The Shannara Chronicles 2x10 "Blood" - Great character work helps bring the finale of season two to a strong finish

With the final episode of Shannara, the last hour of season two takes time to again re-examine all the themes of season two that made it such a strong television series. It's completely appropriate in many ways the finale is titled "Blood", as it actually holds its worth in many ways, helping the season come to a cohesive conclusion.

In many ways, "Blood" is not necessarily the strongest single episode of the show (I still give that to this season's "Graymark") but it succeeds in the ways a finale is supposed to work. I don't think that it was a coincidence that the Warlock Lord's form being a mirror of Allanon was anything but a happy accident (having not read the books, you can correct me). The final showdown, though fairly low-key and relegated to alternating from Wil and Mareth to Cogline and Jax in relatively small settings worked much better as those scenes helped to complete many of the arcs brought up through the season.

For Wil and Mareth, facing down the Warlock Lord in the guise of a father figure/mentor felt much like a final test for the two of them. For Wil, much of the emotional resonance in the confrontation was built up from the season as it explored much more of his father's legacy and failure to make a sacrifice in a similar situation. The show executed an interesting idea in telling us about a final sacrifice Wil would have to make, but doesn't spell it out to anyone until the needed moment when it's clear magic can't fix everything. It's not entirely out of left field but it does make sense in the text of the show and through Wil's characterization. Mareth on the other hand, has to take on all her self-doubt as she realizes she's the last of the Druids with the death of her father. Add to that, she is also the heir to Arborlon, and has been granted the Elfstones from Wil as he leaves her a little too soon.

Jax somewhat breaks the pattern here in "Blood" as much of his transformation is reliant less on any legacy he carries like the other characters, and more contingent on his personal development from a lone wolf back to a leader of men. It's fairly underused as we see shots of him leading the former Crimson in the defense of Leigh, only to have the Warlock Lord basically walk in from the back to poison Heaven's Well, and the Warlock Lord doesn't really have much in the way of armies of demons to speak of.

It's also an interesting decision backed by a strong performance (despite the hamminess of it, occasionally) of Cogline, who quickly (re)assumes the mantle of the Druid guide following Allanon's demise. There's not much spoken to Cogline's leaving of the order despite being of fairly great importance in events like crafting the Sword of Shannara or assuming the care of a young Eretria. Cogline initially seemed like a fairly unimportant role in the overall events but has comfortably assumed Allanon's role. It will be interesting to see how a possible third season will put him to use. Especially because he is the only strong signifier of the show's post-apocalyptic setting we don't see very often (yes, even despite the fact Leigh is built on a concrete, hydroelectric dam) with his mix of science and magic contraptions.

While Wil and Mareth are set on a path that is one more of righteousness and purpose (as typical in standard hero's journeys), Eretria is set on a path that has her question her place in the world. She spends most of the hour possessed by the Warlock Lord's wraith because of her ties to the darker, demonic aspects of the show. Eretria spends much of the season allied with the protagonists, but she also recognizes that she must try to forge a path away from her fate than to simply accept it. It gives her character some interesting nuance in a show of characters who seem to have their destinies and fates written for them in some shape or form.

Finally, and unfortunately, Lyria proves to be a completely underused actor in the season. I'll be curious if a returning season three would feature her in any capacity. Lyria's arc was mostly the standard runaway princess, with an attempt to become a court player, ultimately ending it unfortunate plot device, as possessed-Eretria and the Warlock Lord take here away to get access to Heaven's Well, and simply discard her. Even after Wil and Mareth find her and set her on a path to warn them of Eretria's betrayal, it's not her who helps in the final moments to help stymie any attempt at sabotaging the floodgates or anything. Jax is the one who mentions Eretria and Cogline is the one who reacts; the well is poisoned regardless and it spreads out into the wider world meaning that Wil's prophesized sacrifice must take place. At the end of it, Lyria just stares dumbfounded as the waters are cleansed with Shannara blood, and she's crowned Queen of Leigh in the aftermath. Maybe she'll forge a more interesting story, but there was barely one to begin with in season two.

I'm not in the business of knowing if there will be a season three, but with the subdued ending and conclusion for every significant character this season, it will be fascinating to see where a potential season three would go in the wake of such a strong finish to the show's characters. I do hope there will be one, as it has won me over unlike the first season which had many stumbles on the way. I'm a sucker for fantasy-adventure shows, of which there is a dearth of, so hopefully the show returns. The unfortunate fact is that the show began to double-run its episodes near the halfway mark, so that seems like a poor sign. But hopefully I'm wrong.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

• Absolutely loved the intentional Ghostbusters homage with Jax and Cogline
• Again, the show is at its best when it is post-apocalyptic, so hopefully more aspects of that part of the setting make a return
• It will be interesting to see if the show will try to manufacture a return for Manu Bennett or if it will keep him dead and have Mareth carry on. It would arguably be a stronger decision to, as that was mostly the whole point of season two, though it means Manu Bennett is out of work here and on Arrow for the moment

The Shannara Chronicles 2x09 "Wilderun" - The penultimate episode has its characters looking toward the future, even as danger looms over them

 
As The Shannara Chronicles nears the finale for its second season, a good amount of time in "Wilderun" is spent as the characters look inward and forward, optimistically in a future they hope to forge, if they survive. Although the fight with the Warlock Lord is far from over for the heroes, they hope that in the wake of a victory, they can put the pieces together to continue on in a better world.  Well, everyone except for Bandon. Once again, there's some fantastic character work that's laced with the right amount of the themes Shannara relies on time and time again.
 
For Bandon, it is a bit of a tragedy that he basically meets his end impaled on the Warlock Lord's blade. He was always very much that young man that the show introduced us to in the barn, tied up by his parents for being cursed with magic. Not content to be humiliated or to feel powerless again, the training from Allanon eventually led him to seek out the Warlock Lord and to learn from him and eventually become more powerful. It's a relatively simple answer to his question on his search for power the show provides - if you serve a master, you're still a slave because true power can never be shared. So in his haste and reasoning, if he could bring back to the Warlock Lord, he could put that genie back in the bottle. Bandon died as free as he could be, by his standards.

Lyria - or at least the show - finally exhibits some self-awareness as she tells Cogline she should be doing more than sitting and hiding and acting as nothing more than a plot device. It's relatively short lived and Lyria goes back to not doing much afterward. She shares a scene or two with Eretria and gets to do something by basically proposing to Eretria and pining for a more hopeful future together. By the end she's divorced from the one thing that she needs to keep Leigh, Heaven's Well, and the Four Lands safe, so it'll be curious what lengths she'll go to in order to help save the day, if Cogline is willing to label her as much a hero as Wil, Allanon, Mareth, or Eretria.

