ARROW Shoots Mostly Straight for Fifth Time

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Arrow - The Complete Fifth Season' on Blogcritics.

The fifth season of the CW’s Arrow comes with much anticipation for long-time viewers, and it’s now available to own. Beginning shortly after the death of Laurel Lance, fans know we will get to see Oliver tested. We’re not sure if he will try to rebuild a new team or fall back to his bad habit of shutting people out. In these twenty-three episodes, we get into the makeup of the lead character, and see how he has matured in the way he deals with events.

Changes

Oliver (Stephen Amell) has changed over the years. He doesn’t deal with setbacks the same way he used to, showing that growth arc. It was not long ago that Oliver had to be convinced not to be a lone wolf. He has now matured. The Complete Fifth Season brings that to glorious fruition as he adds four new members to his vigilante squad. (Later, four becomes five with the inclusion of Dinah (Juliana Harkavy).) Oliver has to trust these people, let them in. And he can’t take years to get to know them the way he did with Diggle (David Ramsey) and Felicity (Emily Bett Rikards). Almost surprisingly, he does.

That trust doesn’t come without its complications. Each of the four, Curtis (Echo Kellum), Rene (Rick Gonzalez), Evelyn (Madison McLaughlin), and Rory (Joe Dinicol), have their own pasts and demons. Two of them don’t make it through the season with the team. It doesn’t go smoothly for the others, either. There are a lot of added complications with these new characters, as well as subplots for them. They nicely expand the universe without taking away from the core of the show.

Mr. Mayor

What we see of Oliver expands, too, as he now spends his days as mayor of the city. Obviously, it isn’t easy for a superhero to also have such a demanding day job. Arrow doesn’t always handle the balance realistically, at times minimizing the time he spends in the office. But there are certain situations that get very interesting with Oliver’s dual role.

It makes sense to include Thea (Willa Holland) and Quentin (Paul Blackthorne) in this thread. Adding Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra) to the mayor’s side of the story is a good decision, too. Although, ultimately, I wish they hadn’t gone the way the writers did with Chase. Not that I have a problem with what Chase represents, just that I wish it had been someone else.

Tying Up the Past

A big element of Arrow has long been flashbacks to his life during the five years he was missing, just prior to the series’ beginning. These usually end up dragging down the show, and so it’s great to know that The Complete Fifth Season contains the last of them. As fascinating as Anatoly (David Nykl), the main addition to these sequences this year, is, like in past years, Arrow spends too much time on this subplot. By halfway through, one is just waiting for it to end. Unfortunately, the conclusion, which was full of promise since it needed to connect to the pilot, didn’t land all that well.

This is in stark contrast to the excellent ending of the main story. This season cleverly brings back a lot of characters from years past, many who died, and things are tied together satisfactorily. There is real emotional heft in these installments. I’m glad the show will continue, but this definitely feels like the end of a major chapter of Arrow.

Bonus Features

Arrow – The Complete Fifth Season comes with a slew of extras. One featurette focuses on the new team, appropriate and solid, and at about ten minutes, a good length. Another tackles the primary villain from this season, as it should. There is a gag reel and deleted scenes. I usually complain about including last year’s Comic Con panel instead of the most recent one. However, it works here because there are plenty of tidbits that aren’t just about this season.

The final featurette concerns Arrow‘s 100th episode. This also happens to be the show’s contribution to a four-show crossover. In my opinion, this is the weak link in the event because much of it takes place in a fantasy world Oliver and friends are trapped in. This might have been appropriate for such a monumental episode of Arrow. Having to tie it into the crossover story waters it down. The result is something pretty disappointing. It’s easy to see why when you think about all the elements going into it.

Conclusion

In all, though, this is a strong season of Arrow. There are great new characters, a few surprising twists, and a clear evolution of an aging series. Arrow – The Complete Fifth Season is available now.

RUSHing Around

Article first published as RUSH Review on Seat42F.

USA’s new drama RUSH is not very original. Like the network’s own medical series, Royal Pains, it follows a private concierge doctor who works for those rich enough to afford on-call and home-based services. Unlike Hank Lawson, though, the titular character in RUSH is more along the lines of House M.D. in that he’s a heavy drug user whose life is falling apart and like Greg Kinnear’s Rake in that he enjoys his iffy lifestyle a tad too much. Thus, while RUSH is an interesting show, it just doesn’t feel all that fresh.

This is my main problem with RUSH. In a golden age of television (don’t let anyone tell you it’s not), it’s hard to have time for just-good shows any more when there are so many great ones. RUSH is a series that, five years ago, would have been the best thing on USA and certainly a solid entry for cable. Now, though, it is entertaining, but not nearly special enough to kick it into that top tier worth paying attention to. If you haven’t discovered the wealth of programs available from various sources that are better than RUSH, you may like it. But trust me, better-than-broadcast does not necessarily mean it’s at the top of the pack these days.

RUSH is fronted by Welsh actor Tom Ellis (Vera Drake, The Fades), who does a serviceable job with the cad. Rush is intelligent, of course, and much better at helping others than himself, which is an archetype quite familiar to most viewers at this point. Ellis does give him a charm and vulnerability, especially late in the pilot, that makes him seem like a real person, even if his actions and situation are far from average.

Unfortunately for Rush, he is nowhere close to being the man he should be. He has far too many enablers in his life. Dr. Alex Burke (Larenz Tate, Rescue Me), his best friend, makes excuses for Rush and still allows him to attend his godson’s birthday party, despite Rush’s less-than-sober appearance. Rush’s assistant, Eve (Sarah Habel, Underemployed), does criticize Rush, but doesn’t really do anything to try to force change. Both judge our antihero, but don’t exactly push him to change.

The one person who could have an effect on Rush is his ex-girlfriend, whom he was with for four years, Sarah Peterson (Odette Annable, Banshee, House M.D.). But Sarah’s already given Rush all of the chances she’s willing to give, and unlike Eve and Alex, is washing her hands of Rush. Perhaps Rush’s friends should follow her example because Rush seems like the type who needs to hit rock bottom before he can start to rebuild anything resembling a successful life.

Rock bottom may not be as far as off as most who know Rush might expect. There are some Latino gang members, one of whom is named Manny (Rick Gonzalez, Reaper) and sells Rush his cocaine, that Rush gets too involved with. I won’t go into details, but while part of their story may wrap a little too easily, the pilot also leaves the door open for them to take Rush down a road he should absolutely avoid if he wants to be an upstanding individual.

RUSH also has the tendency to venture into cheesiness from time to time. Early in the first episode, multiple characters tell Rush that he looks bad. He doesn’t; not even close. You’ll see near the end of the installment what Rush looks like when he really lacks sleep and is stressed out. Instead, those early lines feel like what the script writer thinks we expect, and those making the production forgot to make it true, nor should it have been, given the larger arc of Rush’s journey. A moment meant to show Rush is a good man, giving cash to someone who turns out not to be homeless, also is forced.

The potential lies in the backstory. Rush clearly has done something to inspire the loyalty of Eve and Alex, and I do think that will eventually be revealed, though only a hint about Eve creeps into the pilot. While I don’t think the history will be enough to redeem the current man, at least there might be an engaging story there.

RUSH isn’t bad. It’s just not stellar. Judge it for yourself when it premieres this Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on USA.