Arrow (TV Series) Legacy (2016) User Reviews

Arrow - S05E01 Legacy

[j_forbesy · 9/10 · 6 October 2016]

What's going on? What is actually going on? Is Arrow really back? I'm not talking about back on our screens but back to the Arrow we loved. If this episode is any indicator, I think this season could be a redemption story. Now I wasn't overly happy with season 4. It wasn't the worst TV I had ever seen but the back part of the season at times was a major train wreck. So that set my expectations low for this season, but I may need to rise them.

For an Arrow episode, this was amazing. It had the same feel as season 1 and 2 Arrow and I loved that. I thought as a premier itself it really handled itself well and did a fantastic job or reintroducing us to Arrow and allowing us to get a grip back onto where everything is at. I thought they did a great job tying in the end of last season with the Laurel statue and revealing the promise so early on. For someone who wasn't a massive fan of Laurel, it was still good to see that she plays a big role in Oliver's life and is essential the final push to convincing Oliver to form a new team.

I'm going to say something I haven't in a while, I thought the flashbacks were fantastic. I'll admit, I wasn't sold on them straight away and it had me worried. Then they did something I don't they have done since the early seasons, they directly tied in the small things of the flashbacks into the present story. I know there was the big tie in with the magic and the idols and all that but I'm talking about the small things like speaking Russian and being able to break out of hand restraints. These are things that he could of done in the present story and we wouldn't ask to many questions but because they built this back story around it, it makes the flashbacks feel like they are there for a reason again.

I really loved the action this episode. I know the action sequences have always been well executed in Arrow but they had a different feel then it's had before. I feel like we are getting a more mature Green Arrow. His fighting style feels a lot smarter and the way he is using his arrows have become more creative. I know over the past seasons we have seen him develop as a fighter but to me, this episode allowed Oliver's maturity as a fighter to stand out

The only downside I could pick from the episode was the last season we saw with Felicity. Overall I really liked how she was again presented as the tech person of the crew and I thought her bouncing off Curtis worked really well like last season but to see that we are going to potentially get more relationship drama again scares me. Hopefully it's not too overboard and doesn't come to much to the forefront of the season.

9/10

Exciting return for arrow season five

[scarlettyforest · 9/10 · 5 October 2016]

Coming from someone who had given up on arrow during season four (I still haven't even seen the final episodes, though I hear they were horrendous), I was pleasantly surprised with the fifth season's premiere. I'll try to keep this short, so:

+ Bad ass Ollie returns. + Cheesy arrows are a throwback to the comics. + Prometheus slayed. + Bratva flashbacks are pretty bad ass. + Long takes in fight scenes were great. + A lot less of the typical drama that hindered seasons three and four. It was nice to Oliver and Felicity interacting without it turning into an episode of the Bold and the Beautiful.

• Production design. I can't be the only one bothered by this. For a show that's been around for so long, its disappointing to see its sets and lighting become so hollow and lack-luster. Production design should contribute to the mood of the show and flatter the fact that this is a visual medium, so its disappointing to see direction like this. - Oliver needs to become a stronger character. There's a lot of promise with season five, however I am concerned that Oliver is going to go back to being dependent on other characters for advice and in making decisions. I know this is really a CW trend as of late, but this is the Green Arrow we're talking about, he's a strategist and a vigilante. He shouldn't need constant and unnecessary exposition dialogue between the other characters, telling him what to do. All up: 8.8/10

Moving Forward

[ThomasDrufke · 9/10 · 6 October 2016]

Arrow and Flash have a tendency to complement each other in terms of story lines but also in terms of quality. When they are good, they feed off each other's success and in turn, gets me more pumped for the next episode of both series. With last night's Flash and tonight's Arrow, I couldn't be more excited for what's to come. At least, in terms of the signals both the premieres were sending me. There are certain things that are inevitably disappointing about this season of Arrow (no spoilers here), but this episode pulled all the right strings for me.

Much like most of the characters, Oliver begins this season in a completely different mindset than last season. There are redeemable qualities to season 4, but the last 7 episodes or so were a major step backwards for the show. So I'm okay with the show-runners pushing aside some of the smaller things that last season implicated. One of them being Oliver wrestling with whether or not to go back to killing criminals. He went back and forth so many times last year about having hope or having no faith at all, and it doesn't seem to end here, but it seems this season is taking his morals in a more realistically black and white area. Plus, this show is definitely getting back to the roots of what made season 1 and 2 so great. I can't really complain.

