TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews The Arrow Season 06 Premiere!

So…how about that? We all knew coming in that “Fallout” (which ironically is the name of one of my favorite Flash episodes ever) had a big promise to keep. That promise being meaning behind the literal destruction of Lian Yu. And while some may argue that there wasn’t enough consequences, I’m of the mind that they took the right routes to making Season 06 special.

For example, the first few minutes was showing who made it and who was being omitted for one reason or another. It was actually really clever, especially when we saw Wild Dog’s much improved look, as well as the twist that Oliver’s “smart friend” was Mr. Terrific and not Felicity…who was taking care of her mother…who thankfully was NOT in the episode.

But as time went on the picture became more clear. The first casualty was Samantha, who we had deduced was going to die, but it was well handled. What we didn’t expect was that Thea was hurt so bad she went into comatose, and has been that way for 5 months. Meanwhile, Diggle is suffering from shellshock of sorts, and isn’t able to fire his gun correct, or sometimes even at all. I saw someone criticizing this, but be honest, what’s the worst thing a solider can lose, then the power to be the solider he knows he can be? I look forward to seeing how that plays out.

Meanwhile, Quentin had to shoot Black Siren on Lian Yu in order to save Dinah, and that weighed on him heavily. I loved his line about how “parallel universes are crap”, because without seeing it yourself, would you believe it? I like the idea of him struggling to come to grips with the truth being a part of the whole season.

Which of course…brings me to Oliver. He arguably has the biggest difficulty to deal with after the destruction of Lian Yu, he has a son to take care of. One that blames him (rightfully so) for the loss of his mother, even having nightmares about the “bad man” who…is Oliver…or more accurately the Green Arrow. By the way, bringing back Raisa? BRILLIANT!!!!! She’s been one of the biggest inside jokes since she “disappeared” after the pilot, so it was great seeing her back.

Now, on the villains side, it was oddly poetic that Black Siren was the focus of the episode. But, with several twists. One, she was always ahead of Team Arrow (which is something I dig), and not only did she escape multiple times, she apparently got something important via a prototype T-Sphere. And what’s more, it would appear her new alliance (with a certain big bad who will be coming soon…) wants to ruin Oliver Queen’s life even more by once again revealing that he is Green Arrow. Let’s see how he talks his way out of THIS one!

But hands down, the coolest parts were with Slade, who not only appeared via Flashbacks, but via the present too. I loved how he not only came to check up on Oliver, but to thank him for the intel that is leading to finding his son Joe. I also dug the chat about fathers and sons, something Slade knows something about.

One last note, the flashbacks were well handled. We know there won’t be any major “past storylines” but flashbacks can still be useful, as they were here. So I’ll be patient and let them see how they ride out.

In the end, “Fallout” put the team on notice that big things were happening, and let fans know that the Lian Yu explosion wasn’t for not. It’s a great start to the season, and I am intrigued with what comes next.