Contributor: John Keegan
Written by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg
Directed by David Barrett
It’s always interesting to see a show move from pilot to series. In some cases, like “Lost”, it’s a question of how a massive pilot budget will translate into an ongoing production schedule. In others, like “Babylon 5”, the cast goes through some rearrangement. In the case of “Arrow”, it’s more subtle, from the way that certain sets and effects look to the style of an actor’s makeup and hair.
For that reason, a lot of folks consider the second episode to be, on a certain level, a second pilot. The first impression has been made, but now the case has to be made to move forward. This has tripped up plenty of promising shows (look at this season’s “Last Resort”, and how quickly it is losing momentum), but I didn’t get that feeling with “Arrow”. If anything, this feels like the logical next step.
Green Arrow is a natural modern Robin Hood, and given some of the political and social issues in recent years, perhaps it makes sense that the dirty portions of the “1%” in Star(ling) City are first in line. Of course, Oliver is also working off a list of people that he suspects were involved in the accident that led to his father’s death and his exile on that island, so it all fits together rather well. It’s also a good way to start Oliver on his way towards a wider heroism, as his current path of vengeance transforms, over time, into something greater.
I’m not familiar with China White, in terms of the DC Comics incarnation, but I didn’t feel like this was too far outside the semi-realism that the show has been trying to establish. It’s certainly better than some of the “real world” outfits that used to be seen on “Smallville”! If the producers are still trying to emulate the “Batman” films from Nolan, then they are doing a capable job.
I’m not sure that I understand Oliver’s logic towards the end of the episode, but my take on it was that Oliver understood that the only way to continue his crusade was to play the part he had written for himself before the island. If that meant hiding his suspicions about his mother and not showing Dinah that he had grown from his experience, then that is what he’ll do. And if it’s partially about making up for how the family empire has stepped on others over the decades, then his outrageous behavior serves to tear down the family’s good name in that respect as well.
This is all designed to give the series, and the season, a good starting point, as we know that there will be other characters that make an appearance, and Dinah Lance is hardly going to remain out of the fishnets forever. But the writers seem to be taking pains to make the development of those characters and events work within the semi-realism that they are establishing, and the first two episodes have bought them plenty of patience.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Score: 7/10