The action was absolutely incredible. I guess I shouldn't expect anything different from a James Bamford directed episode, but I'm just glad to see the quick cut fight choreography seems to be gone as they are going with a far more brutal and visceral approach. This was nicely structured by having longer takes of not just the action, but entire scenes. The camera movement was much more fluid than it usually is. Joining the fight scenes were a few new villains. We haven't gotten to see Dolph Lundgren as the rumored leader of the Bratva, but we did get to see Chad L. Coleman as Tobias Church and the new big bad, Prometheus, in some action.

Do I care at all about the "new recruits" for Team Arrow? No, and I'm already tired of Wild Dog. But I am willing to accept them if they don't take over the spots for characters who I truly care about. After everything Thea, Lance, and Diggle have been through, I buy the fact that they left that life behind. But that doesn't mean I don't want to see where they go from there. As long as the focus stays on them, I'm down for whatever. Plus, it was an interesting decision having Thea do more as Mayor Queen's assistant than in the red hood as Speedy. I would like to see Lance back in the police force at some point, but going back to being a drunk seemed like the next unfortunate step his character would make. And of course I loved the one scene Diggle and Oliver had skyping each other about what to do. These characters have come a long way.

A few more tidbits the episode offered included a new boyfriend for Felicty, an Anti-Crime Unit being implemented, Laurel making Oliver promise that she won't be the last Black Canary, and one awesome callback to the pilot episode. The "no one can know my secret" line was definitely a cheer worthy moment. Not sure how I feel about Tyler Ritter playing Felicity's boyfriend, considering he's likely to end up as another corrupt character to date a main character on the show. Seriously that happens a lot. I'm also not sure how I feel about the promise Laurel made being about another Canary. I just feel like we have gone down the same road before. I don't want to see another iteration of that hero. Whether Laurel somehow comes back or not, I just don't see the need to go back. But overall, this episode was a treat and a great beginning to another season of Arrow.

+Bratva flashbacks sound promising

+Action

+Brutal Green Arrow

+Character progressions

-Felicity boyfriend thing

9.3/10

Ruthless! Absolutely filthy! Spoilers inside!

[Dkemp12721 · 10/10 · 5 October 2016]

Spoilers!!!!! Finally green arrow goes back to its roots and is killing the bad guys! The episode has its dejavu moments one of which was to Oliver's first kill in the show. One of the reasons I started watching was because he was different from other TV show superheroes and killed. The fight choreography and stunts were very well done. I think the new big bad's between Tobias church and Prometheus will be a very nice choice. I'm very excited for this season and can't wait for more. The dejavu moment I'm referring to is when Oliver's held hostage by Tobias church and is brought to the other room, I'm pretty sure he uses the same exact words in episode one when Tommy and himself are captured. Telling his captor that if he hits him again he will die, and no one can know his secret with his signature bent back neck break. Very happy arrow is back on TV!

The beginning of what could be the best season yet...

[Jamison1803 · 10/10 · 5 October 2016]

Wow, just wow. The long wait for ARROW"S 5th season definitely did not disappoint and seems to be the beginning of what could be the best season of ARROW yet. This review of the season premiere, "LEGACY" will have minor spoilers, however nothing major.For all of those people (including myself) who were disappointed with a selected number of second half of the fourth season, ARROW is finally back (YAY) with what seems to be the biggest, darkest and goriest seasons to date. The flashbacks are truly fantastic, and very debatable to be best season of flashbacks we will see. This season (and last, unfortunately) of flashbacks s have started off to be very engaging, with you wanting to see much more of them, something that season 4 lacked. The actual plot of season 5 starts with basically everyone not doing their best. Importantly, Oliver is a horrible mayor and (what is left of) the team is not in best shape. The city is not improving in the way that Oliver needs it to. There are however, numerous familiar faces and references to past events which was a personal win for myself. Season 5 starts the process of "rebuilding" the show from its previous season, and by the way that the premiere played out, has definitely got back on track with keeping the audience engaged and wanting more every time an episode ends.

The Verdict:

+ Great Start to the Season + Interesting plot that feels extremely strong + A more darker Green Arrow, like season 1 + A minor Flashpoint effect

9.5 / 10

This season of ARROW looks to be one fans ans show runners undoubtedly deserve.