Eretria takes on most of the burden of the episode as she finds it harder to accept her fate or destiny. Whereas Wil is almost entirely single-minded in purpose after his visit to the Ellcrys, or Mareth who will be assuming two mantles (and with Allanon making his peace), Eretria's connection to the darkness finally bears fruits in "Wilderun". Although I still find it somewhat poorly executed on the way there, by this episode, Eretria does finally experience the effects of her heritage as the Warlock Lord and his wraiths battle to take control of her. It's almost entirely expected given Cogline's warnings, though for Eretria, she refuses to simply accept her fate to exclude herself from the fight and wishes to battle for some semblance of self-determination. She's probably the most burdened of all the heroes on Shannara as she herself muses on what might happen if her connection to the darkness and evil could ever consume her like Bandon. It's an interesting thought experiment and hopefully there will be further exploration into the other path, as it seems the final showdown is mostly contingent on Eretria acting both as a beacon for the Warlock Lord as well as the proverbial fifth column in our heroes' plans.

Wil is mostly at peace though the visions from the sword are brought up again and makes me wonder if that will be something he'll refuse to accept in spite of the need for some finality. Allanon on the other hand seems to be completely at peace and has realized that Mareth might be more important legacy to leave behind than his duties as a druid, while Mareth herself struggles to reconcile her duties to continue the druidic order and being the last true heir to Arborlon.

With the finale to follow, it will interesting to see what hopes and dreams our heroes have will bear fruit, and which will be dashed and discarded away.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

• There are some definite influences from other hero's journey stories to be found in Shannara. It's interesting to see Allanon come to terms with his duty and his own personal development, something very (prequel) un-Jedi about it. The master/apprentice relationship for Bandon and the Warlock Lord are Sith-like as well but with a somewhat Harkonnen-esque twist to it too.
• Not much to say about Jax, Slanter, and the Crimson remnants, though I can imagine the plan was to put the Crimson to task to fight the Warlock Lord being the intended end result. Just surprised they didn't parade Riga's head on a pike is all.
• Finally with the return to Wilderun and mostly with Cogline's appearances does the show feel more in the post-apocalyptic fantasy than simple fantasy. The combination of information-age science and fantasy magic seems to be only present when Cogline is around this season, and I find the show stronger for it by remembering that even if it isn't very often.

The Shannara Chronicles 2x08 "Amberle" - A focused episode asks their characters to face the truth in order to move forward

In what feels like another mostly transitional episode, more groundwork is established as characters focus mostly on themselves as they steel themselves for the finale. "Amberle" is centred much on Wil himself as the past finally catches up with him. In order for him - and for the show - to move forward, he has to finally accept his fate that he is a Shannara, and that the world needs him to stop the Warlock Lord. Central to the Shannara/Druid relationship is also Allanon and Mareth, who also contemplate their situations while the evil parallel found both in Bandon and Eretria follow suit. One of Shannara's strengths is its worldbuilding and strong character work. It's a show and setting that relies strongly on its sense of time and place, and of heritage and legacy. It's all around in the setting as the ruined post-apocalyptic world (which goes sorely unused, in my opinion) reminds us of a world left behind, or even in how events shape entire peoples rather strongly, and it's always fantastic when Shannara knows exactly how to hit those beats.

The titular episode brings back Amberle in what is her most significant appearance since all of season one. It's a bit of a shame that Poppy Drayton is underused in service of the plot of the show, as this episode finally shows her range as she's asked to play the familiar Amberle that Wil loved, and the incarnation of the Ellcrys in her image. Ultimately, it is in her reappearance that helps guide Wil back on his path. He's been rather reactive this season, as his journey was mostly dictated by the whims of those with more ambition than him. As he notes as he speaks to a figment of Shea, Storlock and his dreams of being a simple healer were all he wanted before the heritage of the Shannara was thrust upon him. He's been towed around by Bandon in attempts to help Flick, and he has mostly been reticent about his destiny despite Allanon's guidance. It's only until "Amberle" when he's asked to finally accept his fate, as well as let go of Amberle is he able to move forward. Having the Sword of Shannara become mended is as about as unsubtle as it gets, but it helps link together Bandon's shattering of the sword earlier back in "Crimson" to Wil's acceptance as a hero.

Allanon and Mareth also spend their time together musing on the role of the druids as we learn Allanon's time is slowly coming to an end and Mareth will have to assume his place in very little time. It's fantastic work that mixes well with world building as we learn why Allanon and druids seem to have to appear in a time of peril, and then have to disappear just as soon as the danger is over. It's with the guilt of Bandon that ultimately leads Allanon to his demise. There's a bit of the hint of the Jedi of Star Wars to the Druids in Shannara, seeing as they seem to follow similar tenants of a subset of people who are devoted simply to the safety of the world at large and must forego personal attachments. Of course, it's not as simple as we watch the father-daughter discussion unfold over Eventine's sister - Allanon's one love and Mareth's mother - and how she is the one thing that brings these two people together. It's also through the familial bond that causes Allanon to re-evaluate his life, even as he continues the burden that a druid must carry, ending in a powerful confession at the end of the episode as the Crimson send them to their deaths.

On the other side, Bandon faces similar hurdles as he establishes a connection with the newly revived Warlock Lord. Asking for him to revive Catania is an interesting request and despite his best intentions, it quickly turns into a lesson by the Warlock Lord instead to ask Bandon to kill what he loves (but also doesn't love him back). Catania was pretty much the last link to any humanity that Bandon had left since his mission. There's almost a glimmer of hope when you think he'll turn on the Warlock Lord for turning a newly-revived Catania into something of a thrall for his amusement. It's interesting that after his advances are rebuffed that Bandon doesn't do much to beg for his new master to return Catania to the woman he remembers, implying he's ready to leave behind his humanity.

Having Eretria's heritage come into play seems a little odd at this moment in the season, but it was bound to come to a head sooner or later since Cogline finally revealed what she was. There's little reason given to why a wraith or whatever kind of dark spirit murders all the Crimson soldiers as they descend on Eretria and the remainder of the Chosen, but it quickly turns wrong when Eretria tries to control the malevolent force. It's clear she's been possessed by the time Wil reunites with her, though for what remains uncertain. It would be odd if the show wanted to play towards similar beats as it did previously for Bandon's downfall, though much of it lines up as we're watching as a character attempts to wrestle with the darker elements of magic and come out from it changed for the worse. 

And seemingly for the worse, it's a shame that Lyria is absent for this hour where the characters are forced to face the truth or their pasts. In a way, her mother had done so earlier an episode ago before her demise, but there's again little work on that front, especially for someone who seemingly has an important role to play in the events ahead. Even Slanter and Jax get a word in edgewise about the episode's focus. Riga of course, ends up having to face off with the Warlock Lord and losing his head over it despite his immunity to magic. It seems that for now the Crimson have come to an end, but hopefully rather than acting as a minor threat prior to the Warlock Lord's arrival, they persist as a force and perspective in the world of Shannara. Otherwise it would be a shame to see them disappear as the plot demands it, because despite their usual over-the-top villainy, they added some extra depth to the world.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

• Really surprised to see Tamlin's head guard got more to do of significance. Considering he would probably be most at fault for letting the Crimson (much less anyone else) slip through into the palace. How does he still have a job?
• I thought the show had established that Cogline was also a druid, though it seems that Allanon doesn't know much about it, or that he doesn't seem to care about it at all.
• In an interesting twist, it seems like Wil and Mareth's trip to Shady Vale in the past and meeting Shea were in fact real, as Shea reveals to Wil his reason for not making the ultimate sacrifice to kill the Warlock Lord was so he could see his wife and son again.
• On that above point though, I do wonder what the show is trying to say, if plunging the sword into the Warlock Lord is all you need to do, why did Shea decide to not do it?

