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Arrow: Lone Gunman

I had a bad case of lazy writer this week, so I'm sorry about the lateness of this review. I think I'm still feeling a little lukewarm about this series, not that that is an excuse, but I feel like they aren't taking the risks I would like them to... Which is a bit like building up an imaginary show in my head and then getting disappointed when the reality isn't what I'd created. Which is probably why so many book adaptations get panned.

Anyway, I was really worried that the show would quickly devolve into a super villain of the week, a la Meteor Freaks from Smallville. With the introduction of a second big-name source material villain in as many weeks, I'm starting to get worried that the show just might be falling into that rut already. Don't get me wrong, the villain wasn't bad and it created some strange and interesting dynamics with sniper rifle versus bow and arrow... yet he didn't seem to help the story they were telling. Instead it felt like they shoehorned in a big villain to have a big villain.

The way Arrow went after Deadshot also felt a little hypocritical. It was like, how dare you kill this guy before I got to exact my vengeance upon him. Which is one of the things about Oliver that I hope they work on. Also, I think they need to work on Oliver's behavior around his family. He's totally inconsistent, one minute he's an immature playboy, the next he is a cold judgmental super-adult. He needs to stick with one persona, or the supporting characters will lose credibility in not figuring out that something is going on with him.

Speaking of Oliver's family. I like Thea, but I'm a little mixed about what the producers are doing with her character. I'm glad they aren't just fixing her problems, but at the same time I'm getting a little frustrated that Oliver seems to be unwilling to help her, well besides scolding her. Mama Queen seems to be a bit of an enigma, which is better than one-dimensional, but still I'm not finding her that interesting. I was pleasantly surprised when Dig woke up and Oliver didn't even attempt to hide who he was. It marks some progress, and gives me hope that this series might grow into something special.

Bits:

Laurel and Quentin didn't really have any scenes together, which may be why I didn't care for this episode as much.

I liked the quirky tech-girl. She was fun, and I got the impression that she might possibly be a continuing character, albeit a minor one.

When they introduced family for Dig, it signaled to me that they were about to broaden his character's place within the series.

Stephen Amell is a decent actor, but he is no Emily VanCamp and I think they should really cut out that raspy voice over introduction.

Arrow needs an Alfred if only to sew him up.

Deadshot appears to have tattooed of all of his victims names onto his body, which would make for some interesting evidence if he was ever arrested.

It'd be kind of cool if the Glades changes during the course of the series, as Arrow's actions help the community.

Spiderman moment!

I like that Stephen Amell can look normal, unlike Tom Welling who was too big and superhero looking to pull off normal.

Okay, Tommy might not be so bad. (Although he still gives me slimy politician vibes).

Overall it wasn't a bad episode, but I wasn't really that thrilled with it.

2 1/2 out of 4 Cybernetic eye patches.

Samantha M. Quinn spends most of her time in front of a computer typing away at one thing or another; when she has free time, she enjoys pretty much anything science fiction or fantasy-related.

7 comments:

  1. Like you, I was lukewarm about this episode. The show is certainly still finding its legs.

    But, I really liked the end. I'm glad Oliver has someone who knows. Good choice on the part of the writers because, I agree with you, his behavior is beginning to seem a bit inconsistent for people not to notice.

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  2. I agree that Oliver needs to be a little more consistent in his behavior. At home he sometimes acts like he's the only grown-up in the family, yet when he's out in public he's often playing the careless playboy who's looking to open a nightclub. He needs to pick a cover persona and stick with it.

    I am glad though that Thea's getting a little better. The irresponsible little sister thing would get old if it dragged on too long. I don't expect her to always be on her best behavior, but this episode was a nice step forward.

    We got our first sign of Laurel's fighting skills, which was good. Assuming that they will at some point have her become a version of Black Canary, it's good they established her skills early, so they won't seem to just conveniently appear later.

    Felicity Smoak's actually the name from DC Comics history, though the only hero I know she has ties to is Firestorm. But it's still cool that they used a known name. In the comics I believe she was an exec for a software company or something. The Felicity we met could easily be where someone like that would start their career. IMDB says she'll be back at least a few more times, and she's clearly no fool. I hope they don't turn her into one when it comes to what Oliver's up to. Oh, and she's VERY pretty, don't think I didn't notice. :)

    LOVED the ending with Oliver revealing himself to Dig! Dig clearly knew Oliver was up to more than he was sharing, so I'm glad they let him find out quickly. And like you JD I'm glad Oliver didn't make any effort to hide.

    Which comes to an issue where I hope this show doesn't go down the same route Smallville did. Smallville took WAY too long giving Clark a stable of allies. Granted he had his parents in the early years but he needed friends he could be himself around. It took until Season 6 before he had more than one of those at a time. Between that and the interminable wait for Clark to finally take flight, many in their audience lost patience with the show and left. I would much rather this show have Oliver build himself a team early on, even if it's not a large one. Leaving the supporting characters in the dark for too long just makes them look like fools.

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  3. I'm still lukewarm about this series, too, for a lot of the reasons you mentioned, J.D. But I really like Dig and I was happy to see how they ended the episode. I'm willing to give it a few more episodes.

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  4. Dig is my man in this series.

    Ollie now have a good ally in his quest.

    And Dig has a love interest already. :)

    Btw, I like the Tech Girl, too.

    She doesn't look to be easily fooled. :)

    Thanks for the review, J.D.

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  5. Well, after not loving the first two episodes, I actually liked this one. When it started, I could not believe the plot was going to be, once again, Oliver chasing another bad guy from his father’s list. And then, twist, the guy is dead.

    Yes, the plot wasn’t perfect, but we got a lot of good character moments. I especially liked that we learned more about Dig and that Thea got much needed development. They are my favorites so far.

    At the bar scene, when everyone started to fight and Laurel also came in kicking some ass, I was on disbelief. Come on, how many people on this series know hot to fight? But she had such cool moves, and it made sense with her dad being a cop and overprotective that he would have encouraged her to take some self-defense classes. Also, I’m a Buffy fan, I cannot resist girl power.

    Loved the TechGirl. She was adorable.

    One thing I need to get off my chest, though: Starling City? Starling? Seriously? That’s such a lame name! Terrible. God, I wonder when I’ll get used to that name...

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  7. The quirky tech girl. She might be an interesting minor character....hmmm.

    I JUST NOW noticed the trash can at the bottom of my comment boxes where I can delete my comments when I do not proofread them successfully.

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