Release Date: September 16, 2014
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 1014 minutes
Starling City has been torn apart by the Undertaking, so the need for the hooded vigilante– now known as The Arrow – is more urgent than ever in the explosive second season of the hit action series based on DC Comics’ Green Arrow. After retreating to the island on which he was once stranded, Oliver Queen returns to protect his mother, sister and besieged company – , but comes to realize that allies and enemies have switched sides, and the stranglehold of evil on family, friends and city is diabolically linked to his fateful shipwreck. A once-tight comrade-at-arms and a strength-enhancing, yet mind-warping serum may prove to be the mightiest adversaries The Arrow has ever encountered. Can justice find its target in this breathlessly exciting, 23-episode Season Two? Or will all fall before the fury of Deathstroke?
I enjoyed season one of Arrow but season two is even better! The stakes are raised, the moral dilemmas more gray, there are plenty of new characters – both heroes and villains – and there’s a ton of action. I mean, a ton! Everything one could possibly ask for from an action TV show, Arrow delivers. It’s awesome.
More than that though, I absolutely loved following Ollie and the gang as they continue to evolve, learning and accepting time and time again what it means to be a hero. In a city that is so corrupted, in broken families filled with secrets and lies and betrayal… there’s a lot to cover in season two.
Season two begins five months after the destruction of Starling City. Some characters are still grieving and reeling from the disaster. Others are doing better coping. Still, death follows everyone, violence is at the hands of Ollie multiple times – most of it “justified.” Every character is challenged to be better than themselves and the transition is a beautiful sight. I love, love, love the character growth in season two. Though on another front, I can’t say that I am a big fan of Caity Lotz’s acting. For me, it misses the mark more than it hits it but I really do appreciate the role of the Black Canary being brought to life on screen as we’ve seen it play out so far and can’t wait to see what’s next for Sara (and Laurel and their family).
What really draws me to this show though is the story resonance. This is a story about survival but more than that, it’s a story about love and what you’re willing to do for it. Sacrifices must be made. With family, with romantic partners, with friends. Redemption may on the horizon. Loyalty will be tested. There are so many factors to the greater good and what that means for not only the characters and families that we know and love in Starling City but Starling City as a whole. The writers are doing a fabulous job giving this show heart.
Also, what the writers continue to do shaping the world building for this adaptation and bringing the stories full circle (flashbacks and all) and pacing the introduction of not only new characters but new problems…it all flowed so wonderfully! And the fact that no character is safe…even Felicity! She stares up at the face of danger many times this season! Love it. Season two was awesome but this show gets better and better in each episode so I have high hopes for season three and can’t wait. Season two rocks. So if you need to catch up, get on it! Before season three premieres this October!
Arrow 2013 Comic-Con Panel (25 minutes) – If you were unable to make it to the Arrow Panel at San Diego Comic Con or simply want to relive the moment, the panel is here for your viewing pleasure as well as a portion of press room interviews. I love the way that this feature was edited (the Q&A portion was edited and there are clips throughout the panel) and wish that all Comic Con Panels on Blu-ray/DVD sets were edited like this, cutting out the extra bits and simply showing the necessary (and less dated) bits. Great feature!
Appearing in this Feature:
Cast Members, Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey, Emily Bett Rickards, Colton Haynes
Executive Producers, Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg
Moderator, Damian Holbrook (TV Guide)
From Vigilante to Hero (24 minutes) – This is the best feature in my opinion. I just love hearing writers talk about their characters and their characters’ journeys so hearing them talk about Oliver Queen and his journey as well as the mythology of the show and how that shapes not just Oliver but other vigilantes and heroes was oh, so wonderful!
Appearing in this Feature:
Executive Producers, Andrew Kreisberg, Marc Guggenheim, Greg Berlanti
Producer, Wendy Mericle
Author, Phil Cousineau
Cast Members, Paul Blackthorne, Stephen Amell, David Ramsey
How Did They Do That? The Visual Effects of Arrow (10 minutes) – As someone who has noticed the improvement in visual effects from season one onto season two, I appreciated this feature more than usual which walks us through how a select few effects came together.
Appearing in this Feature:
CG Supervisors, Mike Kruper, Mike Kirylo
Lead Compositor, Andrew Bardusk
Cast Member, Emily Bett Rickards
Wirework: The Impossible Moves of Arrow (10 minutes) – This is a fun feature that walks us through a few of our favorite action scenes thanks to the awesome stunt crew involved. Along with having the crew discuss in detail how certain scenes came together, wire hangars and all, we get to see footage from rehearsals which I always love seeing! You can when you watch the show that Stephen Amell really does get in there and do the stunts himself but it was also really cool to see and hear from the stuntmen themselves who take on the more dangerous/challenging stunts.
Appearing in this Feature:
Stunt Coordinator, J.J. Makaro
Stephen Amell’s Stunt Double, Simon Burnett
Fight Coordinator, James Bamford
Cast Members, Stephen Amell, Caity Lotz
Deleted Scenes (20 minutes) – There are 20 deleted scenes from the following episodes: “City of Heroes,” “Identity,” “Crucible,” “Keep Your Enemies Closer,” “State v. Queen,” “Three Ghosts,” “Tremors,” “Heir to the Demon,” “Time of Death,” “The Promise,” “Suicide Squad,” “The Man Under the Hood, and “Unthinkable.” Honestly, I didn’t find enough of these scenes worth watching to recommend checking them out but they’re there if you’re curious. The second deleted scene from “Three Ghosts” was awesome though. Too bad you can’t play the scenes individually but there’s only one scene before it so it’s not so bad. For clarity, you can play the deleted scenes by episode but not broken down further individually by scene.
* Bonus Recap Episode Year One
*Gag Reel (4 minutes)
on Blu-ray Combo, DVD & Digital HD today.