TV Review: Arrow Episode # 2 - "Honor Thy Father"

Stephen Amell as Arrow

Click here to read the review of the pilot episode.

Oliver makes a court appearance to have this death certificate nullified. We get more details about the shipwreck in this scene and towards the end of the episode.

Oliver’s mother expects him to take over the company. Oliver is dead set against such a move and even makes a public announcement about his intentions. Not everything is down in Oliver’s life though. On the upside, Oliver bonds with his sister, Thea Queen (Willa Holland).

Willa Holland and Stephen Amell as Thea Queen and Oliver Queen

The focus of this episode is not only on Oliver, but also on his ex-girlfriend, Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy). Laurel is prosecuting Martin Somers, a mobster with links to the Chinese Triad. Things get personal when the mob makes an attempt on Laurel’s life. Oliver saves the day and goes after Somers.

In one of the secondary plots, Oliver’s friend Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell) is up to no good and is quite resentful of Laurel's affections for Oliver.

Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy as Oliver Queen and Laurel Lance in Arrow

Pros

• Stephen Amell shows strong improvement on the acting front. His facial expressions sometimes reminded me of Christian Bale (as Bruce Wayne). Amell may not be Christian Bale, but he is no Robert Pattinson either.
• If Twilight was the target last week, this episode takes a nice jab at the Kardashians. I love these digs.

Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen

Cons

• Paul Blackthorne (born 1969) and Katie Cassidy (born 1986) do not make a believable father-daughter duo. They are more suited to be a couple!
• Kelly Hu does not have much to do as China White, an assassin with an outlandish hairdo. She appears in just 3 scenes and her total screen time would definitely be just around 5 minutes. Her climactic showdown with Arrow is strangely anti-climactic and is a major letdown. Kelly was way more intimidating and effective as Yuriko Oyama / Lady Deathstrike in X2: X-Men United (2003).

Kelly Hu did much better as Lady Deathstrike (R) than as China White (L)

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Summary

The writers have done some excellent character development and Amell is eminently watchable. Both these factors bode very well for the show’s future.

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Image Sources: CW, Comicvine

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TV Review: Arrow - Pilot Episode

Stephen Amell as Arrow

Billionaire playboy has lost some near and dear ones in a tragic accident and is forever changed by it. He moonlights as vigilante to clean up his city and bring it back to its former days of glory. His girlfriend is an attorney with a strong sense of justice.

This is not a summary of Batman Begins, but of the pilot episode of Arrow, the latest CW series featuring a DC Comics character. Bruce Wayne/Batman is now Oliver Queen/Arrow. Rachel Dawes is Dinah “Laurel” Lance. Gotham is now Starling City.

Oliver Queen, the castaway

Ok, now let’s start with the plot… Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) loses his father, Robert Queen (Jamey Sheridan) on the high seas after a violent shipwreck.  His longtime girlfriend Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) also loses her sister, Sarah (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) in the same accident.

After being stranded in an island for 5 years, he returns to the city to find his mother Moira Queen (Susanna Thompson) together with Walter Steele (Colin Salmon). He finds himself emotionally detached from his mother. His sister, Thea Queen (Willa Holland) and buddy, Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell) are glad to have him back.

Arrow Begins, anyone?

In true Batman Begins style, Oliver starts gathering his weapons and starts a war on the criminals in Gotham, I mean Starling City. First on his list is Adam Hunt (Brian Markinson). Oliver manages to alternatively outwit/strong-arm his bodyguard John Diggle (David Ramsey) to carry on his vigilante work. Detective Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne), father of Laurel and the deceased Sarah, is on the trail of the new vigilante in his city.

Meanwhile, Moira is out to find out what happened on the day of the shipwreck and she is ready to go to any extent to achieve her goal.

Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy as Oliver Queen and Laurel Lance

I was initially not sure about this show after seeing the previews. Despite the considerable similarities to a certain Caped Crusader, the pilot was very interesting and held my attention.

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All the roles have been nicely cast and the actors look comfortable. Special mention must be made of Willa Holland as Thea Queen. She does an excellent job and I cannot wait to see her assume the role of Speedy.

Stephen Amell and Willa Holland as Oliver Queen/Arrow and Thea Queen/Speedy

I liked the brief appearance of Deathstroke's mask. Equally good was the hilarious reference to Twilight.

Looks like CW has a winner on their hands, along the lines of Smallville.

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TV Review: Elementary Episode # 2 - "While You Were Sleeping"

Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson

A young man is murdered as he enters his apartment. A neighbor observes a woman as she leaves the apartment. Gregson (as expected) “consults” Sherlock on the case. Sherlock is delighted as this gives him a much needed excuse to skip the drug addiction recovery sessions he is forced to endure thanks to Watson.

As Sherlock works on the case, he discovers the existence of fraternal twins and a large inheritance at stake. A separate subplot involved Joan Watson and her ex-boyfriend, Ty Morstan (Bill Heck). This subplot did not add to the show's appeal in any way and felt more like a tactic to attract the female audience.

The mystery itself is pretty decent. The “drama” enacted by Holmes near the climax though was plain elementary.

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This episode was a big comedown from the pilot episode. The acting by Jonny Lee Miller goes all haywire. He seems to be heavily influenced by the performances of both Robert Downey Jr and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Right now, Miller’s take on the legendary detective looks quite uninspired. After watching this episode, it is really hard not to think of this show as a blatant attempt to cash in on the current hot streak Sherlock Holmes is enjoying in popular culture.

Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes

Lucy Liu on the other hand is still fine as Joan Watson. Unfortunately, she has nothing new to do in this episode. It is the same old getting to know Sherlock routine. This still might have worked, if only the Holmes-Watson interactions were any good let alone exceptional. Unfortunately, that is not the case here.

