Arrow (TV Series) Heir to the Demon (2014) User Reviews

Another eventful episode.

[cousbrojs · 7/10 · 5 March 2014]

"Heir To The Demon" provided a nice insight to what Sarah went through with the League of Assassins. It was also nice to see the Lance family in a much happier time, even if it did cancel out the ever excellent island flash backs. This episode also had a great deal of family drama, and nicely panned out action sequences.

*Pacing: Good *Dialogue: Good *Story: Very good *Action: Excellent *Drama: Excellent

Another eventful episode in an already eventful second season, Arrow is beginning to roll with confidence each week.

Episode rating: 7.3/10

The Canary Is Free

[SpideyVerse23 · 9/10 · 19 January 2023]

Sara comes back after Laurel gets poisoned by a member of the League, on Nyssa Al-Ghul's orders. Nyssa does this as she is in love with Sara and she knows her family being in trouble will draw her back to Starling City. After a lot of drama, Sara gets released from the League so everyone finds out she is alive, and unlike her parents, Laurel is not happy about this.

Meanwhile, Felicity finds out that Merlyn is Thea's father, and confronts Moira about this, and tells her to tell Oliver. When she doesn't do so, Felicity tells Oliver herself, and Oliver feels very betrayed by this, and decides to not tell Thea.

The flashbacks show how Sara got onto the Queen's Gambit, and how life was for the Lance family before it happened.

Few Comparisons. It's that good.

[insideout098 · 6 February 2014]

I am stunned. I just watched what can only be described as a near flawless 40 minute script. Every aspect was spot on: The pacing, execution, dialog... all of it gelled. And for the first time, in my view, Laurel brought her character to life. Bravo to she and everyone in the cast. I'm still racing. The last time I experienced something like this was in the last season of "24," and that's saying a lot. First, there were several revelations that created monumental shifts in character relationships. Second, the script pulled more from the characters than in any of the past episodes by forcing the leads to face themselves as human beings, as families, as flawed individuals with facades that, in some cases, were never destined to stand. In the end, it's what's at the core that counts, and this episode brought that home.

General Hospital

[kingsx_64 · 6/10 · 2 August 2020]

As other reviewers have said, this episode is bad. It's almost like an episode of General Hospital. The first thing that rubbed me the wrong way is Felicity being back on her holier then thou quest. This is probably the 15th time she approaches someone with her snooty arrogance and demands answers. If I were Moira, I would have laughed in her face, and told her to go pound sand. Who the F does she think she is demanding answers? That's not her family. Mind your own business. This has become an unbearable character flaw the writers keep pushing. And telling Oliver a family secret is way way out of bounds. It's not being a good friend, it's being a nosy snooty gossip queen. But that is the generation. Oh well. I remember a time when people didn't thrive on sticking their nose in other peoples business. I guess that time is long gone. As for the rest of the episode, it was one giant soap opera formatted mess. I don't expect every plot line or episode to be perfect, but when this show fails, it fails all the way. Please Felicity, fall down an elevator shaft already. You arrogant pos

Greg Berlanti, why do you want to destroy Arrow???

[Shmaden · 5/10 · 8 February 2014]

This show has reached greatness with the last 2 episodes of 2013 but now is getting worse and worse, and I don't know what is in Greg Berlanti's mind that he keeps turning this show into a soap opera with bad plot and acting. This episode is far the worse of this show so far, and one of the worst episodes I've ever seen.

Let's start with the first scene where we see a woman(Nyssa), who is not introduced into the show properly. We don't see how she was sent or how she has the power to release Sarah at the end, this should have shown without necessarily showing Ra's Al Gul, but no, Greg keeps bringing new characters without proper introduction.

Then we have a very predictable acting from Stephen Amell and Caity Lotz, who have child replies and quotes, which I could have guessed from the start of the episode. Are they ever gonna grow up?

Next, useless flashbacks that have no point what so ever, showing things we already knew. Instead they could have shown how Sarah got into the league and her relationship with Nyssa, but no, they show childish acting from Katie Casidy and Caity Lotz.

The worst thing in the episode was Sarah's love for Nyssa. Really? Was that the best thing Greg Berlanti wrote to introduce Nyssa into the episode? This was awful and the scene where they kissed was horrible.

Useless things like Oliver hitting wheel rubber are shown and not how Arrow and the canary found out about how and where Nyssa would travel.

