Arrow Season 8 Review: 6 Ups & 2 Downs From 'Leap Of Faith'

1. Katie Cassidy's Direction

Something felt different about 'Leap of Faith'. Sure, it had returned to Nanda Parbat and Thea Queen was back, and it had that stunning conclusion, but the whole thing felt unique, like a standalone experience that offered something that was both aesthetically-pleasing and visually thought-provoking - and that was down to Katie Cassidy's impressive direction.

From the moment that the episode opened, you could sense the difference. The opening fight scenes were shot and edited in a fast and explosive fashion, with each close-up and subsequent cut mirroring the action. The far away pan-out shots gave us a chance to appreciate the beauty of Nanda Parbat in a way we never had before, and those invasive close-ups of William, Mia and Connor's emotional faces after Zoe's death allowed us to see a hard-hitting glimpse of the ugly truth of crime-fighting.

From the atmospheric peacefulness of each moment between Oliver and Thea, to the effective circular one-shot in the closing moments that allowed us all to appreciate everyone's reaction to their apparent time-displacement, Cassidy was very careful in using the environment to heighten the emotion of each scene - and that's something she pulled off to perfection.

Being Arrow's leading lady, she has given us plenty of reasons to praise her over the years, but she has taken it to another level now. Her directorial debut allowed her to provide us with an episode that was unlike anything the show had ever given us before. And if there is any justice in this world (or multiverse), she should be directing an episode of the Canary spin-off in the very near future.

Exceptional job, Director Cassidy.

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