With perplexing twists and thriving action, this was a tremendous finale that lived up to its hype. Execution was near-perfection on all fronts; being the acting, effects, plot structure, editing, or action sequences. Beginning immediately after “Darkness on the Edge of Town”, Oliver is found chained-up being interrogated by Malcolm Merlyn. With screenshots leaking before the episode premiered, many (including myself) thought this scenario would be taking up a good chunk of the episode. But, Malcolm leaves Oliver almost unguarded, and Oliver is able to escape with a bit of help from Diggle. While Malcolm leaving could be noted as cliché, later events prove this situation was perhaps intentional.

Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle begin to stop the Markov device from leveling the glades in Starling City, with finding out the location of where the device resides. In addition, we’re also given additional more rising action with Oliver requesting his mom (Moira) to take action, and a conflict between Oliver and Tommy over the actions last week between Oliver and Laurel. Seeing Tommy gradually fall from grace has been really hard to see, as he’s such a relatable character. But, upon Oliver telling him about Malcolm (his father)’s plan, Tommy looks in disbelief as his own father elaborates on his scheme. Predictions have been made that Tommy would follow the route of Harry Osborn from the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films, but he takes a complete opposite approach and stands against his father, making his character stronger than ever (though he ironically is knocked out).

To say that previous episode plot points are resolved during “Sacrifice” is a fair statement. It resolved Moira’s true devotion towards her family, as her role and motivation has always been questionable since the beginning of the series, but after talking with Oliver, she was able to come clean and announce Malcolm’s plan to the city.  Additionally, the grinding personalities of both Oliver and Diggle seemed to find a calm medium this episode, as they both agreed to take Malcolm on together. Quentin Lance (Laurel’s father/police chief) became more accepting of himself, his daughter, and the vigilante (with a bit of persuasion from Felicity); and Thea made amends with Roy Harper.

Upon entering Malcolm’s office to hopefully confront him, Oliver wakes up the knocked out Tommy, with Tommy apologizing and their apparent friendship beginning to start to mend. It’s only questioned again when Tommy warily asks if Oliver will kill his father, with Oliver suggesting him to get to safety. When entering Malcolm’s armory, Oliver and Diggle confront Malcolm in an impressive action sequence. As he was waiting for them to show, it’s almost as if Malcolm’s intentions were for Oliver to escape. Perhaps a fight with no surprises was a desire of his. I almost felt as if it were playing off of Star Wars, with both Oliver and Diggle taking on a powerful villain. As Diggle is wounded, it eventually is a one-on-one fight; with this time Oliver gaining the upper hand. Earlier on, Malcolm suggested that Oliver didn’t “know what he was fighting for”. A bit of an odd statement, as Oliver has always seemed to know what he was fighting for. This time, Oliver has had enough exposure to Malcolm that the element of surprise isn’t on Malcolm’s side this time; it’s on the Green Arrow’s. Using an exploding arrow to counter Malcolm’s precision, going blow for blow, and even finishing him off with a self-injury were great aspects that made this the best fight the show has offered. Before Malcolm became incapacitated (he didn’t die; taking a wound to the chest and being knocked out wouldn’t do that much), he planned a backup device if the first one were to be deactivated (and it was from the teamwork of Quentin and Felicity).

The bomb aspect can be noted as a point of introducing “unrealism” into the show, but it works and can pave a pathway for other unexplainable things.

The island scenes this episode provided complete conclusion on the ongoing subplot. Oliver/Slade/Shado broke free, stopped a missile from destroying a plane, and were able to eliminate most of the people involved in the plan. A great defining moment was Oliver landing a direct shot on Fyers (the supposed leader of the island operations). We’ve seen Oliver struggle to use a bow on the flashback scenes, and seeing him complete his first shot on Fyers could be leaned towards unreal, but really added towards the greatness of the scene. I’m just curious as to where the island scenes will go from here upon Season 2’s start.

In the intense last ten minutes the bomb was detonated, causing panic amongst those in the glades. Roy Harper stepped up to the plate, neglecting to leave to instead save people, a bit of an innuendo towards his eventual development to the sidekick of the Green Arrow. Laurel, after not taking Oliver’s advice and staying in the glades, is leveled with a cement plate; only to be saved by Tommy Merlyn? This was a bit of a surprise, but was great to witness. Oliver speeds to save Laurel, and while Tommy saved her, he unfortunately was not able to save himself. Oliver arrives too late, and the episode ends with heart wrenching dialogue between both characters. Incredibly acted, it was a sad farewell to a great character that I hope can be made to some good use in later seasons.

