So How Was Arrow Season 3?

So How Was Arrow Season 3?

So Arrow season 3. Boy has this one split the fans straight down the middle. You could easily argue that the show has really upped the stakes and taken things in a bold new direction while others could just as easily talk of how the show has become bloated and lacking in focus. My thoughts? Read ahead and beware of spoilers.

 

So Arrow season 3 starts 6 months after the end of season 2. Everyone’s happy for once and the whole crime fighting thing is going well. Being a 23 episode season Arrow has to at least at the start be very episodic with a villain of the week thing going on and season 3 was no exception. While this is not a bad thing as these villains are often used well and early season 3 felt a lot like early season 1 and 2.

 

The big thing of course was Sara dying very early on. Whether you liked this season or not you cannot help but agree that there were some seriously big twists and moments in Arrow season 3. Some bold moves were certainly made to the show and this is where some people have a lot of problems. Arrow’s biggest strength in my eyes has always been its core group of characters. While side characters have always been sort of up and down the main group, usually Oliver, Diggle and Felicity have always had great and interesting interactions and been enjoyable. This ‘Team Arrow’ was what made the show tick. Season 3 introduced a lot of new characters and equally bought a lot of others into the spotlight. While especially towards the end of the show some of the shows lesser characters such as Laurel, Thea and Roy were really improved and developed. New characters were also introduced and the show became rather bloated. This was one of the shows biggest shortcomings however. With so many characters it didn’t give enough screen time to pass around. Going into season 4 however the show is looking far more streamlined so hopefully this won’t continue being a problem.

 

Arrow’s flashbacks have always been a high point for me of every episode. The plot going on was always just as if not more exciting than the present day and it always linked and benefitted the present day plot seeing the island flashbacks. Hong Kong was an interesting turn, however I don’t think it worked. I don’t think they really added to the show and honestly the flashbacks I enjoyed most were the ones focused on characters other than Oliver. I know I’m not the only one to share this opinion, hopefully the flashbacks will pick up again in season 4.

 

More problems. Arrow is a dark and gritty show but the darkness and grit has gone into overload in this season. Especially when compared to the Flash Arrow to some has seemed extremely dark and over dramatic. Strangely however I haven’t had a problem with it. The theme of season 3 has been self-identity and discovering oneself and a dark tone I think was necessary. It’s easy to forget what these characters are going through. After everything Oliver has been through and always prevailed Ra’s al Ghul broke him. As for the romance related angst I again think this was an important point. Oliver needed to learn to accept both himself and the love and support from others to progress as a character. Do I think this was all done perfectly? No, it was a little overdone at times however I’d rather they try to progress the character like they did than keep the show standing still.

 

A problem I did however with the identity theme was that the show at times didn’t really feel like Arrow any more. Arrow at times was used as a platform to promote spin offs and new characters and at other times everything got a tad convoluted. Despite me enjoying the new characters and an interesting new direction I want Arrow to remain as Arrow, not a stepping stone for other shows.

 

I’ve moaned enough, a lot of good came out of the series. I’ve mentioned I enjoyed some of the characters developments and I’ve really enjoyed Ra’s al Ghul. He was everything I wanted Ra’s al Ghul to be. I loved the presence he had every time he was on screen. There was such a sophistication to him and yet it was made very apparent how powerful he was. He was also very interesting as a character with some interesting backstory and giving us some interesting insight into the league of Assassins. Season 2 had one incredible villain in Slade Wilson but I think season 3 did as well as it possibly could to follow up on the fantastic Deathstroke.

 

I really need to talk about Malcom Merlin. I really want him to be back for season 4, Merlin is perhaps one of my favourite television characters period. Always an ulterior motive, always having a plan and being a lot of fun to watch on screen. I really liked the twist of him working with Oliver, any time we saw Malcom really lit up the scene. 

 

Arrow season 3 is very difficult to talk about as parts of it were very average and parts of it I thought were up there with the best Arrow has ever been. The episode that stands out in my head is the one where Roy left, I thought that one was great. My overall thoughts however are extremely mixed as I like most the individual elements, not including the flashbacks of course. I still really like the main characters, Oliver is still an incredibly well written and developed character, Diggle is great and even after not quite being as great as last year Felicity is still a superb character. I liked the tone, the action was cool, I liked the Atom and how Thea has developed. Laurel has come on leaps and bound to become one of my favourite characters, the villain was great, there were some great twists I really didn’t see coming and I appreciate what the show was trying to do to keep Arrow fresh and interesting even if it seemed to bite off more than it could chew at some points. Did I enjoy it as much as season 2? Honestly no, however I still think Arrow season 3 was a very good season of television. Take my opinion for what it is, a very biased opinion from a fan of the show but for what it’s worth I thought it was really good. It had its problems for sure but they definitely do not hold Arrow back enough to make the show any less than really good.

