Don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years! Arrow is back with a bang, as Season 3 immediately re-establishes itself as the premiere comic book TV show. With strong developments, great plot twists, and an ending that will make you scream, Arrow is off to a great start. While it will easily be overshadowed by it’s “Flashier” counterpart, there is a sense of comfort here that is unparalleled. Where in the past, Starling City has been home to an angsty vigilante, it looks like the future could be bright and bring about a new era in heroics. Now we just have to get through the relationship drama.
The episode opens with Team Arrow taking down some crook in a giant truck, tearing down the streets only to be systematically defeated by Roy, Diggle, and the Arrow himself. While crime is down, Ollie is clearly having a hard time trying to get his life running, with his good standing in Queen Consolidated ruined last season, and his relationship with Sara gone down the drain. As he turns to Diggle and Felicity for guidance, a new Count Vertigo arrives, more powerful than his predecessor, and ready to make his mark. But it’s the blow you don’t expect that hits the hardest, and as the episode draws to a close, life for Team Arrow gets to be much more difficult…
Arrow is smart to immediately get the story started, spending little time on recap and lots of time on forward progression. The introduction of Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer is already one of the greatest things on the show. I’m a fan of Routh and his commitment to comic book roles (This is his fourth by my count), and it’s great to see that he is having so much fun in the role. He effortlessly steals every scene, much as he is intended to. His character and his speech at Queen Consolidated make me very giddy for what is to come. I can only hope that he will become the Atom one day and have his own exciting adventures.
Another bright light in the pilot is the handling of the Ollie/Felicity pairing, or “Olicity” as the internet calls them. While I know that some people don’t like the relationship aspects of the show, I think they are a welcome break from the roughness of the action. The couple has been built up for a couple of years, and after the season finale which directly played with fans emotions, it was cool to see them begin to address the very real elephant in the room. Genuine scripting and emotion were key here, and some very progressive steps were made towards their development. This isn’t the last of Olicity, and I am glad to see that the powers at be are taking the coupling seriously.
Of course, the premiere isn’t perfect. The five month jump between season 2 and where we are right now leaves a lot behind, and it’s a bit of a mess. Unfortunately, this jump pales in comparison to the immediate pain that I feel with the loss of Slade Wilson in the flashbacks. I don’t think the creators realized how truly engaging he was, and though the introduction of the once and future Katana is cool, I have pretty much no reason to care right now. In time this will surely change, but for now, the flashback felt lacking.
Overall, Arrow is a strong premiere episode. It has everything you want in a season opener and it builds towards a bright tomorrow. Oh yeah, and the last five minutes of the show will grab your attention and grab a hold of you until the same time next week. I cannot wait to see where things go from here!
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