Arrow (TV Series) What We Leave Behind (2016) User Reviews

Arrow - S05E09 What We Leave Behind

[j_forbesy · 10/10 · 7 December 2016]

After an amazing mid-season finale of Flash, I was excited to see what Arrow could toss up. I really loved the Arrow episode in the crossover last week so I was already in a positive place with the show. I'm not sure how much that impacted me this week but either way, I loved this episode.

I'm going to start with something small but it's something I really loved in this episode and that was acknowledging the events that happened last week. From memory, we didn't get much of that in the Flash, so to see the characters from Arrow, which for the most part is the most human and grounded show, acknowledge what had happened and Barry's changes to the timeline was just a bit of attention to detail that I really liked sprinkled through this episode. My favourite reference to it was when they were discussing if Barry could just go back in time and stop Prometheus and Wild Dog answers that Diggle might end up with five kids.

We got a lot of Prometheus this episode and I loved it. I really like how we are starting to get deeper into who Prometheus actually is. Without going too much into it because I really have no idea who to place my bets on, I really like how they have started to head down a route who they think it is. Whether or not they keep to it, we will never know, but it is starting to give Prometheus a human side to him. What is making Prometheus such a good villain is that he is the perfect match up for Oliver. We've seen in hand to hand combat, they are pretty much equal. What makes Prometheus stand out though is his planning skills. I don't think we have really gotten a villain that is so prepared and uses it's opponents negative side against them. While Arrow is very much a series about physically dominating villains (apart from last season's magic which eventually became useless and Darhk became a physical fighting villain), it's nice to get a villain who what's to play the mind games and use emotion to win out.

I absolutely loved the flashbacks this episode. I think the main reason for that is because we got to see flashbacks to what I think are background events in season 1. I don't remember if those events were ever apart of the main story line, but judging by the appearance of Diggle and Oliver, I can only assume that these scenes were filmed now. I really loved how we jumped between the flashbacks and the presents days, and they acted as memories for Oliver rather than there own separate story line like they usually do. I loved the sequence when Oliver is going through the building and they keep flashing back to when he was last there and the fight sequences he had. I thought that was a really great concept and worked perfectly with this season's overall theme of having to face the consequences for your past actions.

I think what made me enjoy this mid-season finale so much was how it contrasted to the finale for both The Flash and Supergirl. Both of them ended on positive notes, even though there is still trouble going on, they both sit in a comfortable place right now in their story lines. Arrow does not do that. We get to the end of this episode and everything has gone to hell. Curtis has been dumped, Felicity's boyfriend has been killed and Diggle has been caught by the police. We are going to enter the second half of this season in a much different place to where we were prior to this episode.

There is of course one big talking point coming out of this mid-season finale, and that is the return of Laurel. This of course sends speculation treads wild on how it is possible and if it is really her.When Laurel was first killed, I believed that she was going to stay dead and even now I still believe the writers will stick to that. Personally I think it is Earth 2 Laurel. I'll probably have to go through some previous scenes to look it over, but from physical appearance, this Laurel had a harder edge to her than what I remembered about Earth 1 Laurel. Earth 2 Laurel was that harder edged appearance through the way her hair was and the clothing and accessories she wore. I'm sure it will be one of the first things they address when the season resumes, but at the moment I'm not buying into it being our Laurel.

Overall, a fantastic episode. This episode has left us in a place that sets up so much for the season going forward and because of that makes me want to get to that point as soon as possible. This season on a whole has been fantastic and because of that, this was the mid-season finale that was earned.

10/10

Unintended Consequences

[ThomasDrufke · 9/10 · 7 December 2016]

Well, you can always count on Arrow putting on quite the show in the mid-season finale. I won't say 'What We Leave Behind' is as good as either 'Three Ghosts' or 'The Climb' were in seasons 2 and 3 respectively, but it's almost as good as last year's 'Dark Waters'. The episode puts a nice bow on a very solid first half, while also setting up a ton for the second half.

It's interesting that we didn't actually get a blatant reveal of Prometheus true identity. Obviously, we know it is Justin Claybourne's son in some capacity, but we didn't actually get to see his face. Since the picture they found was black and white, it's hard to tell if it's anybody we know at all. Perhaps it would be more interesting if they cast a fresh face, or maybe even, never reveal his face at all. I'm not sure if this is confirmed or not, but it sure sounds a whole lot like Michael Dorn's voice, so that's all I need right now. So, this episode is usually the episode the writers shock us with that big mask/hood reveal, but there were other things to be stunned about tonight.