Arrow Season 3 Episode 17 - Suicidal Tendencies Review

Arrow Season 3 Episode 17 - Suicidal Tendencies Review

Another episode of Arrow comes and another cliff hanger leaves us all impatiently for next week’s episode.

 

Suicidal tendencies was, shocker, a suicide squad episode following the newly wed Mr and Mrs Diggle along with just who you’d want on your honeymoon to rescue a U.S Senator in Kaznia, Deadshot and Cupid. Starling City meanwhile was host to a battle between the conflicting Arrow and Atom.

 

My favourite part of the episode was the flashbacks. The flashbacks that don’t involve Oliver are always great strangely and this one was no exception. Floyd Lawton has always been interesting. While at first you really try not to like him at first as he killed Diggle’s brother you cannot help but sympathise with him. He seems remorseless at first but the more of him we saw the more sympathetic he comes across. There are more layers to him than we first thought and he is interesting if nothing else. This episode showed us he does have morality and he does mean well but he’s so messed up in the head from what he’s had to done. It made his heroic sacrifice all the more meaningful and I was genuinely sad. I hope he comes back some day but I can’t see it happening as if nothing else the film’s already cast him.

 

The suicide squad episodes are always enjoyable and this was no exception. I was kind of disappointed that Bronze Tiger didn’t come back but as a replacement Cupid was brilliant. I really liked her, she was crazy but at times kind of endearing for it. Plus some of her lines really made me laugh, especially her moments with Deadshot. On top of this the chemistry between Dig and Lyla is very likeable and believable. I like how the act like real people in a real relationship. They’re not just lovey dovey all the time, but even the dryer moments between them show the audience that they do genuinely care for each other and they are likeable as a result. Lyla doesn’t turn up that often but she’s always enjoyable when she does, she’s a good strong character and the suicide squad is a great little distraction from the main show. I would absolutely love a spin off show about task force X but with the movie being made his seems highly unlikely to ever happen.

 

My favourite scene back in Starling City was the fight scene between the Arrow and Atom. It played out just how I think it should have, the Atom does have more tech and thus is technically more powerful but the show often refers to Oliver’s experience as a key factor and ultimately after Roy was quickly overpowered Oliver triumphed through his own cunning. The interactions between Oliver and Ray was also very believable, Oliver is obviously not pleased about what he’s doing but has to accept it in order to come out of the situation peacefully. You do sense his uneasiness however with the situation and it does seem likely they’ll continue to clash without being fully at each other’s throats like they were here. It is apparent how different their views on the world and crime fighting is.

 

Ray Palmer is a likeable character and I do enjoy his chemistry with Felicity. It is a refreshing change of pace for Arrow to have an upbeat almost Flash like character and he is enjoyable to watch, even in the scenes by himself. His suit was also pretty cool and the abilities were exciting and pretty badass. He is a bit too similar to Iron Man and there’s something about his helmet that I don’t like but he is enjoyable and interesting to watch.

 

He does however sum up the biggest issue with the show and that is that it is getting a little too big. Its cast of characters while all intriguing and fun to watch in their own right does at times feel a little bloated. It’s not that any of them are uninteresting, the issue is character are often side lined for whole episodes. This episode for example had no Thea or Merlin, two characters who are very interesting and important of late. Roy in this episode while having a few funny lines (Especially the one about Ray’s suit being awesome) but let’s face it there was very little reason for him to be there other than he kind of had to be. Back when there was a smaller cast of characters and we got a lot of time with Oliver, Diggle and Felicity it almost felt more personal and more tightly focused.

 

This is almost a credit to the show as they’ve made so many characters I’ve become invested in and maybe I should congratulate the show for making me want more and I will get used to the increasing size of the show but for now it can be a little irritating. The final scene of the episode was superb and it does a great job of setting up next episode where Quentin is likely to go nuts trying to catch the Arrow. It was a very well done scene with the contrast of emotion, as well as then high intensity change as the mayor was killed by Maseo’s arrow.

 

Overall however I thought this was a solid episode. It had its good action, it was quite dramatic but in a good way. I do think they overplayed the romance triangle between Oliver, Ray and Felicity a tad at times but not enough to make it feel obnoxious or ruin the episode. It was dramatic but also slightly more light hearted I though than usual and it did make a nice change of pace. The flashbacks were superb and even the wedding was enjoyable to watch, when it’s so dark and bleak a lot of the time it is very enjoyable when the characters have a really happy moment like in this episode. So yeah, a good episode and I’m definitely hooked and can’t wait for next week.