“Sacrifice”, like many finales, is crammed with tons of key elements, and while some finales can find falter in this; ARROW did not. These elements kept me completely invested throughout the whole episode, as if I were viewing a film that warranted focus. The finale built on almost every character in the show, with Oliver stepping up even more as a hero, his team standing by his side, Quentin helping out and becoming more accepting of himself and his role in this, Moira for her involvement, Roy in doing the right thing, ‘island Oliver’ for taking initiative, and Tommy for overcoming most of his resentment towards his former best friend. The effects in presenting the Glades as being in panic were filmed well, had solid editing, and great effects. The acting (especially in the last five minutes), was better than ever, as characters felt completely immersed in their roles. If there were one complaint I could think of, it would be the similarities to the Christopher Nolan Batman film series. The best example I can think of would be the Quentin/Laurel interaction scene plus the Oliver rushing to Laurel scene mirroring the Harvey Dent/Rachel situation in the movie. As it provided interesting twists, it can be easily shrugged off as ‘inspiration’ (which the writers themselves have admitted to).

ARROW wrapped up with an impressive and satisfying finale. It gave us enough to be satisfied for the next couple of months, but gave us plenty to look forward to upon its return this fall. Season 2 will bring more resolution to the finale, as well as adding much more to keep the audience invested in more. ARROW’s first season was an unbelievable start to the series, and I look forward to much, much more.

10/10

Sources: Jurrjens will make #Orioles debut Saturday against #Rays. 3.14 ERA in 8 starts at AAA, 36 Ks, 15 BBs, 2 HRs allowed in 51 2/3 IP.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 14, 2013

Jurrijens is has pitched well for the Norfolk Tides this season but had a bad start last night. Still he maybe the best option right now. Jake Arrieta has pitched better but has a minor injury.

The Orioles seem to be closer to pushing Kevin Gausman who has a 3.35 era for the Bowie Baysox. Gausman is the Orioles top pitching prospect and is an extremely talented pitcher.

Jurrijens has been a very successful major league pitcher in the past when he pitched for the Atlanta Braves, he was a former All-Star.  Injuries have hurt Jurrijens more than anything but if he has decent stuff he can be successful again.

As expected Chen will go on the DL.  Here are the two new Orioles according to this tweet from Dan Connolly.

Yamaico Navarro and Alex Burnett are the callups.

— Dan Connolly (@danconnollysun) May 14, 2013

Burnett has been up with the Orioles this season.  Navarro has not he is an infielder who will  provide depth.

Pitta had seven regular season touchdowns last season for the Ravens and a touchdown in the Super Bowl.

The Ravens also announced that they have signed the following undrafted rookie free agents after tryouts on this tweet.

#Ravens sign four undrafted rookies who had tryouts: WR Rashaad Carter, CB Moe Lee, S Gary Walker, OLB Meshak Williams

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) May 13, 2013

The Ravens have also released wide receiver Tori Gurley.

The Baltimore Ravens have acquired C A.Q. Shipley, pending passing a physical, from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a conditional 2014 draft pick, general manager and executive vice president Ozzie Newsome announced Thursday morning.

 

Shipley, a 6-1, 309-pounder, enters his second NFL season having seen action in 14 games (five starts) with the Colts in 2012. He also played on special teams in the Colts’ Wild Card contest at Baltimore last season.

 

Originally selected by the Steelers in the seventh round (226th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft, Shipley had been a practice squad member with Pittsburgh (2009) and Philadelphia (2010) before signing with Indianapolis in 2012.

 

A four-year letterman at Penn State, Shipley was an All-America selection, Rimington Trophy winner and Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year as a senior.

 

Shipley is a native of Moon Township, Pa., and attended Moon Area High School in Pittsburgh.

Beginning with a fallout from the previous week, Oliver is determined to get more information about the revealed “Undertaking” that is about to occur within Starling City. To obtain leverage over Malcolm Merlyn, Oliver intelligently has both himself and his mother captured. With Diggle posing as the vigilante (again), they’re both able to question Moira about the identity of “The Undertaking”. Moira explains to the pair that she’s been aiding Malcolm since the disappearance of the Queen’s Gambit (the boat Robert/Oliver/Oliver’s sister took 5 years ago). Moira elaborates even more to explain that “The Undertaking”, and the Markov device will level the Glades in Starling City. In determination to stop it, Oliver preps for phase two.

