Thursday, December 4, 2014

Arrow - The Brave and the Bold


The second-half of The Flash/Arrow crossover brings Barry (Grant Gustin), Cisco (Carlos Valdes), and Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) all to Starling City to help in the search for a former agent of Argus returned to take revenge on the organization that left him for dead. I'll freely admit Captain Boomerang (Nick E. Tarabay) has one of the more ridiculous concepts of any Flash villain. He's a killer with a boomerang fetish, but is that any more ridiculous than a hero with a bow and arrow? Presented here as a merciless and skilled killer as well as a battlefield technician whose arsenal includes several surprise trick boomerangs, the episode makes good use of the character by presenting him as a large enough threat that both heroes, and both supporting teams, are all needed to stop him.

While continuing to highlight the differences between the Flash and Green Arrow (Stephen Amell), which are underlined by further flashbacks to the lessons Ollie learned in Hong Kong, "The Brave and the Bold" finds a way to use both show's rosters in a crowded "Arrow Cave" and even incorporate Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson) who is the villain's #1 target since she was the one in charge of the mission that should have ended in his death.

Offering us two heroes for the price of one, another member of the Suicide Squad, and another (this time more lighthearted) showdown between the two heroes to close out the episode "The Brave and the Bold" works despite the crowded number of characters fighting for screentime. With both The Flash and Green Arrow heading into what figure to be darker mid-season finales next week the second-half of the two-part crossover enjoys the team-up of two heroes who, despite their differences, find a way to work together and save the day.

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