Arrow Season 3 Episode 13 - Canaries Review

Arrow Season 3 Episode 13 - Canaries Review

So Laurel finally had her crucible. All I can say is it’s about time.

 

Episode 13 saw the return of Vertigo to Starling City. In the flashbacks we follow the aftermath of Oliver and Maseo betraying Amanda Waller to save Maseo’s wife.

 

Let’s face it, Laurel is most people’s least favourite part of Arrow. It’s not that the actress gives a poor performance, it’s that the writers never really seemed to know what to do with her. This episode however I think was one of her strongest ever episodes.

 

There were a lot of positives in this episode. While she does still seemed a bit rushed, Laurel was far more relevant here. Before she just seemed over her head, but here she acknowledges this herself. After being injected with Vertigo and fighting he greatest fears in the form of Sara, she seems to have taken a large step into becoming a Vigilante.

 

I enjoyed her scene with Felicity for highlighting that she can’t just copy Sara. We’ve all had this thought ourselves and half the problem with Laurel has been she’s always been overshadowed by other characters. I think she’ll be far more enjoyable being herself. The other great scene with her was with Quentin at the end. This scene was powerful. I’m glad Detective Lance figured out who the new Canary was (He is a detective after all) but what was really powerful was watching him break down. Laurel didn’t even have to say it, they looked at each other and he knew.

 

There were multiple powerful scenes throughout the episode. I enjoyed the scene when Oliver reveals his secret identity to Thea. While I was surprised, I was glad to how she reacted. I don’t want to see them arguing, I’d rather see them like this. It was strange however how she flipped completely 180 with Merlin.

 

My favourite part of the episode however was Diggle talking to Oliver in the Club. With all the new characters we haven’t been getting much of Diggle and I’ve missed his infinite wisdom. Here we got some time for Diggle to talk reason and sense into Oliver. Diggle is almost like our eyes into this crazy world. He says what logical and says often what we as the audience are thinking.

 

The main thing picked up from the flashbacks is that Amanda Waller is completely ruthless. She was the biggest villain of the episode, she threatened to kill Oliver’s sister. She truly thinks any means are necessary to complete her missions.

 

Finally there’s Roy who keeps getting better for me. He stepped up and stood up to Oliver. The time without Oliver has toughened him up and increased his standing and from a rather irritating character at first.

 

So what negatives were there? I think his name was Chase, the DJ assassin person. Who the hell was he? He literally didn’t do anything in all the time he was here. Then Thea decides to go and sleep with him because her life is complicated? But he also tries to poison her because he works for Ras Al Ghul. But why did he wait so long, he’s been alone with Thea loads of times before. Oh well at least he’s dead now.

 

I miss Felicity. She’s still around but she’s far less prominent. We still get her serious scenes where she’s the only one who can get Oliver to listen but I miss her more light hearted moments. She’s always balanced these two aspects really well but now she spends all her time miserable. Even with this though her scene with Laurel was great and I did like how she told Oliver that things had changed. It highlighted just how important she is but it seems as though she will get closer to the ATOM and move away from team Arrow for a while.

 

The villain was fairly weak for this episode. He is nowhere near as psychotic as the original count Vertigo. He’s just random drug dealer number 46, although at least when Arrow uses a ‘villain of the week’ he’s there for a purpose outside of being a villain. Stephen Amell himself has said that Arrow does not enjoy using so many villains but with 23 episodes in a season they don’t have much of a choice. The villains do always serve a greater purpose, here it is so Laurel can conquer her fears. This was a prominent theme of the episode, Merlin even says it. All of team Arrow needs to conquer their fears if they are ever to defeat Ras Al Ghul, hence Oliver and Thea are on the Island.

 

Next week’s episode is called the return. Oliver and Thea are on Lian Yu while in the flashbacks Amanda Waller his bought Oliver back to Starling. It is an interesting reverse on the formula we’ve been using throughout Arrow. I look forward to seeing more Waller and Maseo in the flashbacks but I’m more excited for Lian Yu. It made me laugh seeing Oliver and Thea hiking, it made me think of what my sister would be like hiking but really like most people I want to see Deathstroke. Manu Bennett reprises his role as Slade Wilson for the episode and I can’t wait. Slade really took Arrow season 2 to the next level and his return will surely be a great moment.

 

This episode though was a good solid episode like we have come to expect. Hopefully we can put all the bad Laurel stuff behind us and go forward. I enjoyed Canaries and look forward to seeing Deathstroke.