Amidst all of this, we’re reintroduced to Roy Harper again, still determined to find the vigilante with Thea. Roy’s drive couldn’t be higher as he takes photographs of police at crime scenes, more specifically the crime scene of the “Impostor Vigilante” (also known as the “Dark Archer”, or Malcolm Merlyn). Roy sets up a possible idea of how to meet the vigilante, and when he and Thea run into Oliver, Oliver straight up tells them both off. Roy, still determined to find the vigilante, has a falling out with Thea.

Last week, I mentioned about the “spy” sequence in the casino. This week played to the concept again, except the execution was much more evolved and better than last week. This sequence involved espionage, going undercover, and infiltration in the Merlyn building. I felt as if I was watching something from the Mission: Impossible film series…and being a huge fan of the series, it was quite fascinating to view (the Star Wars swinging nod was a nice touch as well). Upon gathering information via Merlyn’s hidden computers, the team plans to find the Markov device.

May the bow be with you.

Meanwhile, Walter makes plans to divorce Moira. It’s good to see common sense in this show, as I’d be divorcing my wife if she planned my kidnapping. Other subplots to note that occurred during the episode were the interaction between Tommy and Oliver; as Oliver insists that Tommy reconcile with Laurel. Oliver though (after first denying Laurel), eventually realizes that his mission as the vigilante would be over upon halting the Undertaking. So, he instead decides to sleep with Laurel, which Tommy sees. At this point, this subplot is pretty jumbled. Perhaps the writers aren’t sure what to do with Laurel’s character, and/or this acts as catalyst for Tommy, and/or they’re beginning to have Laurel figure out about Oliver. I’m sure the ‘underlying mystery’ might be something they’re aiming at for the duration of the show, but there needs to be a point where she eventually joins in.

The flashback scenes are the continuation of the Oliver/Slade/Shado capturing. Upon some questioning and explaining, the plan is for Yao Fei to take the blame of an attack on China. Motives here are still perhaps unexplained, but still suffice for the episode. After a parting gift, Yao Fei is killed off. Didn’t quite see that one coming, but it would make sense for a thematic idea, which I’ll address at the end.

The episode ends with Diggle/Felicity not finding the Markov device, and Oliver (in Green Arrow attire) confronting Malcolm. After attempting to shoot him, Malcolm catches the arrow and begins to wipe the floor with Oliver; breaking his bow, knocking him out, and expressing disbelief in knowing his identity finally. How Oliver lost the fight was a bit questioning, as his intelligent fighting style seemed to be missing. But, perhaps this could be due to Oliver’s shock that the rival he’s been searching for has been in front of him the whole time. It’s quite a way to end the show though.

There were a few lore references throughout the episode, but some interesting notes are characters’ drives. I read a theory somewhere that Thea Queen’s character may actually be killed off, prompting Oliver to take Roy under his wing (so both can cope with Thea’s death), and Roy taking the name “Speedy” in honor of her (it’s her nickname amongst her family). It’s a stretch for a theory, but it can be tied with the theory of why Oliver uses a ‘green hood’, and at this point; the answer is pretty clear. After Yao Fei’s death, Oliver perhaps would wear a green hood to acknowledge the person who’s saved him countless times.

“Darkness at the Edge of Town” might have contained minimal action, but it contained maximum set up for the finale, an excellent heist sequence, and a completely tense vibe throughout the episode. With one more episode left in the season, the show has a bunch of loose ends to tie up; but that’s not to say they’ve got plenty new ends to open.

9/10

The film opens up ditching the AC/DC ‘rock’ sound and instead presents us with “Blue” a la Eiffel 65. Yeah…remember that? Doing the classic (if not at this point, cliché) “exposition flashback” to 1999, we’re given a quick insight of a project Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.) was going to apparently be a part of, but instead opted to seduce one of the two project members instead, ditching the other on a rooftop.

