Arrow Review: “The Candidate”

Mayoral candidates, inter-vigilante tensions, and a Terrific debut mark the second episode of this season.

Title: “The Candidate”

Cast and Crew
Director: John Behring
Writers: Marc Guggenheim and Keto Shimizu

Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow
Willa Holland as Thea Queen / Speedy / Red Arrow
Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak
David Ramsay as John Diggle
Katie Cassidy as Dinah “Laurel” Lance / Black Canary
Alexander Calvert as Lonnie Machin / Anarky
Jeri Ryan as Jessica Danforth
Tiera Skovbye as Madison Danforth
Echo Kellum as Curtis Holt / Mr. Terrific
Dean Monroe McKenzie as Dennis
Neal McDonough as Damien Darhk
Kurtis Maguire as Drug Dealer who gets his butt handed to him. Or at least his arm

Premise

Ollie tries to reign in Thea’s extreme tactics, as they track down a deranged killer employed by Damin Darhk and the Hive which I continue to maintain should be a band name. All of these actions connect to attempts to stop an old friend of the Queens from running for mayor; Seven will get you Nine she decides to bow out of the campign. Meanwhile, in the past, Wig-Ollie does a bunch of things on the island I don’t really care about, other than we may finally understand his connection to the Russian mob.

High Point

Jose Bautista’s amazing three-run homer in that bizarre seventh inning.

On Arrow, I rather like the tension developing between Ollie and his sister over differing methods—methods he once would have applauded.

Low Point

A show about a superhero necessarily takes place in a simplified, stylized world. And while I’ll accept superpowers, superscience, and mysticism, I find the ludicrous, kindergarten version of corporate politics too much. If they can’t do a better job of writing Felicity as the head of a multibillion-dollar company, don’t include a plot that requires showing her as the head of a multibillion-dollar company.

The Scores:

Originality: 2/5

Effects: 5/6

Acting: 4/6 Arrow always has its moments, performance-wise, but much of the acting remains Soap Opera Normal. Alexander Calvert was good as this universe’s version of Anarky, though diehard comic fans may have issues with the character as merely a deranged and talented psychopath.

Story: 4/6

Emotional Response: 4/6

Production: 5/6

Overall: 5/6 I know Oliver Queen becomes mayor of Star City in the comic; I don’t know that live-action television can make that particular plot fly.

In total, “The Candidate” receives 29/42

2 replies on “Arrow Review: “The Candidate””

  1. I agree with your low-point, but Arrow always had that issue. Luckily, Emily Bett Rickards is still a fantastic actress. her character (and her environment) have always been pretty badly written but she can pull it off.

    I was pretty happy to see Jeri Ryan. I’m kinda sad that she’s probably a one-off.

    I’m getting pretty sick of Lance. I don’t know what he’s even there for anymore. All he does is be a jerk, with occasional bouts of being a massive jerk.

  2. Saw the ending coming, but it should be fun to see what happens. Extra points if he comes out Iron Man style.

    And I agree with Felicity about the code names. (Oracle? Watchtower?)

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