Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Arrow - Level Two


Like many of his previous plans, Oliver (Stephen Amell) getting thrown into Level Two of Slabside Maximum Security Prison doesn't go exactly according to plan as he spends the episode in a battle of wills with Dr. Jarrett Parker (Jason E. Kelley) who uses a variety of methods including starvation, sound torture, drugs, and shock therapy in an attempt to break the prisoner's will. It sounds like the good doctor hasn't done his research about just who he's dealing with (didn't he watch the first six seasons of the show?). While presenting himself as someone trying to help Oliver, there's more than a little of Dr. Hugo Strange in Dr. Parker's methods.

"Level Two" also offers several other stories including Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) enlisting the help of Laurel (Katie Cassidy) in an attempt to break Silencer (Miranda Edwards), Dinah (Juliana Harkavy) and Rene (Rick Gonzalez) butting heads over the search for an arsonist, the return of the new Green Arrow, and flash-forwards to adult William (Ben Lewis) and Roy Harper's (Colton Haynes) return to Star City which involves a run in with some familiar faces. While the Laurel/Felicity storyline is basically set-up, it does provide some nice moments between the two actors. The flash-forwards offer us a look at a dystopian version of Star City, some odd future tech, and a revelation that the person who has brought William and Roy back to Star City may not be Felicity Smoak. It appears like the show is going for a bit of a Batman Beyond vibe, but there's still plenty here that needs to be fleshed out before we get a full idea of what happened to Star City.

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