Dan Johnson" />
Psycho Drive-In logo
Search
  • PDI Press
    Featured
    • BETTY WHITE VS THE STUPID WORLD: The Movie

      Dan Johnson
      January 17, 2022
      Fiction, PDI Press, PDI Press Writers
    Recent
    • BETTY WHITE VS THE STUPID WORLD: The Movie

      John E. Meredith
      January 17, 2022
    • Betty White Vs the Stupid World (Chapter Seven)

      John E. Meredith
      January 16, 2022
    • Betty White Vs the Stupid World (Chapter Six)

      John E. Meredith
      January 15, 2022
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-D
    • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Anything Joes
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Cahiers du Horror
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • Dungeons & D-Listers
  • Columns F-P
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
    • Page to Screen
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
  • Columns S-Z
    • Schlock & Awe
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Unnatural Selections
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    Featured
    • X (2022)

      Dan Johnson
      April 22, 2022
      Movies, Reviews
    Recent
    • X (2022)

      Nate Zoebl
      April 22, 2022
    • Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

      Nate Zoebl
      April 15, 2022
    • The Adam Project (2022)

      Nate Zoebl
      March 16, 2022
    • Books
    • Comics
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
    Featured
    • Interview with Indie Horror Master, Chris Bickel

      Dan Johnson
      July 13, 2018
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview with Indie Horror Master, Chris Bickel

      The Final Girl
      July 13, 2018
    • David Black: Carnies, Carnage, and the Creative Chaos of Darkness Visible

      Dan Lee
      March 7, 2017
    • Jaiden Kaine joins the Marvel Universe as new Luke Cage baddie, Zip

      Andre Lamar
      September 29, 2016
    • SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Batman: The Killing Joke

      Jason Sacks
      July 28, 2016
    • SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Syfy’s Van Helsing

      Dave Hearn, Paul Brian McCoy
      July 27, 2016
    • Wondercon Interview: The Cast of Damien

      Gary Richardson, Laura Akers
      April 16, 2016
  • News
    Featured
    • John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum arrives on Digital 8/23 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand 9/10

      Dan Johnson
      July 30, 2019
      DVD/Blu-ray, News
    Recent
    • John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum arrives on Digital 8/23 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand 9/10

      psychodr
      July 30, 2019
    • X-Men: Dark Phoenix arrives on Digital 9/3 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD 9/17

      Paul Brian McCoy
      July 16, 2019
    • Avengers: Endgame arrives on Digital 7/30 and Blu-ray 8/13

      psychodr
      July 16, 2019
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
Breaking
  • X (2022)
  • Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
  • The Adam Project (2022)
  • The Batman (2022)
  • Entropy (2022)
  • Killer Sofa (2019)
  • RSS
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Who We Be
  • Contact
  • PDI Press
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-D
    • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Anything Joes
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Cahiers du Horror
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • Dungeons & D-Listers
  • Columns F-P
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
    • Page to Screen
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
  • Columns S-Z
    • Schlock & Awe
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Unnatural Selections
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • Comics
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
Home
Reviews

Arrow 4.14 “Code of Silence”

Dan Johnson
February 24, 2016
Reviews, TV

This episode begins with Ollie facing two very trying events that are both coming at him at once: the mayoral debate and an engagement party that is being thrown by his future mother-in-law, Donna (Charlotte Ross). Suddenly facing off with the bad guys seems like a walk in the park, right?

A walkthrough of the theater where the mayoral debate will be held allows Ollie and Team Arrow the opportunity to try and track Ruvé Adams (Janet Kidder) back to her husband, Damian Darhk (Neal McDonough). All the Green Arrow is able to do though is walk into a trap Darhk has laid for the Emerald Archer and his compatriots, which they are able to get out of easily enough. But Team Arrow isn’t the only ones in Darhk’s sights at the moment. He is also gunning for Quentin Lance for crossing him and H.I.V.E., and he is almost successful in bringing an entire building down on Lance’s head, and would have succeed if not for some help from Laurel.

arrow code of silence 5

Lance accepts Oliver’s advice to lay low for the time being, but he also decides to put some distance between himself and Felicity’s mom. Since he can’t be totally honest with Donna about why she shouldn’t be around him, she gets angry that he won’t tell her the whole truth and breaks up with him. Meanwhile, Felicity has tracked the call that lured Lance to Darhk’s trap. What appeared to be a Star City police dispatch was in reality sent from one of the satellite phones H.I.V.E. uses.  Team Arrow goes to the location where the call came from they just barely get out before that building is brought down on their heads by a group called the Demolition Team (Daniel Cudmore as Jackhamer, Rachel Luttrell as Rosie and Marc Trottier as Hardhat), masters of precision demolition that have been recruited by H.I.V.E.