The Shannara Chronicles 2x07 "Warlock" - a transitional episode where everyone is in the search for parental guidance

It can be argued that there is a lot that happens in "Warlock", but most of it is just interstitial things that serve to move the overall season forward. Sure, there is the part where Bandon finally revives the Warlock Lord, but that's mostly left to leave a vague cliffhanger at the end more than anything, and the scene only helps to transition the season into its final act by having the main villain finally appear. It will be from there where the show will have to deliver, having spent most of the time building him up. "Warlock" is not a bad episode by any stretch, but much of it is character work that is laid down in this hour will hopefully be a good foundation as the season reaches its big climax.

One the huge issues I had with season two of Shannara was the Leigh story, and it continues to somewhat falter. There was some of the usual attempt at Thrones-esque court intrigue, but many of the characters involved in the court are rather boring. Queen Tamlin is not as powerful as a schemer as the show would like you to think and completely pales in comparison to Game of Thrones' Cersei Lannister or even Reign's Catherine di Medici. She eventually meets her end by this episode, after Riga and the Crimson show up and ruin her daughter's wedding; if anything it seems rather a weak turn for Leigh in general, if not her rule, if the Crimson can simply walk into a kingdom with little effort. I can't quite seem to parse what the show ultimately wanted to do with Queen Tamlin, as the constant back and forth between shrewd queen and someone who had no choice in her matter made her characterization felt inconsistent at times. Whereas sometime it seemed she held all the power in her court, it only needed a single sentence to turn her afraid of the consequences of her past actions. I suppose she was always in over her head, though the show failed at times to show those quieter moments. At least her final scenes gave her back some sense of agency as she robbed Riga of the opportunity to properly execute her in front of her subjects.

Leigh also acts as a mirror of season one's Arborlon in a sense. The Warlock Lord is hoping to come to Leigh to corrupt Heaven's Well, an interesting parallel to the evils the Ellcrys holds back in Arborlon. Running from that comparison, it stands to reason that Princess Lyria is supposed to act almost as plot device as Amberle did. The unfortunate fact is that Lyria - up until now - still only works as a plot device. One of my main concerns was that Lyria had lacked much agency throughout the season and it seems to continue through "Warlock" and likely will remain so (though I hope otherwise). Whereas Amberle was still ultimately integral as a plot device at the end of the first season, the show explored her character and gave her agency, so that her final sacrifice in the season one finale felt earned. In the case of Lyria, she feels less like a person - and now with her large stone necklace - and rather more of a prop that has to be carted around until some final confrontation dictates her use (or as Cogline would prefer, that she avoid it altogether). It remains a bit frustrating that Lyria simply exists to be a confused bystander to events that involve her.

It creates an interesting contrast seeing as Mareth, another new character introduced in season two, has so much more agency in her storyline in her search for Allanon and ultimately taking on his role in the future. I didn't particularly like the execution of Mareth entering Allanon's dream state, only to ultimately end up being a short trip in which Allanon was never in any danger of dying anyway, and the real reason was for him to speak to his former mentor just so he could be corrected on the matter of Bandon vs. Mareth. But the fact that she takes action to move forward even when surrounded by other powerful figures feels already leagues ahead from what Princess Lyria is subjected to.

Again, the idea of legacy and heritage is at the forefront with Mareth and Allanon as the two come closer as the show seems to signal that Allanon's time is at an end and that she will have to take up his mantle. At the same time, with Ander's untimely death, it also puts her in a position of being the next ruler of Arborlon, which actually feels like an interesting development, as the show seems intent on shedding away the older generation and paving the way for the new. Although it might be hard to imagine the show trading Allanon for Mareth, the show has proved it has the right stuff to see it forward, if it comes to that.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

• I found it a rather bold move for Ander to basically be killed off in little to no fanfare, and then discarded like that. I guess they really were trying hard to mimic as much of the Red Wedding as they could.
• Not much movement really with Wil or Eretria, as this is the first time I'm even mentioning them, but the fact that Allanon and Mareth basically held most of the episode together is an interesting one at that.
• I feel like I should be surprised the Warlock Lord looks like evil-Allanon, but to be fair, Bandon used his blood that he took from the cut he made with the Warlock Lord's sword, so it stands to reason the blood caused him to return in the guise of Allanon.

Arrow 6x08 "Irreconcilable Differences" - sometimes it's all about the journey, but Arrow could use a new takeoff point

As Arrow rounds into the midseason finale and also out of the events of "Crisis on Earth-X", there is a specific urge for the show to return to some kind of status quo. Granted, after six years, the status quo on a series is bound to shift a few times but remain fundamentally familiar in some way for new and continued viewers. There are some interesting decisions made over the course of "Irreconcilable Differences" but most of the motions in play feel more like they've been made more out of style than substance.

It is rather odd to re-engage again with law enforcement trying to link Oliver and the Hood/Arrow/Green Arrow's identity again, but with this attempt being more successful than the few attempts that Quentin Lance has dropped a few times over the years. Samanda Watson as a concept is an interesting one by having the show try to actually tell a story where someone is actually trying in earnest (until they tell us otherwise) that they truly wish to make Oliver Queen pay for his numerous crimes of violence and vigilantism. It's just that much of the work is left to background machinations, and it's not until this episode where some of her veiled threats takes hold with something tangible

There's something to be said about another act of repetition that reinforces certain themes or actions, but it feels like at a fundamental basis, the simple repetition of "Oliver Queen pushes people away" has had a varied history over the course of the show. Many times it's made to justify some more drastic changes in storytelling. As one could argue with season six, the act of Oliver pushing people away can be attributed to the mounting pressure of his day job as mayor and the greater scrutiny that is being the Green Arrow. But sometimes, it feels as if the move was made simply to strengthen the imagery of a team falling apart as another assembles with purpose.

Having Wild Dog be the weak link of the group is an interesting one at that, because it does imply everyone has been doing their homework on and off the pages of the script. It's a powerful reaction as the group recoils from the fact that one of Oliver's more loyal acolytes would be the reason for his downfall, though for attentive viewers it is the most understandable and logical avenue the show could take. Luckily, the show doesn't linger on the mystery suspect (who Oliver believed it was one of the three of Curtis, Dinah, and Renee) and spends time on the fallout of the who and why of it, along with the newer members of Team Arrow astonished and overreacting about the secret surveillance conducted by Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle. It is telling that the original three did not bat an eye as they spied on the newer recruits. In another interesting act of repetition, Team Arrow's bunker itself is also under secret surveillance by Cayden James (why no one bothered to sweep for bugs is beyond me though, after learning they also stole Curtis' tech) and manipulating the team to his full advantage.

