It’s been awhile since we’ve reviewed an episode of Arrow, but this week, with Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D. in hiatus and Wonder Woman confirmed for the next DC movie, we thought we’d take a closer look at the show that’s been expanding the DC ‘verse on television.

Title: “The Scientist”

Cast and Crew
Director: Michael Schultz
Writers: Gary Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Geoff Johns

Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow
Grant Gustin as Barry Allen
Katie Cassidy as Dinah “Laurel” Lance
Emily Bett Rickards as Felicty Smoak
David Ramsay as John “Dig” Diggle
Willa Holland as Thea Queen
John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn
Susanna Thompson as Moira Queen
Alex Kingston as Dinah Lance
Colton Haynes as Roy Harper
Bex Taylor-Klaus as Sin
Summar Glau as Isabel Rochev
Celina Jade as Shado
Graham Shiels as Brother Silas Gold
Kevin Alejandro as Sebastian Blood

Premise

Thea Queen returns home as the Arrow faces a villain with actual superpowers. He receives help from an awkward police scientist named Barry Allen.

Once a depiction veers toward realism, each new detail releases a torrent of questions that exposes the absurdity at the heart of the genre.
–David Mazzucchelli, commenting on his own work in Batman: Year One

High Point

How far can a superhero show with a realistic feel go before we shake our heads? Some fans were concerned that the introduction of actual superpowers would present a problem but, thus far, they have been handled credibly…

Low Point

…I found the show’s reality more shaken by the amount of abuse Oliver takes without being broken or killed. He experiences one event (on the miraculously empty city street) that would likely have left him disabled, and another (in the warehouse) that should have killed him.

And (again) why don’t people recognize Ollie in that ridiculous disguise? This episode really pushed the issue.

The Scores:

Originality: 3/6

Effects: 5/6 Good overall, though a certain comic-bookesque scene on the island looked very CGI.

Story: 4/6. It’s difficult to assess the show, because we stop mid-story. The overall arc may earn a higher grade.

Acting: 5/6 Typical of this show, the best performances often come from the supporting cast. Gustin gives us an interesting take on Barry Allen, but there’s work to be done if his forthcoming show is to succeed.

Emotional Response: 4/6

Production: 5/6

Overall: 4/6 We continue to get references to the larger DC Universe. The references to Ra’s Al Ghul, Nada Parbat, and S.T.A.R. continue, we see an item from Kord Industries, and we get a flash of an allusion to the future accident that will change Barry Allen’s life.

In total, “The Scientist” receives 30/42