With a title like “League of Assassins” and recent revelations involving everyone from Black Canary (which was to be expected) to Ra’s al Ghul (which was totally NOT expected), it seemed like this episode was a sure thing. It’s certainly been the most anticipated one for the last few weeks. And while “League of Assassins” didn’t skimp on the action (we’ll get to that in a minute), it felt like a step backward in several other departments (we’ll get to those, too). Some spoilers WILL follow, so please be advised! The time spent in the present, however, is split between Sara knowing that the League of Assassins is coming for her (and her family), while Oliver and Thea are dealing with the impending trial of their mother where the prosecution is seeking the death penalty. This is where the problems begin. You see…who is assisting in the prosecution of this case? None other than Laurel Lance. And while it’s even discussed that this is indeed a “conflict of interest” (which is an understatement), that’s quickly swept aside. Let’s be clear: She’s a friend of the Queen family…that’s a problem. She’s the on again/off again lover of the son of the accused. That’s tough to ignore. Her actual boyfriend was one of the 503 people whose murder Mrs. Queen is being tried for…yeah, you could say this is a conflict of interest. It’s so painfully nonsensical that it’s nearly enough to sink the episode. Nearly. What saves it? Action. Lots and lots of action. There are three major action sequences in “League of Assassins” and all three involve Oliver and Sara taking on (surprise!) assassins. This basically means that Arrow may as well have changed its name to Superheroes Vs. Ninjas tonight…which, come to think of it, I would never miss an episode of that. Every one of these fights is well-choreographed, brutal, acrobatic, fast-paced, and generally pretty awesome. One of ’em is a “plainclothes” fight (which is actually the best of the three, believe it or not), while the other two are full blown “Green Arrow and Black Canary are fighting Ra’s al Ghul’s agents and I can’t believe how goddamn cool this is” beatdowns. DC Universe Watch: Surprisingly, other than the obvious (the League, Ra’s al Ghul’s name dropped a few times, Amazo, Professor Ivo), it felt like they dialed back the easter eggs a bit this week. That’s alright…it wouldn’t have improved the good moments, nor would it have helped the mediocre bits. We’re just a few short weeks away from “The Scientist” by the way…the episode that will introduce Barry Allen to the Arrow universe! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all news updates related to the world of geek. And Google+, if that’s your thing!