The theme of distrust continues further into the episode as Black Siren abducts Lance, simply to use him as a bargaining tool for Team Arrow to abscond with an item from under ARGUS care. As the two not-father-daughter duo continue to talk, they begin to seemingly imprint on each other in the quieter moments. Despite the animosity, the two begin to share some kind of bond over their dead counterparts, as if the two of them could somehow carry on some kind of daddy-daughter relationship no matter how homicidal it becomes. It gives a bit to depth to Black Siren as it makes it appear as though she isn't a simple henchman or malevolent force when she spares Quentin despite orders to kill him from Cayden James. Or we could just be watching a triple or quadruple cross unfolding.

Either way, distrust or not (which is a well Arrow goes to time and time again), what will be interesting in the months ahead will be to see what actually happens from the split of the newbies and the original Team Arrow. It's safe to say that Dinah, Curtis and Rene have added a lot to the strength of the show and it would be a shame if they actually left the show. There's almost no doubt in my mind by season's end the team comes back together while they whittle down Cayden James' team of villains by means of divide and conquer. If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for them, right? It's just, how will the show arrive at that destination? I hope some of the focus of the show will remain on the newbies as they forge their way in a new world divorced from Oliver Queen, even if for a while; they deserve their time to shine, fail, and learn. Hopefully not too much of the focus is kept on Oliver, Felicity and Diggle, as it feels like the show would simply mine and hit the same beats from previous seasons.

Although nothing about "Irreconcilable Differences" particularly excites me during its hour, the storytelling potential that can spawn from it is more exciting in of itself. Although sometimes we have to accept Oliver Queen as a distrusting man at his core and will push people away as an instinct and we must accept this fact, sometimes what he does will spawn some interesting storytelling from it. If not in execution, then at least in theory, I suppose. I liken it to having to deal with something like airline travel to reach your vacation destination. It's a complete headache and something you hate in the moment, but once it has passed, there's hopefully something hopeful, exciting, or fulfilling on the other end of it.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

• Despite being neutral about "Olicity", I do have to say the hijacking of Barry and Iris' wedding was kind of rude if anything. At least the reception scenes in the start of this episode were a little more bearable and had some great character work otherwise.
• That being said, hopefully the show doesn't fall into the same traps in seasons 3 and 4 with Oliver and Felicity despite them being married now.
• I think it's a little depressing that the episode that lacks Samanda Watson's presence is the strongest one yet as the team actually has to deal with the consequences of her investigation instead of having her appear for a scene or two and everyone brushing her off.
• Dinah and Vincent (Vigilante) is almost the same as Oliver and Felicity to me, as in they don't really register much and aren't too offensive but other than manipulating Dinah and working with Cayden as a baseline, I don't really see much chemistry between the two of them to pull much off.

Arrow 6x07 "Thanksgiving" and its search for meaning and substance falls short

A large part of "Thanksgiving" exists solely to wipe the show's slate temporarily clean to prepare for the 4-part DCTV crossover next week, but the episode also manages to attempt more in the process. As it temporarily takes Diggle out of play as the Green Arrow and ushers Oliver Queen back in, it also has the desire to look inward as it draws certain characters together. Some may call it filler, but a lot of it feels like setup for events that will unfold later in the season. It's hard to forecast exactly what will happen over the course of season six, and the setup feels unnecessarily vague at the moment to really piece much together, other than drawing at familiar threads. It makes me wonder how much will be new and how much will be treading similar ground. Much like the episode's namesake, "Thanksgiving", like other Thanksgiving stories, try to find the meaning in something, or perhaps send someone on a journey of self-discovery. But also like the content of the episode, "Thanksgiving" is very much not really about the holiday but simple window dressing, so its attempts to plumb for deeper meaning fail to impress.

As for John Diggle's turn as Green Arrow, it is - at least according to the show - temporarily on hold as his nerve damage problem was exacerbated by his steroid use. If Curtis could cure spinal paralysis, it shouldn't be too difficult for some kind of solution, as the episode posits. It isn't quite so easy as Oliver is temporarily made Green Arrow again just in time for the crossover and to solve the crisis of the week, even if it means lying to his son about it for now on top of having been charged by the FBI with crimes for being the Hood/Arrow/Green Arrow over the years. The confrontations through the episode between Oliver and Diggle are just moments of excellent drama as years of experience between the two men boil up over Diggle's hospitalization.

At last, many of the things left unsaid between the two men since the shifting on the costume come to a head in a moment of frustration and anger. It might feel a little rushed, but as soon as the two cleared their heads and came to apologize, it's there we learned more about why Diggle chose to become the Green Arrow. We learn that Diggle had his own experience in last year's crossover and that his own desire to be the Green Arrow was what had motivated him to accept the job despite the risk at the start of the season. The motivation is sold well through both Amell and Ramsey, but it feels like a bit of a misstep or missed opportunity that's relegated to a line or two of dialogue saved by the performances.

The episode also tries to cover a lot of other bases and hits about the same kind of beats over the course of the hour, feeling like the setup should carry a ton of weight, only to be met with a rather shallow realization that feels like the start of something else in another episode that means to be explored in greater depth. Some of these are really only given a scene or two, like Dinah and Quentin, who muse in the mayor's offices about what it means if they don't take lives for the greater good. Or Felicity and Curtis, who get caught up in the minutiae of how to run their startup only to realize it works fine for the most part even when they act independently (other than maybe using angel investor money to bail your boyfriend out of jail on charges of vigilantism). Again, these feel like side stories or main stories that could conceivably fill an episode or give more thematic depth. Unfortunately, the nature of their small acknowledgements in "Thanksgiving" made them feel more like necessary tending to when maybe ultimately they could have stayed in the background.

It's really only with Cayden James' involvement where the episode has any substance to it, and even then it peters out in the end in its dramatic reveal. As he works to build a bomb with a massive detonation radius, it eventually culminates with the encounter in the concert arena as he makes a vague threat about destroying our heroes for a perceived slight or crime because of Team Arrow. It's maybe left unintentionally a little vague if Cayden James is speaking to Oliver directly or not (given that technically, it was established people like Helix knew his identity), especially given the timing of Oliver taking over for Diggle. It's not weird on its own but it is when paired up with the team's realization that their skirmish in the arena led to the anti-vigilante referendum to turn against them. It very likely does, though the show makes a poor job of communicating it, though viewers will have to remember that Helix knows of the team's bunker from their attack earlier this season. But for now, the Cayden James vendetta against Team Arrow feels somewhat vague.