The league member dies instantaneously, but Sarah goes through a longer process in order to die at the end. This poison needs to make up it's mind as to how and how long it takes to kill people.

Oliver suddenly has the antidote for canary's poison. How did he get it? I guess no one will ever know, except Greg Berlanti who surely knows but decides not to show us.

In the end Nyssa suddenly has the power to release Sarah from the league even though she was sent only to bring back Sarah into the league. And how does Oliver knows stories about Ra's Al Gul, who told him? Diggle? Nothing in this episode seems to make sense whatsoever.

In the end having Sarah and Oliver make love is terrible. This is getting more like a soap opera, ending just like Desperate Housewifes.

I only gave 5 to this episode because of the good acting from Diggle, Felicity, Walter, Slade, Sebastian, Laurel and Quentin Lance, who saved some of this episode with their acting, and for the good scenes between Felicity and Walter, Quentin and Sarah at the bar, Oldaman and Moira, Oliver's speech, Oliver and Moira, Laurel,Sarah and family and, Slade and Sebastian. So sorry about this episode, but my vote is 5/10. Unless this show will go somewhere with all the plots and end well the second season, I'll leave it and try something better.

worst episode jet!

[nagyistvanandor · 9 February 2014]

I loved season 1 of arrow. The characters where good and interesting, the story kept a nice balance between drama and action.

There where problems with season 2 from the beginning. Like Oliver running away back to the island. Not just character wise I trained for 5 years, tried my best, did many questionable stuff. Lets just throw it way because i kinda failed. its dumb. And that when he gets pulled back, and returns as Arrow nobody notice. super dumb. Than there's the stupid forced drama crap with suddenly mindless Laurel Lance, who plays her vendetta against arrow because he did not saved his sorta boy friend. That character was used to bring more unnecessary drama to the story, I would be happy if Slade would kill her. Than there's the feeling the show is overcrowded. People keep popping up, some of them without much of a introduction, which is a shame on its own. Season one front players like Diggle gets pushed in the background. But probably the worst choice which really shines through in "Heir to the Demon" is casting of Caity Lotz as Sara Lance/Black Canary.

Caity Lotz with her all the time "Im getting crucified" face and lack of any other skills beside being a over dramatic plaza kitten kills any chance of liking Sara. Which on its on was a risky move, bring back a dead character and put a pile of forced drama to the plate. However the Black Canary would have been welcomed, specially since the history between Green Arrow and Black Canary. But with a better actor, and maybe better plot. Though to give some credit to the show I like how they solved the "Canary Scream" and that she actually not dressed as a hooker .

So whats the problems of this episode?

1) Caity Lotz of course plays a huge part since shes in the center of the events. And with her flat actingish thing she pulls the hole plot down.

2) Nyssa al Ghul: She appears from no where and pretty much stays there, she don't really have introduction, and character development, background. Shes just there. Its even more problematic since Nyssa's character was only created in 2003, so unlike with characters as Wilson Slade, Deadshoot, Huntress... etc where the viewers already have a connection with Nyssa is pretty much a blank spot. I had no clue how she is before the episode. First I thought she was invented by shows writers cause the did not had the balls to touch Thalia al Ghul. But after some research I realized its just uncreative blank use of a other wise interesting fresh character. Seriously we had Black arrow, the general on the island, Huntress, the hoods, did Nyssa really needed to be turned to a arrow copy too? (i mean her outfit and choice of weapon)

3) Forced lesbian romance: My problem is not with lesbians, my problem is neither Black Canary or Nyssa has a lesbian history. Than there was no chemistry between the two actresses. And there romantic Involvement did not really add anything to the table. My feeling the idea came from "um Nyssa aren't really interesting as we created her. Lets make Sara and Nyssa a couple that will spice things up" -_-

4)Laurel Lance is back to mindless unpredictable drama queen: Her reaction make little sense, but very lame and stupid in return.

I hope the show will drop its late tendency to use characters without developing them. Shifts it focus back on more important things instead tossing us more half baked products. And i'm rooting for Slade to kill off Sara and Lauren as soon as possible.

How many lives Sara has?

[shahadaab · 5/10 · 9 December 2021]

Of course Sara will not die for the second time just like Malcolm because we hate them! "I do" But the one we all agreed to like "Tommy" is dead one and for all.

Superhero Soap Opera

[bobbybits · 6 February 2014]

Welcome to the weekly Superhero Soap.

