Diaz arrives at the prison to finish the job. Oliver and Bronze Tiger have other ideas.

Much like the already much missed Daredevil’s prison riot, this episode never slows down. From Oliver breaking out to the closing, bone crunching fight sequence this is far and away the most brutal the show has been this year, not to mention fast paced and high concept. The ghost of the abandoned Green Arrow in prison movie Supermax isn’t so much present this week as fully formed and laughing maniacally.

It should be too because this is the strongest episode so far this season. Oliver almost visibly relaxes once he’s given an impossible cause and the ease with which he dismantles his opponents is as cathartic as it gnarly. Better still, any episode which gives Michael Jai White a chance to shine is on good standing with me and this is no exception. The closing fight, especially the moment Oliver and Tiger are one level apart, slogging their way through endless prisoners is some of the best choreographed action you’ll see this year.

It’s also the most character driven. Whether it’s Stanley repeatedly being underestimated, Tiger’s almost casually precise karate or Oliver using a heavy object in a pillow case as a force multiplier and face re-arranger everything that’s here is here for a reason. It’s vastly satisfying, endlessly cathartic, gives Diaz a place to sit for a while and Oliver something new to do at the exact right time. No episode this season has been better or more of a pleasant surprise.

Verdict: Bloody knuckled, focused and precise this is an action movie not an hour of TV. Vastly impressive work all round. 10/10

Alasdair Stuart