Last but not least, the FBI investigation into Oliver Queen reached a bit of a tipping point that quite literally, had no real substance behind it. If there is anything to Agent Watson's investigation other than the fact she could get a warrant. It's a little weird to not to have anything real behind her motivations as of yet. The lack of detail makes it feel as if the show wants to head into the territory of manipulation via Cayden James or another unknown actor, but the show is not willing to show its cards just yet. On its own, and possibly in moderation, Samanda Watson might be somewhat interesting (again, if we hadn't had another Oliver's-secret-identity-is-Green-Arrow-but-wait plot) but given she's appeared in a third of the season even in glimpses, and we as viewers have been not shown anything that could give us a sense of direction, it's no surprise her appearance might cause frustration for some. Hopefully for most of what "Thanksgiving" touched upon will have something substantive to follow it in the weeks to come.

• Glad to see the Helix attack on the bunker paid off as Cayden James now has a T-Sphere to use when he wants.
• Thea is finally awake! It's more of a last minute thing, but I'm glad Willa Holland has something to do now, hopefully.
• Although some of us are glad about Oliver's return as Green Arrow (temporarily, says the show), it was a delight to have Diggle take on the role in a more semi-permanent position. It's something The Flash has lacked despite having Wally as Kid Flash especially and underutilizing him even when Barry is supposed to be out of commission. It almost speaks leagues as to which show is more comfortable with their ensemble at times.
• Not specific to this episode, but the great 4-episode crossover happens next, and hopefully it finally promises to be completely all interconnected unlike last year's, which had enjoyable moments but squeezed the events mostly over two episodes, with Arrow happening to celebrate their 100th episode and having to work into a crossover somehow.

The Shannara Chronicles 2x06 "Crimson" - the end to the season's second act doesn't mask poor plotting, sadly

"Crimson" almost feels like an episode that was partially stitched together, held only together by the show making a point of telling us in no uncertain terms in the final minutes that this is the second act of the season. There's a lot of talk about destiny and fate, but poorly executed. It's usually part and parcel in a genre like fantasy, especially when talking about the hero's journey style of adventure. Part of what makes it feel discomforting to me when I watch this theme being trotted out is that it is a theme that attempts to rob certain characters of their self-determination or progress, because it's down to simple "it was fate, nothing more", without exploring the facets of fate vs. free-will, or something in-between. "Fate waits for no man", as Wil puts it; more like a word we just repeat to sound deep, or in character because of the fantasy setting, unfortunately. It's in the execution of it that bothers me, especially in "Crimson", or perhaps everytime it's used in Shannara. Although it means that the inevitable will happen (which is not the problem itself), it leaves very little leeway for characters or the world at large to change or make something for themselves if mostly everything is predetermined. Again, this is a scripted TV show, so forgive the metaphysical crisis I'm having.

On the subject of "Crimson", it is struck by some fairly poor pacing and plotting. For instance, whereas Valcaa (Riga's lieutenant) is captured by Jax in the previous episode, the Crimson easily break him out, with only a word of dialogue from one of Tamlin's guards (I assume he is the captain of the guard, though either unnamed or uninteresting and uninvolved enough to remember). This development barely lasts a few scenes from the previous episode to the current to have much impact. It forces much of the Leigh storyline in this episode to have its big scenes, while the parts inbetween are filled in by exposition instead of visual storytelling, which is a shame. Although I don't particularly like the Leigh story this season, it was usually just a matter of the subject at hand, but now the poor pacing I found in Shannara season one seems to have reared its ugly head as well.

Jax is hired again by Tamlin to hunt down Valcaa and Riga, but there's no real substance or real subtext in the scenes where Tamlin acts on the Crimson. It's almost as if the show decides she has to be a complete cypher to see if she really has changed sides or not. Not that pissing off a homicidal warlord to crash your daughter's wedding is a good idea, even if you don't like your choice of groom any more. The fights with Jax, Valcaa, and Riga are serviceable but they exist almost to show action than anything else and give Jax something to do that he probably would've done already - which makes the scene where Jax and Tamlin speak on the subject feel particularly worthless.

The final scene in "Crimson" is clearly an homage to one of TV's more recent infamous scene by playing to the major beats. But the problem is the danger doesn't feel as insidious or calculated as the Red Wedding ever was. This is a bold, brash, and loud attempt at one. Riga reveals himself at the heart of the wedding, and then Crimson men just instantly spill out from the stands in full uniform, making the suspension of disbelief a little hard to bear. And as violent as it will get, it's Ander who probably gets murdered (of course the show leaves his fate uncertain for now), though the show hasn't put much work in making us care for Ander as much as say Wil, Eretria, Allanon, or even Mareth and Jax.

Wil and Mareth's journey to Shadyvale continue into this episode, though like last episode's review argued, having an episode devoted to this would have been better. The continual talk of fate, fate, and fate, really only affected this story, as it places the idea of fate against the fear of causality. But the show can't seem to confirm if the vault truly existed to take a Shannara and druid back in time as a hiding place for the skull, or just a pocket reality that exists solely as a prison of sorts. The show didn't have to dive into either subject in depth, but it never took a stance on the subject. Perhaps it's left vague enough to allow some leeway into how the world all connects in the case of Wil and his family. By the end, it's really just left to Flick to die because the show - through Allanon - implies it's his fate to be sacrificed, just like it was Shae's to become a hero. Unfortunately it leaves untouched the subject of whether or not Shae's madness later in life and death were also part of his fate, or because of his denial of it. That would at least provide for some interesting ideas to work from.

Of course, by the end of "Crimson", the show would prefer to just leave us with a world on the brink of true misery and despair as it shows all the heroes set on the backfoot - like any good end of a second act. Bandon has the skull and races away with it, Allanon is slowly dying probably because the prison affected his ties to magic, and Ander is likely dead along with any hopes for an alliance between Arborlon and Leigh. The only problem is for much of the latter, they didn't feel like earned defeats. Perhaps it was fate for much of the characters that the story just threw defeat at them because that's what was needed at this part of the story, instead of showing us their villains really are just that capable of tearing them down.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

• Not much to say about Eretria, who only really has a scene or two. It's unclear if she just sucked up the mordwraith or someone reached in while she was killing it - probably the latter though.
• Again, I really want to stress I wish the Leigh storyline was more interesting but it really feels like there's never really any depth there except possibly in the set and costume design. If it's trying to ape Game of Thrones' King's Landing kind of court intrigue, it's failing pretty badly.

The Shannara Chronicles 2x05 "Paranor" - the past is what matters, and always a strong theme in Shannara

Legacy is a recurring theme in Shannara, as the show takes place in that moment in time where everything seems to be the effect of some cause years ago. But that is how history works, even after the world has been destroyed in nuclear fire. Although prior to "Paranor", much of the season's musings and talks about the past have been mostly talk and mysterious second meanings, this episode forces its characters to confront their pasts in real and tangible ways. In many ways, this is the best of Shannara when its characters confront the past - whether they be real, imagined, or through time travel.

