The CW has released the first official images from the second episode of Arrow‘s fifth season and in them we get to see Oliver Queen training his new team. It was at the end of season 4 that the last group disbanded following the death of Black Canary, so now the vigilante has found a new group made up of characters like Mister Terrific and Wild Dog.
None of them look particularly happy about being taken down by their new boss, but if that recent trailer was any indication, Green Arrow has no intention of going easy on them.
For more on what to expect from this episode, here’s the synopsis for “The Recruits.”
Oliver’s (Stephen Amell) new recruits for Team Arrow are Curtis (Echo Kellum), Wild Dog (guest star Rick Gonzalez) and Evelyn Sharp (guest star Madison McLaughlin). Unfortunately, the Green Arrow’s training methods prove to be too much for some of them to handle. Meanwhile, in the flashbacks, Oliver’s initiation into the Bratva continues. James Bamford directed the episode written by Speed Weed & Beth Schwartz.
It’s going to be really interesting to see whether or not Oliver’s brutal methods end up pushing any of these vigilantes away and whether they end up embarking on a villainous path as a result. Each of them have pretty complex backstories in the source material, so that definitely feels like it could be a possibility for the show. We’ll just have to wait and see though.
Regardless, Arrow season 5 seems to be taking a back to basics approach which should serve the series well after two mostly disappointing efforts from The CW. Whether or not these new vigilantes and the decision to finally wrap up those flashbacks will make a difference remains to be seen, but things are certainly looking good so far based on the images above.