Sherlock Holmes always liked locks

On to the trivia section. Here are the Canonical references:

1.   In the novel A Study in Scarlet, Holmes refers to the human mind as an attic that he fills only with relevant data. Miller’s Sherlock makes the same statement.

2.   Miller’s Sherlock identifies a particular brand of deodorant. This reminded me of a similar deduction made by Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles from the note of warning sent to Sir Henry Baskerville.

3.   Miller’s Sherlock comments to Watson about how easy it is to fake a certain medical condition. The faking of a medical condition is a major part of the story The Adventure of the Dying Detective.

4.   In the story The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, Holmes displays his burgling kit, complete with keys, glass-cutter and a jimmy. This episode has a scene where Sherlock is playing with locks.

5.   Sherlock playing the violin is one of his trademark attributes from the Canon. The episode ends with Sherlock playing his violin.

Watson reintroduces Holmes to his violin

For all these references to the original stories, the passable mystery and Liu’s efforts, the whole episode seems like a half-hearted effort. Uninspired – the one word sums up the episode in a nutshell.

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TV Review: Elementary - Pilot Episode

 Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson in CBS Elementary

The pilot starts with a struggle inside a house between a red-headed woman and an unknown assailant and the scene closes with the assumed murder.

As is usually the case with other adaptations and the Canon itself, we first meet Watson. In this instance, it is Joan Watson, played remarkably well by Lucy Liu. She has been hired to be the sober companion to Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) by the latter’s father.

Sherlock is a recovering drug addict and escapes from the rehabilitation facility he was admitted to, right on the day of his release. He attributes his action to sheer boredom.

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Captain Tobias Gregson (Aidan Quinn) calls in Sherlock to solve the aforementioned murder. Detective Javier Abreu (Manny Perez) is not very keen on getting outside assistance.

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The rest of the episode goes along predictable lines: Holmes and Watson get to know each other and the murder case is resolved as well.

This adaptation in addition to being set in the modern times has a female Watson. What’s more, Sherlock’s father is around and is playing an active role in Sherlock’s life. To the best of my knowledge, this is a new in the annals of Sherlock Holmes adaptations.

Jonny Lee Miller makes an OK Sherlock Holmes. This version of Sherlock worked as a consulting detective in London, before moving to NY. Miller's Sherlock does not have any idiosyncrasies or quirks that can make his portrayal unique or stand out from the crowd.

Lucy Liu as Joan Watson

Lucy Liu gives the better performance (in my humble opinion) as Joan Watson, the everyman we can relate to. Her interactions with Miller’s Holmes are very typical of the ones we have read in A Study in Scarlet. Liu successfully sells the concept of a female Watson and deserves credit. The casting of Liu raised a lot of eyebrows and I can say with confidence that Liu makes a great Watson.

Aidan Quinn as Captain Tobias Gregson

Aidan Quinn makes a likeable Tobias Gregson. He respects Holmes for his skills. I still miss Lestrade. The Official Police Force is never the same without our little sallow, rat-faced Inspector!

The direction by Michael Cuesta is competent. The music and cinematography are adequate.

Canonical References

1. In the story His Last Bow, Sherlock mentions he is writing a book on Bee Keeping entitled “Practical Handbook of Bee Culture, with some Observations upon the Segregation of the Queen”. Miller’s Sherlock quotes the exact name of the book and also maintains a bee hive on his terrace! This is easily the best Canonical reference and I am curious as to how they are going to top this one in the upcoming episodes.
2. In The Adventure of the Red Circle and The Adventure of the Red-Headed League, Sherlock Holmes displays his enjoyment of music. In Elementary, Sherlock’s father informs Joan Watson about his son’s love for music!
3. In The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, Holmes breaks into a house to secure some documents. In a superb twist, Miller’s Sherlock breaks out of a facility.

I liked the modern updates to Sherlock’s methods – using Google and Facebook. Nice touches and very Sherlockian in nature.

The episode moved at a good pace and the acting is commendable. The solving of the case involves teamwork from Holmes and Watson.

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Book Review: City Under The Moon by Hugh Sterbakov

NYC finds itself the target of a carefully planned series of werewolf attacks that start on the night of Dec 29. Main target – the New Year's Eve celebration at Times Square. FBI Special Agent Brianna Tildascow zeroes in on one Demetrius Valenkov. An European Werewolf hunter is brought in. The Government and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) work together on finding a solution to the outbreak. Body count rises and the resolution is suitably climactic.

Emmy-nominated author Hugh Sterbakov’s writing is smart and the book has a crisp sense of humor throughout. The characterizations are excellent: Brianna Tildascow – FBI Special Agent and the protagonist, Rebekkah Lufts – National Security Advisor, Dr Melissa Kenzie – the doctor, Lon Toller- the geek, William Weston – President of the US, Dr Jessica Tanner – Director of CDC and Elizabeth – Lon’s girlfriend.

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The story is well-paced and sustains interest from start to finish. There is enough gore around to satisfy the gorehounds. Hugh has paid homage to the Werewolf legend through references to the actor Lon Chaney and the movies Silver Bullet and An American Werewolf in London. Hugh also gets brownie points for his jabs at Twilight and other books of that ilk.

Hugh Sterbakov, the author

What is more striking is his devotion to Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The book has some scenes set in Transylvania and Romania. There are direct references to the Carpathian Mountains and the horse carriage ride while being surrounded by wolves on all sides. The line in the book – “Those hills are alive with the sound of music” instantly reminded me of the classic line in Stoker’s book - "Children of the night. What music they make…".

The book ends with a potential for a sequel. I am definitely looking forward to that one!

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