What's it about?
After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returns home to Starling City, his devoted mother Moira, much-beloved sister Thea, and best friend Tommy welcome him home, but they sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island. While Oliver hides the truth about the man he's become, he desperately wants to make amends for the actions he took as the boy he was. Most particularly, he seeks reconciliation with his former girlfriend, Laurel Lance. As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly creates the persona of Arrow - a vigilante - to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory. By day, Oliver plays the role of a wealthy, carefree and careless philanderer he used to be - flanked by his devoted chauffer/bodyguard, John Diggle - while carefully concealing the secret identity he turns to under cover of darkness. However, Laurel's father, Detective Quentin Lance, is determined to arrest the vigilante operating in his city. Meanwhile, Oliver's own mother, Moira, knows much more about the deadly shipwreck than she has let on - and is more ruthless than he could ever imagine.
(from CW.com)
You should watch if...
• ...you're a comic book fan.
• ...you're an action movie fan.
• ...you're a CW fan.
So, how was it?
First of all, let me say that I am not familiar at all with the Green Arrow comics, so I will be judging the show based solely on its own merits, and not on its source material. With that out of the way, let me next admit that I enjoyed the ARROW pilot way more than I expected to. I've never been a huge CW fan -- I watched RINGER last year, but that was more out of a train-wreck level of fascination than anything else. But ARROW seems promising, at least in a fun, pulpy, escapist way.
Those unfamiliar with Green Arrow (like myself) may be struck at the apparent mishmash of different source materials. The weakest part about this show is that there is nothing inherently unique about it. The rich boy scarred by tragedy donning a costume and using his infinite resources to fight crime in his beloved city is straight out of Batman. The secretly-brooding crime-fighter outwardly maintaining his billionaire playboy image is pulled from both Batman and Iron Man. The superhero with a love interest whose father is a cop devoted to hunting down the "dangerous vigilante" is just like Spider-Man. The gritty, "realistic" tone is reminiscent of Nolan's Dark Knight films. The wealthy child returning to his hometown to wreak vengeance on those who hurt his family, complete with a handy checklist of villains, is pulled directly from ABC'S REVENGE (or, more accurately, from The Count Of Monte Cristo, the material REVENGE itself is inspired by). Because of this, some may spend a good bit of time during the pilot thinking, "been there, seen that." However, there is enough going for this series for it to transcend its myriad inspirations.
Stephen Amell (HUNG, PRIVATE PRACTICE) stars as Oliver Queen, aka Arrow. He's your typical CW hunk, with a chiseled jawline, intense stare, and abs of steel. But he also surprised me by not being totally wooden -- I believed him both in flashbacks as a rich delinquent, as a terrified youth in a shipwreck, and as a tortured young man dealing with the aftermath of mysterious, traumatic events. And he can kick serious butt. One thing I found refreshing about Oliver's superhero alter ego, and something that helps to distinguish him from Batman, is his total willingness to kill bad guys. It makes the show darker, the character more complex -- he's fighting crime, but he's also essentially a murderer.
Amell is joined by a generally terrific supporting cast. CW mainstay Katie Cassidy (GOSSIP GIRL, SUPERNATURAL, MELROSE PLACE, also the underrated HARPER'S ISLAND), is Oliver's love interest, Laurel Lance. Laurel at first appears to be a cliché whip-smart, plucky, idealistic heroine (she's a young, justice-obsessed lawyer), but she and Oliver share a surprisingly dark backstory that made me more interested in her character than I initially thought I would be. Paul Blackthorne (24, THE RIVER), is Quentin Lance, Laurel's father and the detective obsessed with bringing Arrow to justice, who also harbors a well-deserved grudge against Oliver. Susanna Thompson (ONCE AND AGAIN, KINGS) is Oliver's mother, Moira, who is a large reason I will keep tuning in, due to a last-minute twist.
In a time when genre shows attempt to pander to a family-friendly audience (in an effort to achieve the highest ratings possible) to their detriment (*cough*terranova*cough*), it was refreshing to see a comic book/fantasy/sci-fi show embrace its dark nature. What with Oliver's willingness to kill, his dark backstory with Laurel and her father, a surprising last minute twist, and a particularly brutal scene in a lifeboat, ARROW is decidedly not family-friendly fare.
Perhaps the show's strongest asset is its flashback-heavy structure. As someone unfamiliar with the source material, I can't wait to see Oliver's backstory unfold and learn more about how he became a superhero. I'm glad that the writers chose not to go a linear route and explain his whole backstory in the pilot, ending with him returning to Starling City to pursue justice. It's clear from the way they've structured the pilot that there is much more than meets the eye in regards to what happened to Oliver on the island and the shady events that led up to the shipwreck. As a die-hard LOST fan, I'm interested as a rule in any show built around flashbacks.
And the verdict is:
Solid. I'm interested and will definitely keep watching for the foreseeable future.
While not the most original, unique, or ground-breaking show, ARROW is good fun and a solid genre show in a time of light-hearted fantasy fare. I'm looking forward to watching the flashbacks unfold and the introduction of more long-term villains. Unless there's a sudden dip in quality, I can see ARROW becoming a fun diversion I look forward to every week. Here's hoping.
Your turn, Fellow Addicts! Were you surprised by how fun (and dark) ARROW was? Or did you find it too unoriginal to be exciting? Vote in the poll below and then hit the comments!
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