Arrow 6x03 "Next of Kin" - How Diggle (mostly) got his groove back

With this season of Arrow, the development of having Diggle become the Green Arrow is a particularly interesting one, because it now allows the focus of the storytelling to migrate (at least temporarily) from Oliver Queen as Green Arrow towards the rest of the Green Arrow team. Many aspects of "Next of Kin" shine through as a result of this development and certainly helps to keep the show feeling new.

The initial point of tension many may point to is the final scene of the episode, showing Diggle in a neon-lit alleyway, taking some kind of injection to help ease or temporarily stay the tremor that keeps him from shooting straight (in one sense or another). I would argue that although it is true Diggle has found a way to "fix" his physical problems, in many ways, this episode marks the start of Diggle trying to - and in some ways successfully - forge a better path for himself and the team.

Much of the episode spends time positing that John Diggle is the epitome of the soldier, and through much of the series, this has remained true. He is a follower at heart and, as the episode shows early on, he is not much of a leader. He may find peace in having someone direct him, and when given that direction, he will execute swiftly and precisely. But when asked to make that split second decision, he hits a psychological block. This is seen during the nerve gas theft that causes him to freeze in combat; it's something Diggle argues strongly that is a foreign concept to him, but likely stems from a perceived lack of some inherent leadership ability - something he saw in Oliver since the two met. In an interesting reversal of roles, it is Oliver who finds Diggle in the bunker mulling (or rather brooding) over his failures and is the one who rights the other's path by providing much needed clarity. Oliver, and by extension the show, argues that Diggle does have the ability to lead, not through raw instinct, but by his strong moral compass. By the episode's end, Diggle has won back the respect of Rene and Dinah especially, and I would argue that is something that Diggle has earned as a result of his progress through the episode, despite the implications of the stinger at the episode's end. The use of whatever miracle drug does not necessarily undercut the fact that Diggle has found some way to become a leader, but it does prove to be foreboding as it may be the source of his rediscovered confidence that will not be able to withstand much stress.

One interesting facet of the episode is how both sides feature a well-trained, former military operatives working in tandem. If not for the other plotlines in the episode I would imagine it would make for an interesting contrast in which one side (Onyx and her team) is a well cohesive unit on the hunt for members who betrayed them, up against a team with a newly minted leader whose members carry a certain air of doubt about his ability to lead. Either way, the episode centers mostly on John Diggle and still comes out stronger for it.

With Oliver Queen being less of the focus of the episode, his presence wanders into interesting territory that skirt those of lesser plotlines even as his character dips back and forth between the life he has chosen (taking care of William) and the one he is trying to avoid (nightly Green Arrowing). The modified introduction helps reinforce the tone as Oliver acts more like a secondary player in the episode, having almost nothing to do with the A plot of Onyx and her team's mission. In a sense, it allows the rest of the cast more room to work with while giving Oliver more interesting material to work with that almost seems to feel out of the confines of what Arrow relied on for most of its run.

The change of tone in Oliver and William's relationship becomes much more interesting by this episode, because with the relative animosity and fear gone, the show looks to build a healthier relationship while still providing Oliver with interesting situations in parenthood. The particular problem with William is less about Oliver-as-looming-figure and more about a boy's attempt to return to normalcy, and the obstacles that come with it. It's again something that Oliver struggles with, almost quite simply as he states that he was not that good at math or paid attention in school, and in his search for advice (and attempts to court Felicity again), it allows him to search for alternatives and look for help even in less than life-or-death circumstances. The brief scene with Felicity and William show some much needed depth to William as someone who had many things going on in his life before he and his mother was captured by Adrian Chase

Things for Oliver and Team Arrow seem to look fairly uplifting with this episode, and I have some hopes it will continue for longer. The increased focus on Diggle has not gone unnoticed, and the work put into the changing team dynamics feel well earned as Diggle assumes the mantle of the Green Arrow. There's sure to be dark clouds on the way, but it is fun to simply enjoy Arrow balancing the light and dark moods without feeling much whiplash.

