TVC: Arrow Season 3 Review!

Here it is, the controversial third season of the hit tv show Arrow! Mild Spoilers!

After the explosive sophomore season of Arrow, the third installment decided to take things slow and start off their season in a very comfortable way. No big baddies coming to get team Arrow, instead the episode mostly portrays the new status quo of the show and embraces the fun as we get to see how each character has slipped back into everyday (mostly) life. This also introduces Ray Palmer, played by ex-Superman fame Brandon Routh, who is such a delight in the beginning of this season. He's basically the better version of Oliver without all the hate and darkness stored in his soul. Ray is a ball of sunshine that gives the dour memories that the characters have an interesting foil when a bright eyes bushy tailed business man thinks he can save the city his way vs their vigilantism.

The first third of this season had a feel good tone to it which allowed fans to enjoy the show without any big plot direction in mind, save for the mystery it started at the end of episode one. This mystery created a reason for fans to come back, or spit at the show depending on how much of a fan you were of this character. However, this mystery also created situations that would have been amazing character development if the writers were paying attention, but instead the characters slowly started to degrade over the season because of it and that is where the season started to feel wonky to me.

I really enjoyed the first half of Arrow Season three. They introduced Ray Palmer taking over Queen Consolidates, Oliver is now penniless, and everyone seems to be getting more character moments. That and it's upbeat. Say what you will with how dour you like your Arrow, but after everything Oliver had been through with Slade it felt like he really deserved having this peaceful life of fighting crime. Another angle I really enjoyed in this first half was the fact that more focus was put on Felicity. She didn't have much of a character in season one, and in two she got a little more focused and put in the spotlight here and there, but this is the season where you got to see her "origin" story, and I have to admit that I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. Also, her little stint with Ray was just cute!

Unfortunately, that also leads into what I didn't like this season, also focusing on Felicity. Arrow fans have always said that this season was the season that ruined Felicity, and after watching it I can understand why they said that. Her character isn't ruined for me, but it looked like the writers weren't sure what they were doing with her. If she kept Oliver has a crush, but moved into an actual relationship with Ray, I think it would have benefited her character more than having multiple episodes where she flip-flops between them. Also, half of her scenes this season were of her crying, and laying down the law by saying what Oliver was planning was stupid. She helped, and hacked, but it was frustrating to watch this show when half of what Felicity does is cry and mope.

Similarly, Laurel is in the same boat in a character perspective. Her sister Sarah was murdered at the beginning of the season, and for some reason she wanted to keep it a secret from her father. I can see how you can get a few dramatic episodes of her inner pain and her clueless father, but the longer she lied to him, the more irrational she seemed to be. Laurel isn't a character I liked in the beginning, but I did think that the writers made her interesting in season two. Now, I'm not sure what to think of her. They set up some great story lines for her, but Laurel kept acting selfish and childish that it really started to bug me. She would get hospitalized, and interfere with Oliver's Arrow business time and time again, only to be yelled at as a punishment. Her character has never learned nor taken responsibility for anything this season, and again her scenes were frustrating to watch.

Speaking of uncharacteristic, this season decided to show the villain and his plan in the last third, about six episodes from the end. I didn't think I would like Ra's Al Ghul in this adaptation, but surprisingly the actor they got really provided an air about him that felt overpowering. At first glance you'd expect Oliver can take him, but the last story line this season had really showed how powerful and menacing Ra's Al Ghul could be, and that was a nice surprise. Sadly, though, the last four episodes were some of the best and worst for the season. So much was crammed into those four episodes, and so many characters were double crossing everyone that the story and the characters didn't have time to breath. Team Arrow literally goes from one revelation to another, and barely had time to process anything, so the last four episodes were essentially every character going "I don't trust Oliver, He's dead to me." and that was so freaking frustrating because now everyone felt like they were acting irrationally.

I do believe that this season started off strong, but somewhere down the line the writers either didn't know where they were going, or they didn't plan enough on how long certain story lines would take. The last four episodes should have taken six to eight, and the middle episodes were devoted to Oliver recovering and his flashbacks. The pacing was definitely off, and what could have been great character moments amounted only to frustratingly childish decisions that these grown ass adults were making. Plus, this season introduced so many new superheroes who fight just as well as Oliver with only a fraction of his training. Seriously, Thea can't be as good as Oliver in only a summer. The writing was sloppy, nobody seemed to know how to pronounce Ra's on the show (at least have everybody saying his name one way) and characters cried more than they needed to. There are good things about this show, and I think Ray helped out a lot in that department, but overall the ending was such a slog to go through that this season will leave a sour note in your mouth. It's not as bad as season one, but definitely a step back in storytelling and character from season two.

7/10