Arrow Arrow Season 5 Episode 12: "Bratva"

[Slade W]

S5 EPISODE 12 - Bratva

OLIVER RETURNS TO RUSSIA — A mission takes Oliver (Stephen Amell), Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and team to Russia where they meet up with Oliver’s old friend, Anatoly (guest star David Nykl). Meanwhile, fresh out of rehab, Lance (Paul Blackthorne) returns to the mayor’s office ready to get back to work.

However, when Susan (guest star Carly Pope) asks for an interview with Lance to discuss his addiction, he balks and it’s up to Rene (guest star Rick Gonzalez) to help keep things on track.

Ben Bray directed the episode written by Oscar Balderrama & Emilio Ortega Aldrich

 

[Slade W]

https://youtu.be/FDKabqwpKZg

 

[Jedi Arrow]

I was wondering if Anatoly would turn on Oliver (remember Oliver basically quit the Bratva at gunpoint in S2, and got the Starling City Bratva boss killed). Wonder if he'll go all KGBeast. (Of course he might still be on Oliver's side and his "betrayal" is ultimately a fake out, or something.)

Also, I really hope we don't get a "last time we were here you slept with Isabel Rochev" line from Felicity but I kind of expect it. If it's played for laughs I might be okay with it but...please...don't feed it into a romantic angle.

 

[vantheman77]

I wonder what the viewers reactions are to Tina Bolland/ Dinah Drake so far tonight.

 

[Morg]

Woah! Ragman survive a nuke at ground zero?

 

[NotNickFury]

As much as I like the new team dynamic, there's something nostalgic about a conversation with just Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle, especially given how far they've come and how Oliver's darkness often spreads to them at times.

That said, I do like how the new team is utilized and seeing both Dinah and Oliver out on a mission by themselves reminded me of a few episodes of Justice League Unlimited.

Also, talking about flying away with a bomb. Not at all like The Dark Knight Rises. Certainly not.

 

[dreammaster]

good episode I think Oliver might be going end up in supermax Prison by the end of season 5

 

[vantheman77]

Looks like Tina/ Dinah is fitting well with Team Arrow. I didn't realize Wild Dog had it in him. How powerful is Ragman?

 

[General Mike]

I wonder what the viewers reactions are to Tina Bolland/ Dinah Drake so far tonight.

I completely forgot who she was when I first saw her, then I remembered. Not a good sign.

Besides Rag Man absorbing the nuke, I generally liked this episode.

 

[Deltron3030]

Not sure what to make of this episode - it wasn't bad, maybe just too much velocity again. I enjoy her and the show much better when she really is just providing comic relief and doesn't have her own thing going. I'm sure I'm not the minority in those opinions - the show just does better when she has a minor role.

The episode today was okay, not great. It picked up entertainment wise towards the end. They left us with a lot of questions moving forward.

Oliver's new girlfriend - what's her endgame?
The new Black Canary - did she just take Ragman's spot on the team and he'll be gone just like Arsenal more or less?
Where exactly has Speedy been? And no she isn't Promethous.
Tahlia Al Ghul - damn she is smoking hot. We need more of her in seasons to come. What exactly is her endgame with Oliver? Why exactly is she pushing him to do his dad's dirty work? What is her connection in all that and why is it so important.

Questions, questions, questions!

 

[Gaultheria]

Besides Rag Man absorbing the nuke, I generally liked this episode.

It's a stretch, but I liked that he got to deal with his issues (survivor's guilt) and move on. That's rare for Arrowverse characters.

The departure scene seemed to suggest that Felicity inherits the rags, and it makes sense that they'd go to a Jew, but we've had old fun Felicity back for the past couple of episodes, and I hope they don't give her character another angst-filled dramatic arc for a while.

After Talia and Ollie got back from Ollie's lesson, there was something on the table that looked like a green lantern. Probably was, just not capitalized.

 

[Jedi Arrow]

Spoiler

But surely...Rory will be back, right? This is just like Sara and Roy leaving in S2. They'll be back...