Flash-forward to current day, Tony Stark still suffers the fallout from The Avengers, or as he words it, “New York.” Embedding himself in his work, his girlfriend/CEO of his company, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) begins to show concern over our protagonist. The first act’s focus is on the relationship between the characters, and the development of the looming threat. Pepper is reacquainted with Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), the project member left on the rooftop. Killian insists on working with Stark Enterprises, but Pepper initially refuses it. Amidst all of the tension brewing between the characters (whether it’s Pepper/Killian, Tony/Potts, or James Rhodes (Don Cheadle)/Tony), there is the looming threat of The Manderin (Ben Kingsley), the leader of the Ten Rings organization (mentioned in the first Iron Man film). The Manderin (known for being the archenemy of Iron Man in the comic books) is randomly obliterating various parts of the world, and sending various video messages. While the “terrorist leader” approach to The Mandarin during this act felt ordinary, it thrived on so much unpredictability that the character was quite intimidating to watch.

It’s here where the second act begins to take a downturn for the rest of the movie. While the film had some typical, but good setup, it becomes muddled in confusing plot design and overall direction. Something like this isn’t to blame on the film director, Shane Black, but just the overall story structure (although Black is credited as one of the writers, my statement refers to pure direction). Tony Stark is forced to rely on a child for assistance in restoring his armor. But, as established in the previous two Iron Man films and The Avengers, Stark has a near-infinite energy source radiating from his chest, that one would think he would incorporate into his new suit model, but doesn’t. I believe the excuse for such situation would be to dignify Tony Stark as being someone who doesn’t need the Iron Man suit to secure a victory. This approach somewhat works, but still can’t capture the essence of Stark’s mind like the first Iron Man.

There’s then a part about halfway through that I was warned before viewing the movie that would “polarize audiences.” This statement proved quite true for me, as this point was a defining point that fed a real sour taste in my mouth. While this part can be viewed as ‘smart’, it dwindles down to preference. As a fan of both the comic series and the TV show (from the 1990’s), this part won’t please everyone.

The poster can sometimes be more exciting than the movie.

The third act of the movie is very similar The Avengers as there’s constant explosions and fighting. While this was needed in The Avengers, it really doesn’t feel needed here which can be credited to the apparent ‘threat’ from Iron Man 3. With the first movie, Tony’s threat was himself and his change in character. With Iron Man 2, Tony’s threat was knowing he could be emulated. In this movie, while Tony’s development is serviceable at best, there’s no defining threat except perhaps a clash of power, and the fact that someone is hostage. But perhaps the most questioning move was the antagonist’s idea to give his “insurance” the same power as he has. With a bit of visual effects display (and no doubt subliminal advertising for the movie’s toy line), the movie wraps to an anticlimactic conclusion.

For being the apparent conclusion of the Iron Man film series, a follow up to The Avengers, and the movie to trigger the “second phase” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man 3 doesn’t quite live up to the hype it initially gave. The real problem with the movie is the questionable plot choices, and the overall plot direction. While the movie benefits greatly from performances, visual effects, choreography, editing, direction, and a fantastic soundtrack; the overall plot just feels messy and the aforementioned elements cannot save the movie.

2/5

Poster image credit: Flixster.com/Walt Disney Motion Pictures/Marvel Studios

McKinnie played great in the playoffs for the Ravens last postseason and helped the Ravens win the Super Bowl.  McKinnie was a key figure protecting Joe Flacco and is a big offensive tackle that is hard to move around.

Here is the Ravens press release on the deal.

The Baltimore Ravens have agreed in principle to a two-year deal with T Bryant McKinnie, general manager and executive vice president Ozzie Newsome announced Thursday afternoon.

 

McKinnie, an 11-year NFL veteran, has spent the past two seasons with the Ravens, seeing action in all 32 regular season games (16 starts). Though he did not start a regular season contest in 2012, McKinnie started at left tackle for the Ravens in each of their four playoff games, helping Baltimore average 410.3 yards of offense per game.

 

During the Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII Championship run, QB Joe Flacco became the second player ever (Joe Montana – 1989) to throw 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions in an NFL postseason.

 

McKinnie, 33, has seen action in 164 career games (148 starts), also playing in 11 playoff contests, starting each.

 

RAVENS SIGN DRAFT PICKS & ROOKIE FREE AGENTS

 

The Baltimore Ravens have signed the following 2013 draft picks:

 

Player	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	School
Anthony, Marc	CB	5-11	196	California
Jensen, Ryan	C	6-4	304	Colorado State-Pueblo
Juszczyk, Kyle	FB	6-1	248	Harvard
Lewis-Moore, Kapron	DE	6-4	300	Notre Dame
Mellette, Aaron	WR	6-2	217	Elon
Wagner, Rick	G/T	6-6	310	Wisconsin

 

Baltimore has also signed the following 14 rookie free agent players: