Arrow - Legacy - Advance Preview

Arrow returns for season five with “Legacy” in one week. It remains on Wednesday nights at 8/7c on the CW. The episode was directed by stunt wizard James Bamford and was based on a story by Greg Berlanti with Marc Guggenheim and Wendy Mericle writing the teleplay. As anyone who read my reviews last season knows, I had lost both faith and interest in the show by the time we got to “Schism.” Indeed, the schism felt very much like one between me and the show – so much, in fact, that I spent most of the summer expecting my review of “Legacy” to be my last for the show. Much to my surprise and pleasure, “Legacy” has reinvigorated my interest in the show.

One of the things that really irritated me about last season was the basic pointlessness of the flashback scenes. The flashbacks in “Legacy” have at least two really interesting connections to the present storyline. Not surprisingly, Oliver is fulfilling his promise to Taiana and is in Russia. He runs into an old friend – and it’s a very painful reunion.

Even as Mayor, Oliver (Stephen Amell) is still running late – mainly because he’s trying to live two lives. Thea (Willa Holland) is running interference for him as the Mayor’s right hand woman. In fact, it would seem that she has a much better grasp on the office than he does – and possibly greater dedication to it.

One of the things I was most dreading about this season was the team being broken up. Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and Oliver are in a better place, and both Thea and Diggle (David Ramsey) do provide some support – but only one of them will appear in leather in the episode. I’m still on the fence about the new direction the team is taking. I hope that the show won’t continue to try to re-invent itself along the lines of The Flash in an attempt to appeal to a younger or different demo. It would make sense to have the four inter-related shows – Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, and Arrow – all have the same overall tone, but it’s also not as if shows don’t already do lighter and darker episodes on a regular basis.

One of the other issues making me consider dropping the show as reviewer is that I have no desire (or time!) to watch the three other shows, making the crossover episodes problematic for me. So far, however, the DC team have made it fairly easy to skip those episodes and not have any major storyarc events happen for one show on a different show. I’m particularly thinking of the big misstep by Dick Wolf and company having a character from Chicago PD killed off on Law & Order: SUV.

“Legacy” focuses primarily on catching up with where the team is and hinting at what they’ll be up to in the episodes ahead. Quentin (Paul Blackthorne) is back in town, but not in a good place when we first see him. There is also a new cop in town – Lt Conahan (Ryan S Williams), and I don’t think most viewers are going to like him – at least not at first. There’s also a new big bad – Tobias Church – played by The Walking Dead alum, Chad L Coleman. Both Oliver and Church have a vision for Star City – it’s just not quite the same vision.

Some of the highlights to look out for in the episode, include trick arrows galore – possibly thanks to Curtis (Echo Kellum), who is clearly loving his new job in the lair. There’s an amazing fight with a chair. And of course, lots of fight and stunt scenes that continue to be some of – if not the – best on television. There’s also the introduction of a new vigilante who wears a hockey mask. Now, there is a DC character – Wild Dog (and it’s been released that Rick Gonzalez has been cast in the role) – but I like to think that this is also a shout out to Amell’s Casey Jones character in TMNT 2. Not to mention filming in Canada – the home of hockey!

Finally, one of my greatest disappointments with last season was killing off Katie Cassidy. There is a lovely tribute to Laurel and the Black Canary in the episode. Cassidy, of course, has a new deal as a regular on all the superhero shows. In this episode, we learn what she made Oliver promise. And that’s all I can say!

Here are some dialogue teasers – no names! And they are in no particular order. Make of them what you will….

You told me that the dead don’t want anything.
It’s a means to an end.
We’re a little short handed.
You need to move ahead, to move on.
That’s because I think you’re stupid.
Tell FCPD that I left a present for them.
A drunk needs a reason to stay sober.
A shark that does not swim, drowns.
You are all here as a means to an end.
We are known as Bravta.
You killed my best fighter.
I have it on pretty good authority that he’s tied up right now.
Mayor Handsome.

Don’t forget to tune in to the CW next Wednesday – October 5 at 8/7c for Arrow – “Legacy!”

About the Author - Lisa Macklem

I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, Agent Carter, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, The X-Files, Defiance, Bitten, Killjoys, and a few others! I'm active on the Con scene when I have the time. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.

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