I’m really enjoying Arrow… is anyone else watching it? I mean, it’s not great TV, but it does a really good job of feeling like a comic book. Exciting, funny, but with moments of intensity and emotion, and some interesting long-term story arcs.
The actors are all decent to good… Stephen Amell seems pretty bland at first, but he has an intensity that never lets down. Not a huge emotional range, necessarily, but he fits the part well, Particularly good, I think, are the detective (Laurel’s father), Oliver’s mother, and the Australian guy on the island.
I haven’t read any of the comic books, so the DC-fan-nods are all mostly going over my head, although I keep getting hints about them while reading AV Club reviews…
I like the show, though I often find myself more interested in the flashbacks to the island than the present day. It has a pretty high body count for a prime time show. The weak points for me are anything to do with Thea, and Laurel’s dad, who looks like he’s trying to hold back a fart in every single scene.
The comic book shout-outs are… odd. Oliver’s nickname for Thea was Speedy, which is Green Arrow’s sidekick in the comics. Okay, because he doesn’t have a sidekick. But then they introduce Roy Harper (the purse snatcher), who was Speedy in the comics - how do they go there without the sister catching on? The rest of the time, they simply use familiar names, mostly from writers. Diggles is named for a writer on the comic, for instance, and a judge on the show is named for Mike Grell, who pretty much set the character’s current template back in the 80s, the way Frank Miller forever skewed Batman and Michelinie/Layton did Iron Man.
I’m the opposite. Hopefully next season he’ll get a haircut and not have to wear the awful wig.
It’s like Revenge, only less soapy and more superheroic, and I have grown to enjoy it. I like the nerdy girl, Felicity Smoak, and Diggle, but I can’t tell one brunette from another.
I am surprised at the number of people who are learning his secret identity*.
*I thought there was an episode where he revealed himself to his ex-GF Laurel, but I must be mis-remembering.
The bane of television - there always winds up a bunch of people figuring it out or getting told, though in this case he didn’t need to, imo. (however, my favorite scene in Smallville was when Chloe found out and was in a daze for like 12 hours). To be fair, when Grell wrote Green Arrow it was a running gag that only Oliver Queen thought his identity was secret, as a hoody’s not much of a disguise.
I’m watching and enjoying it. I especially like the flashbacks as well. I think they do a great job of teasing you with information about what happened on the island while continuing the present day storyline.
I’m enjoying the show. I just keep wondering why Det. Lance doesn’t have Bob help him whip up a potion to track down the vigilante. Also, will Moira succeed in getting Captain Jack killed (and will he stay dead?)
I really, really wanted to like this show, but I couldn’t get into it. Mainly it’s because I can’t stand watching Rich People Angst, and it’s really, really bad in Arrow.
Roy was the first Speedy - Ollie dropped him when he discovered Roy had a drug problem. Ollie could be a bit of an ass. Roy changed his superhero name to Arsenal while he was with the Teen Titans and later with the Outsiders (I think). He changed it to Red Arrow when he joined the Justice League.
Mia was the second Speedy. She was an ex-prostitute Ollie rescued during the Kevin Smith run on the title.
This is my issue with Thea. She wants to be seen as this special little tragic snowflake, so she acts like every other rich brat you’ve ever heard of - parties, drug arrests, car crashes. Her insisting on throwing her trial and going to prison to get back at her mother was one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen on televison. “Yeah, I’ll do two years in prison - that’ll show her!” :rolleyes: Fortunately, they don’t show her much.
Yeah, wearing a Van Dyke like the arrow-shooting vigilante and running a castle-shaped business named Sherwood Florist wasn’t exactly Bruce Wayne-style subterfuge. Warlord found his house in about an hour.
My wife and I loved Dresden and I still see and hear Paul when I read the book. (My wife hears James because she listens to the audio books.) It was the TV show that introduced us to the books! So, definitely sorry that the show is gone.
Loving Arrow! I was really worried about it but so far, only one early episode seemed “off” in the characters. Otherwise, for what it is, it’s a lot of fun!
I’m also one who is enjoying the triple-level of each show:
The plot of the week
The arch about what happened on the island
The arch about his mother, father’s death, father-in-law, etc.
I only hope they actually DO wrap up at least “what happened on the island” by the end of the first season. (We’ve been travelling, I’m about three shows behind.)
Jokes about Dresden Files aside, I definitely enjoy Arrow. I think it stumbled a bit early on, as I didn’t much care for the Green Arrow’s bullyin’ and muderin’, nor the fact that it took a while before they started introducing antagonists who were a threat to him in any way. let’s face it - the city may need him, but Arrow was a nasty man throughout the first half of his first season. The more recent episodes show him developing into more of a true hero, although he does really suck at keeping his identify secret. You’d think at least he’s try using a fake beard or something while in costume.
The only problem is that I think what happened on the island is going to get a bit too obvious. It seems pretty clear that somehow Bad Mercenary Captain Dude (BBMCD) is going to turn Slade to his side (hence he becomes Deathstroke), Yao Fei trains Oliver (possibly while playing BBMCD for time to rescue his daughter), Ollie won’t get off the island for another 6 & 3/4 years. Then BBMCD will get run off the island but almsot certainly turn out to be part of the evil villainy in Star City in some way.