• Glad to see acknowledgement of John Jr. and Lyla, though it seems Diggle himself is perfectly fine with putting himself in danger even with a wife and child - possibly something Oliver (and by extension William) will need to chart a course towards eventually.
• I'm not a hater of Olicity in a fundamental sense but I did not enjoy the execution of said relationship during the tumultuous years that were seasons three and four. If there is a way for the writing to strike a good balance of mature, healthily relationship (so much as it is with vigilante crime fighters) with more relatable problems that arise in relationships (i.e. no secret keeping upon secret keeping, ad infinitum) despite the superhero trappings of the show, then I will be the first to applaud it.
• There's no shortage of interesting or eye-catching action sequences since the start of season six, so I hope the show keeps it up.
• And yes, we all saw "ORACLE" on the glass board crossed out, but I wouldn't read much into it. If anything, they would have to go and cripple Felicity again; plus she already has a codename.

Arrow 6x02 "Tribute" provides clarity and a new, interesting direction for the show.

One of the trends that Arrow is following in storytelling in a 20+ episode season is to break up the season into more notable arcs. It has been a fairly noticeable practice especially last season where the season began with Oliver assembling a larger team of like-minded crime fighters, culminating in them taking on Tobias Church before tackling the threat of Prometheus, who had lingered in the background.

Season six similarly fashions a threat around another attempt to reveal Oliver's secret identity and it seems it will remain for the moment as enemies (or frenemies in Anatoly's case) take advantage of the discord and confusion for their own gains. Despite the events, in the history of the show that this incident is almost like another day at the office for the team, it doesn't suddenly override their life.

It also seems likely there is another player working in the background - possibly with ties to Helix - as the episode eventually confirms the leaked photo of Oliver Queen in costume as the Green Arrow is proven to be digitally doctored. What happens is upon this instance in which Oliver Queen is essentially revealed to be the Green Arrow again, an FBI investigation ensues, causing trouble for Oliver and his team as they have to operate under greater scrutiny. Whether this will mean the stakes have changed or not will remain to be seen.

The pairing off of Dinah and Diggle prove to be effective as the issues of Diggle's scars and condition become fully known to the audience, and at least to Dinah. Having taken shrapnel at the end of season five, Diggle is suffering from degenerative nerve damage, meaning his aim, and thus his performance in the field is now incredibly lacking. Dinah, being the only one to call Diggle out on it is rightfully angry to have to worry about someone who cannot watch her back. Although he promises to tell Oliver about the problem, with Oliver convincing him to become the Green Arrow so Oliver can give up the mantle to take of William (not to mention Diggle already has a child and wife), it seems like the inevitable conclusion to these events will lead to an explosive fallout with no one happy about the decisions that were made.

That isn't to say that Oliver's relationship with William is more important than Diggle and his family, but this is Arrow and Oliver is the focus of the show. The scenes with Oliver and William feel more interesting as it provides a different and new aspect of Oliver (and by extension, Arrow) to be explored and gives Stephen Amell more interesting material to work with as he navigates through fatherhood with the pitfalls and faults that come as a byproduct of Oliver Queen.

Lastly, there is a smaller subplot involving Felicity and Curtis which almost begins as a lampshading of how different members of Team Arrow provide for themselves, ultimately pairing the two characters over the course of discovering the origin of the Green Arrow photo as they solve that particular problem. It's an interesting premise and something that feels unlike the first five seasons of the show and I will be curious to see where it leads in the future of the season and show.

• Love many of Anatoly's barbs that he has for Oliver. In a twisted morality he does find himself an honourable person, or at least allows some deference to Oliver despite it all.
• Some really good action and directorial work even without Bamford at the helm of the episode, especially with Oliver rampaging through the kitchen area.
• I thought that the team and Oliver was at least under more scrutiny or FBI observation. Kind of surprised to see the whole crew assembled in the mayor's office to make plans when the bunker is just as good (and they also get cell reception down there!)

The Shannara Chronicles 2x01 "Druid" brings forward a rich setting ripe for exploration

As someone who has never read the Shannara books, it is not really my place to speak about how the show is attempting to adapt the book material into a visual medium. That being said, the season two premiere of The Shannara Chronicles certainly has grabbed my attention by catapulting what seemed to be a fairly standard hero's journey from the first season into something that seeks to be a bit more refined in their character arcs and setting.

