In total agreement with everything you've just said. I wish *other* shows would follow Arrow's example (*cough Scooby Doo's Agents of SHIELD cough*). Arrow being so good makes other shows being so bad hard to sit through.

Season 1 definitely matters and I would not watch season 2 without having seen everything that came before. Events from the last season are referenced frequently in season 2. Netflix Instant has all of season 1 on there if you're looking to catch up or resume wherever it is that you left off. I wouldn't say that…

Bingo. That's what I'm thinking too. It would make the most sense.

I don't mind the recasting, honestly. Also it's quite possible that Jacqueline was unavailable for a return or was but couldn't learn the fight choreography needed to sell the character. The reshoot of the brief pilot scene aboard the Queen's Gambit was pretty well done too, I think.

Wait, that's the Marriott Marquis Atlanta! Was she at this year's Dragon Con??

Or let's go back even further to where it started.

I think there's talk of a GotG teaser trailer before New Year's Eve so I hope! That "12 days of production footage" from SD Comic Con got me really excited.

Yep, it keeps things fresh. The first film is a pure WWII action movie and this one takes on a totally different tone. I for one love that Marvel is taking risks with the sequels to make them stand out from the preceding films.

It is. The Avengers established the World Council so it's not just the US government with oversight over SHIELD.

Speculation? Freezing cold sea water floods the cockpit immediately after crashing and he couldn't unstrap himself fast enough to escape. Drowning/freezing follows.

Because it's not Laurel. This character, though, will eventually somehow influence Laurel in her decision to become Black Canary. I guess you could call her a Proto Canary for the time being. I think the show will call her something else so there's no confusion.

He's fantastic and he does a great job of interacting with his fans on his Facebook page. The only other actor I've seen interact that frequently with the public is Vin Diesel.

Yep, exactly. Just like The List was the driving force for the first half of last season, I think Ollie's new non-lethal crime fighting methods will be a challenge for the character in season 2. Amell is an underrated actor and I think he will absolutely deliver on any scenes where he's conflicted.

20th Century Fox did that for X2: X-Men United so I don't see why the stupid marketing trend won't continue.

Amanda Waller is already cast for this season and is the 2nd person from Spartacus to appear in a major role on this show. She'll show up in November.

The production values have always been high on Arrow but I do agree with you that the seemed a little bit higher with the season 2 premiere. I felt like I was watching a theatrical film on my TV and loved that.

Yes, but it was also a Marvel Studios production. Because of FOX owning the X-Men movie rights they had to create brand new characters for this TV series.

Nope, Arrow is Summer Glau-Proof. The show will survive her being there and break the curse.

Eskrima truncheons. Y'know, like what Nightwing uses? Pretty sweet.

And you would be wrong. It wasn't her and that's also not her style.