So we kick of my series of Arrowverse reviews by looking at the show that started it all. So to begin with, Arrow was originally going to be a spin-off to Smallville and would've featured the original actor who played the Green Arrow in that show. But when the actor chose not to return, the show was then changed and turned into something completely separate to Smallville and this is what we got. To sum up Arrow in a nutshell, its basically Batman if Batman was green and an archer while still have some of his villains like the League of Assassins and Deathstroke. But yes, this is the show that kicked off the Arrowverse and its the show that proved that DC can make great modern TV unlike Marvel. So let's get to it:
Season 1 - Island Arrival and Return to Starling City
So one thing that makes Arrow different to the other shows we will be talking about later this month is that each episode is focused on two separate time periods. The past focuses on Oliver Queen (played by Stephen Amell) and his five years of hell before returning home to Starling City. Then there's the present which focuses on Oliver back in Starling City and becoming someone and something else. So in the first season, Oliver is back in Starling City and reunites with his mother Moira (played by Susanna Thompson), his younger sister Thea (played by Willa Holland who also voices Aqua in the Kingdom Hearts games) and his best friend Tommy Merlyn (played by Colin Donnell). With the reunions sorted, he begins hunting down and occasionally killing those who he believes have failed Starling City at night, taking on a vigilante crusade and gaining help from his bodyguard John Diggle (played by David Ramsey) and fellow Queen Inc. employee Felicity Smoak (played by Emily Bett Rickards). He soon uncovers a conspiracy about destroying a poorer part of the city called the Glades where crime is at an all time high. Meanwhile the past focuses on his first year of hell and his arrival on the dreaded island. So as the first season of what will become a great show, its great. It establishes characters well, it reminiscent of Batman in almost every way and has a well thought out cast which includes a certain Time Agent from Doctor Who and Torchwood as well as a few good looking people which is something the CW is generally good at. So a great start and let's see where we go from here. 9/10
Season 2 - The Wrath of Deathstroke
Having dealt with the problems that came in season 2, the Hood continues his crime fighting agenda and vows not to kill criminals to stop crime while continuing to gain support from John Diggle and Felicity Smoak along with police officer Quentin Lance (played by Paul Blackthorne) who has come to accept the vigilante, and his two daughters Laurel (played by Katie Cassidy) and Sara (played by Caity Lotz) the latter of which had been missing for a while despite being with Oliver on the island. Oliver also takes on aspiring vigilante Roy Harper (played by Colton Haynes) as his protege while also dealing with an old adversary in the form of Slade Wilson (aka Deathstroke, played by Manu Bennett) both in the present and during year two of his five year hell. I got to say, I really like Bennett's portrayal of Slade Wilson. He comes across very intimidating and badass despite being evil and I like that things are working in Olly's favour for a change. Its also nice for Arrow to unintentionally set up another show for a certain speedster (which we will talk about next week). So yeah, its another great season that's action packed, very intense and makes you see some of the characters in a whole new light. 9/10
Season 3 - Arrival of the Assassins and the Fall of Amanda Waller
Having dealt with Slade Wilson, the Hood is hailed as a hero in Starling City. But despite that, Oliver struggles to maintain his current relationships and sells his company to aspiring businessman and hero Ray Palmer (played by former Superman, Brendan Routh). Laurel chooses to become the new Black Canary and follow in her sister's footsteps and the city is invaded by the League of Assassins who have an offer that Oliver cannot refuse if he wants to keep his people safe. Meanwhile in flashbacks, Oliver is recruited by head of ARGUS Amanda Waller (played by Cynthia Addai-Robinson) to prevent an event from happening that is connected to present day events. You know with the League of Assassins in full force in this season, it does seem to feel more like Batman every time. But in some way, its a good thing as it leaves for the imagination to run wild and let the vigilante be in the spotlight rather than Batman. Anyway, this is yet another great series that does a good job with character development and gets better and better as time goes on. Plus its also features our first Arrowverse crossover with a certain speedster who you see more than once in this season. 9/10
Season 4 - The Terror of Damien Darhk and Returning to the Island
So Olly has retired from being a vigilante and is enjoying a quiet life with Felicity. But the pair are soon called back to what is now called Star City and with his former vigilante persona tarnished, Olly starts calling his vigilante persona the Green Arrow. He also considers running for mayor, but matters are made worse when he finds out about having a son as well as the arrival of HIVE who's leader Damien Darhk (played by Neal McDonough) has big but dangerous plans for Star City that will push the Green Arrow to his limit and will have an effect on his allies too. In flashbacks, Olly returns to the island on orders from Amanda Waller to infiltrate the mysterious Shadowspire Organisation. So now we are at the stage of the show where villains are now using methods to take down each of the Green Arrow's allies in order to further infuriate our favourite masked archer and its great. This show keeps getting better and now that some of its characters have gone into another show (which we will talk about later this month), its less crowded which can be good or bad depending on how you feel about it. Anyway, season 4 gets a 9/10.
Season 5 - An Arrow Broken and The Final Year of Hell
With both Laurel and Thea having left the team for their own respective reasons, Olly forms a new team of heroes to join him on his vigilante crusade while also balancing his position as mayor of Star City. But a new villain in the form of Prometheus (played by Josh Segarra physically while voiced by Michael Dorn when the mask is on) comes to the city to break Oliver down piece by piece while having a connection to his past. In flashbacks, we come full circle with Oliver's final year of hell (though unlikely to be the last of the flashbacks) where he goes to Russia to be part of a plot to assassinate a high ranking person while also get training to be a hooded archer. I like that we get a villain who wants to take down Green Arrow mentally rather than physically and it works well for character development and such. I also like Arrow's new team of heroes which are all well thought out for the most part. But I just don't like cliffhangers that leave the fates of certain characters unknown. Plus I like that as it reached the 100th episode milestone, we get some familiar but fan favourite characters return too. And its also great to see how a certain time travelling event can affect things in this show (more on that next week). So season 5 gets a 9/10.
So overall, Arrow is great. It spends no time establishing the character and has us go straight to getting the costume and beginning the crusade rather than spending countless seasons fleshing out the characters like how its going with Gotham and how it went with Smallville. But overall, its a fantastic series that shows that there are other heroes who can be like Batman and don't need everything he has. Next week, we talk about a certain red speedster so I will see you then. 9/10
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