After reaching Paranor, Bandon is trapped by Allanon into a prison in the hopes of keeping him contained forever. But Bandon's contingency by infecting Flick is what leads to Wil and Mareth disobeying Allanon to retrieve the Warlock Lord's skull. Allanon himself denied himself that he could be Mareth's father, but the results say otherwise when access to the skull definitely requires a druid and a Shannara. I had some reservations about the show sidelining Allanon again during the start of the season, but having Mareth at Wil's side makes the decision to do so easier to swallow as Malese Jow shares as much chemistry with Austin Butler as he does with Manu Bennett. Part of it is how the show wants to present itself - beautiful young people adventuring in a dangerous, fantasy world - but part of it is also that theme of legacy in this show. It's probably not by simple choice or need for bombast (or more beautiful people sitting near a watering hole looking more beautiful) to have Wil and Mareth travel back and meet a young Shae Ohmsford, nor is it an accident for Wil to have so much influence in his past as he searches for the skull. Given how much more of this season is about Wil trying to reconcile what he knew about his father's memory and legacy, there is bound some substantial developments in the future.

Eretria's past also surfaces as we learn that Cogline is also a druid, mirroring Wil and Allanon's roles of protector and ward. Whereas Wil is a descendant of a legendary hero, Eretria on the other hand is almost a dark mirror of Wil, with her fate more tied into the realm of demons as part of her family history. It's also with Eretria and Cogline that the show returns to the small glimpses its post-apocalyptic setting since the premiere, something that was sorely missing and almost felt that, in my opinion, was nearly excised at the expense of the show's overall increase in quality. There's something odd but settling seeing Cogline having set up a prison for a wraith by mashing together druidic magic and good old fashioned jail bars coursing with electricity. In any case, it will be interesting to see as the show continues not only to divide Eretria from Wil, but starts to cause them to diverge in completely opposite ways.

Jax, meanwhile, has remained somewhat nebulous, though we learn his bounty hunting career and his old soldier days are more connected than expected. It's a little odd for him to hold a particular connection to one soldier under his command (unless he's dropping off his gains to other widows of the border legion), but it drives home the point nonetheless. It's only when the Crimson arrive and kill a little boy (a little too cartoonishly evil even for justifiable fanatics like the Crimson) that forces Jax to rethink his worldview. For Jax, the intrusion of the Crimson into his memory of what I assume are better times and better friends eventually drive him to draw a line in the sand against the Crimson than to merely use them as a means to an end. On the flip side, Queen Tamlin is the one character who doesn't really have much in the way of active development. Her legacy is just as important as a major political player in the world, but at an individual level, much of what we learn about her is simply told to us. If it's not from Lyria or Tamlin's her words herself, it is from the words of Bandon or Cogline, repeating the course of the last war and her decisions. Whereas Jax receives the less wordy explanations interspersed by vague flashes or the past, Tamlin is the one that feels like we're reading a history textbook, having facts recited to us.

Regardless, whenever Shannara leans heavily on the past and thoughts of legacy, it generally shines brighter. "Paranor" is a strong showing as it brings to surface a lot of the mystery of the characters and the world, and the way both are influenced by the recent and distant past. In a sense (though I haven't read the books), Shannara is a show about a generation of people and how they want to forge a future, but with a past that sometimes keeps them from doing so. Whether it is some family pedigree, or some ancient and malevolent evil, they are all sort of the same. Sometimes a little too similar.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

• Not simply interesting to learn that Cogline is a druid, but he's definitely a different kind of druid. He has this affinity for technology and/or electricity that was hinted at in the premiere, and even his magic attacks have this electrical feel to them. This is even before his steampunk-esque getup.
• I'm not entirely one for time-travel stories (you'd have to best 12 Monkeys), so I feel like Wil and Mareth in past-Shadyvale feels more like idyllic-dream-world-unforunately-invaded-by-wraiths as a prison for the skull than an actual time machine. But we shall find out.
• I liked the framing of Allanon and Bandon on opposite sides behind the cage, as if they were the angel and devil speaking into Wil's ears.
• I'm not entirely a fan of the episode hanging on that cliffhanger despite the fact that the remainder of the season is being aired two episodes at a time. The Shadyvale jaunt could definitely have been a single episode if planned for.

Arrow 6x06 "Promises Kept", baggage left behind

There's a lingering finality the events of "Promises Kept" are working towards, especially in the case of John Diggle's tenure as the Green Arrow. Given that there is one more episode before the universe wide "Crisis on Earth-X" crossover and that Amell will be back in the Green Arrow costume (which makes it easier to explain to non-viewers for Arrow and newcomers), it signals a close to the first stretch of season six. Unfortunately for anyone who keeps a close watch on Arrow, some of these things are just inevitable, but that doesn't mean there wasn't worthwhile developments in this episode. 

With both Diggle and Slade taking on prominent roles in this episode, there is this sense that their journeys have taken them to unfortunate turning points. Diggle must finally confront his pride as the tremor from his injuries flare up again. For Diggle, he had to face the truth that he cannot continue his facade or reliance on the designer steroid at the expense of his pride. It's played fairly deftly as Diggle and the audience discover the twist that Dragon is behind both the potential cure for Diggle but also problems for Star City, and to watch as Diggle eventually relents and gains some perspective from his actual family and his crimefighting one. The simplicity in having Diggle ask for forgiveness in the final scene, and that forgiveness was easily given and not needed to be wrenched out from team was heartwarming to see.

Slade on the other hand, traces a similar path to Diggle as he attempts to win back the love of his son by joining the Jackals and following along with their plans. It is by the end that he also faces the truth that his son is the twisted image of his father when Joe/Kane who wants nothing more than his father's approval even if it mean outright, homicidal mimicry in his childhood years. Watching as Slade unfolds because of the mirakuru (and appearance of mirakuru-Shado) and subsequent abandonment was also a delight to see, helping to tie those events back into the tapestry of the show and its strong sense of time. There's an out for the writers and for Slade as he departs in search of Joe/Kane, and the son Grant which he never knew about as it seems the fate of Deathstoke's TV adaptation is up in the air much like it was for Deadshot.

Oliver again sits firmly in the background as a support character for Slade, but also obtains more clarity and certainty as he concludes he has made the right choice to abandon his masked vigilante life for raising his son. It's in that denouement that part of him is glad in some way that he will not end up as Slade and his son did. The ongoing arc for Oliver does help reinforce that taking on William and abandoning the Green Arrow persona is not just a lark and is treated with proper weight and care. For those keeping score though for the weeks ahead, it means is that for whatever reason for Oliver to return will have to be informed by both his previous and current worldviews, which will be fascinating to see how it will unfold in the weeks to come. His return as Green Arrow will have to be earned.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

• Although David Ramsey and Manu Bennett can definitely sell their lead roles on this episode, I found Liam Hall's Joe a little lacking. Not entirely his fault when he has not much material to work with whereas the other two have years of depth to draw from.
• Despite it being the obvious shot to see, the one with Oliver's eye blacked out by the lighting with Joe/Kane trots out the literal eye-for-an-eye line is superb.
• Speaking of Oliver, he gets to take on more of the visually interesting action by going to town on random henchmen in some extended action sequences, so I'm glad they haven't disappeared yet.

