ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY just came out with its Top 50 Most-Watched TV Programs of the 2012-13 season. VEGAS was on it. On any other network, it might have received another season and VEGAS' numbers would have been considered a success. But, because CBS is the #1 network & its lineup has some of the highest numbers in the business, the bar VEGAS needed to meet was just set too high. I bet it's also an expensive show to produce with that cast. Enjoyed the show. Sad to see it go. And, Mia was just too progressive a girl for Jack to settle down with at his ranch. That would have NEVER worked. I actually think a younger kid like Dixon would have been able to make something like that work. But, Jack is just too traditional & seemed to need a completely different kind of woman.
LOVED this finale! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Agree with everything the reviewer wrote. My only confusion is over why Eric wants Nick, *one* Grimm. Doesn't he have Grimms of his own over there in Europe? That's what we've been told for 2 seasons - that Grimms work for Royals to control wesen. If they don't have any Grimms on their payroll (which could be the case, considering how Eric treats his staff), I anticipate their power would decline rapidly because they wouldn't be able to control the wesen. Have the Grimms been on strike during the worldwide recession? Maybe this is how Royals have treated Grimms all along, and Nick just wasn't aware of it. Excited for season 3!
Why is this episode difficult to review? It was EXCELLENT! Juliette is finally remembering everything. The zombie army is clearly being formed to split Nick's attention so he can't protect Renard, leaving the Captain vulnerable. (BTW, does Renard have ANY abilities other than the Ugly Face?) And, Adalind is in way over her head, even if she gets her powers back.
The one item that rings false is Juliette "helping" Nick. Seriously, she is more of a liability because she is ignorant about what being a Grimm *really* means. Does she know all the people/Wesen he has had to execute in the span of one year? This goes way beyond the scope of normal police work. She & Hank need to talk since they're the only humans that know about this world.
Does anyone here have any thoughts about the Legs - as in whose legs ordered the downing of the commercial flight when Oliver was on the island, and evidently has Edward Fyers at her beck & call? I know everyone's first thought must have been "Moira!" But, if not her, who else would we recognize at this late juncture? There aren't very many other female characters with influence & gravitas on this show who fit the timeline (as in, they weren't in college at the time) except...Dinah Lance. Speculation is most welcome!
@TMT - It would take a looong time, and possibly some chemical alterations, for Tommy Merlyn to become the Dark Archer even within 2 years IMO. The guy has NO fighting skills. Laurel Lance is more lethal than he is. You would have thought his father would have insisted he train in martial arts to defend himself because of what happened to his mother. But, he has shown zero ability in that area.
This brings me to a slight nitpick: Malcolm Merlyn should not be able to take down the Vigilante. I don't care how long he's trained. Oliver is younger than him by 20+ years, has quicker reflexes, & 20% less body fat. Oliver brought down Merlyn's entire security force by himself to free Walter last week mostly in hand-to-hand combat. Does not compute. But, I understand the need to make it seem like he could for dramatic purposes.
One hour is not enough for this show! I always come to the end of an episode, and think, "NO! I want more!" EXCELLENT episode! The only part that was unclear to me was why Oliver even went to Laurel mere hours after he encouraged Tommy to not end his relationship with her. What changed? Still, I don't feel that sorry for Tommy. He *did* dump her with the flimsiest of reasons. Agree w/DJ below that Laurel needs better window coverings. You'd think a daughter of a cop with a pump shotgun in her bedroom would know better.
To the reviewer: Shado is too young to have trained Malcolm Merlyn. He went overseas after his wife was murdered, when Oliver & Tommy were kids. It's possible Yao Fei might have trained him, which would be ironic. But, did you catch the possibility that Roy might be the son of Oliver's island companion, Slade Wilson? That's the impression I got.
PART IV...something different & not be the token nemesis to Arrow, a la Green Goblin to Spiderman. Tommy just doesn't have the physicality to take his father's place & become the substitute Dark Archer. Oliver & Malcolm have been training for YEARS, and Oliver in the most punishing physical environments. Even Laurel could take Tommy down right now, and in the foreseeable future. OK, I'm done!
PART III...felt like I was watching Brad Pitt age backwards in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON.
Back to Young Oliver. What a callow, superficial JERK! Well done, Steven Amell! The way he walked, his gestures, his facial expressions - they all communicated just how carefree, self-absorbed and completely selfish this guy was. I admit I didn't think Amell's range was that good because he's always the straight, serious guy holding up the tentpole of the series. But given the chance to show both pre & post Oliver, especially that last scene w/Malcom where he can barely contain his contempt, I saw so many layers of emotion in his eyes. Bravo!
