Arrow Season 1 Review!
It has finally come to this, I shall review the controversial first season of the series Arrow (with SPOILERS)!!!
Before this show created their own television universe of superheroes, comic fans had little luck with live action adaptations of their favorite characters. I believe that the one before this was Smallville, which went on for a much longer time than anyone probably would have thought. Other than that superhero shows were usually animated, and while they are amazing and worthwhile to invest your time in there just wasn't that appeal to make them more universally known with the general public. That is until the MCU was introduced to cinemas. While it didn't catch on right away, it definitely was the catalyst for all of the live action superhero craze we've been having for these last few years, and in that I thank them because while they were what got movies back into the superhero business I'd also say it was Arrow that made the statement for superheroes on TV.
I remember when they announced this and I couldn't believe my ears, or eyes if I read about it. DC was starting their live action slate with television, and Green Arrow? It was puzzling and exciting all at the same time. I wasn't the biggest Green Arrow fan back then, and I've only experienced him as a supporting character whether in animated shows or comics, so hearing that he's getting the big spotlight was a pleasant surprise. That is until I watched the first episode. It was alright, mind you, but there was something about it that didn't make me jump up and say I needed to see the next one. So, for the next few weeks I tried and failed at watching the next episode and the next, usually catching them online a few days after it aired, until I ultimately dropped off the show completely. Fast forward four seasons and two spin off shows later and I finally pushed myself to finish this first season, and by golly I did.
What I find interesting about this show is that it looks like more general people will like this than your average comic fan, and that's understandable. Oliver Queen has similarities to his comic counterpart, but ultimately he isn't the true character from the comics. Because this is the first season, and the Arrowverse (or whatever you call it) likes to build the mythology up, I'm okay with that. I believe that he has enough similarities to start out with, and over seasons he could easily change and come closer to the Green Arrow comic fans know and love. Why do I think this? Because that's called character development, and if the people behind Arrow can pull that off then I'll tip my hat to them grandly.
But, before I dive too deep into the characters let's look at the story. Arrow is split into two different time periods; the present day, and the past. In the past Oliver and his dad go out on their yacht for some relaxation and family bonding, but like any good story a storm sinks their boat and they find themselves in dire need of survival as they float across the desolate ocean. Oliver eventually ends up being the only survivor and washes up on the shore of an island where he meets some dastardly people. Throughout this season each episode will cover a chapter of Oliver's life on the island through flashbacks, while the main story will focus on him acclimating to city life as he returns home and becomes a vigilante to right his father's wrongs.
What's interesting about these two storylines throughout the season is that I found myself being more interested, and invested, in the flashback scenes. To me they were where the character development, tension, and most of the good storytelling comes from. Oliver has a dramatic arc, the situations he finds himself in on the island present the viewer with reasons to care while also matching them with scenes where you truly believe characters can get hurt, or worse, killed. Oliver had to overcome so many obsticles while on that island that looking back on the season it's amazing how dull the present storyline actually is. And sadly, that's also where a lot of the problems with the show lie.
My biggest problem with the show is why I had so much difficulty starting it in the first place, and that is due to its tone. This show is so serious that at times it feels like a slog to get through. By no means does a show being serious make it bad, there are plenty of shows I love that are serious, but Arrow does it in some of the most annoying ways. It doesn't help that this show doesn't have a lot of great actors, but what really sets this tone off is that not all these characters belong in a serious tone type of story. For example, Oliver and Diggle can live in a serious toned story because their characters were made for it, but characters such as Felicity, Oliver's mom, and Laurel all feel out of place because they are more lighthearted and are characters that struggle and really stick out in a show like this. Take Felicity, she's obviously the comedic relief for this show, but her character sticks out like a sore thumb so much that it's painful at times. However, when she had guest appearances on The Flash her character felt less out of place and actually a character that could live in that world because The Flash is the type of show that doesn't take itself too seriously, and thus Felicity's character thrives in her short appearances. When she has to actually contribute to most of the episode it felt like the writers just weren't sure how to use her for anything other than comedy and convenient computer skills. At her core, Felicity in season one is nothing more than a plot device that makes jokes.