We've finally reached the point where Laurel (Or at least Katie Cassidy) has returned. I still remember hearing about this a mere 3 days before the premiere from Wendy Mericle. Why she revealed it right before season 5 started? I have no idea. But I guess it prepped me for how I would feel after the reveal tonight. With that said, I don't know that I have a distinct opinion yet. One has got to believe that her return has something to do with Talia al Ghul's appearance in the next few episodes, but who really knows. At this point, I'm just kind of considering this a nice tease and freak out moment instead of trying to go through all of the logistical issues with bringing her back.

Getting all that out of the way first, this was actually a really, really good episode. It's the annual Christmas episode of Arrow, and unsurprisingly, that had little to do with the episode at all. Instead, it served as a nice reminder to me of the great mid-season finales this show has produced, and this episode mostly lived up to those heavy expectations. Prometheus did his best to tear Team Arrow apart. Curtis has seemingly lost his husband because of his vigilante filled nights (common superhero cliché), Felicity has actually lost Billy at the hands of Oliver, and Diggle is about to be arrested. The latter isn't really Prometheus' doing, but everyone would agree that the team is at a low right now. Hopefully, the Team will rally.

It should be noted, just how well this episode was structured. This episode, more than any this season, brought me back to how the show was made in the first two seasons. At its core, this show has always been a crime-mystery-superhero drama. The mystery element to this show has always been appealing, and the way they presented Prometheus' traps and the ultimate tragedy that is Billy's death was about as close as this show will get to a horror film. I loved every second of that. Billy isn't a major player on this show, so I didn't necessarily care that he died, but the fact that it happened on Oliver's hands made it extremely effective, especially going forward. On a side note, I really dug Blake Neely's score during those horror-ish scenes, it's some of his best work.

So we know Prometheus is somehow tied to a "woman in Russia" Oliver met (presumably Talia), should we expect Laurel to be tied to that storyline as well. And how does Susan fit into all of this? We know that she knows Oliver had spent time there, but that has surprisingly not been a discussion topic at all the past 4 or 5 episodes. There are endless question marks this episode left us, but that's to be expected going into a 7 week break (dang that's long). Both Flash and Arrow made an exclamation mark going into the second half, hopefully the break goes by fast.

+Plenty of surprises

+Prometheus' set up and manipulation

+Tie-in to season 1

+Great action, great music, great CGI

9.4/10

What We Leave Behind

[BBloomcamera · 9/10 · 7 December 2016]

This was such an amazing and exciting episode for so many reasons. 9.5/10 -would have been a 10 with Paul Blackthorne in it. The big Prometheus identity reveal did not disappoint. This was such an awesome backstory. The fact that Prometheus' father was such a big bad, who had created a bioweapon (of TB) to make a profit was a good enough reason for the Hood to go as far as to kill him, when he did not stop after Oliver's threats four years ago. It is still shocking that even Team Arrow Traitor Artemis the Airhead feels Prometheus is the better partner. Well, I can't wait to see her taken out--hopefully Prometheus will kill her.

There were some really great Team Arrow moments in this episode after all these tragic events happened with Artemis's betrayal/Billy's death. I thought the Oliver scene at the end when he returned to the Arrow Cave was so powerful. The new Team Arrow looked the strongest and most united they have all season in that moment after the tragic events of the day. This episode did such a nice job answering questions, but then it also setup so many parts for the second half of the season. OMG Poor Felicity, poor John Diggle - was not expecting he would get caught so soon. Thea back in her Speedy uniform seemed right. And, of course, there was that magical moment seeing Laurel standing in the Arrow Cave in front of her Black Canary uniform. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out with Prometheus as well.

He is a very unique villain and it will be interesting to see who the mystery woman **spoiler** (guessing Talia al Ghul?) from Russia and how she will play into this. In many ways, I am relieved that Prometheus did not turn out to be Tommy or someone else that was a friend of Oliver Queen turned foe again. This episode made the villain much more interesting and scary. Really looking forward to the Mid-season premiere.

Repairing Team Arrow

[Mickey-Parsons-81292 · 9/10 · 15 January 2017]

Excellent episode! There was such good action/fight scenes. The plot was thrilling and intense. The character interaction in this episode was probably the best of the season. This is the most Team Arrow has been united all season. Nice seeing Speedy back, and I really really would like the John Diggle- fugitive- storyline to get wrapped up. I desperately want him rejoin the team in an official capacity and possibly even join Oliver, Thea, and Quentin in the mayor's office stuff.

