Arrow Season 1 Review

No spoilers.

by Tom Yorlum

 

He’s the Hood. Unlike Batman, he doesn’t need a mask, because people can’t see under the shadow of a hood. Or recognize his voice, given he only interacts with characters he knows in real life when he’s acting as “the Hood.”

Am I being harsh? Yeah, I am. I enjoy this show. The dialogue is goofy at times. The storylines flow well and aren’t stagnant for too long, but rather than have natural conversations, it’s like the writers say “We have to accomplish this, this and this between Oliver and Laurel, in the episode, so let’s have them all come up at once.” Sometimes it’s like the characters are reading off a bulleted list. It reminds you this is a TV show, not real life. I don’t like the shock of that. Is it that hard to make a cheesy transition? At least show us some effort?

I can live with this. I’m annoyed, as you can tell, but I can live with it. The show tries, and after a struggle in the first 2-3 episodes, really hits its stride and it’s a fun ride. The story doesn’t stay stagnant for long, and the characters are a lot of fun. ALL of them. The criminals are fun, and surprisingly the use of arrows doesn’t get old. I also really like Laurel’s dad. He’s a great pseudo-nemesis for the Arrow, and it’s fun to watch him begrudgingly work with the vigilante. Felicity is amazing as well.

Batman comparisons will be made, but I actually like the character of Oliver better than Bruce Wayne (albeit I’m not your biggest Batman fan). You see more of the struggles of living a double life, and for some reason this scenario is more believable. I don’t know where he learned to make all those goof gadget arrows, but I don’t dwell on it either.

That’s about all I have to say on the matter. Good show, you’ll love the characters. Drama never gets too soapy (though I could see how some might disagree), and though the cheesy “I gotta talk about all these things though there’s nothing leading up to it” dialogue rears its ugly head every so often, you just have to roll your eyes and keep going.

Bottom Line: It’s not perfect, but give it leeway and this may be one of the better shows on TV right now. I’m excited to start watching season 2 (I already have, actually, so ha!).