This show is getting boring less and less time is dedicated to action per week sometimes lucky to seen a solid 15 minutes of superhero foo'ey. Rather we have family driven dialogue with the sob stories from the Brady bunch. Am I missing out on this being a chick flick? I am a regular Joe who wants to see good vs evil when it comes to superhero's bringing in explosions, martial arts, action and arrows. Not meet a family soap drama, from actors who only got the part in being a supposed action series, which has less action but often more dialogue. Kill some of that noise when focusing on the vigilante doing his revenge justice.

Oh but argues a potential powder keg? It always should be and constantly without that family drama in a superhero series or they can all be soap arrows.

Overwrought Melodrama

[create · 4/10 · 7 August 2022]

I don't know what happened between the first season and the second. They had pretty much the same writers. But where as the first season soared, this season was lame from the beginning.

Did they have ghost writers the first season? Was that what saved them?

I'll try to give my opinion without poking at the shows surprises. Even though they seemed timid, surprises are one of the main works of writers. But just as a candy bars from a rich daddy can be a disappointing surprise at Christmas; these story surprises were just as underwhelming. (aka Sara's love life.)

And...manipulative.

The first season of Arrow was action packed; and, yes, at the end it demanded that the characters and their motivations change. Then just like every other TV show, these writers and producers were going to have to give episodes of character development and story development. Not every TV show could focus on plots only when they had to arrange writing.

Strangely, these writers felt that they could toss out those necessary details and give us the CW's Soap Opera, instead.

Actually, that's unfair to Soap Operas. Soap operas spend most of their time on character and story development. They wouldn't exploit a story like...Laura's addiction. (Not a surprise of this episode.)

How can I say it's 'exploited"? Tell me what Laura's addicted to. She's been popping pills for the past six episodes. The viewer still dosen't know what she's popping, what effect it has on her body...other than the fact that she's got a smile on her face. Any idea of the negatives? They aren't covered.

A script that won't cover the details of anything?

Sad.

What is wrong with Superheroes today?

[flaminjoe-917-805595 · 7 February 2014]

This season started with so many open plot lines, although that action is quickly dulling away. Giving way to more and more family drama. Dialogue over action, discussing the emotional blueprints of a vigilante superhero. No! They aren't even his rather his girlfriends family or his own families and friends drama's. The Hood is recruiting, more family members, girlfriends and their boyfriends into his core of merry band of vigilantes in tights. Seriously can you see where this is going?

When Mr deodorant does his moves, we want to see action. Not all the painful dialogue of getting to know his lack of personality. Or any other characters, who mostly we could really do without. Laurel is no longer that sexy sassy chick, as she has addiction to tears. Sara doing the same push up bar as Arrow, wasn't equally opportunity but gorilla tactic's, when she was without that make up. Older schoolgirls without their costume having mascara goo is so evilly frightening scary. Introduce Sif who was butch, their kiss was never sensual it was forced. Tight white shirt, bra, faceplam cover my eyes Smoke. No real wonder hulk smashed with the hammer.

Why aren't characters who should be dead, dead? Which is what happens in good versus evil. Here we have the family show, with all it's weekly drama. Mostly from having those pretended tears. You stole my boyfriend bitch! Daddy make her leave, girls girls grow up let us all have a family hug, what do you say mom! My boyfriend has become King Kong, help me brother, to make him more like you. Mom your not my mom, your the mayor, I hate you now.

We don't care about their lives, some are so much better dead, then this plaguing us weekly. The focus should be on that action. Being a Dark Knight clone should have more then enough suspense to thoroughly entertain us weekly without the emotional circus of those family themes.

Hoping it will get back on track or it will go off the rails, there isn't much in the way of this genre of the family superhero, so it has a market, but there is always better.

When will we see good arabs or muslims Warner Bros TV shows?

[ibbe99 · 12 February 2014]

This episode, is a continuing of negative Arab stereotype as blood-thirsty terrorists, providing striking insights. Images that is repeated in Arrow. Are there are any exceptions for a good Muslim or arab hero in Warner Bros/CWtv productions? Or is rooted in their DNA only be villains? Thanks to them, hateful crimes could increase because of the image of these arab caricatures. The question is why....

I do enjoy the show, the plot and there are other villains in the show as well. But I wish i could see a Muslim father, arab laywer, or a good arabian police officer. Not just villains!

This is just a long line of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab stereotyping from Hollywood. But i do hope that these types of prejudices are becoming fewer and fewer.