Arrow (TV Series) Living Proof (2019) User Reviews

Great to see Tommy back!

[EddyTheMartian007 · 8/10 · 7 May 2019]

This episode was definitely very weird. I was conflicted at first, but nowI do think this was a really good episode.

It was just great to see Tommy back. His scenes with Oliver were just great. The back and forth, and moral dilemma on to kill, or not to kill Emiko were some really strong scenes.

Emiko has fortunately improved. I don't think the actress is good still, but her scenes are getting a little better. As a villain she's already done a lot to Oliver, she's ruined TA deal with the SCPD, and their reputations once again. While her motivations don't make complete sense, it seems like they're gearing up for a great final confrontation between Emiko and Oliver.

Another positive is just Roy. He's great to have back, and I thought the scene between him and Dinah was pretty good.

Also for once there was an actual shocking scene. Since we already know most of these characters survive in the flash forwards we weren't expecting them to die that way. Yes it was a hallucination, but it definitely made the episode more tense overall. Not to mention it was just a great scene.

There were some silly things, like Dinah being inconsistent, the goons getting killed, and only having melee weapons, and I do feel like the episode could've been handled a bit better in general, it feels a little late in the season. I still don't like the flash forwards (even if they weren't that bad this episode). Overall though it was actually a really good episode and I hope Arrow ends Season 7 with a great finale.

Stupid Good

[waterever · 9/10 · 7 May 2019]

A terrific display of Oliver's internal struggles. The episode's setting was well done and turned out to be extremely interesting. The same can be said about the dialogue this episode, both in the present and in the flash-forwards the exchanges were meaningful and developed the character's positively (which is pretty rare for Arrow nowadays). Overall everything typical for Arrow just felt enhanced (dialogue, action, cinematography, etc) and the story itself was unique.

WOW

[tem-73786 · 9/10 · 7 May 2019]

Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow

FANTASTIC

[wwwemiryolcu · 10/10 · 7 May 2019]

One of the best episodes of the series for sure Oliver facing the circle that's been going on for 7 years and finally changing his way. Also seeing the good side of him as Tommy is so emotional

Breakthrough

[highmarksreviews · 8/10 · 7 May 2019]

Well, here we are. Penultimate episode. As contained as "Living Proof" seemed to be at first glance, I do believe that it defied a lot of expectations and pushed season seven into a convincing final showdown.

Perhaps its biggest selling point was the return of beloved character Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell). Donnell has been a constant reminder to both us and Oliver (Stephen Amell) of who the Emerald Archer used to be and what tragedy that constituted back in the early days. Tommy was both a cautionary voice and charming friend here and delivered an emotional speech to Oliver that resonated with authenticity. In a sense, he managed to touch upon Oliver's feelings and convinced him that a violent outcome for the conflict at hand should be avoided if possible. Thanks to Donnell's charisma, some light comedy was also inter-woven into the script, which elevate an otherwise pretty bleak episode.

Team Arrow was also tested, but nothing truly meaningful happened on their front, aside from Roy (Colton Haynes) and Dinah (Juliana Harkavy) resolving past misconceptions. I didn't fully understand why the writers thought bating Roy's death was a good idea, he was clearly still destined to live on in the future.

That brings me to the weaker element of "Living Proof". The flash-forwards worked when they focused on the looming Galaxy One threat. When it came to engage it however, the compelling family drama surrounding William (Ben Lewis) and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) was all but lost. Granted, the endgame in 2040 Star City seems epic in equal measure, but the setup was slow and a little cheesy. On the topic of Felicity, I still felt as if her "legacy" talks were a little too on the nose.

In terms of action, it took it's time to build. Cinematographer Gordon Verheul found some great moments to show his keen eye for a great shot, but the action overall left me satisfied, if a tiny bit underwhelmed given how amazing last episode's were. Usually, Arrow tracks its choreography to a music beat or makes it flow more assuredly. This time, I felt as if I was on the edge of my seat for the sole reason of worrying that the choreography would slip up. Nevertheless, it was pretty well done and I appreciated a lot of what they were able to accomplish with the fights. There was also a pretty decent twist towards the end.

Arrow is in good form this year to end its seventh outing. I do feel as if there has been some waisted potential here and there and some odd choices, but overall it's been a good season. "Living Proof" sets up what looks to be a killer finale and brought a familiar face back to delightful effect.

Colin Donnell is perfect, as always.

[Sam_Ash_76 · 8/10 · 8 May 2019]

"Living Proof" is probably one of, if not, the most entertaining episodes of this season, however, it does have obvious flaws. The whole episode being set inside of Oliver's head while he was unconscious is a cool premise, but unfortunately, that is also my largest flaw with the episode. The twist is a little bit... off. I don't quite understand why Emiko knew about Felicity's pregnancy inside of... Oliver's dream? That was such a weird thing to write in, it really felt forced to me.

The flash forwards were fine, about as good as they always are, a little bit bland but overall, quite decent. What I loved about this episode, is Colin Donnell, the relationship between Tommy and Oliver has probably been my favorite dynamic of the entire series. I also love that "Arrow" has chosen to keep Tommy permanently dead all these years, because if he were to come back to life through a Lazarus pit or something, it would make Season 1 lose the huge impact it had when it first aired.

