Arrow: Streets of Fire
May 7, 2014 8:00 PM - Season 2, Episode 22 - Subscribe

Oliver marches toward a city-wide confrontation.

Slade Wilson's superhuman army marches on Starling City. He redefines the terms of his agreement with Mayor Blood, and we learn that his plan is to level the city completely, because Oliver loves it.

Blood refuses the Governor's offer to bring in the National Guard, and in the ensuing power vacuum Officer Lance is reinstated as Detective.

Sara returns to the city, and meets up with her sister Laurel. Sara is convinced that she is a monster, but Laurel shows her that she's not a monster, she's a hero. We learn that the name that the League of Assassins gave her translates to 'Canary'.

The courier from S.T.A.R. labs brings the cure for Mirakuru to Starling City, but is intercepted by Slade's forces. Blood is upset by Slade's plan to level the city, and gives the cure to Oliver. Isabel Rochev kills Blood.

Malcolm Merlyn arrives and offers his protection to his daughter Thea. She (presumably) shoots him.

We learn that A.R.G.U.S. has arrived with a large force to secure the city's exits. They plan to blow up the city to contain Slade's army. Oliver has until dawn to save his city.

In the flashback, Oliver goes to the boat to rescue Sara and cure Slade. He and Sara end up in Slade's clutches.
posted by Quonab (19 comments total)
 
It isn't "Streets of Fire" until Oliver and Slade have a sledgehammer fight.
posted by homunculus at 8:24 PM on May 7, 2014 [1 favorite]


Every time they say Mirakuru on this show I laugh. They've just ridden it so hard.

It was pointed out that they've really drawn this whole thing out over a bunch of episodes unnecessarily. Its true but I think it works because they've done a good job of creating enough characters that there's always someone's storyline to pay attention to. The only person I can't stand right now is Thea.

I do like how after all this time his identity has become known to more and more and more people. That seems pretty realistic, and even the worst cop ever would have known had he not waved off the information.

I was hoping that when they went to give Roy the MiraCureU, that Oliver poked him with it and he just woke up and whimpered a little "oww" like a kid with a scrape.
posted by cashman at 8:34 PM on May 7, 2014


This show is seriously the best soap opera that never was. Non-stop Mirakuru Quips tonight, y'all!

I could've live-tweeted nothing but wig snark and Archer clips about people who should've already gone deaf by now for the whole episode.

Also, RIP my original show OTP: Merlyn and Roy's gorgeously masculine chins/complementary bone structures. :(
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:08 PM on May 7, 2014 [1 favorite]


This show is seriously the best soap opera that never was.

It totally is. So much of the time, when comic book properties are adapted for film or tv, one of the first orders of business is to tone down the dun-dun-DUHHHHHHHHH melodramatic soapiness of the medium. Not so on Arrow. Hell, they frigging run with it.

It's about time someone figured out that you don't need to elevate comic book stories from their pulpy, soapy nature... you can just embrace that instead.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:22 PM on May 8, 2014


The part about Slade killing the person Ollie loves most is 100% soap, all right.

I was pretty irritated by Sebastian Blood's monologuing as he handed over the cure, and Ollie engaging him--people are dying already, but Sebastian and Ollie, who supposedly love the city so much, can make time for SUPER DRAMATIC speeches to each other.

I liked Laurel and Sara having a sisterly moment together, even if the dialogue was on the cheesy side.

And once again, thank goodness for Felicity adding some much-needed humor to an otherwise really tense episode.

The large stable of characters has seemed unwieldly at times during the season, but I feel like it's starting to pay off now, and am excited for next week's episode.
posted by creepygirl at 8:11 PM on May 8, 2014 [1 favorite]


I had really thought the ARGUS stuff was a bit filler-y this season, but I should have had faith in the writers. They seem to pad things out a lot, but they're very good with the A-plot + B-plot + flashback thematically all working together, and they've now tied the ARGUS bits back in.

(I will always side-eye skinny Amanda Waller, even though she's clearly properly Walleresque in this show.)
posted by immlass at 8:25 PM on May 8, 2014


(I will always side-eye skinny Amanda Waller, even though she's clearly properly Walleresque in this show.)