Arrow 6x05 "Deathstroke Returns" - Orange and Black is the New Black

Despite being featured in the episode, Deathstroke himself ends up sharing a good amount of "Deathstroke Returns" with Dinah Drake. Both Slade and Dinah end up finding themselves dealing with their pasts as the episode unfolds. Although Slade Wilson's story is a fairly standard one with the obvious last-minute evil son reveal, the more interesting development is the reveal and unmasking of Vigilante. Though the identity of Vigilante has been kept hush for the entirety of a season, the reveal (though probably deflating to those hoping for some next level metanarrative or left field reveal like Tommy Merlyn), I would argue helps flesh out Dinah by giving her some much needed complexity.

Dinah Drake was introduced in the middle of season five, so although she now finds herself as an important figure in Team Arrow, she did not have the benefit of a season's worth of involvement and screentime, and even then my memory tells me it was rather lacking. Curtis brought up the lead behind Diggle and Felicity (and Thea) in screentime while Rene was present from the start of season five, and similarly Artemis was at least partly involved in Prometheus' schemes after her departure from Team Arrow. In hindsight, it seems more like Dinah's inclusion was a way to address a Green Arrow sans Black Canary team more than anything else. Aside from the episode devoted to her backstory and subsequent recruitment into Team Arrow, Dinah had mostly been relegated to the inside woman in SCPD, as well as appearing together with the team in confrontations. Her promotion within the SCPD between seasons feels like a natural progression of her character, but hadn't provided much to work with until now.

With the reveal that Vigilante is Dinah's former undercover partner, it gives Dinah more material to work with. Since her past prior to the Vigilante reveal was mostly resolved in a single episode, it made Dinah feel more like a blank slate, or at least someone that had overcome all their past demons in season five's "Second Chances". By bringing back her partner, Vincent Sobel, both as the identity of Vigilante as well revealing he is a metahuman, the show signals that it wishes to make Dinah and the team's struggles with Vigilante more interesting. By having her partner survive his death and becoming a tough to kill threat, it's possible to take that to interesting situations with Dinah and the team, as they navigate how to deal with both with Vigilante and the man that is (or was, or still is) Vincent Sobel. The final scene with Dinah at the Channel 52 building says a lot; she carries a belief her partner is still present and not simply the gun-totting lunatic that is Vigilante, and that is going to cause tension as she wants to reconcile the past man and the present criminal.

Again, it brings together the fact that though Arrow remains centered on Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, the consistency the show has found in the strength of its ensemble in the writing and performances - especially by finally providing Dinah some interesting character development - the marked increase in quality in the past few years has shined. It's something that hopefully the sister show The Flash can try to achieve as it has stumbled lately.

As for Slade and Oliver's adventure, it pits the two men together again with a similar goal, but different circumstances. With Oliver learning that Slade's son is now behind the gang called the Jackals and the audience (and eventually Oliver) learning that he is in some ways a mirror of his father, there will be some kind of self-examination into what Oliver is before he eventually takes on the mantle of Green Arrow again. It's likely that the only way to alter any promise made to William will be as Oliver navigating the problem in front of him. Slade Wilson will have to try to reconcile his own past with his son's present, and it will be interesting to see in the weeks to come.

 

Miscellaneous thoughts:

• Once again, this season does not fail to deliver with their fight choreography and insistence to have long, single-take action scenes. Part of me is hoping this will simply continue through the season as the cast and crew become more confident. Even if you assume the Helix fight scene in the last episode consisted of well-placed cuts.
• The FBI investigation is still trailing along slowly, so part of me wonders how much of a threat can they be when it finally comes to a head.
• I am not an expert at Australian/New Zealander culture by any means but there were some comments on the Internet that liked the authenticity in the Slade Wilson flashbacks.

The Shannara Chronicles 2x04 "Dweller" - family woes abound on a detour through the season

According to "Dweller", family issues will mess everyone up, and that's pretty much the gist of this episode. As the adventurers take a necessary detour after the events of "Graymark", many of the cast try to come to terms with many issues of family that have shaped them. It's a similar play on themes found in "Graymark" but with a different focus as the episode explores the world and its characters through this particular lens. It's a particularly interesting move after exploring the pasts of some of their characters,it focuses on the characters that were left somewhat untouched or behind in "Graymark". 

With Wil, we are shown glimpses of the past and more concrete evidence of what his father, Shae Shannara, left behind in his son. I much prefer the flashback method for this form of character exploration and exposition but it has never been a necessary format; sometimes a well delivered monologue and some priming is all you need. It almost makes the titular dweller (an amped up giant spider that feeds on fear) seem like an almost perfunctory and mechanical element. It exists almost solely to show us the last moments Wil and Shae had before becoming obliterated with almost no fanfare by the Elfstones.

The detour into the dweller caves proves to be more interesting when Wil attempts to pair off Allanon and Mareth who spend the course of the episode sparring; Mareth says she doesn't need a father and merely a teacher to hone her magic, meanwhile Allanon refuses to accept the fact he could've even fathered a child. The episode finally allows the audience to delve into the real reason for Mareth to seek out Allanon, and it helps to give some much needed depth for Mareth. It may prove likely she might fall under the sway of Bandon, which would provide both Mareth and Allanon interesting avenues for character development. For Allanon, it seems that extreme overbearing care (Bandon) or absolute negligence (Mareth) might prove to be equally problematic.

As for the characters in Leigh, there is some talk about Queen Tamlin's early days and the problems left to her by her mother's untimely death. This does help explain her a few things including her need to ally herself with the Crimson, as well as explaining the state of the human kingdom under her rule from allying with the warlock lord. Lyria is still a bit of a blank slate though she does gain some more agency with the help of Eretria and finds her way out from her mother's thumb. Lastly, with Ander, though Edain was not family but a close friend, he has to deal with the betrayal nonetheless while trying to investigate Tamlin's links to the Crimson.

For Bandon, it is an interesting trip down memory lane as he takes Flick to his childhood home, now inhabited by another family who strangely could not care less about the legacy of his cursed home, but care enough to hate magic users and the ills they have told they bring to the world. Regardless, there is a small wrinkle in the world building that is much appreciated more often than not. It is simple to see some kind of peasant simplicity to the unnamed elven family, and their superstitious views behind magic informed by ignorance, amplified by Crimson propaganda. That is the way the show seems to draw the scene with Bandon and Flick at the dinner table, though it is Bandon who finds an another meaning and takes it too far, murdering the young elven boy in front of his parents and Flick.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

• I would think as an execution method, throwing someone down a dam would work but I sort of wished the would-be victims fell and cracked their skull on the rocks before plummeting to the watery depths. Perhaps I've simply watched too many movies where a dive into the water means survival.
• Part of the show is begging for a kind of training montage with Allanon, Wil, and Mareth.
• Part of me wishes also the actual dweller was a more conscious threat for Allanon, Wil and Mareth, and not simply a one-act obstacle. There were many things that could be mined from its use, one being seeing both Allanon's and Mareth's most painful moments to help flesh out character.

