| "City of Heroes" | |
|---|---|
| Series Arrow Season 2, Episode 1 | |
| |
| Air date | October 9th, 2013 |
| Writers | Andrew Kreisberg; Marc Guggenheim; Greg Berlanti |
| Director | John Behring |
| Producers | Greg Berlanti; Melissa Kellner Berman; Jake Coburn; Joseph Patrick Finn; Drew Z. Greenberg; Marc Guggenheim; Moira Kirland; Andrew Kreisberg; Jennifer Lange; Jennifer Lence; Wendy Mericle; David Nutter; Carl Ogawa; Jon Wallace |
| Starring | Stephen Amell; Katie Cassidy; David Ramsey; Willa Holland; Emily Bett Rickards; Colton Haynes; Manu Bennett; Susanna Thompson; Paul Blackthorne |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "Sacrifice" |
Next "Identity" |
"City of Heroes" is the first episode of season two of the superhero-action series Arrow and the twenty-fourth episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by John Behring with a teleplay written by Andrew Kreisberg and Marc Guggenheim based on a story treatment by Greg Berlanti. It first aired on the CW Network on Wednesday, October 9th, 2013 at 8:00 pm.
Cast[]
Principal Cast[]
Guest Stars[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Celina Jade | Shadow |
| Summer Glau | Isabel Rochev |
| Colin Salmon | Walter Steele |
| Dylan Bruce | Adam Donner |
| Adrian Holmes | Lieutenant Frank Pike |
| Derek Hamilton | Aglin |
| Keri Adams | Bethany Snow |
| Adam Henderson | Mayor Altman |
| Giacomo Baessato | Colton |
| Douglas Chapman | Baker |
| Jason Griffith | Deveau |
| Stephen Chang | Chinese pilot |
| Shawn Robidoux | Thug #1 |
| Sylvesta Stuart | Pirate #3 |
| Caity Lotz | Black Canary |
Notes & Trivia[]
"Hey, nerf-herders! Headhunter's Holosuite Wiki has a collection of images related to Arrow: City of Heroes.
- This episode is rated TV-14.
- This episode is production code number: 2J7451.
- This episode is included on disc one of the Arrow: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray collection.
- This episode aired in the United Kingdom on Sky1 on October 21st, 2013.
- This episode aired in Australia on the Nine Network on July 15th, 2014.
- This is the fourth episode of Arrow directed by John Behring.
- This is the ninth episode of Arrow co-written by Andrew Kreisberg.
- This is the eighth episode of Arrow co-written by Marc Guggenheim.
- This is the seventh episode of Arrow with a story treatment written by Greg Berlanti.
- Actor Douglas Chapman is credited as Doug Chapman in this episode.
- Actor Jason Griffith is credited as Jase Anthony Griffith in this episode.
- Actor Stephen Chang is credited as Stephen MD Chang in this episode.
- Beginning with this episode, actors Colton Haynes, Emily Bett Rickards and Manu Bennett all become regularly billed cast members on the series. In season one they were only supporting cast members. Rickards and Haynes will continue to receive opening bill credits in season three.
- This is the first appearance of actress Caity Lotz in the role of the Black Canary. She will be revealed to be Sara Lance and become a regular supporting character in season two. Lotz is uncredited for her participation in this episode.
- The events of this episode take place five months after the events of "Sacrifice".
- This is the first appearance of Channel 52 new reporter Bethany Snow.
Allusions[]
Who WAS that masked woman, anyway?
- Black Canary is a DC Comics superhero who has been personified by at least two different women. The first Black Canary was Dinah Drake Lance who was a Golden Age heroine active during the 1940s. On Arrow, the character of Dinah Lance was played by actress Alex Kingston. Like her comic book counterpart, she is the mother of the modern-age Black Canary, though in the show, she has never taken the alias of Black Canary herself.
- The news station that Bethany Snow is reporting on is Chanel 52. A street address listed in this episode is 52nd street. In DC Comics, 52 is an important number, firs gaining significance in 2006 with the fifty-two issue weekly limited series 52. The number also represents the number of divergent realities created at the climax of that series.
- Bethany Snow is a DC Comics character who is most often associated with the Teen Titans family of comic book titles and was a close friend of Victor Stone. Like her Arrow counterpart, she too is a reporter.
- S.T.A.R. Labs is considered the preeminent scientific analysis laboratory of the DC Universe and has been featured in many of DC's licensed works. It first appeared in Superman, Volume 1 #246, cover-dated December, 1971. It was created by writer Cary Bates and artist Rich Buckler. The acronym stands for Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Labs
- The particle accelerator referenced by Bethany Snow foreshadows events that will come to light midway through the season. This storyline plays into the origin of Barry Allen becoming the Central City superhero known as the Flash. Barry will be introduced in "The Scientist" episode of Arrow, with two of his supporting cast members, Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow coming in on the following episode, "Three Ghosts". These two episodes serve as a backdoor pilot to The Flash television series, which debuted in 2014.
Bloopers[]
- In one of the flashback scenes on Lian Yu, the blood spatter pattern on Oliver Queen's face changes from scene to scene for no discernible reason.
Quotes[]
- Oliver Queen: The city still needs saving. But not by the Hood. And not by some vigilante who's just crossing names off a list. It needs... something more.
- John Diggle: It needs a hero, Oliver.
....
- John Diggle: Felicity, if you're so scared, why did you insist on sitting up front?
- Felicity Smoak: It was the only seat with a seat belt.
- John Diggle: Which will come in handy when we hit the water at 180 miles per hour.
- Felicity Smoak: What?
- John Diggle: Which will not happen.
....
- Roy Harper: You go see your mom yet?
- Thea Queen: I thought about what you said.
- Roy Harper: And?
- Thea Queen: And... I'll go see her when you stop going out at night looking to clean up the streets.
- Roy Harper: What does one thing have to do with the other?
- Thea Queen: I guess they're both things that are never going to happen.
....
- Felicity Smoak: You were right. Once I signed on, I stopped thinking about all the bodies you dropped. Because I knew that being the Hood meant occasionally being a killer. Maybe there's another way.
- Oliver Queen: They have my sister. What other way is there?
....
- Shado: You've come very far in a few months. Don't beat yourself up.
- Oliver Queen: Apparently that's his job.
- Slade Wilson: And I love my job.
....
- Moira Queen: However long I am in this place, you have freed me.
- Thea Queen: If I hug you, are they going to shoot us?
- Moira Queen: I'm willing to risk it if you are.
....
- Thea Queen: Eavesdrop much?
- Roy Harper: Ah, what I lack in height, I make up for in wicked good hearing.