I so love this show, but I am really hoping some improvements are made to the whole "new recruits" part this year. I did try to like them/accept them as part of the team, but making Evelyn Sharp a villain, backstabbing traitor had me reexamine these new recruits on Team Arrow.

**At least Curtis has a backstory and history with Felicity before becoming a vigilante and joining the team. But, I think he needs to take some time away from the team and repair his marriage.

**Another newbie this year that I really see having promise on this show and as part of the Team isn't even a Team Arrow member and that is Adrian Chase/Vigilante. His character has purpose being the DA. He is constantly interacting with Oliver in the Mayor's office in addition to being a very intense but effective vigilante, as he also seems to be affected by personal tragedy.

**Rory has his family's legacy and linked to the Havenrock, so he does have a backstory. His rags really give him an edge and make him an asset to Team Arrow.

**Although Wild Dog has really improved, his true identity does not add anything to the show. He doesn't have a history with any of the characters and he doesn't have a job at the mayor's office. So more and more, I am wondering why he has to be in every Arrow Cave scene. He is taking screen time away from the characters who do serve a purpose. He still serves a purpose in the fights/action scenes at night. But he in no way is helping drive the plot otherwise, and he has zero chemistry with the rest of the actors/characters.

**Regarding Evelyn Sharp, making her a backstabbing traitor not only stabbed Team Arrow members into the hearts, but as a fan, I felt the same betrayal. It has been so hard and almost painful trying to accept all of these new characters this season. I find most of these newbies to be unattractive, annoying, and lacking any real appealing qualities as people. When this Artemis betrayal happened, I cannot even put into words how frustrated and I angry I felt towards this character now. There is no redemption here. The character needs to be killed off.

With that being said, I think the rest of the season was setup really well. There is some neat stuff being developed with the Russian backstory. I really hope we see Anatoli again in present day/maybe even in Star City interacting with Team Arrow. I hope, fingers crossed, that we do truly have our Laurel Lance (Earth 1) back with the long history with Oliver Queen. This would hopefully get Quentin Lance back in the main cast story lines. He has so been missed and underused this season. I am just surprised that we are not seeing more scenes with him and Oliver up to this point/prior to Quentin going to rehab.

**This was the first episode that really developed the Prometheus character, which was desperately needed. Up to this point, he has just been a weird looking Oliver Queen/Green Arrow stalker. All the other villains in the past (Malcolm, Slade, Ra's, Damian) played so well off of Oliver/Green Arrow and they had such memorable and enjoyable scenes. So far, there has been nothing with Prometheus that would bring him to the level of the other villains and the actors who played them. All the other villains were enjoyable and fun to watch. Prometheus is almost too mysterious, one-dimensional, and just downright creepy. And, with Worf from Star Trek doing the voice, he is almost ridiculous and a comic relief. Now that the first step has been taken in the episode -in figuring out who he is, I am hoping this will make him a more interesting villain in future episodes.

As an episode A- /As a Mid-season finale B

Arrow is BACK!

[jc4166050 · 10/10 · 12 December 2016]

***Note: this review contains spoilers***

After a disappointing fourth season, Arrow has returned to its roots of fighting crime in Star City. Each episode this season has slowly built upon the previous one, taking sure, solid steps. The eighth episode really went up a notch and was a great 100th episode for the series. However, episode #101 may be the greatest of the series so far.

Prometheus has proved to be a great villain this season, lurking in the shadows in the early part of the season until he takes the spotlight from Tobias Church. The first scene of this episode gives us great insight into his character, and sets the tone for how this episode will play out. I couldn't help but draw parallels between Prometheus and The Joker in The Dark Knight Rises, in terms of how they wage psychological warfare upon their rivals.

The episode builds the tension around the members of Team Arrow. While Oliver is focused solely on Prometheus, he doesn't recognize the noose being drawn slowly around the members of his team right by him. He sees Artemis' betrayal as more reason to take down Prometheus, without recognizing the growing danger to the other members of his team.

I absolutely loved the flashback to season 1. I believe this is the first time Arrow has done a flashback within the timeline of the show, as all others have flashbacked to Oliver's time just before the start of the show. This flashback was extremely effective, and I loved seeing Oliver's interactions with Diggle and Felicity.

Late in the episode, we get the confrontation between Oliver and Prometheus. It is a tense physical fighting scene, but it is the psychological aspect that sends chills down your spine when Oliver finds out he accidentally killed Felicity's boyfriend.

