In anticipation of this week’s episode of Arrow, we thought we were going to see a showdown between the title hero (Stephen Amell) and the season’s big bad, Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett).  What we got wasn’t exactly that straightforward, but was all the more exciting for its mysterious cat-and-mouse plot twists.  Slade has proven to be a match for the team both physically and intellectually, staying a step ahead of them at every turn and weathering every feeble attempt to defeat him either on the island or off of it.  And as we learned in tonight’s episode, he’s got far more in store for Oliver’s family and friends.  Hit the jump for my recap and review.

Now that you’ve seen tonight’s episode of Arrow, titled “Birds of Prey”, you can check out series star Caity Lotz’s recent interview without too much fear of spoilers.  She wasn’t lying when she talked up the crazy amount of action, stunts, and fight sequences in this hour.  While this episode certainly satisfied adrenaline seekers, there was plenty of drama to be found as well.  Hit the jump for my recap and review, and for a reminder of why you shouldn’t take rides from strangers.

Tonight’s anticipated arrival of the Suicide Squad made for one fast-paced and thrilling hour of Arrow.  True to the episode’s title and the nickname of the task force itself, not all of its members made it out alive (or at least we’re led to believe that anyway).  The fan-favorite team-up from the DC comics allowed for a plot-driven episode that also let John Diggle (David Ramsey) stretch his legs a bit, while Oliver/Arrow (Stephen Amell) took a relative backseat on the action.  And in a change of pace, rather than “Island Time”, we got “Desert Time”!  Hit the jump for tonight’s recap.

On Season 2 of the hit CW series Arrow, Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) has rededicated himself to his mission of being more than just another vigilante, and is attempting to become a beacon of hope for the city’s most vulnerable, as The Arrow.  With everything changing in both the present-day and the past, there are sure to be big reveals, lots of action, romance and new secrets, in the remaining episodes of this season.

During this recent interview to promote the remaining episodes of Season 2, executive producer/writer Marc Guggenheim talked about how the number of people who know Oliver’s secret will increase before the end of the season, whether viewers might see any of the Suicide Squad characters again, what made now the right time to bring back The Huntress, that they already have an idea for her return in Season 3, where things are headed for Thea, just how insane Slade Wilson might be, the Harley Quinn rumors and speculation, the appearance of two of the characters from The Flash in Episode 19, the inevitable big showdown between Oliver and Slade, and how many more Olicity moments viewers might see.  Check out what he had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.

Whoa.  So was that a regularly scheduled episode of Arrow last night, or the first half of a made-for-TV movie?  The production quality was through the roof!  My one mild complaint about the show in recent weeks was that it has become ever-so-slightly predictable and by-the-numbers, even if those numbers are spectacular.  My prayers were answered in this week’s episode, “The Promise”, which not only changed up the story structure in a big way, but did it with explosive panache.  Hit the jump for my recap and review.

We’ve got a sneak peek at 23 images from an upcoming episode of The CW’s Arrow to share with you today.  While you’ll have to wait about two weeks to see these guys and gals in action, the appropriately titled episode “Suicide Squad” looks to shake up the established order of things.  If you keep up with the show (and our recaps), then you know that Oliver Queen and John Diggle have been busy rounding up villains like Deadshot and Bronze Tiger.  Now, it looks as if Queen could be on the wrong side of the law, while Diggle is aiding the very criminals he helped put away in a clandestine operation!  What is going on here??

Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Caity Lotz, Michael Jai White, Michael Rowe, Sean Maher, Audrey Marie Anderson, and Cynthia Addai-Robinson star.  Hit the jump to check out the images.  Arrow’s “Suicide Squad” airs Wednesday, March 19 (8:00-9:00pm ET) on The CW.

It’s been a few weeks since we’ve had our Arrow fix, but I’m happy to say that the gang is back and everything’s running like clockwork (see what I did there?).  Tonight’s episode featured one of my favorite villains from DC’s rogues gallery (one version of him anyway), who was used in such a way as to quite possibly make him my favorite baddie to appear on the show so far.  Bold words, I know.  Hit the jump for my recap and review.

