TV Review: Arrow Episode # 3 - "Lone Gunmen"

Stephen Amell as Arrow

Arrow is about to take down his latest target, John Holder (Tobias Slezak). An unknown assassin beats him at his own game and kills Holder just as Arrow is confronting him.

This killer turns out to be Deadshot (Michael Rowe) uses bullets tipped with Curare, a rare poison. Deadshot’s next target happens to be Walter Steele (Colin Salmon), Oliver’s new stepfather.

Michael Rowe as Deadshot

Oliver decides to take help from the official force and approaches Detective Lance.

In the episode’s subplot, Thea breaks into a shop in search for drugs and is grounded. We also some more flashbacks about Oliver’s time spent on the island.

Deadshot is a well-known character in the DC Comics and it was disappointing that his character was not given much scope in this episode. In the brief moments, that we get to see him, he is doing the usual lone assassin stuff - striking macho pose, checking his weapons etc. I hope they do a better job with Deathstroke and other prominent DC villains and not treat them as a regular weekly villain of the show type character.

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To make things worse, the show is getting little bit repetitive. I find the same 2 threads in all 3 episodes so far:

1. Oliver going after a corrupt businessman/mobster.
2. CWesque romantic subplots

Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak

On the bright side Amell is still appealing as Oliver/Arrow. Colin Donnell gets more screen time as Tommy Merlyn.

We are introduced to a new character, Felicity Smoak played by Emily Bett Rickards. Felicity works in the IT department of Queen's company and looks set to be this show's version of Lucius Fox. Oliver gets another ally at the end of the episode and I will leave it at that to keep this review spoiler-free.

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Image Source: CW

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TV Review: Arrow Episode # 2 - "Honor Thy Father"

Stephen Amell as Arrow

Click here to read the review of the pilot episode.

Oliver makes a court appearance to have this death certificate nullified. We get more details about the shipwreck in this scene and towards the end of the episode.

Oliver’s mother expects him to take over the company. Oliver is dead set against such a move and even makes a public announcement about his intentions. Not everything is down in Oliver’s life though. On the upside, Oliver bonds with his sister, Thea Queen (Willa Holland).

Willa Holland and Stephen Amell as Thea Queen and Oliver Queen

The focus of this episode is not only on Oliver, but also on his ex-girlfriend, Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy). Laurel is prosecuting Martin Somers, a mobster with links to the Chinese Triad. Things get personal when the mob makes an attempt on Laurel’s life. Oliver saves the day and goes after Somers.

In one of the secondary plots, Oliver’s friend Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell) is up to no good and is quite resentful of Laurel's affections for Oliver.

Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy as Oliver Queen and Laurel Lance in Arrow

Pros

• Stephen Amell shows strong improvement on the acting front. His facial expressions sometimes reminded me of Christian Bale (as Bruce Wayne). Amell may not be Christian Bale, but he is no Robert Pattinson either.
• If Twilight was the target last week, this episode takes a nice jab at the Kardashians. I love these digs.

Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen

Cons

• Paul Blackthorne (born 1969) and Katie Cassidy (born 1986) do not make a believable father-daughter duo. They are more suited to be a couple!
• Kelly Hu does not have much to do as China White, an assassin with an outlandish hairdo. She appears in just 3 scenes and her total screen time would definitely be just around 5 minutes. Her climactic showdown with Arrow is strangely anti-climactic and is a major letdown. Kelly was way more intimidating and effective as Yuriko Oyama / Lady Deathstrike in X2: X-Men United (2003).

Kelly Hu did much better as Lady Deathstrike (R) than as China White (L)

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Summary

The writers have done some excellent character development and Amell is eminently watchable. Both these factors bode very well for the show’s future.

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Image Sources: CW, Comicvine

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TV Review: Arrow - Pilot Episode

Stephen Amell as Arrow

Billionaire playboy has lost some near and dear ones in a tragic accident and is forever changed by it. He moonlights as vigilante to clean up his city and bring it back to its former days of glory. His girlfriend is an attorney with a strong sense of justice.

This is not a summary of Batman Begins, but of the pilot episode of Arrow, the latest CW series featuring a DC Comics character. Bruce Wayne/Batman is now Oliver Queen/Arrow. Rachel Dawes is Dinah “Laurel” Lance. Gotham is now Starling City.

Oliver Queen, the castaway

Ok, now let’s start with the plot… Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) loses his father, Robert Queen (Jamey Sheridan) on the high seas after a violent shipwreck.  His longtime girlfriend Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) also loses her sister, Sarah (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) in the same accident.

After being stranded in an island for 5 years, he returns to the city to find his mother Moira Queen (Susanna Thompson) together with Walter Steele (Colin Salmon). He finds himself emotionally detached from his mother. His sister, Thea Queen (Willa Holland) and buddy, Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell) are glad to have him back.

Arrow Begins, anyone?

In true Batman Begins style, Oliver starts gathering his weapons and starts a war on the criminals in Gotham, I mean Starling City. First on his list is Adam Hunt (Brian Markinson). Oliver manages to alternatively outwit/strong-arm his bodyguard John Diggle (David Ramsey) to carry on his vigilante work. Detective Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne), father of Laurel and the deceased Sarah, is on the trail of the new vigilante in his city.

Meanwhile, Moira is out to find out what happened on the day of the shipwreck and she is ready to go to any extent to achieve her goal.

Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy as Oliver Queen and Laurel Lance

I was initially not sure about this show after seeing the previews. Despite the considerable similarities to a certain Caped Crusader, the pilot was very interesting and held my attention.

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All the roles have been nicely cast and the actors look comfortable. Special mention must be made of Willa Holland as Thea Queen. She does an excellent job and I cannot wait to see her assume the role of Speedy.

Stephen Amell and Willa Holland as Oliver Queen/Arrow and Thea Queen/Speedy

I liked the brief appearance of Deathstroke's mask. Equally good was the hilarious reference to Twilight.

Looks like CW has a winner on their hands, along the lines of Smallville.

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