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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TV Review: Elementary Episode # 2 - "While You Were Sleeping"

Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson

A young man is murdered as he enters his apartment. A neighbor observes a woman as she leaves the apartment. Gregson (as expected) “consults” Sherlock on the case. Sherlock is delighted as this gives him a much needed excuse to skip the drug addiction recovery sessions he is forced to endure thanks to Watson.

As Sherlock works on the case, he discovers the existence of fraternal twins and a large inheritance at stake. A separate subplot involved Joan Watson and her ex-boyfriend, Ty Morstan (Bill Heck). This subplot did not add to the show's appeal in any way and felt more like a tactic to attract the female audience.

The mystery itself is pretty decent. The “drama” enacted by Holmes near the climax though was plain elementary.

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This episode was a big comedown from the pilot episode. The acting by Jonny Lee Miller goes all haywire. He seems to be heavily influenced by the performances of both Robert Downey Jr and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Right now, Miller’s take on the legendary detective looks quite uninspired. After watching this episode, it is really hard not to think of this show as a blatant attempt to cash in on the current hot streak Sherlock Holmes is enjoying in popular culture.

Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes

Lucy Liu on the other hand is still fine as Joan Watson. Unfortunately, she has nothing new to do in this episode. It is the same old getting to know Sherlock routine. This still might have worked, if only the Holmes-Watson interactions were any good let alone exceptional. Unfortunately, that is not the case here.

Sherlock Holmes always liked locks

On to the trivia section. Here are the Canonical references:

1.   In the novel A Study in Scarlet, Holmes refers to the human mind as an attic that he fills only with relevant data. Miller’s Sherlock makes the same statement.

2.   Miller’s Sherlock identifies a particular brand of deodorant. This reminded me of a similar deduction made by Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles from the note of warning sent to Sir Henry Baskerville.

3.   Miller’s Sherlock comments to Watson about how easy it is to fake a certain medical condition. The faking of a medical condition is a major part of the story The Adventure of the Dying Detective.

4.   In the story The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, Holmes displays his burgling kit, complete with keys, glass-cutter and a jimmy. This episode has a scene where Sherlock is playing with locks.

5.   Sherlock playing the violin is one of his trademark attributes from the Canon. The episode ends with Sherlock playing his violin.

Watson reintroduces Holmes to his violin

For all these references to the original stories, the passable mystery and Liu’s efforts, the whole episode seems like a half-hearted effort. Uninspired – the one word sums up the episode in a nutshell.

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