Finally, Tommy's presence was short, but meaningful. He looked comfortable in that suit, acting all cold & entitled to Laurel. It's almost too predictable to have him take Malcolm's place. I want Oliver to have his best friend back. Hope the writers find a surprising, awesome 3rd path that would allow Tommy to do something different & not be the token nemesis to Arrow, a la Green Goblin to Spiderman.
PART II...arrogant, entitled personality more removed & superior from everyone around him. OTOH, Oliver's trauma of watching his father & Sarah die right in front of him had the opposite effect. He may seem cold & removed because he has a double life. But, we know that compared to that spoiled, rich kid using a $100 bill to pay for pizza in this episode, Oliver cares now more than he ever did about his family & community, & at least is aware about the emotional consequences of his actions on other people. I like how we're seeing what made Arrow & the Dark Archer at almost the same time. They're mirror images of each other, making ethical choices that you can compare because their emotional crises were similar.
QUESTION: Does anyone think they are using CGI to make Steven Amell look younger in his pre-island days? You can use makeup only so far, and Oliver Queen's skin & facial structure is so youthful in his scenes with Laurel, that it almost felt like I was watching Brad Pitt age backwards in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON.
Was this episode only one hour long? SO MUCH INFORMATION that this review could only do a recap to underline the important points, of which there are many (and to make sure all of us understood). LOVED IT! LOVED IT! LOVED IT! Thank you for finally revealing how the List connects to the Plan, how far back Moira's involvement went (or didn't go), and how Mr. Queen got roped into all of it. I was surprised that he wasn't the mastermind. But, instead more of an unwitting accomplice because he had something to hide.
What is fascinating is we know now that Malcolm developed all these plans as a reaction to his wife's murder, and because he couldn't deal with how he let her die alone. He blamed a location for her death, and condemns *everyone* who lives there as being unworthy of existing. Overreact much, Malcolm? Becoming the Dark Archer was an emotional outlet for his trauma. But, it only magnified & distorted his "God complex," as Robert put it, and made an already arrogant, entitled personality more removed from the community...CONT'D ABOVE
@San - I think Snow was referring to Emma not being able to read Graham, Neal or August very well because of her personal relationships with them (not necessarily romantic).
EXCELLENT EPISODE! Lana Parilla & Robert Carlyle have the BEST chemistry together. Whether their characters work together or are at odds, it doesn't matter because they really do great work together. I did notice one thing after watching this episode. To get your Happy Ending in the Enchanted Forest, you either have to be royalty or a character who deals in some way with magic. Average villagers are either routinely slaughtered by kings or ogres on their military campaigns, by queens nursing a vendetta, turned into puppets, or eaten by their girlfriends. David may want to return to the EF. But, IMO he, Snow & most everyone else were pretty safe during their 28 years in Storybrooke compared to the murder & mayhem that were routine in the EF. I don't think this world was more cruel to Emma than their world was to Snow.
I love Shado, too! There's a woman who can take care of herself, & not give Oliver a guilt complex about what her life "might have been" without his Vigilante role. She knows the score. And, she could do yoga with Moira!
Finally, I'd like to express some Laurel & J. August Richards love. Laurel hauling out a pump rifle from her bedroom was just AWESOME! And, JAR played the cold assassin perfectly. Will always have a soft spot for him because of ANGEL.
One thing puzzles me - while I understand the character arc being built for Tommy, why didn't Oliver just let him on to the Team? He found ways to include both Felicity & Diggle when they discovered his identity, and he hardly knew them. It would have gone a long way to smoothing over Tommy's shock if Oliver trusted him. They never had heart-to-heart about Oliver's motives, why he developed the alternate identity, etc. Tommy is still mad about being shut out, and acting like it. They need to be locked in a room with a couple of beers, and talk everything out.
EXCELLENT episode! There are some places thought where I don't agree with this review. When the series began, Oliver was always going off on his own to become the Arrow & cross names off his list. Diggle was the one who made him see that he needed to become closer & more attached to his family & friends. Now that it's happening, Diggle's obsession is overwhelming him, and he's pulling away from what is left of his tiny family & even shutting Oliver out. Hey, Dig, as strong as Oliver is, he can't bend the laws of physics & be in 2 places at the same time. It's not his fault you & multiple gov't agents couldn't take down Deadshot. Frankly, you should have been able to. Meanwhile, it was just Arrow going after Rasmus. The police weren't even chasing him. This was about more than Laurel. It was about protecting his family, and I don't blame Oliver one bit. He shouldn't have to apologize. Of all people, Diggle should be the one to understand that.
Just one frivolous observation: Emilie made up as Lacey is a BIG improvement over Belle. The dramatic makeup is better, the updo makes her face look much prettier, and she really looks 10 pounds lighter in the more form-fitting clothes. Yes, Lacey is a skank. But, Belle always wore 3-4 layers of clothing in Storybrooke, and IMO the iconic gold princess dress didn't flatter Emilie as well as it should have. Want Belle's personality back. But, not the stereotypical frumpy librarian style.