Arrow 6x04 "Reversal" tells us that even when things change, some things stay the same, and hopefully for the better

 

With "Reversal", this current stretch of Arrow has now moved into fairly familiar territory as it begins the Cayden James story arc in earnest. It's familiar as it evokes some of the tropes that fans had bemoaned and expressed strong dislike for even as the show executed other aspects to more praise. Much of it lies firmly in the realm of 1) relationship drama as a byproduct of the Oliver-Felicity relationship, and 2) placing Felicity as an active protagonist - or rather active and necessary - especially by means of having her to be the team member to square off against another hacker-like antagonist. I would argue that although the execution to these aspects has never been Arrow's stronger suits, "Reversal" proves that the matter is all in the execution, and not the simple inclusion of those tropes.

Unlike previous attempts for Felicity to square off simply against a hacker or a firewall, Cayden James works almost as a worthy and equally capable antagonist. For those unfamiliar with Michael Emerson's body of work in the last few years, he played Harold Finch in Person of Interest, essentially mastering the art of playing against a computer screen in most of his scenes and playing a hacker that had a stronger grasp on his humanity. Cayden James feels almost like a dark mirror for Person of Interest's Harold Finch, as Emerson channels that strong intensity that fans might recognize more in Lost's Benjamin Linus. As "Reversal" communicates, Cayden James is no simple obstacle that is immediately trounced by Felicity, meaning he will return in future episodes to further his plan. The fact that his ploy to lure Team Arrow into The Vault was simply so he could have Felicity enact his plans for him (and thus remain hidden) proves that like Adrian Chase of the previous season, Cayden James is making moves behind the scene that will hopefully culminate in a fruitful and interesting climax for Team Arrow to try to overcome.

Although "Reversal" trades in some Oliver-Felicity relationship strife, it appears as fairly benign and overcome with little melodrama. Since much of it involves Alena and Helix from the last season, Felicity eventually takes it on as a personal crusade. As the title of the episode implies, much of the actions that Felicity is chastised for in "Reversal" are the same things that much of Oliver's behaviours and actions in seasons three and four are repeated. By the end of the episode, the couple manage to learn from the perspective of their past mistakes. It is an interesting aspect of the show to (temporarily) remove Oliver from much of the active plot. He acts more like a recurring side character at this point while the show focuses on the rest of the ensemble, and because of his level of disconnect, he is allowed to dispense wisdom that other characters usually heap upon him; it almost provides a certain clarity for Oliver Queen to be removed from the Green Arrow. Though Oliver is slightly more active in this episode by acting essentially as Overwatch, throughout the episode Oliver is played with a certain energy and anxiousness that makes it feel like he can't divorce himself from his vigilante life.

If "Reversal" is any indication for the trajectory of the season, it feels as though Arrow will present a stronger showing and execution for some of the more maligned aspects of the show.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

• Thoroughly love Katie Cassidy's Black Siren as it gives her much more exciting material to work with. I understand the constraints back in the earlier seasons but even when she was made Black Canary, she felt underused.
• No, seriously, the scene where she confronts the victim in the parking lot and muses over her shoes is hilariously evil villain-y but is played to perfection.
• Many other unintentionally funny moments like Wild Dog's comments made the episode seem awkwardly like a comedy.

The Shannara Chronicles 2x03 "Graymark" - Adventurers Reassemble!

There is no doubt that I will be happy to see what happens after "Graymark." With this episode, there seems to be a doubling of efforts to send our adventurers on their way to Paranor for what seems to be a final showdown of everyone involved. Although "Graymark" acts almost as a transitional episode, it does so in a strong, simple story that takes advantages of the strengths of what The Shannara Chronicles has learned in the last season. There's a hope in me that some of the structural strengths found in this episode continue through the rest of the season as it provides a strong reminder of what episodic television can do. It's one of the other things I've bemoaned about the show during its first season and witnessing "Graymark" makes me happy that I've stuck with the show to see it improve; part of the fear I had coming into the second season was that it would inherit some of the poor pacing and structure that had been present in the first season.

"Graymark" acts as a fantastic self-contained story, likely due to Javier Grillo-Marxuach involved in writing the episode. Part of the main conceit is quite simply to have the gang break Allanon out of Graymark - which looks a bit like a Cold War-era Soviet fortress complete what looks like appropriated symbolism that the Crimson could have taken on. It could be very well the opposite, that the Crimson has used what looks like a red eagle in a Soviet bloc-style design; the hammer and sickle being the only thing missing from it. Regardless, the jailbreak conceit of the episode takes up much of the proceedings, having everyone involved contribute to breaking both in and out of the fortress.

There is a strong notion of the past catching up with all of the characters in this episode, as everyone seems to have some troubled past that they can't seem to shake. For most, the recent past is more than enough to have turned Jax into a bounty hunter, and Riga and the men of the Crimson towards their anti-magic stance. Riga and Jax especially, their problems lie with the demon invasion of the Dagda Mor and the damage it did to what seemed like background characters as Wil and Amberle completed their mission in Arborlon to restore the Ellcrys. Interestingly, one of the two men finds meaning in the chaos and horror that ensued while the other loses theirs, allowing some additional depth in the world that Shannara has created. It's also what helps make Jax's sudden turn away from simple mercenary to regain some purpose feel satisfying despite an obvious signaling he would eventually find himself alongside Will and his friends.

The reunion with Wil and Eretria itself feels well deserved, as the two actors communicate a great relief between two characters who have been through much and separated by a gulf that is a year of remorse. It's between those two we learn though Wil and Eretria eventually forged new lives after the events of the first season, they never felt completely satisfied in what they had created, with Wil using revealing that he used the Elfstones for understandably selfish reasons, furthering his self-harm. It's with the two reunited in this episode that forms much of the emotional core of the episode, though Wil and Allanon's eventual sit-downs will likely prove just as powerful. On a similar note, it is Allanon who reveals to Wil his regrets at how he handled Bandon last season, and the reason why the two men are in their current predicaments.

Other thoughts:

• Once again, the plotlines in Leigh are kind of in a holding pattern for now, which is fine because Wil and Allanon's quest to stop the warlock lord is much more interesting unless things change. Especially if Tamlin and the Crimson seem tied somehow.
• With Mareth being able to sense Allanon - or his staff at least - it somewhat does make that claim that she is Allanon's daughter that much stronger
• I do wonder what other magic relics Riga holds in his safe, unless they've all be taken by Mareth.
• I'm not a book reader, but it seems like an interesting concept for what seems like this world's rendition of a vampire to also be magic immune. Certainly helps explain why Allanon was so quickly dispatched in Leigh.