Right?

 

[Osiris-Rex]

Woah! Ragman survive a nuke at ground zero?

If you can accept that a character has magical rags, then you sort of need to accept the idea these magical rags can contain a nuclear bomb explosion.

 

[Omegabat]

If you can accept that a character has magical rags, then you sort of need to accept the idea these magical rags can contain a nuclear bomb explosion.

That doesn't make sense, he's street level not Superman tier.

 

[Osiris-Rex]

That doesn't make sense, he's street level not Superman tier.

Supergirl has been shown to be vulnerable to even chemical explosions. So I can't imagine how Superman could survive a nuclear explosion.

 

[Slade W]

That was an ok episode. I am liking Rene more and more and Dinah is fitting in well with the team.

 

[Paradox1]

I guess it was an ok episode, nothing eye roll worthy, but I was bored.

 

[General Mike]

Supergirl has been shown to be vulnerable to even chemical explosions. So I can't imagine how Superman could survive a nuclear explosion.

Well they did that story in a comic book once and he survived it, but he sure was weakened for his fight with Batman.

I guess my problem is less with him absorbing the nuke and the level of hero they portray him as. If his uniform has that kind of power, he should be one of the 3 most powerful heroes on Earth-1 in the Flarrowverse.

 

[Jase]

An OKAY episode. Only highlight was Ragman absorbing the nuclear explosion and Rene's scenes with Lance.
And speaking of Ragman, unless the writers have something big for him down the line, that's another character they have mishandled. Why bother having a character that's going to be underused and removing him halfway through a season, like in Ragman's case? Better off not introducing the character in the first place.

 

[metaphysician]

Woah! Ragman survive a nuke at ground zero?

He survived a nuke in his origin story, this isn't exactly out of line. Containing the whole blast just costs him a Power Complication Subplot, which seems fair.

I'm not *thrilled* about Ragman losing his powers and being put on a bus, but its clearly set up to be temporary, it was handled well, and occured while doing something suitably heroic. Certainly better than my feared end for him, getting sniped by Prometheus while in civies to prove how serious things are.

( Also more dignified than getting randomly jobbed out last ep. )

 

[metaphysician]

That doesn't make sense, he's street level not Superman tier.

Since when has he been street level? His *origin story* involved surviving a nuclear blast. Since then, he's done crap like contain a C4 demolition charge, and protect whole groups of people from automatic gunfire with superspeed tentacle deflection, and otherwise being an invincible superstrong tentacle guy.

Ragman has hilariously broken the team power curve since Day 1. He's a Flash-level character slumming with Team Arrow.

 

[metaphysician]

An OKAY episode. Only highlight was Ragman absorbing the nuclear explosion and Rene's scenes with Lance.
And speaking of Ragman, unless the writers have something big for him down the line, that's another character they have mishandled. Why bother having a character that's going to be underused and removing him halfway through a season, like in Ragman's case? Better off not introducing the character in the first place.

Nah. I think there's better than even chances he'll appear again before the season finishes, after having gotten his rags working again. And even if not, he was a great character who improved the show during his time on it. Plus, Arrow isn't the only show he could return on. Its a big universe, he could guest star elsewhere.

 

[signalman]

Ragman is magically in nature, of course he should be able to survive a nuclear event.

Outstanding episode, maybe the best so far this season.

 

[metaphysician]

No, just being magical doesn't automatically make you able to survive a nuke. You need to actually have relevant levels of durability. John Constantine is magical, he'd vaporize in a nuke just like anyone else.

Its just, Ragman has been pretty consistent in his portrayal, as actually being that powerful. Outside of one momentary bit of inexplicable jobbing, nothing hurts him, and his powers are extreme and game-breaking. So there's no issue with him being that powerful, other than "Its funny you are hanging out with Team Arrow".

 

[Lencho01]

It was an ok episode. Pretty "meh" on this hacker group.