Having the tone not fit the characters isn't the only drawback to the oh-so-serious tone Arrow strives for. The tone also affects the actor's performances. In scenes that have dire consequences characters are all teary eyed and pouring their hearts out to make the scene dramatic, but because the tone wants a real and serious approach it's making some of these performances feel and look like they'd be on a soap opera. I felt like I should care about these characters, but whenever scenes like Oliver's mom trying to protect her family happen, or the Huntress talking about how screwed up her life is because of her father, it makes me feel awkward because this really nice dramatic music is trying to show you how to care for these characters, but what you're seeing on the screen doesn't match that level for the music.
Which brings me to characters. Just like with the flashbacks I have to say that the strongest characters I've seen this season were Oliver when he's being transformed into a warrior, Slade Wilson, and the mercenaries on the island. When it comes to the modern day storyline it's hard to find some really good characters. Oliver is fine when he's the hood, but when he's Oliver Queen it's sometimes infuriating how much he messes up people's lives, especially his best friend's. He was fine at the beginning of the season, but for whatever reason his character just destroyed so many lives by the end. His mother is going through some really stressful scenes because of him, his best friend is constantly having trust issues with him and when he tries to mend it he keeps messing it up further, and finally he shows how selfish he is in killing people, but not treating his team with the respect they deserve? When Diggle is fighting a man who took his brother's life all Oliver can do is ignore him. The way he talks to Felicity is like she's his personal assistant who has no life, and while I like that he's trying to be part of his own family he ends up ultimately putting a strain on everyone through his actions as the vigilante. I would have thought that Oliver went through a transformation on the island to mend some of his problems, but if this continues for next season I'm not sure how Oliver gets out of this hole he's digging himself in.
As for the other characters they're a mixed bag. Felicity isn't much of a character, like I said before she's mostly used for comedy relief, and her dialogue shows that painfully. Outside of a computer wiz, and an awkward talker you really don't know anything about her. Out of all the side characters I'd say Diggle was the most fleshed out and compelling one whereas the most annoying was probably Laurel. I honestly can't believe that whoever plays her was able to get that part, because the role of Laurel is like the emotional backbone of the entire show. In one way or another she's connected to all the major players, and her reactions are what should amplify these characters and make scenes more powerful, but instead all I see is an emotionless person. Don't get me wrong, her voice has the emotion behind it, but not her face. I thought it was a fluke, but after each episode passed I found that not only does her face show rarely any expression, but her eyebrows never move for the whole season. As I continued to watch the season this stuck out more and more for me, and then when it was finally the last episode and her dad is talking to her and telling her that he may die her face is still expressionless.This was one of the most emotional scenes that finale should have had, for all she knows her dad could be dead in the next minute and all I see is an expressionless face sobbing into a phone. Out of all the characters I really hope she improves for next season, because her character is has a big important emotional role that I really don't want to grow to hate.
As for the production of the show itself I have to say it looks great. The costumes will change over time, and to a comic fan I love seeing upgrades to costumes, so I'm fine with how they're not as intricate as it could be. The bow and arrows that Oliver uses both look menacing, and just everything from the cinematography to sound was done really well. Although, if I had to nitpick I'd say that the sound of the bow being drawn and then shot is way too loud. Bows are supposed to be silent, and every time Oliver shoots an arrow it sounds like a Nerf football whizzing through the air. It's so loud that his enemies would easily hear it coming.
Overall, there was a lot of frustrating scenes and acting to get through, but I will say that the past story line, and many action sequences made this season bearable enough that I'd recommend it only if you like superhero shows. Because it's a superhero show you have to have some suspension of disbelief, but if you're looking for the next award winning series, or you're into good ol' court drama then I'd say this isn't for you. There's enough in this freshman season to like, and see enough potential to even try out the next season.
7/10
