Arrow: “Honor Thy Father” Review

So, after a very successful pilot episode, did the second episode of Arrow improve from the pilot or struggle to keep up? Well, it definitely did not struggle. I really liked the pilot but within the first ten minutes of this episode, it was pretty much solidified that I would definitely, at the least, be watching the entire first season of Arrow.

The episode kicks off with a great action packed sequence which was very fluid and smooth. Honestly, it was a really strong opening for a TV episode and got you hooked and excited. The action in this episode was great and very well handled. Never too slow. Never too fast. I do feel that the fight with China White (Kelly Hu) felt a little inconclusive but I am glad they left the character around and hope they continue in this fashion to allow him to establish a sort-of rogues gallery with the villains that will be appearing in the series.

Stephen Arnell’s performance continues to be fantastic on the show and i’ll just leave it at that. In the episode we also get to see more of Laurel Lance’s life as an attorney, which wasn’t touched on too much in the pilot, and it definitely shows off that Katie Cassidy is going to be a great part of the show. If you haven’t seen the episode by now I’m not going to ruin it for you, but there’s an easter egg lying in the name of the person she is representing in this episode. One clue: it’s a current DC Comics writer. Another improvement in this episode is that we got to see a bit more of John Diggle in action. We can probably expect this character to end up being a fan-favorite.

Many fans had griped about Oliver’s mother being alive on the show but with each episode her character becomes much more interesting and leaves you hooked with these cliffhangers. Definitely looking forward to finding out what her and John Barrowman’s characters relationship will be all about.

The only complaint I probably had with the episode was how short the flashbacks to the island were. But, other than that I thought this episode was really good and has got me interested and wanting more Arrow. Well, especially after seeing that clip for next week’s episode. Deadshot!