Even as someone who has never read the books, the setting of Shannara is fairly interesting and rarely executed on-screen. Placing the usual fantasy tropes and settings in a post-apocalyptic Earth is one of the reasons that drew me to the show in the first place. When that stark contrast is brought into relief during the first season, that is when the show shines. The show seems duller when it focuses more on the gilded halls of Arborlon and more interesting when it involves our heroes trudging through ruined information-age buildings like high schools and having little to no clue as to the significance of that structure.

After a quick epilogue to show Eretria's fate at the end of season one, the second season jumps a year into the future and places the world in an interesting new set of circumstances which I hope will prove as the basis for an interesting and more varied season. Although Amberle appears to have moved from central figure to the sidelines now, many more allies appear in the form of Lyria and Mareth for Eretria and Will respectively, as they find themselves worlds apart after the events of the first season, and by the episode's end, it seems like they must leave their worlds of relative safety and comfort to reunite again.

It remains to be seen what the true journey for Will shall be until he reunites with Allanon, but it seems that it will likely be related to Bandon's fairly creepy dark magic attempt to resurrect some 'warlock' figure. That, mixed with the background developments of General Riga and the Crimson hunting down magic users through the land will likely provide some interesting situations where our heroes will have to fend off two antagonists with opposing viewpoints on their journey. Although Bandon's attempt to bring a dark evil into the world seems like a fairly standard fantasy plot, the fact the Crimson are running around trying to persecute magic users might provide for some more fruitful and nuanced storytelling.

• Liked the small nod to Rey in The Force Awakens as Eretria was working inside the ruined aircraft carrier.
• Hats off to the effects team who did a fantastic job with Bandon's snake disciple after he drank the warlock blood. 
• I'm not sure but it seems like the move to Spike from MTV could be for the better? It does not seem the budget seemed to have dropped at all. Although it does keep a lot of the DNA of beautiful people being framed as gorgeous very often.

Arrow 6x01 "Fallout" - Island of Secrets, Island of Scars

There's almost a certain familiarity in the structure Arrow has crafted in its first five seasons by blending the present with the past in an interesting fashion. The sixth season returns and although for all intents and purposes the structure has been obliterated in many ways (narratively, logistically, etc.), there seems to be some learned response in its creators to continue that structure. As the premiere opens five months after the destruction in "Lian Yu", Arrow spends little time in trying to hold back the fate of many of its principal cast, opting instead to open with a fierce action sequence to showcase the return of nearly every member of Team Arrow by the end of the teaser.

It will be interesting if Adrian Chase's destruction of Lian Yu will be the crux of many of the principal cast's new story arcs or if the flashbacks five months prior (instead of five years) in "Fallout" will remain within that episode (I doubt it). Apart from the shadowy reveal of the villain who saved Black Siren, one other unsolved mystery on that fateful finale on Lian Yu is Diggle's loss of his fine motor skills (or if you rather, the 'yips') in a way that seems to drastically affect his performance in the field. There's a bit of a positive feedback loop in that he can't act properly on his ability, so it causes his comrades to become injured (Wild Dog in this instance), causing him to doubt himself even further. It seems the show might be signaling that this might be Diggle's course through much of the season, though it remains fairly vague about what actually is the source of it. Was it because of the explosion that caused his scar, or is it some other psychological damage that the show has yet to reveal?

The other question remains is if the actual five month gap actually means anything at the moment other than moving the characters forward into new positions for the premiere. Or is it assumed that everything is simply business as usual until the events of "Fallout" occur? (i.e. Black Siren's attack on SCPD and the Arrow bunker). Part of me wonders if the show cannot help itself and continue to use the flashback sequence as a storytelling device, even if the original framework no longer exists, and that this new five month interim will now service similarly what previous was Oliver's five year journey, but will instead follow the team's journey from picking themselves back up on Lian Yu to the start of season six?

As the survivors of Lian Yu pick up where they left off, the show signals that everyone seems to have picked up some new baggage as they left the island. Some, such as Diggle, remain a mystery, whereas some such as Dinah and Lance's Black Siren secret come undone immediately. There's almost an air of distrust amongst the team following the return of Black Siren. Much of it is driven strongly by great character work from Lance and Dinah, especially with how Earth-2 Laurel plays a role in Lance's continual dead-daughter guilt, but also between Dinah and Diggle and her doubts about his sudden lack of combat acumen. Surprisingly (or not), the immediate fates of many of Team Arrow were never actually explored, though they are surprisingly alive as season six begins. So it bears wondering if these trips to Lian Yu will continue as the season continues to explore this unknown interim. Though we know how Felicity, Rene, Curtis, Nyssa, and to some extent Diggle survived, it would feel a waste if the fallout of "Lian Yu" was a simple "and then they were okay because the airplane kept them safe."

