ARROW: Change is a Comin'

**Spoilers Ahead**

If we learned anything on Wednesday's episode of Arrow, it's that change is coming and it isn't always kind. We've known for a while that the CW is gearing up for another spin-off series, borrowing spotlight characters from both Arrow and The Flash. One more show I must watch, I swear that my DVR is going to implode one of these days! Anyway, we entered the episode with the aftermath of Roy swooping in, while wearing the green hood, and proclaiming himself as the Arrow. We kind of knew the team had a plan, but we really didn't know what that plan was - and this episode certainly put us on quite the roller coaster to find out.

As the episode progressed we saw the emergence of two distinct paths of determination. The first, Oliver's team stepping up and helping him even when he struggled with accepting that help. The second was the ruthless determination of Ra's al Ghul as he continued to try and force Oliver's hand in taking his place. Both of these weaving and intersecting story lines left us with moments of hope and loss. We knew from the previous week's sneak peek that Roy would find himself in prison, but the danger for Roy escalated rather quickly, culminating in multiple attacks against the "so-called" Arrow and eventually his untimely death...well, sort of.

Roy trying to convince Oliver that the city needs him more. "Broken Arrow" 3x19

Even as Oliver expressed his own plans to help Roy and get him out of prison, his team seemed oddly reticent in making a move - choosing instead to focus on the latest criminal threat in Starling. We find out later in the episode why they are so hesitant to focus on Roy's situation. In the meantime, it becomes clear that the Arrow's companions have done everything they can to cover Oliver's tracks and make sure that the vigilante vendetta that Captain Lance is pursuing cannot be pointed at Oliver. I hope I wasn't the only person screaming at the screen when Lance busted into the secret lair. If only he knew the trouble he was truly causing with this little tirade of his! Hindsight...someday...that's about all I can say about that.

Captain Lance looking for evidence in the Arrow's lair. "Broken Arrow" 3x19

As Roy is dodging attacks in prison, the team tries to move forward and capture the latest criminal threat to Starling - which, props for bringing in Doug Jones for a little guest appearance. He's one of those talents who's often hiding behind effects and makeup, but rarely actually seen on screen with his true face. Granted, he had a little CGI help on the eyes for this character, but we did get to see him large as life on camera.

Doug Jones as Deathbolt. "Broken Arrow" 3x19

In one those rare hero tests, Oliver is forced to stay in the background while others fight crime for him. Oh, the frustration of a hero who can't be a hero! With all the tests and trials that Mr. Queen has faced, sitting on the sidelines seems to be one of the most difficult for him. It does give us a few rare and humorous moments between Oliver and Felicity though, as they are watching Ray (in his A.T.O.M. suit) trying to fend off the bad guy...and failing, miserably.

A lot of team angst as they watch Ray getting his ATOM kicked.

 Honestly, the quips between Felicity and Oliver were some of the best moments of the episode. It also reinforced the idea that their relationship is far from over. As we all know, the A.T.O.M. is slated to move into the next crossover, so odds are that Ray won't be in the picture much longer anyway. Which is unfortunate, he is like a male version of Felicity and the two of them together was pretty adorable. As Oliver snidely pointed out to Felicity during the episode, "there's a decent chance that you and Palmer are related." There's probably a bit more behind that statement than the quip, but we'll leave it at that for now.

Really what we come away from with this episode is a good mix of endings and new beginnings. Ray Palmer is tested as a superhero and has to fail to eventually succeed. Obviously an important lesson if he is about to strike out in a new series. The twilight of the Felicity and Palmer relationship is darkening our door as the episode concludes with Felicity still unable to find the "L" word where Ray is concerned. Followed by the heartbreaking moment where Palmer overhears Felicity telling Oliver how much people love him. Ouch! That's a knife to the feels. How can we forget Roy's death (not) in prison and his subsequent exit from Starling and the show? I'm not sure where the boy is going next, but I hope he'll make at least a guest appearance on one of our soon-to-be three superhero shows. If not, he'll be missed.