Oh, gods. I only just realised that she's supposed to be this person. What the hell, she looks like an underwear model in this show.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:54 PM on May 8, 2014


Meanwhile, Felicity unrecognizable without glasses on:
Fanfare show home page
Might come in handy if she ever needs a secret identity.
posted by mzurer at 9:38 AM on May 9, 2014


What the hell, she looks like an underwear model in this show.

Well, she and Slade did used to run around in skimpy outfits together.
posted by homunculus at 9:50 AM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]


Cynthia Addai-Robinson has none of the gravitas needed for Amanda Waller. She comes across as completely without affect.

Over at io9, the consensus is that the role should have been played by C.C. Pounder. Even better was the suggestion that the current Waller should be revealed as a fake Waller and replaced by Pounder, which also would go a long way towards lampshading the STUPID plan to kill half a million citizens with a drone strike because Amanda Waller likes drone strikes.
posted by ursus_comiter at 11:25 AM on May 9, 2014 [2 favorites]


When they lost the cure, I was hoping that there would be a few vials of cure left at STAR Labs which would need to be RUSHED over! Pretty sure someone over there could get from Central City over to Starling City real quick! Wake up and save the day man, come on.
posted by Arbac at 11:25 AM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]


I think Ollie and the team need to save the day, not Barry.

And what I mean by Walleresque is less gravitas than she's stone cold and capable of killing to get the job done (demonstrated with the Suicide Squad). The current plan is stupid and overkill, but it's within the established parameters of soapiness for the show, I think.

I don't know C.C. Pounder at all, but she looks like she'd make a badass Waller. I didn't like Angela Bassett in the role in the GL movie but I can certainly agree she was tougher than the woman they have in Arrow.

Semi-change of subject: I have to wonder whether anyone was surprised other than Sebastian Blood when Isabel/Ravager whacked him. I know the show requires people to be comics-stupid occasionally, but his impending demise seemed extremely obvious after they whacked his entire office staff.
posted by immlass at 6:37 PM on May 9, 2014


What I really love about this show is how they don't limit big changes like main characters dying to a mid-season break or a season finale. Really, a major occurrence could happen at any time. Though I still can't wait for the season finale.
posted by Quonab at 7:33 PM on May 9, 2014


Semi-change of subject: I have to wonder whether anyone was surprised other than Sebastian Blood when Isabel/Ravager whacked him. I know the show requires people to be comics-stupid occasionally, but his impending demise seemed extremely obvious after they whacked his entire office staff.

Blood was clearly delusional by that point. I mean, he still thought he was going to be mayor after this apocalypse! I mean, even if there was something left to be mayor of, he's an accessory to mass murder.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 7:42 PM on May 9, 2014


Yeah, but Moira Queen was also an accessory to mass murder, and was leading Blood in the polls. It seems the voters of Starling City are able to forgive an awful lot, so I don't know if Blood was that off-base to think that.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 1:49 PM on May 11, 2014


It seems the voters of Starling City are able to forgive an awful lot, so I don't know if Blood was that off-base to think that.

Where I thought he was off-base was that he thought Slade wasn't going to kill him. He was disposable before he handed the cure back to Ollie and co. Afterwards, he was walking dead.
posted by immlass at 3:19 PM on May 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


Ah. Gotcha.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 3:26 PM on May 11, 2014


Yeah, but Moira Queen was also an accessory to mass murder, and was leading Blood in the polls. It seems the voters of Starling City are able to forgive an awful lot, so I don't know if Blood was that off-base to think that.

Touche. I forgot about that. The voters are clearly morons.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 4:59 AM on May 12, 2014


Hey y'all! Unlikely to get much engagement here, a full seven years after the most recent comment, but I'm making a project out of watching all the Arrowverse shows, in order, and I believe this is the earliest episode that anybody has posted to Fanfare. So here I am.
High point of the episode, for me: Felicity smashing into Isabel with the van. Low point, probably, was Blood's apparent belief that he could skate past this little apocalypse and finish out his term as mayor. Not how it works, super villain dude.
posted by Ipsifendus at 9:34 AM on September 17, 2021


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