Great start

[longnegroarms · 9/10 · 4 July 2017]

The arrow series has been great over the past four seasons. Although the second half of the fourth season was very disappointing from its start. The fifth season appears to be a great season to look forward too. The implantation of new heroes and characters makes this a season. All that being said, I don't know how Oliver is going to turn Curtis into an actual hero haha. In contrast, Wild dog definitely looks like a definitive character who will make a huge contribution to this show that fans will love.

One Word: Action

[highmarksreviews · 10/10 · 1 February 2018]

Arrow had a less-than stellar season last year, and thankfully, Season 5 seems to be getting the redemption treatment. "Legacy" is perhaps the most action-packed episode in recent memory, with excellent, brutal fight choreography, dramatic heft and the return of favourites. The only weaker point of the episode was a villain, but franky, Chad Coleman's Tobias Church is a tough, cool kingpin to watch.

A fantastic comeback

[ronibasakothers · 9/10 · 6 October 2016]

I remember binge watching Seasons 1 and 2 of the show, and I thought to myself, man, this is one of the best superhero TV shows I've ever watched! Season 1 was undoubtedly the best and Season 2 definitely brought a darker side to the character even though the Arrow stopped killing. Then Season 3 came about and I remember being extremely thrilled for the first half of the season. The second half was when everything went downhill.

I started off the second half with very high expectations, and to my disappointment, it really didn't deliver for me. Firstly, the plot was all over the place. Its like the writers didn't know how to proceed on with the story. Secondly, what in the world happened to the stunt sequences? In season 4, Malcolm and Oliver's duel looked more like a cat-fight than an actual fight.

When the trailer for Season 5 came out, I was sincerely hoping that the season lived up to the trailer. It showed all the elements that once made me fall in love with the Arrow it used to be. And so far, this premiere certainly delivered on what the trailer promised. This episode isn't exactly the best, but it is definitely a huge improvement, especially since Season 4 was a huge disaster.

Everything is a major improvement: stunt choreography, characterization and even the cinematography, where they used one- shots and 23.976 FPS which is definitely more practical for action sequences. I can't say much about the plot yet, because this is just the beginning, but I hope the rest of the season doesn't disappoint and lives up to the recent improvement.

Back In Black

[sherif-hesham-809-363482 · 9/10 · 6 October 2016]

Guys it looks like Arrow is finally back on track and kicking ass like in season 1!! I wasn't excited at all for Arrow this season after where they went the show in season 4, but now it looks like they're giving us a new season 2!! You can see the changes this year with the much better fighting scenes and darker tone. Also, the spotlight isn't on Felicity anymore, though I didn't REALLY mind that like others did, But it's better this way. Glad that Laurel is still gone (so far) and the flashbacks seem very promising and way better than the pile of crap the shot last season. I also prefer the team without Thea and I hope they keep it this way. I love that they gave him the sleeves back along with the dark tone! Very excited for next week's episode!

Arrow returns for a fifth season...

[jedly · 7/10 · 8 October 2016]

Arrow (2012-present) is back for a fifth season, and it was, what it was. These shows are starting to feel like those old 8-bit video games. The hero fights through the level (AKA each season) to then fight the end boss. Each preceding level gets harder and harder. Very formulaic , and some what predictable.

Episode one, LEGACY, has Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) both as Green Arrow and as mayor of Star City, although the former occupies more of his time. Also back is is younger sister, Thea (Willa Holland) who has given up her "Speedy" persona, and now only works on his mayoral staff. . Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) is still Overwatch, but her romance with Oliver is smoke. John "Dig" Diggle (David Ramsey) has gone back to the army, and no longer fights with the Arrow. Former 'Police Captain' Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne) has completely fallen off of the wagon. Although, it does look like Curtis Holt (Echo Kellum) will have a much more active role this season, beyond that of snappy comic relief.

All in all; the episode was OK. I'm a little tired of the flashback scenes, as I think are many people. Of course, there are a couple of new villains, but it remains to be seen if they actually have any lasting impact beyond that of just another 'end level boss'.

With the promise of assembling a new Team Arrow comes new faces. I hope they can add a new dynamic to the show, and shake things up a bit. As of right now, I'm sort of losing interest, but I've invested this much….For now, I'll keep watching.