Before the walls come tumbling down, Thea is able to snag a laptop the Demolition Team was using that has blueprints of their next target, but it is damaged in the fight. Felicity is left to try and figure out what was on the laptop as Diggle gets a lead from his brother, Andy. It turns out the Demolition Team uses a special acid and only one manufacturer in Star City sells it. Green Arrow and Spartan go in to the factory and find the D.T. has already struck, leaving dead guards in their wake and taking 100 gallons of the acid for their next target, which appears to be huge.

arrow code of silence 4

With some help from Curtis Holt (Echo Kellum), Felicity learns their target is none other than the theater where Oliver and Ruvé are scheduled to have their debate in just a few minutes. Team Arrow is able to evacuate the building and sweep the premise, disarming the bombs set by the Demolition Team, taking down the members of the evil group as they go and foiling the plot by Darhk to kill Oliver and leave his wife as the lone candidate for mayor.

Later, at the engagement party, Lance comes clean with Donna about why he lied to her and the two reconcile. Curtis also presents his wedding gift to Felicity, an implantable bio-stimulant he has been working on that should allow Felicity to walk again in time for her and Oliver’s wedding. Sounds like the perfect way to end this episode, right? It would be, but this is Arrow, so the ending has to be a bit grim and it is. Unable to kill Oliver, Darhk has made his boldest move of all, taking his son, William (Jack Moore). The final scene has the villain introducing the boy to his daughter, Nora (Tuesday Hoffman) and telling her that William’s mother has asked them to look after the boy for a while (and yeah, it sounded as creepy on the show as it reads).

arrow code of silence 6

As for the flashback on the island, Oliver is able to kill two birds with one stone by gaining the trust of his fellow prisoners when he kills the one man who wants him dead most of all, Conklin (Ryan Robbins), but neither Ollie, or the viewers, is any closer to learning what Reiter’s (Jimmy Akingbola)’s endgame is. “Code of Silence” is another one of those titles with more than one meaning. On one hand, Lance tries to stay silent about his role with H.I.V.E. and why Donna being around him could prove dangerous to her. On the other hand, it also has to do with Oliver keeping his son, William, a secret. While the former appears to be resolved nicely by episode’s end, the latter may begin unraveling as Darhk now has Oliver’s son and Heaven only know what has happened to his mother.

Truth be told, the storyline with Lance and the final scene when we know Darhk has William are perhaps two of the elements that make this episode worth checking out. Paul Blackthorn and Charlotte Ross both have some nice scenes together and it is good to see the character of Quentin Lance explored a little more. As for the twist with William being held by Darhk, this is a game changer.  It clearly puts all the power into Darhk’s hands, but now Oliver will have to come clean about his son with everyone he is close to. Thea figures Oliver’s secret out in this episode, and she understands why her brother is doing what he feels he must, but the big question is how will Felicity handle this bombshell (if you remember her reaction in the episode “Legends of Yesterday,” this revelation went over like a lead balloon). One thing is for sure, things are really getting interesting where Damian Darhk s concerned.

arrow code of silence 1

Also in this episode we got to see one of DC’s least impressive supervillain teams ever brought to the small screen, the Demolition Team. I’ve included a panel from one of their comic book stories so you can see just how underwhelming these characters are on the comics page. Honestly, I think their greatest super power was being in a union. At least here their construction worker-themed weapons and m.o. are updated slightly so they appear a little more hardcore. I’ll tell you one thing right now, those DC movies better blow me away since they have taken Grade-A bad guys like Deathstroke and the Suicide Squad off the board and left us with D-listers like these mooks for Arrow to play with.

Finally, I will say I am liking Echo Kellum more and more are Curtis Holt. His gift to Felicity is truly touching, yet I can see he has a playful side too (as can be seen with his screen saver of a big-headed Felicity going “Blah! Blah! Blah!”). Oliver hits it on the head when he says Holt is terrific, I am hoping that is a sign that DC’s next television superhero is ready to suit up soon. So, in the end, “Code of Silence” while not great, has some good moments worth checking out. I give it 2.5 stars.

