.

[NightHawk777]

I liked the episode.

The fight scenes were again top notch.

Laurel - I'm not sure how much more they can beat her down. I was kind of surprised at her reaction to Sara later in the episode. At the end of the last one, she seems really happy that she had seen Sara. I guess they are portraying how inconsistent, emotionally unstable and plain bonkers people can be when they are addicted to some drug. Laurel shows up and immediately starts downing wine or whatever that was, and you would think Quentin would jump on her, after all the times she got him out of a bottle last season. I'm always willing to cut Laurel slack, she did get poisoned after all. She's beginning to act like Helena

Quentin - I thought he was going to blow Nyssa's head off a couple times there. I wouldn't have blamed him if he did. He had some wack job capture Laurel earlier this season, several times her apartment becomes a war zone, and now his ex wife is kidnapped. I guess he will be semi happy now that Sara and Laurel, and possibly his ex wife are all in town. Well, there is that matter of Laurel being angry at Sara.

Moira - I loved her verbal showdown with Blood. If Slade doesn't take Blood out ( for incompetence ), then I hope that Moira has the honor, in course of protecting her children. She has shown in the past that she will go to outlandish lengths to protect her family, even if they don't like her she will still do it. She is probably going to have to use some mom moves on Oliver to get him to chill out . It would be funny if she took him to the wood shed.

Slade - He said he was going to take care of Moira. I'm not sure if he means by killing her, or by blackmail or something along those lines. Well, Malcolm tried that approach and it didn't really work last season. As for Oliver, I don't think Slade is the least bit afraid of the league of assasins. So he is probably going to kidnap or capture Sara at some point. I don't think she would win a fight against him. And Oliver would have to go save her. I can't remember if it was Yao Fei or Slade who got irritated with Island Oliver when he kept looking at the picture of Laurel. So he will probably go after both the Lance girls.

Sara - I am glad she is potentially sticking around for a while. I think she can help Laurel get it back together. The sonic device she unleashes now and then is really cool . There is a potential secret identity rabbit hole here. Sara knows who Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle are. I'm not sure if she knows Roy. But she did kick his ass in an earlier episode. Roy is friends with Sin, who was a very good friend of Sara. How long will it be before Sara and Roy get into an all out brawl in the Arrow cave? PS - they need a bigger cave.

Felicity - She is still a fascinating character. She tracked something that was largely forgotten by a lot of people. It was a big deal in the first season. It's true that as an employee of Queen, she probably should not have been digging into that any further. But as a member of the Arrow team, I feel ok with her digging into this. She is a part of a team to help aid and protect Oliver as best they can. This was a very awkward way for her to handle the situation, but I think it was nice how she went to Moira with pure speculation, and then Moira confirmed it. The one time Moira should have slipped out an easy lie, she kind of confirmed it for Felicity. I don't feel that she intended to tell Oliver about it any time soon, but he kept pressuring her and she finally told him. I wish she hadn't, given his reaction.

Oliver - The acting was really well done. Maybe he was over reacting to the news about Thea? She is still his sister in all other ways, except by blood. He was angry that he was going to have to lie to Thea now by never telling her. He lied to her a million times in season one, and even recently, when he Skyrimed Roy with that arrow. Yes, he's rushing around dealing with league of assassins and shrapnel, but it really feels like the calm before the storm. Not sure how he will react when he learns Slade is alive. He must have an idea, since he is aware of the Mirakuru? And the thing with Sara at the end. I just wish they had left the arrow cave, because any number of people could walk in on them: Diggle, Felicity, Roy, and even Slade

[Halberdier17]

Concerning the fight with Nyssa and many didn't think Ollie should have beat Nyssa that easily.

You have to remember that Nyssa did just see the woman she loves commit suicide in front of her, and doesn't have the experience Ollie does with seeing Sara die.

[Rust]

This episode was awesome! Too bad Roy wasn't in it. Oliver was really shocked about the news from Felicity he played that very well. For a minute I had a feeling he was gonna tell everyone into the microphone lol. The ending was nice too. Sara is a way better match then Laurel

[N01H3r3]

Laurel - I'm not sure how much more they can beat her down. I was kind of surprised at her reaction to Sara later in the episode. At the end of the last one, she seems really happy that she had seen Sara. I guess they are portraying how inconsistent, emotionally unstable and plain bonkers people can be when they are addicted to some drug. Laurel shows up and immediately starts downing wine or whatever that was, and you would think Quentin would jump on her, after all the times she got him out of a bottle last season. I'm always willing to cut Laurel slack, she did get poisoned after all. She's beginning to act like Helena

It seems that, across the first year and a half of the show, everything about Laurel's life is being systematically torn apart. In her own way, she's got a tale to parallel Oliver's - only, with Ollie, we get to see both the end result, and the start of his efforts to rebuild himself. Laurel has only just begun her crucible, and it's a slower one than Ollie's (which was a sudden drop into a hostile world).

Yeah, she's broken at the moment. I think that's the point - she needs to be at her absolute lowest before she can rebuild... and I think that the lowest point will come just before Sara's death, with the younger Lance's demise being the event that trigger's Laurel to pull herself together.

I quite liked the decision to use Nyssa rather than Talia - while Green Arrow and Batman tend to overlap a little as mortal vigilantes in a superhero-filled world, and both have villains connected to the League of Shadows, Talia always seems to be much more part of Bruce's world than Ollie's (and I like to imagine that, while they may never be allowed to show it, that there's a version of The Dark Knight in a version of Gotham running parallel to Ollie's adventures in Starling City). I'm also wondering if this version's Ra's (and I'll always prefer it to be pronounced "Raish" rather than "Raas", like in the old Batman Animated Series) is the centuries-old psychopath of the comics, sustained by Lazarus Pits, and if the existence or capabilities of those pits has anything to do with Mirakuru - a revitalising power that twists the minds of men.