There is also a significant amount of movement on Oliver-as-father/Oliver-as-Green Arrow dichotomy. Of course, the show doesn't seem to want to steer in the direction as the comics (and it does not have to). The dichotomy is similarly reinforced ominously by Slade, who is also on the hunt for his son, which will hopefully lead to some promising back and forth between him and Oliver.

• A very strong premiere, likely because it was backed by well directed and choreographed action sequences by James Bamford. There was no shortage of long, uncut action sequences throughout the episode. And even the uncut graduation ceremony sequence is a good set of direction.
• Not too much to say about the episode as a whole as it was fairly straightforward to be honest; some secrets develop from the events of "Lian Yu" and the show as fairly obvious, but vague about the villain and his possible motives.
• A shame to see Willa Holland relegated to hospital bed duty. Hopefully she wakes up soon and does something.
• Wild Dog's new costume is cool, but it lacks of style of his t-shirt and hockey mask in some ways.
• Kind of 'bleh' for Samantha to simply struggle to stay alive simply to ask Oliver to take care of William, and then immediately die. Which is weird to see contrasted to the amount of effort Oliver puts into trying to win William over the course of the episode.

The Last Ship 4x09 "Detect, Deceive, Destroy" and 4x10 "Endgame" send the season out with a bang

As much as I have been down on the current season of The Last Ship, there is always something to be found in the finale that draws me back. It's fair to say that not unlike other shows, the finale (or end of a storytelling arc) draws everything to a climax and makes you see that it is the show at its best, because it is happening in front of you. In the case of The Last Ship, the action usually reaches a particularly strong climax by the end of a season, and has never seemed to fail in that regard.

The finale of season four comes to a close with the Vellek clan still at odds with another until they've all die off, one by one. The particulars of Vellek's plan finally come in play, but it feels all too late to make much of an impact, especially with regards to both his motivations (seems Kristos was actually killed by a random act of violence, albeit framed really ridiculously), and as to the notion on how Paul Vellek would manage to propagate the cure even if his plans had been found out at the last minute. The latter especially would've made the scenes where the elder Vellek insist on reaching landfall as quickly as possible carry more weight.

Giorgio and Lucia though at least deserve some credit for having characters that carry themselves gracefully to the finish line that are their demises. There are some quiet moments such as the one they share as Giorgio realizes his sister is the truly competent one - overseeing naval maneuvers for four Greek ships being a far cry from her younger days. Giorgio also is the one to realize his father is not the only one in a nostos haze and in some ways does try to snap her out of it (only by ultimately dying), though the show is slightly reluctant to show what exactly happens for Lucia when she does drink that distilled nostos; it might as well be a whiskey flask if not for the paternal connection. I did enjoy the fact that Lucia was the most competent of the Vellek clan - at least when it came to directly opposing the Nathan James - as this season was sorely lacking in a worthwhile antagonist. The fact and realization that Paul and at times Lucia spend it in a drug haze makes their eventual downfall feel less satisfying. Especially in a finale where three Greek warships are quickly dispatched in no time flat.

One thread that surfaces back and forth through the season is Tom Chandler's reluctance and inner darkness, and it comes to a head when he confronts Paul Vellek at the edge of the Triton, ready to throw himself into the sea, if only to spite the Nathan James from getting their hands on his research (no one thought to just shoot him in the leg?). In the end, both men came to a bit of a stalemate as to how to take humanity into the future, and if peace should be gained at the cost of free will or not. It's not a strength of the show to particularly philosophize on that matter, especially when the show's through line is a very clear pro-naval stance, and the show has made pretty clear the antagonist is not to be sympathized with.

