'Arrow' Season 5 Episode 2 Review
Oliver is now on board with setting up a new team, as he recruits Evelyn Sharpe, Wild Dog, and Curtis and begins training. His efforts are going badly, as he's basically just beating them up over and over during the same exercise he was subjected to during his time in Russia with the Bratva, which we se a few flashbacks of.
Oliver is also trying to balance his time as both the Green Arrow and mayor of Star City, having Thea shoulder the burden of his mayoral duties. Their pitch of a free healthcare facility is taken by AmerTek, but the opening is disrupted by a mysterious figure, later called Ragman.
The president of AmerTek is seen dealing with Tobias Church by Thea, as it's revealed she's selling him explosives. Oliver later doe battle with Church, as Ragman winds up aiding. Oliver gains the trust of Ragman and his new recruits by revealing his identity to them, unifying the new team.
We also had scenes featuring Diggle, as he's in the middle of a war in Latvia. Diggle's commanding officer turns out to steal a nuclear device and takes Diggle captive, framing him for the whole thing. I'm not sure where Diggle's storyline will go this season, but I'm not very interested in seeing him outside of Team Arrow.
Though as of now I don't really care for Oliver's new recruits, I'm keeping an open mind. With some fine tuning, they could turn into a solid team. Along with Ragman, who looks really awesome, they could be better than Team Arrow version 1.0. Let's face it, anyone would be better than Laurel. Her death serves as Oliver's main source of "tough love" he displays towards the new team, as he doesn't want to get anyone else killed. Felicity really is his conscience, getting him to realize his tactics aren't working and gets him to gain their trust and respect.
I really don't like Quentin much this season. I feel like his relapse back into alcoholism hasn't felt genuine. He seems more loopy than drunk and isn't a very good character thus far, though I hope Thea's outreach to him helps his character.
My rating: 7 out of 10