Oliver and Tommy are the bulk of the episode, which is a great thing, because their scenes feel long overdue. But, better late then never. The show did a fine job of dealing with Tommy's death back in season 2, but it never really fully felt finished until this episode. That was amazing to see, even if it took over 5 years to get us here.

8/10

They had us in the first half not gonna lie...

[Notbatman4587 · 9/10 · 8 May 2019]

So the dream sequence and all. I really thought Oliver killed Emiko. Seeing Tommy back was just a treat. And yes Tommy "your beard!" Emiko planting murder of SCPD Forces on Oliver seems like just a mediocre plan. Dante had more potential than her but hey we have a finale right? Anhthing can happen. Also I hope that we have an episode 23 this season with the name Crisis on Infinite Earths I.

Just purely awesome

[tanmayprasad · 10/10 · 8 May 2019]

WOW! I just love this episode. The ideas they used are so good and the way it builds up to the end is just too good.I think Arrow should continue to do these different types of episodes.

Good but honestly not great

[eapuhala · 10/10 · 7 May 2019]

This is a weird one. It's a really good episode. Tommy coming back was very nice to see and I enjoyed it a lot. Tying Oliver's relationship with Emiko back to Tommy's relationship with Malcom was a great detail, and having Tommy remind Oliver why he gave up killing was really nice to see. Every other plotline felt well done and I enjoyed the episode as a whole, but ultimately felt something was really wrong. Looking back at last seasons penultimate episode, it had a MASSIVE setup with a big cliffhanger. Diaz has just openly tried to murder every member of team Arrow, burned the bunker, and forced Oliver to turn to the FBI for hell and reveal his identity. This season however? Not really anything...which is weird. This season has not strayed away from a great cliffhanger. Hell, I'd say this may even be the best season of Arrow and yet the second to last episode is just good. Not great. Feels weird but then again so does this entire season so who am I to complain. Can't wait for next week!

What the hell!

[pintaxandre · 6/10 · 27 October 2019]

The next episode is the season finale and we are just having the same crap than the previous 5 episodes. This season is a joke and could have been 12 episodes long. No kidding! This episode is meant to set up the finale by filling it up with an hallucination, a character who died six seasons ago and a final scene that is just a justification for the next episode to happen. The worst is, I don't find the episode in itself bad, just the way it is associated with the rest of the season. Oliver is just whiny . At least Tommy's actor is good.

No suspense. Boring

[Jinx-to-Ennien · 2/10 · 23 June 2019]

The constant switching between present and future takes away from any suspense when a character is in danger. Arrow needs to go back to the show it was in the beginning.

Lacking the excitement.

[cruise01 · 5/10 · 8 October 2019]

2.5 out of 5 stars.

The script is terrible. The action is dull. The characters are shallow. It is lacking the thrills to making this exciting.

Mailing it in

[magnum-ajt · 4/10 · 7 May 2019]

Absolutely nothing to care about in this episode. Weakest villain of the entire series. Is there anyone who cares about the flash forwards?

So glad this shot is ENDING

[kskushagrasaxena · 2/10 · 7 May 2019]

After PROMETHEUS their is no one who is worthy to be the NEMESIS of ARROW, but they keep on bringing these weak VILLAINS, DANTE who could be a great villain was killed, he was immortal and a demon of sort, but in ARROWVERSE he is weak just able to manipulate others. Trying to redeem EMIKO that's just old, they don't have any content left. On the other side once FELICITY'S character seemed to be cute and funny, now it's just frustrating. There is no content in this episode and they just want to stretch the storyline, if I wanted that I would have watched INDIAN TV SERIALS.

Weak

[elefeprincewill-83032 · 1/10 · 14 November 2019]

The entire show and story is getting weak. The bad guys has no justification for been bad and besides the bad guys are just too sloppy. I don't see how a very powerful organization will behave so very low and allow a leader such as Oliver Queens sister to lead then. Her proposed attack on the city is not justified. Well I guess that's how movies are nowadays, you give the viewers lots of actions and a very large percentage won't pay attention to story line or logic.

Dead Show

[asemasaleh · 4/10 · 8 May 2019]

This show is gone for good... 2019 seems to be very bad for all shows

Apathy

[ThomasDrufke · 5/10 · 7 May 2019]

In the good seasons of Arrow, the penultimate episode has been among the shows best. I think back to season 1's Darkness on the Edge of Town, season 2's Streets of Fire, and season 5's Missing. It's always the episode that sets up the inevitable battle for Star City which used to claim the lives of a main character. That tactic is no more, as the show has spent more time trying to expand the cast, than expand on the characters already existing.

Alas, this year's penultimate episode was... just ....fine? I never found myself invested or paying close attention like I used to be, but it's not like I was telling at the screen with anger either. It's been more apathy of late. Who really cares anymore?

We spent almost the entire episode inside a broken building, as Oliver and the team tried to make their way out. Or course, in typical Arrow fashion, they used Tommy has a hallucination for Oliver/plot device. Basically to manipulate the audience a few times, only for it all to be a dream sequence. Some things will never change. That's all I got. Get me to the finale.

5.8/10