Thea, right. How can I forget Thea? Finally, I'm curious about her character. I've had a love-hate relationship with Oliver's sister since the beginning of the show. Her arc thus far has been my least favorite of any of the characters, but at last we have something to look forward to! A little dip in the lazarus pit is going to be a nice jump-start for a whole new Thea. I, for one, can't wait to see how she changes. Oh, and if there was anyone out there who was surprised by Ra's giving Oliver's sister a little sword in the midsection...maybe you should flashback to the beginning of the episode when Merlin flat out told Oliver that Ra's hadn't yet killed anyone he cared about. "Hello, foreshadowing to the left!!"

Big changes and new beginnings are in store for Arrow. Some exciting, some sad, but all very interesting. Keep watching!

THE ORIGINALS: Hello, Dahlia!

**Spoilers Ahead**

The Originals got a breath of vile air last night. The highly anticipated arrival of Dahlia certainly didn't disappoint and for long-time fans of actress Claudia Black, it made the payoff that much greater.

Claudia Black as Dahlia - The Originals 2x18

We've seen clues about the mysterious ancient aunt and her tremendous powers, and we've seen her played by two different actresses. In flashbacks, the young Dahlia was played by Kristin Erickson, but the more mature and more vicious counterpart was introduced by Claudia Black. If you're looking for an actress who can embody that sense of sheer power and darkness, Claudia is definitely the ticket. She makes a wonderful evolution of the character and certainly shouldn't be missed as the latest "big bad" on The Originals.

Dahlia from flashbacks, Kristin Erickson (left) and Claudia Black (Right)

The earlier flashbacks hinted at the young Dahlia's ruthless search for power, but it wasn't until Claudia Black came onto the scene that we truly saw that side of her blossom. Freya was, in many ways, her masterpiece and she has been reluctant to let her get away. It was through Freya's rebellion that we were given a grim taste of the lengths she is willing to go. I have to say, we want to trust Freya, but her connection to Dahlia - particularly her tie to Dahlia's power - has made it rather difficult. As is confirmed in "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes," Freya is the source of Dahlia's power.

Freya casts a spell to trace Dahlia's power source - "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" 2x18

We don't doubt that Freya has suffered at Dahlia's hands. In the clip below, we see Freya's attempt to escape her oppressor only to be brought back and forced to live an eternal life under Dahlia's control. I've often wondered, though, why she hasn't bothered to take an interest in her family until new blood arrived on the scene, in the form of Klaus's daughter Hope. She tried to kill herself and her child to escape Dahlia in the past and now she is on the scene to protect Klaus's child. Is it possible that Freya is looking for someone to take her place? I honestly believe that her true motives remain to be seen at this point.

"There is no escape from me"

It's always been clear that Freya fears Dahlia and she's given us a few sob stories to drive that point home. In the beginning we may have thought that Freya was exaggerating or simply whining about her lot in life, but now that Dahlia has made herself known, we may find a greater sympathy for the Original family's lost sibling. We've had our first taste of her power - from possessing town folk and spying on her enemies to draining the supernatural life from Klaus and daddy dearest with a wave of her hand - we are seeing a whole new side to the potential powers of witchcraft in the show. And I, for one, am thrilled to see where they take it next.

Dahlia wants to acquire the first born child of each generation, but what did she plan to do with all of them? She only wound up with one and she's been denied subsequent generations for centuries. Even with only the one, her powers are worthy of note. She takes on the power players of New Orleans as if they are nothing but pawns - draining the undead life out Mikael and Klaus with what appears to be little effort at all.

Dahlia revels in causing her brother-in-law a bit of pain - The Originals 2x18

After making her own powers clear, she quickly strips her rivals of the very weapon they created to prey upon her weaknesses. Klaus, in his typical fashion, charges at her and finds himself attacking nothing - as she and the weapon disappear in thin air. When she resurfaces, she destroys the blade empowered with her weakness and reminds them that all she wants is the child. In order to live, they merely need to turn Hope over to her.

