I am so disappointed in Arrow. I want the show to be great but this was the most predictable hour of TV I’ve seen all year.
Villains galore, love triangles, and shadowy conspiracies; all the elements are there and yet Arrow keep squandering its potential. The show has had some great moments and perhaps one standout episode throughout its run so far, but it still hasn’t hit the ground running. I honestly don’t think it’ll tap into its full potential before the season finale and that’s a shame as I so wanted this debut season to blow my mind. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy the show. On the contrary, I actually look forward to watching it every week because what the show has managed to do well is carve an intriguing world that I actually like spending time in. I just wish the rest of the show would catch up and live up to it.
Arrow‘s core problem was perfectly showcased in this week’s standalone plot (can we please shift gears to full-on serialized?) From the moment Diggle doubted Ollie in the beginning of the hour, I think everyone predicted he would see the error of his ways by the time the climax hit. It’s a pity really as the writers took the most expected route while dealing with this mundane storyline. They raised a somewhat interesting notion with the idea that not all the people on Oliver’s list are bad, but they didn’t really run with the concept.
The show’s biggest standout is undoubtedly Moira. Susanna Thompson is the show’s MVP and she rocks every single scene with her inherent charm and amusing sneakiness. In addition, her relationship with Merlyn senior provides much of the show’s mystery so let’s hope they keep the focus on these two and their machinations. Less interesting are Tommy’s daddy issues and the fact that Laurel really isn’t doing much besides looking pretty on the sidelines. I did however love the insinuation that it was Merlyn’s wife that drove Daddy to clean up Starling City and assume his mantle of menace. It grounds the Big Bad and that’s always important.
Finally, the flashbacks showed promise again (after last week’s uselessness). I enjoyed watching Ollie infiltrate the island prison, and the episode’s cliffhanger was somewhat compelling with his mentor turning on him. More of this please.
Bits & Arrows
– I love Oliver and Felicity. She really should join the core cast ASAP as she’s infinitely more amusing than 90% of them.
– So who killed Tommy’s mom?
– Ollie sure killed a lot of people in this one. Not bad, at least he’s living up to the vigilante title.
– Thea is getting more interesting. Although her affair suspicions were lame, I’m intrigued by this “Vertigo” drug and her arrest at the end.
Conclusion
An underwhelming and highly predictable hour of Arrow.
Nad Rating
C-
Well, I find this ep rather emotional, Nadim.
It's about how to keep your loved ones safe
by keeping secrets that would in turn mean
earning the ire of the same loved ones you
are trying to protect.
I empathize what Moira is going through.
Her choices and actions though comes into Thea's
focus because Thea is actually very dependent on her.
And, I think Merlyn, Sr. has a thing for the elegant Moira.
What, with those subtle caresses that Thea unfortunately
witnessed.
Twice, to boot!
Funny thing is, Moira doesn't seem to be aware of these
subtle instances.
I love Mommy Q even when she seems so bad, she's still
adorable.
Hahaha.
Well, my man Digs is still… Digs.
I think the writers are starting to hint on Digs romantic
angle.
Interesting on the turn of events in the island.
We see a naive Ollie assuming a role he has no idea how
to play.
Oh well, he's got to start somewhere.
It's nice to see Ollie and Thea bonding.
I'm interested to see what steps Ollie will take on
Thea about this.
24/7 guarding? Bring along on the mission? Hahaha.
Nice to see The IT Princess again.
Felicity's scenes are often short but so enjoyable. 😀
The character I'm most interested in is Thea! And I'm pretty sure this Vertigo storyline will give us some more serializing, so things should get more interesting! ;o)
It wasn't quite up to snuff (I didn't care either way for Ben Browder's character), but it was better than the previous episode! ;o)
I wish I found it as emotional as you Rosebud. Sorry for the late reply but it REALLY bored me! I love the show and want it to turn epic soon!
Thea is quite interesting, and I haven't read the comics but apparently some very interesting things happen in her journey so I hope we'll get to explore her more!
I seem to be enjoying your reviews more than the actual show, HAHA! No really, I love it so far. It's interesting and everything but you're right, it's just “not catching up and living up to it” yet, and I can't tell what the problem is, so far.
Everything was as predictable as you said–except that cliffhanger, I am intrigued. But to me, honestly, after 11 episodes my favorite so far has been the Pilot. I hope the rest of the reasons picks up the pace a little and gets better because I am in love with these characters already. Stephen Amell, in particular, has been awesome. What a great casting choice.
Oh don't worry Chris, you're gonna get impressed soon enough 🙂 Keep your comments coming!