Contributor: John Keegan
Written by Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, and Marc Guggenheim
Directed by David Nutter
When “Arrow” was first announced, I was a bit concerned about the notion of basing a series around Green Arrow, but without any connection to the character’s previous appearance on “Smallville”. After all, Green Arrow was very popular on “Smallville”, and that show only ended a short time ago on the very same network. Why, then, wipe the slate clean and start fresh?
As it turns out, there was a very good reason, if the tone of the premiere is any indication. “Smallville” was admittedly too lighthearted for its own good sometimes. It tried to go dark several times along its run, notably in the beginning of its final season, but it always seemed to step back from the abyss and remain family-friendly. “Arrow” doesn’t exactly slip into mature-content mode at any point, but it does push towards the kind of action and content familiar to viewers of “Supernatural” or “Nikita”.
“Nikita” might be the more natural comparison, actually, because this is clearly an attempt to take the general aesthetic of the Nolan “Batman” films and translate them to a television budget. For the most part, that more grounded approach still works just fine, and much like “Nikita” and its attempt to replicate the “Bourne” production values, this is a nice middle ground in keeping with the budget.
The show is going to get a few digs for being a bit similar to the “Batman Begins” story, but I’m not sure how that would have been avoided. While I’m sure there are some devoted DC fans out there that would correct this misconception, as a relatively casual DC fan, I’ve always felt like Green Arrow was practically Batman with a different color palette and an archery fetish. The origin stories are not that different, so of course it would fall into similar patterns at this stage.
At the same time, why should this be a problem? Oliver Queen is clearly a damaged individual, more anti-hero than Boy Scout, and that comes through very well in the premiere. Stephen Amell does a perfectly good job of giving life to the character, and it doesn’t take too long to stop comparing him to the actor who played Oliver on “Smallville”.
One very important element is the casting of Dinah Laurel Lance. Katie Cassidy has gained a strong reputation among genre fans, going back to her days as Ruby on “Supernatural”, and she has definitely grown as a leading lady. Not only is she drop-dead gorgeous, but she has a strong personality that allows her to go toe-to-toe with Oliver throughout the episode. I’m looking forward to the possibility that she pulls on the fishnets as Black Canary, because it would be a step up from the disappointing “Smallville” version, to say the least.
Willa Howard plays Oliver’s younger sister, who has the suggestive nickname of “Speedy”. From what I’ve been told, this is an indication that she could end up being a sidekick for Oliver in the future, which would play very well into her rebellious portrayal. Howard might need a few more episodes to settle into the role, at least compared to Amell and Cassidy, but she gets the job done.
One big factor in my engagement with this series is the passion of the producers and cast. I was fortunate enough to attend their panel at New York Comic-Con (the audio from which will feature in a future episode of The Critical Myth Show), and despite it being early on a Sunday morning, they were fired up about the show and eager for fans to see some of the upcoming content. This is a project they clearly believe in, and if that passion translates onto the screen as the season progresses, this could be a worthy addition to the genre!
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Score: 7/10