Oh, look a weapon to kill me...isn't that cute?

And...now it's gone.

We all know that Klaus would never give up her daughter, but Dahlia's overwhelming victory certainly leaves them with some things to think about.

A very defeated Original family

Before the episode wraps up, Dahlia makes one final statement. We see the Tremé coven matriarch, Josephine LaRue walking down the darkened streets of New Orleans, when she comes across a woman playing a beautiful and haunting violin tune. Of course, the woman is Dahlia, and the elder witch has just walked into her carefully planned trap. Josephine LaRue's death at Dahlia's hands is one of the more poetic and quite simply tragic that we have seen in the series.

Dahlia healing Josephine's hands - "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" 2x18

The meeting of the two powerful witches is oddly cordial and Dahlia, in an almost humane act, reveals that she plans to use Josephine to send a message to her enemies. There is no pleading or begging, simply an exchange of options and an acceptance of one's fate.

Josephine accepting her fate - "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" 2x18

When Josephine realizes that she has nothing to offer Dahlia to save her own life, she relents and asks only to play music one last time, which Dahlia acquiesces to allow - and may have even planned all along - since she gave the old woman back the use of her hands earlier in the scene. It is a beautiful moment in a very dark episode.

Dahlia sending her message - "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" 2x18

In a moment that is both fitting and tragic, Dahlia slices her witch rival's throat with the very bowstring she just held. The episode closes on Josephine's body lying in a pool of her own blood. For those of us who were paying attention earlier in the episode, we know that Josephine had just come from completing a spell to create a sanctuary for Hope. With the matriarch out of the way, we have to wonder how her magic will hold up. We can be fairly certain that it was this act which caused Dahlia to retaliate against her specifically. It is a message after all and Josephine is standing in the way of what Dahlia wants.

The next episode will certainly be something, as I'm sure we have only scratched the surface of this particular witch's powers. I know I can't wait. Can you?

Until next week, happy watching!

TOO MANY SHOWS...TOO LITTLE TIME

Wow! It's been a long time since I've revisited my musings. I'm staring at my DVR...which seems to often be about 90% full and wondering when (or if) I'll ever find the time to catch up on all of my favorite shows. It may be time to make some difficult decisions and start *gasp* cutting some of them from my watch list. That's always a tough decision and there seem to be new, amazing shows coming out all the time. Lately, the superhero/comic surge is on the rise of creating spin offs - which certainly isn't helping my cause! *sigh*

We just wrapped up the fifth season of "The Walking Dead". I have to say that after the sheer violence and horrific results of previous seasons, this whole season felt like a strange dream. We kept waiting for the nightmare moment to happen. Not to say that they didn't give us some pretty gruesome deaths, as we have come to expect, but the community of average people was just that - average people. No cannibals. No governors. No crazy band of murdering, rapists. Just people trying to find some normalcy in the midst of the horror and chaos. I spent the entire season waiting for the other shoe to drop, but as we learned towards the end, they are reserving that other shoe for next season when the happy idyllic community faces one of these greater threats knocking on its walls. I'm not sure it will go down as my favorite season in the series, but it was a welcome change from the previous.

Speaking of zombies, I see that the CW is attempting to tackle the topic with their new show "iZombie". They've delved into vampires, witches, post-apocalyptic sci fi, superheroes, modern fairy tale romance, and historical drama (if you can loosely call it historical). Now, it seems that zombies are the new vogue for them to wet their toes with. I wish I could say that the premise intrigued me enough to give it a try, as you can tell from my mini watch list I do actually watch a fair amount of CW television. I enjoyed the movie "Warm Bodies", so the idea of a more human zombie isn't entirely new to me, but zombies are just one of those classic monsters that I'm not quite ready to completely humanize. I think I'll be waiting for more reviews to come out on that show, but if anyone has thoughts feel free to share! I'm always curious what other people think.

Now, off to stare at the DVR list some more...