Although we won’t see another episode of Arrow for three weeks, tonight’s episode gave fans quite a bit to chew on.  There are still ten episodes left in the season, so it was no surprise that this particular hour served as more of a setup for what’s to come, introducing new wrinkles by way of character additions, relationship tweaks and threats looming on a few different levels.  How will all this setup pay off in the weeks to come?  Hit the jump to find out.

Oh man, are DC fans going to be excited at the end of this week’s Arrow.  There’s a curious little exchange that happens in the final few moments that might pique the interest of a casual viewer, but should cause die-hard fans to jump out of their seats.  Before we get to that, however, we have to address quite a few things that happened in the bulk of the episode, including secret identity reveals, DC character cameos and MacGuffins.  Hit the jump for my recap and review of “Tremors”.

Tonight’s episode of Arrow was a relative slow burn for the normally fast-paced series.  The good news is that “Blind Spot” gave a few characters who often get less screentime more room to breathe and develop; the bad news is that the show runs through its plot lines so fast that one wonders if they’ll have to resort to stretching some storylines over the season’s 12 remaining episodes.  I’m not too worried though, because a slow night for Arrow is a homerun for almost any other show out there today.  And while the bulk of tonight’s episode was a little clunky, the final sequence was worth the wait.  Hit the jump for my recap and review.

Here’s a round-up of the latest news bits in the world of DC movies:

• Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious 6) confirms a three-picture deal to star as Wonder Woman.  The report also reveals Gadot’s payday for the film (if you’re interested in that sort of thing), and more importantly, a May start date for the Man of Steel sequel.
• While it will be a little while before we see Ben Affleck in the Batsuit for that sequel, his wife Jennifer Garner has already gotten a peak, calling it “unbelievably cool” and “a total reinvention.”
• Stephen Amell, star of The CW series, Arrow, recently commented on the state of the Justice League movie and his discussions for possibly joining the DC superhero team-up.

Hit the jump for more on each story.

After the shocking events of Arrow’s mid-season finale, Ollie and the gang get back to business as usual in the show’s first episode of 2014.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the Arrow cast and crew have managed to work out a formula that advances the plot on every level each week, while also satisfying viewers’ needs for comic book action and soap opera romance.  The show is damn good, but this particular episode might just be a victim of the series’ success.  Hit the jump for my recap and to see who gets caught inside the “Blast Radius”. 

The mid-season finale of The CW’s Arrow had everything you could ask for: comic book references, wall-to-wall action, and an added bonus of Christmas cheer.  It even managed to make good on its episode title of “Three Ghosts”, one of whom included a special guest star.  Speaking of special guest stars, this episode also featured Grant Gustin as Barry Allen, who did his part to help the hooded do-gooder before making his way back home to Central City with explosive consequences.  There’s lots to get to in this mid-season finale, so hit the jump to get right to it.

As great as The CW’s superhero drama series Arrow has been, some fans have been wondering why Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) continues to stick with the eye shadow instead of an actual mask.  Well, things are about to change as the DC hero will be donning a more practical bit of concealing costumery.  While it seems simple and straightforward, a lot of thought was put into the mask.  It’s not just about the look – even though they went through 50-some options to find the right one – since the mask has more to do with Oliver’s transformation from vigilante to hero.  Hit the jump to check out the new masked man.

Arrow changed course a bit this week and let a character other than Stephen Amell’s title hero take center stage.  It’s been a strong showing for the sophomore season so far, so a departure episode like “Keep Your Enemies Closer” is worthwhile for character development since the main storyline has been so rewarding.  Even though Oliver Queen isn’t the main focus this time, he still gets in on the action (in more ways than one), thanks in part to the show’s use of flashbacks that help drive the central story forward.  We also got a brief introduction to another fan-favorite character from the DC Comics who’s likely to pop up again in the future.  Hit the jump for my recap and review, and remember that what happens in Russia stays in Russia.