"She's a nice girl..." Nice girls don't enjoy watching someone get caned. That was brutal IMO. Lacey isn't a nice girl. That scene was meant to contrast w/Belle helping Robin Hood escape torture. We don't know what happened to the Sheriff of Nottingham in Storybrooke. But, a beating like that with a cane could kill someone.
Does Lacey remind anyone else of Mila? How ironic it would be if Rumple's journey to become more like the Dark One to attract Lacey just resulted in her leaving him for Hook...AGAIN! You all know what's going to happen once Lacey spots Hook, don't you? Rumple may be dark. But, face it. Hook's got the looks, the eyeliner, and the black leather chaps to get Lacey's motor really running.
Royal Pains
Franklin & Bash
Necessary Roughness
Comments by KansasGuest
Vegas Review: Last Night in Vegas
Grimm Review: The Game Changer
Grimm Review: Unmasked
The one item that rings false is Juliette "helping" Nick. Seriously, she is more of a liability because she is ignorant about what being a Grimm *really* means. Does she know all the people/Wesen he has had to execute in the span of one year? This goes way beyond the scope of normal police work. She & Hank need to talk since they're the only humans that know about this world.
Arrow Review: Unwanted Exposure
Arrow Review: Unwanted Exposure
If anything will kill Thea's love life, it's Roy finding out the Vigilante is Oliver. LOL!
Arrow Review: Unwanted Exposure
This brings me to a slight nitpick: Malcolm Merlyn should not be able to take down the Vigilante. I don't care how long he's trained. Oliver is younger than him by 20+ years, has quicker reflexes, & 20% less body fat. Oliver brought down Merlyn's entire security force by himself to free Walter last week mostly in hand-to-hand combat. Does not compute. But, I understand the need to make it seem like he could for dramatic purposes.
Arrow Review: Unwanted Exposure
To the reviewer: Shado is too young to have trained Malcolm Merlyn. He went overseas after his wife was murdered, when Oliver & Tommy were kids. It's possible Yao Fei might have trained him, which would be ironic. But, did you catch the possibility that Roy might be the son of Oliver's island companion, Slade Wilson? That's the impression I got.
Arrow Promo: "Darkness on the Edge of Town"
Arrow Season Finale: First Look!
Arrow Review: Atonement, Rescue and Sexual Innuendo
Arrow Review: Atonement, Rescue and Sexual Innuendo
Back to Young Oliver. What a callow, superficial JERK! Well done, Steven Amell! The way he walked, his gestures, his facial expressions - they all communicated just how carefree, self-absorbed and completely selfish this guy was. I admit I didn't think Amell's range was that good because he's always the straight, serious guy holding up the tentpole of the series. But given the chance to show both pre & post Oliver, especially that last scene w/Malcom where he can barely contain his contempt, I saw so many layers of emotion in his eyes. Bravo!
Finally, Tommy's presence was short, but meaningful. He looked comfortable in that suit, acting all cold & entitled to Laurel. It's almost too predictable to have him take Malcolm's place. I want Oliver to have his best friend back. Hope the writers find a surprising, awesome 3rd path that would allow Tommy to do something different & not be the token nemesis to Arrow, a la Green Goblin to Spiderman.
Arrow Review: Atonement, Rescue and Sexual Innuendo
QUESTION: Does anyone think they are using CGI to make Steven Amell look younger in his pre-island days? You can use makeup only so far, and Oliver Queen's skin & facial structure is so youthful in his scenes with Laurel, that it almost felt like I was watching Brad Pitt age backwards in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON.
Arrow Review: Atonement, Rescue and Sexual Innuendo
What is fascinating is we know now that Malcolm developed all these plans as a reaction to his wife's murder, and because he couldn't deal with how he let her die alone. He blamed a location for her death, and condemns *everyone* who lives there as being unworthy of existing. Overreact much, Malcolm? Becoming the Dark Archer was an emotional outlet for his trauma. But, it only magnified & distorted his "God complex," as Robert put it, and made an already arrogant, entitled personality more removed from the community...CONT'D ABOVE
Once Upon a Time Review: Killing Magic
Once Upon a Time Review: Killing Magic
Smash Finale Scheduled for May 26
Arrow Review: Actions and Consequences
Arrow Review: Actions and Consequences
Arrow Review: Actions and Consequences
Stephen Amell Previews Return of Arrow: Flashbacks, Gadgets, Love Triangles and More!
Arrow Review: Actions and Consequences
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Once Upon a Time Exclusive: Emilie de Ravin Reveals Belle's Outrageous Alter-Ego
Once Upon a Time Review: The Barfly & the Beast
Once Upon a Time Review: The Barfly & the Beast