Arrow (2012 TV Series)

[BatmAngelus]

To no one's surprise, Arrow's got the full season pickup:
http://tvline.com/2012/10/22/arrow-full-season-the-cw/

[Silver Nemesis]

I finally got around to watching the first few episodes. It's ok. Like most CW shows, the writing's not great and the characters feel shallow and unrealistic. It also borrows a little too much from Nolan's Bat trilogy.

But on the upside the action scenes are good, it has a certain gloomy atmosphere to it, and the whole "what happened on the island" back story is fairly compelling. So I'm willing to stick with it for a bit longer. I'm particularly looking forward to seeing the episode written by Geoff Johns.

But as it stands, I don't see it having the same longevity as Smallville. Of course it's possible it will improve as the first season progresses, but we'll just have to wait and see.

[BatmAngelus]

You know...I'm actually digging this a lot more than I thought I would.  Yes, there are some things right out of the Batman films ("I'm not a hero."  "Does it come in purple?" "Digg...help me."), but I like the world and the characters enough to tune in from week to week and I look forward to when the show returns in January.

I've warmed up to Amell.  He might not be the actor Bale is, but he manages to pull off the different sides of Oliver in each episode- the spoiled rich kid learning to survive on the island, the douche playboy act, the real Oliver around his family, the grim Oliver in the V.O. and with Diggle, and the Arrow persona itself.

Now, he needs to grow out that facial hair, put on a mask, and call himself Green Arrow already 

My favorite episode so far is Damaged, where Oliver gets arrested.  The last couple scenes were some of the best in the show, from Oliver's confession of his pain to Diggle to his return to the costume- "You have failed this city."

I wasn't a huge fan of the Huntress episodes that came after (part of it was the actress, part of it was the absence of the island flashbacks), but I liked how Oliver's alliance with Helena lead to her use of the crossbow.

Now, I'm interested to see what happens with the Deathstroke flashbacks and the Daddy Merlyn storyline...

[Azrael]

Watched a few of the first episodes. Not bad. This series is maybe to Batman Begins what The Flash was to Batman '89, it almost feels like a spin off series set in a similar "universe".

[Silver Nemesis]

I watched the first seven or eight episodes, but I couldn't be bothered keeping up with it. It's not bad at all. In fact it's better than I was expecting. But I didn't find any of the characters particularly likeable. And I don't usually watch shows unless there's at least one character I can root for.

Is it just me or does Stephen Amell bear a striking resemblance to Chris O'Donnell?

This series is maybe to Batman Begins what The Flash was to Batman '89, it almost feels like a spin off series set in a similar "universe".

That's a good analogy. Pretty much sums up my perspective on the show.

[ElCuervoMuerto]

What did people think of this weeks episode? That twist was pretty big to say the least. And for Doctor Who fans, who else expected Alex Kingston's first words to be "Hello sweety"?

[BatmAngelus]

^ I bet the writers were tempted to have that as Dinah's first line, yes.

I thought this episode and The Odyssey one were some of the show's best.

It's really been moving forward now, with the addition of Slade Wilson in the flashbacks, giving Felicity Smoak a bigger role, bringing back a better version of Deadshot, and, as of this new episode, planting storylines with Tommy and Laurel that could actually be interesting.  I hope we'll get some answers soon on Moira and Malcolm.

A lot of people are predicting that Tommy will be a Harry Osborn/SmallvilleLex type character, but personally since it's been done before, I'd rather see them go in a different direction and keep Malcolm as the show's equivalent to Merlyn.

[ElCuervoMuerto]

I agree, it's more interesting to me if Malcolm is the "Merlin" we know from the comics (plus if they're going to to keep on the "realism" beat, are they just gonna reveal that Tommy was a master archer all along?). This is really picking up, I'm glad I kept up with it because the second half of this season has been really good.

[BatmAngelus]

(plus if they're going to to keep on the "realism" beat, are they just gonna reveal that Tommy was a master archer all along?)

Exactly.  I just don't see it happening.  Perhaps that's the point right now, but since I see the show as a reimagining of Green Arrow and not a Smallville-type prequel, I stand by Malcolm Merlyn being the show's Merlyn.

So I've read Green Arrow: Year One, but not the original comic that covered GA's origin.  Apparently, Oliver did use grease paint around his eyes as a mask on the island back then:
http://www.bigshinyrobot.com/reviews/archives/45792

Still...it looks better in that comic than it does on the show.  And now that we've seen Huntress wearing a domino mask, I don't see why Oliver can't wear the same (but a green one).  I'd think it'd take less time to don one than to smear anything around the eyes.  And, well, it'd help to give him more of a comic book Green Arrow look.

[riddler]

^ I bet the writers were tempted to have that as Dinah's first line, yes.

I thought this episode and The Odyssey one were some of the show's best.

It's really been moving forward now, with the addition of Slade Wilson in the flashbacks, giving Felicity Smoak a bigger role, bringing back a better version of Deadshot, and, as of this new episode, planting storylines with Tommy and Laurel that could actually be interesting.  I hope we'll get some answers soon on Moira and Malcolm.

A lot of people are predicting that Tommy will be a Harry Osborn/SmallvilleLex type character, but personally since it's been done before, I'd rather see them go in a different direction and keep Malcolm as the show's equivalent to Merlyn.

It seems that based on the original setup, the four main characters that will likely be brought through til the end are Oliver, Thea, Laurel, and Tommy. I do actually see him taking the Harry Osborn route; we know it's his destiny to become a villain and his father already is on the show (although not a primary one). I'm thinking that given that they'll probably keep him on the show, if he becomes a serious antagonist, it will either be near the end of the show or done in a manner in which they can 'cure' him and turn him good again ala Harry.

I do think at some point, Oliver will have to have the clicheed epiphany; "I'm a crime fighter, I can't have a life of my own, I envy those who can....." In comic movies, that usually happens in the second film (superman II, batman returns, the dark knight, spider-man 2, iron man 2) so perhaps that will be a plotline for the next season.

I respectfully disagree with those who say the characters are not interesting; there's a handful with interesting enough storylines to want to see how it plays out; deadshot, Thea, tommy and his father, moira, the huntress. Not even counting Oliver himself.