Back on Track

[tadavies-15568 · 10/10 · 22 February 2022]

After the train wreck of season 4, the fifth season of arrow kicks off with Legacy and starts with a bang.

Action is peak here with an amazing fight in the first minute to jumping onto a helicopter. Not only does the choreography look on point but is a much better improvement over last season.

Then we have Oliver. He's gone downhill since the death of Laurel (much like myself) and started killing again. One highlight of this much darker variation of Oliver is the moment where he tells a guard he's going to kill him and he keeps his promise. Not only does he break the man's neck in a scene that parallels the pilot, but shoots three other people.

Legacy starts season 5 with one of the best episodes of the show and I can't wait for episode 2.

Mixed feelings

[mihaicosmin2007 · 7/10 · 6 October 2016]

It looks like the writers are trying to retcon as much as possible from S4.

+ Arrow kills again when needed.

+ Better fight scenes + Russia flashbacks actually make sense.

+ Trick Arrows, several of them.

+ Character insight, more than the entire S4 combined.

+ No apparent directing/continuity mistakes.

• Felicity love triangle.

• Too much empathizes on team Arrow.

• Sound is not yet up to par with S1 and S2.

• terrible set budget.

Conclusion: best Arrow episode since S3 mid season finale (that's one year and a half), but still has much to fix.

I remain disappointed

[michael-winter-747-225106 · 4/10 · 6 October 2016]

Everything about this episode seemed both rushed and sloppy, from story to editing. So often scenes were very short and didn't transition well into the next scene, leaving me with questions about what actually just happened, if that didn't set a record for most scenes in an Arrow episode by a mile i would be shocked. Next we come to the story, everything was just the same old predictable garbage that we've been seeing since season three. The end of season 4 had me worried this show was over and couldn't get back to being as good as it was in the first two season, and after this first episode those worries remain. I will give this show a few more episodes and hopefully it at least shows some improvement, otherwise i'm done.

Refreshing start

[prometheus19870 · 10/10 · 22 July 2021]

After a poor ending to season 4, this episode taking a bit of a different storyline by making Oliver the mayor is quite refreshing. And at the ending, it was good to see a Archer type of villain. This is a good start to S5 hope it gets better from here.

Redemption

[cloverytvlogs · 10/10 · 6 January 2024]

This episode was absolutely incredible. And that is especially emphasized coming off of the last season of this show, which was absolutely terrible and had no episode worthy of a rating higher than a 7/10. This episode see's Arrow go back to its roots, finally straying away from the supernatural elements of the previous two seasons. Oliver is back to his dark and gritty approach to problems and situations and we get to see him handle all that as well as his life as Mayor of Star City which is really cool. The flashbacks are also immediately captivating having Oliver in Russia and throughout the episode they're really great. All in all, watch this season, I know that season 4 was bad, but do yourself a favour and still watch this season. It's the best season. What a comeback for Arrow.

Mayor Handsome LOL

[kjv-06229 · 3/10 · 25 July 2019]

How is it GA can get beat up and show no signs of it? There would be bruising on his pretty boy face at the very least.

If you are an Olicity fan, this episode continues the stupid breakup.

[puddintane · 1/10 · 9 June 2017]

Blame the writers for being too stupid to plan ahead last season, and too lazy to write around the problem of their relationship being "too fast" (Gee, whose fault was that?). "Business reasons" is the main excuse given. When they do finally allow them to talk, the reunion is at best anticlimactic, revealing their lack of Olicity enthusiasm.

Emily Bett Rickards is the only reason I kept watching season 5. I did not enjoy the stories. Stephen Amell did well as poor Oliver, who some women found every excuse to hate on.

*****BIG SPOILER *****BIG SPOILER *****BIG SPOILER *****BIG SPOILER

Felicity Smoak continues to be a selfish, sanctimonious, somewhat lascivious, hypocrite nearly the whole season. She finally wakes up and smells the coffee when it is at the edge of too late. She admits it was her lack of understanding Oliver's situation that broke them up. The whole time, she makes no effort to even try to understand, or give Oliver any help whatsoever. This despite her little pep talk back in 4x20.

If she had taken about 15-30 minutes to really talk (instead of walking out) and work with Oliver with some help, none of this mess was necessary. She kept stalling to have this itty-bitty conversation for reasons we may never know. The obvious ones, not being able to admit she was wrong or apologize, don't seem to be why.