Stephen Amell is doing a sensational job this year, and some of his best acting comes in the fallout scene at the Arrow Cave. It is heartbreaking to watch his admission to Felicity that he killed Billy. The team does circle the wagons around Oliver though, even as he tells them to keep their distance from him, as Oliver fears he only endangers them.

The fallout continues as Oliver goes to the reporter's place, showing Curtis losing his husband, Felicity grieving over Billy, and Diggle being recaptured. Showing the fallout as Oliver talks to Susan about his missteps gives more depth to the losses incurred by the team. The team is truly at its lowest point (at least this season) by the time this all goes down.

The ultimate shock is saved for last, when Oliver returns to the Arrow Cave and finds.....LAUREL LANCE! My jaw dropped open when I saw this (along with Oliver's obviously). It is truly a stunning turn of events, and what a way to cap off the mid-season finale!

I really hated it when they knocked off Laurel last season, as it didn't make any sense and just underscored what a mess season 4 was. But I'm really curious to see how they explain her reappearance: is it Earth-2 Laurel? Was it part of her secret she imported to Oliver before her death last season? Her death reversed due to Flashpoint? Regardless, I'm very happy that Laurel is back in the mix. She has been sorely missed, and I hope Black Canary is here to stay.

This episode was outstanding from start to finish, carefully crafted and well acted. Season 5 has fortunately moved way past the carnage of season 4, and this episode has given a lot of momentum for upcoming episodes. Great job, and can't wait for the second half of this season!

The Review of the Climactic Midseason Finale of Arrow Season 5

[DarthBaras13 · 10/10 · 8 December 2016]

I will say that I had an open mind about this years mid-season finale. I own the season pass on iTunes for both seasons 4 and 5. Last years mid-season finale was a Christmas scene of Oliver proposing to Felicity and, ultimately, concluding with them being attacked by HIVE in a drive by shooting. With this year, it was someone from Green Arrow's past bringing it back into full view and punishing the Green Arrow for it. For the record, I don't believe that Prometheus has any relations to the people that were on the List. Or Slade Wilson/Deathstroke. Or Malcom Merlyn. Whoever he is, it someone who we will not expect. Speaking of the unexpected, how the hell is Laurel Lance still alive?!?!?! I mean we saw her die last season and buried. There are only two possibilities I can think of.

1. That Black Siren escaped from Iron Heights and is getting a laugh out of it.

2. Nyssa al Ghul + (Lazarus Pit x Lotus serum)= Laurel Lance resurrected.

Either way, this episode was amazing and I look forward to it's return on February 1st 2017.

Not as badly as you have Mr. Queen

[wggrey · 10/10 · 18 November 2019]

Nostalgic season 1 flashbacks - a 10 is not good enough

Prometheus Unleashed

[highmarksreviews · 10/10 · 1 February 2018]

"What We Leave Behind" is yet another standout of this season. Prometheus is truly building up to be something special. Oliver's (Stephen Amell) past has finally caught up to him, and the results ain't pretty. Violent, fast-paced brawls and dark twists where the perfect way to elevate this very strong Arrow outing.

Well! THAT was really terrible.

[sarastro7 · 4/10 · 8 December 2016]

I love superheroes, but this show has never been above average. There are cool things about it, and yet the plots and developments and storytelling style keep disappointing again and again. This episode we have YET ANOTHER soap opera sequence about people getting furious about secrets that were kept from them for their own protection. This is in practically every episode of every CW show and it is so transparent; such incredibly poor writing. Could we just ONCE, please, have someone react the opposite way, as in "Wow, you only did it to protect me! That means you really love me!" I guess not.

The biggest problem with this show is that it tries to be a Batman show. In the classic comics, Oliver Queen (like most proper superheroes) would never kill anyone. The one time he did it by accident, he was so appalled that he entered a monastery for years to deal with it. In this show, Oliver is just a simple multi-murderer, and in this episode we once again see why that is such an idiotic idea. And on top of getting a lot of innocent people killed, he goes to his reporter friend for comfort sex on the very same night because he feels so sorry for himself. That is COMPLETELY inappropriate. When you're trying to come to terms with being responsible for people having died, you don't seek out pleasure. You wallow in the bad stuff you've done. Otherwise you wouldn't be a decent human being. Which Oliver clearly isn't. It's getting disgusting.

I have more complaints, but these will do for now. It's just so appalling to me to see people gushing over this show with 10-star reviews. Jesus H. Christ, guys. What are you, twelve?