(Visited 50 times, 1 visits today)
Arrow 4.14 “Code of Silence”
Dan's Rating
2.5Overall Score
Reader Rating: (2 Votes)

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

ArrowDan JohnsonDavid RamseyEmily Bett RickardsJohn BarrowmanKatie CassidyNeal McDonoughPaul BlackthorneStephen AmellWilla Holland

The Vampire Diaries 7.12 “Postcards from the Edge”
The Man in the High Castle 1.09 “Kindness”

About The Author

monsterid
Dan Johnson

Dan Johnson is a North Carolina based writer. At this time, he is an assistant editor and writer for Charlton Neo Comics and the editor and head writer for Empire Comics Lab’s horror anthology, Cemetery Plots. Dan has also worked for Antarctic Press, Campfire Graphic Novels and the Dennis the Menace comic strip. Besides his work in the comics industry, he has also written for Alter Ego, Back Issue, Comic Book Marketplace, Filmfax, Hogan's Alley, Monster Memories, Monster News and Scary Monsters Magazine.

Daily Top Ten

  • Lost in Translation 164: BattleTech: The Animated SeriesLost in Translation 164: BattleTech: The Animated Series by Scott Delahunt
  • Adventure Time 6.06 “Breezy”Adventure Time 6.06 “Breezy” by Dave Hearn
  • Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979)Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979) by Paul Brian McCoy
  • The Muppet Valentine Show (1974)The Muppet Valentine Show (1974) by Jessica Sowards
  • The Muppets Go To The Movies (1981)The Muppets Go To The Movies (1981) by Jessica Sowards
  • The Cookie Thief (2015)The Cookie Thief (2015) by Jessica Sowards
  • The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005)The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz (2005) by Jessica Sowards
  • Angst (1983) Blu-ray ReviewAngst (1983) Blu-ray Review by Serdar Yegulalp
  • Peelers (2016)Peelers (2016) by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Sick Flix: Baskin (2015)Sick Flix: Baskin (2015) by Corin Totin
400x400 GI Joe Funko Banner

Weekly Top Ten

  • Adventure Time 6.06 “Breezy”Adventure Time 6.06 “Breezy” by Dave Hearn
  • The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010)The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by The Final Girl
  • Shakespeare's Macbeth (2010)Shakespeare’s Macbeth (2010) by Paul Brian McCoy
  • House of Wax (2005)House of Wax (2005) by The Final Girl
  • Unnatural Selections: Two-Headed Shark Attack (2012)Unnatural Selections: Two-Headed Shark Attack (2012) by Brooke Brewer
  • Sick Flix: Guinea Pig 2 – Flower of Flesh and Blood (1985)Sick Flix: Guinea Pig 2 – Flower of Flesh and Blood (1985) by Corin Totin
  • Drive-In Saturday: The Big Bird Cage (1972)Drive-In Saturday: The Big Bird Cage (1972) by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Women in Horror: I Spit on Your Grave (2010)Women in Horror: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by The Final Girl
  • Superman II (1980)Superman II (1980) by John Clark
  • Beautiful Creatures: Shin GodzillaBeautiful Creatures: Shin Godzilla by Dan Lee
400x400 UA Affiliate Banner

FACEBOOK

FACEBOOK

Latest Reviews

  • X (2022)

    Nate Zoebl
    April 22, 2022
  • Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

    Nate Zoebl
    April 15, 2022
  • The Adam Project (2022)

    Nate Zoebl
    March 16, 2022

psychodrivein

Today at https://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: S01E37 - G.I. Joe #12 / Three Strikes For Snake-Eyes!

It's the start of one of the most iconic Joe stories in it's entire history, and it includes the return of two pivotal characters from the past! Join Greg and Jaren as they venture into Rio Lindo to root out Cobra's next devious plot!
---
Watch Greg and Jaren at the link in our profile!

#AnythingJoes @anythingjoespod #GIJoe #MarvelComics #SnakeEyes
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Lost in Transl Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 412: Good Omens (2014 BBC Radio Dramatisation)

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch was first published in 1990 and was a comedy about Revelations and Armageddon.
---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#LostInTranslation #GoodOmens #NeilGaiman #TerryPratchett #BBC #MarkHeap #PeterSerafinowicz #JimNorton #AdamThomasWright #JosieLawrence #Charlotterichie #ColinMorgan #CliveRussell #JuliaDeakin #BBCRadio
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: S01E36 - Lexington Comic & Toy Convention 2022

Greg & Jaren recount their experience meeting Larry Hama at the Lexington Comic & Toy Convention 2022. Plus, the latest news, recent acquisitions, and listener mail!
---
Listen to Greg and Jaren's podcast at the link in our profile!

@anythingjoespod #AnythingJoes #GIJoe #Mezco #LarryHama
Today at https://psychodrivein.com X (2022) Ti W Today at https://psychodrivein.com

X (2022)

Ti West is a director I haven’t fully enjoyed, though I would say X is his most accomplished film to date for me. 
---
Read more of Nate's review at the link in our profile!