Arrow Season 3 Episode 12 - Uprising Review

Arrow Season 3 Episode 12 - Uprising Review

The moment we all were waiting for has happened. Oliver Queen is back in Starling City and the Arrow can once again be in the show called Arrow.

 

In this episode team Arrow take the fight to Brick to liberate the Glades. We follow Malcom Merlin in the aftermath of his wife’s murder in the flashbacks and Oliver Queen returns to Starling.        

 

While the previous episodes were still good this does feel like a bit of a return to form. The last two really highlighted how important Stephen Amell is to the show. Strangely this episode wasn’t exactly filled with Oliver Queen either, but we did get to focus on Malcom Merlin who is interesting in his own right.

 

So what was good about episode 12? Morale dilemma seemed to be the theme of the episode and it was interesting to see different characters on the same side have different points of view. But the standout here was Merlin who we see a different side to. After the whole manipulating Thea into killing Sara I thought he was far past forgiveness and while I still think he has ulterior motives in all this we do see he’s not just a killer. It’s strange to think so after watching season 1 but he genuinely does think he’s not an out and out villain. He clearly does care about his daughter.

 

The flashbacks were a nice change of pace from Honk Kong. It gives background to why Merlin does what he does. We see he was a good person at one point and he does believe he is doing the right thing. He’s not that different from Oliver himself, the main difference being he believes any means will justify the ends. It puts the undertaking into much better context. Not only this but they showed him at his lowest point and to what drove him to joining the league of assassins. His outlook on life darkness greatly. While we don’t agree with his methods we can at least understand the reason behind his actions.

 

My favourite scene was when team Arrow were discussing whether to take up Merlin’s offer. It was like you as the audience were there trying to decide whether to accepts Merlin’s help. I’m glad that Diggle got the deciding vote in the whole thing. It highlights his importance and with all the new characters being introduced I’d hate to see him side-lined. It will be interesting to see if there’s any internal rifts within team Arrow over Merlin.

 

It’ll be a shame that we probably won’t see Brick for a while. While it did confuse me how he just tanks bullets and arrows like they’re nothing he did prove to be a perfect foil for a team Arrow with no Oliver Queen. He induced chaos at a time where the team was in disarray and I really liked Vinnie Jones in the role. He stole a lot of his scenes and was all around a good villain.

 

While I liked the mass brawl scene I preferred seeing Malcom Merlin take on Brick. Really it was more him struggling with himself since as powerful as Brick was he was no match for a fully trained member of the league of assassins. It was good to see the Ted Grant/ Wildcat character and particularly Cyn back. I was so relieved that someone finally noticed that the Black Canary running around is not Sara.

 

On the other hand however I do find it funny how everyone can figure out who Arsenal is but not the Arrow himself. Roy used to go around in a red hoody and want to help the Arrow so who thought that a slightly different red hoody with a bow was a good disguise.

 

There were problems with the episode. My main issue is they don’t really seem to know what to do with the Lances. Captain Lance hasn’t really got much of a reason to be there although Cyn pointing out to him that the Canary not being Sara does seem like it will give him more purpose. For now however he’s kind of just there because he has to be. Speaking of which lets talk about Laurel. I don’t dislike her per say, certainly not as much as a lot of other people, it’s just that she’s kind of getting in the way at the moment. I get the Comic books say she has to become Black Canary but I think it was rushed. The show does show that she is nowhere near the level of the other characters, Arrow has always done a good job of giving different characters different fighting styles depending on their background, but Laurel is again only there because she has to be.

 

The next episode is called Canaries so hopefully it will improve on her a nit and I hope it does but right now she doesn’t make much sense. I don’t understand why she wants to be a vigilante in the first place. Sara was killed, indirectly by Merlin so why did she want to accept his offer. Come to think of it he’s also the reason Tommy is dead so Laurel seems like the character who should hate Merlin the most, or at least to the same extent as Felicity does. The other thing is how come no one recognises she isn’t Sara? She’s a different build, her face even with the mask is different, her voice is different, even the costume is different with all its buckles. She doesn’t even use a staff, instead opting for what looks like a piece of lead pipe. But the main issue is she just isn’t as well developed as the other members of Team Arrow. Hopefully we’ll see another side of her soon.

 

Finally there’s Oliver Queen travelling back to Starling City. This was a very minor point of the episode so it’s difficult to know what to say although it did remind me a lot of Batman Begins. I’m just glad he’s back, we all knew he wouldn’t die so it’s good they didn’t try to make us think so. I am looking forward to see him training with Merlin, let’s all hope for an epic training montage.

 

Next week we have an episode called Canaries, which is set to feature the Count. Hopefully this will be the making of Laurel as the Canary but this week’s episode was an excellent one and truly an uprising.