There is no real need for each season of The Last Ship to feel transformative, but by the season's end there is not much that makes the world feel different from the situation that they left behind after season three. The Red Rust threat was made to sound global, but it was never really fully realized except as a plot point to turn people's allegiances when required. The simple fact that food rationing was not ever shown as a real concern means that the stakes felt lacking in a way the other threats (e.g. the Red Flu, and numerous antagonists) ever did. As the Nathan James sailed into the sunset with the cure in hand, it felt empty and lacking, and given the preview for season five, it seems the threat will be deflated and replaced with what hopes to be a drastically more interesting situation, in terms of world building and stakes involved.

• Very interesting way to have regular side characters join in on the fight as the boarding party against the Triton. Especially Gator who just happened to also be an expert marksman. And cue the navigator jokes as well.
• Although Peter Weller at times felt wasted in front of the camera, there was some good direction from him behind it.
• The hallucination chasing scene with Paul and Kristos was extremely well done and I'd love to see how that was made, to be honest.
• Is it now a running theme for the Nathan James to just lose helo pilots? I wonder if that will be the case next season as well, unless it'll be Cupid (Kathleen Nolan) at the controls.
• As usual, Kara and Danny are the most interesting to watch and makes me happy they continue to live.
• And again, the master chief's injuries (punctured lung) completely deflate (pun intended) any danger on his behalf and ultimately go nowhere except being excluded from action sequences, I guess.

The Last Ship 4x08 "Lazaretto" - alas, another shocking twist, I guess!

There is some innate charm to be fooled by yet another "dead hallucination" trope that almost makes me want to go back to the previous episodes and wonder if I could find that one slip up that ruins the illusion, but usually the execution - at least in scene blocking - is usually done well enough that you'll never spot the flaw. The problem however, might be the execution on the page when it comes to moments like these. The real question was if the show even bothered to signal towards it, or was it such a twist that left no clues behind to even prompt a closer look? Was there any particular need for Kristos to be a nostos hallucination? Or that the show had signaled strongly that Giorgio, the black sheep of the family, would remember blood is thicker than water? In both those cases, neither of these seemed particularly earned.

As the flashbacks start to accumulate over the course of the episode, the case is made more clear they emphasize Paul Vellek over any other character, despite the presence of all the Vellek children. It's also made incredibly clear it only ever concerns Kristos and that Giorgio and Lucia are merely set dressing. The crux of the twist relies solely on the final scene where Paul Vellek brews up some nostos tea and we learn that the favoured son was roughed up and killed over what seems to be his lunch money. The wrinkle is supposed to play out that Paul Vellek had this particular disdain for his son going back to America to study that it basically forced some wedge between them, but now he lavishes the figment of his son with all the praise he can give - and receives some in return. Sadly, even for a show that rarely lingers on the characters, The Last Ship somewhat fails to deliver when it does attempt to try to explore the nuance and depth of the situation and merely rely on those moments to deliver; they ultimately feel flat because there isn't much substance behind it.

Giorgio's turn/not-turn feels unearned in a similar fashion. Fortunately his actor has had the opportunity to develop Giorgio over the course of the season at least, allowing some depth to be found in the moments that were asked of him over the course of "Lazaretto". The show is also intentionally vague about how much or why Giorgio even bothers to basically fumble his mad scientist father's even plan to Fletcher, so it makes it confusing to parse whether or not Fletcher is being played (and in turn is just a bad spy) or Giorgio is some kind of genius. It remains to be seen whether or not the whole theatre played between the elder Vellek and Giorgio in front of Fletcher was a ruse, as the final moment lingers on Giorgio having to reconcile his father asserting he is of the sharpest mind (and greatest persecution complex) and a man who relies just as much on nostos as the people he wants to turn docile. Having a pacifist "hippie" scientist play the antagonist in a show facing off against the US Navy (or any branch of the US armed forces) seems to be an interesting choice nonetheless; definitely a charged one at that.

• Not much to say about the Nathan James aspect of the episode, as it was pretty straightforward. Though I did like Sasha annoyed at the fact it was boys only entrance to the food testing grounds.
• Not sure what to make of the janitor scene to be honest, as it just seemed pointless to the whole affair.
• And the unfortunate part of Jeter's injuries seem to continue to run the course, proving to be even less insignificant of a plot beat when his incapacitation comes up. No one is particularly slowed down or injured in the wake of his gut deciding to spit up more blood.