#X #TiWest #MiaGoth #Slasher
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Lost in Transl Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 411: The Secret of Marvel's Success

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been dominating the box office since the release of Iron Man.
---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#LostInTranslation #Marvel #MarvelStudios #MarvelCinematicUniverse #MCU #IronMan #Avengers #MoonKnight #WandaVision #Hawkeye #RobertDowneyJr
Today at https://psychodrivein.com EZMM 2022 Day Today at https://psychodrivein.com

EZMM 2022 Day 9: All of Us Are Dead S1 E7-12

There are enough plot threads left dangling to give us a good launching point for a future second season, but if that doesn’t happen, All of Us Are Dead can stand as a solid one-and-done.
---
Read more of Paul's review at the link in our profile!

#EZMM #EZMM2022 #EasterZombieMovieMarathon #EasterZombieMovieMarathon2022 #AllOfUsAreDead #Netflix #LeeJaiKyoo #KimNamSu #ChunSungIl #JooDongGeun #YooInSoo #ChoYiHyun #OhHyeSoo #YoonChanYoung #LeeEunSaem #YangHanYeoi #JinHoEun #HaSeungRi #SonSangYeon #zombies
Today at https://psychodrivein.com EZMM 2022 Day Today at https://psychodrivein.com

EZMM 2022 Day 8: Return of the Living Dead III (1993)

Return of the Living Dead III is, quite simply, one of the best examples of the genre.
---
Read more of Paul's review at the link in our profile!

#EZMM #EZMM2022 #EasterZombieMovieMarathon #EasterZombieMovieMarathon2022 #zombies #ReturnOfTheLivingDead3 #BasilWallace #BrianYuzna #JTrevorEdmond #KentMcCord #MelindaClarke #SarahDouglas
Today at https://psychodrivein.com EZMM 2022 Day Today at https://psychodrivein.com

EZMM 2022 Day 7: Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)

While I really didn’t like Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City very much, I want to give it a fair shake.
---
Read more of Paul's review at the link in our profile!

#EZMM #EZMM2022 #EasterZombieMovieMarathon #EasterZombieMovieMarathon2022 #ResidentEvil #ResidentEvilWelcomeToRaccoonCity #WelcomeToRaccoonCity #JohannesRoberts #RobbieAmell #HannahJohnKamen #TomHopper #DonalLogue #NealMcDonough #KayaScodelario #AvanJogia #MarinaMazepa
Today at https://psychodrivein.com EZMM 2022 Day Today at https://psychodrivein.com

EZMM 2022 Day 6: Kingdom: Ashin of the North (2021)

Vengeance. That’s what Ashin is doing. That’s what she’s been doing from behind the scenes all along.
---
Read more of Paul's review at the link in our profile!

#EZMM #EZMM2022 #EasterZombieMovieMarathon #EasterZombieMovieMarathon2022 #Zombies #TheKingdom #TheKingdomAshinOfTheNorth #AshinOfTheNorth #Ashin #Netflix #JunJiHyun #KimEunHee #KimRoiHa #KimSeongHun #KimShiAh #ParkByungEun
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Latest Columns

  • Anything Joes: S01E37 – G.I. Joe #12 / Three Strikes For Snake-Eyes!

    Greg Engle
    May 11, 2022
  • Lost in Translation 412: Good Omens (2014 BBC Radio Dramatisation)

    Scott Delahunt
    April 29, 2022
  • Anything Joes: S01E36 – Lexington Comic & Toy Convention 2022

    Greg Engle
    April 27, 2022

TWITTER

My Tweets

Look Who's Talking

Oliver Ghingold
Oliver Ghingold - 2/18/2022
Muppet Madness: You’re the Director
Do you still have these tapes? I've been looking everywhere for them! I loved the Interactive Vision...
white swan
white swan - 12/22/2021
The Hills Have Eyes (1977) vs The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
I enjoyed the article though I would never call brutality gorgeous.
Shawn EH
Shawn EH - 10/26/2021
13 Days of Halloween Day 12: Halloween Kills (2021)
Very disappointing, it's true. And very mean-spirited murders of nobodies. And I don't even see how...
RSSTwitterFacebookinstagramtumblr

Archives

Large_rectangle_336X280
All work on this site is Copyright © each individual writer.
  • PDI Press
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-D
    • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Anything Joes
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Cahiers du Horror
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • Dungeons & D-Listers
  • Columns F-P
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
    • Page to Screen
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
  • Columns S-Z
    • Schlock & Awe
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Unnatural Selections
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • Comics
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
%d bloggers like this: