Normally I would be reviewing a movie but this is my last blog so it’s time for a tv show review. The show Arrow is basically about this guy named Oliver Queen who was born into a really rich family and acts like a jerk all the time getting stuck on an island for 5 years and then coming back to his city and becoming the Arrow. The show has a really unique style to it because throughout the first 5 seasons in each one of the episodes they play flashback moments to Oliver’s time on the island. So the audience is keeping up with both the regular plot that is happening in the current timeline and also a different plot that happened 5 years ago. A lot of the time these plots connect but sometimes they don’t. Learning about Oliver’s time on the island is essential to his character development, it’s where he changed his attitude about life and decided he would commit himself to help other people. It’s also where he learned how to fight in order to survive. Oliver’s biggest motivation and reason for wanting to be a hero is the death of his father. Oliver is determined to correct the mistakes of his father Robert and save his city from the massive corruption and crime that has taken it over.
In season 1 Oliver gains access to his father’s journal which has the names of many powerful people in Star City comprised in it and it becomes his mission to eliminate these very powerful people that are involved in corruption and causing the city so much pain. The main villain of the season was the Dark Archer who was actually his best friend’s dad and he was trying to destroy part of the city with an operation called the undertaking. This season was a great intro season because we get to see Oliver become a very formidable hero while also struggling to keep his identity a secret and keep his family life in order.
One of the best parts of the season was the meaningful relationship between all of the different characters, it felt like their relationships actually meant something and their conversations weren’t just complete nonsense to take up time in the episodes. One of my favorite character relationships is Oliver’s relationship with his teammate Diggle. When Oliver tells Diggle that he is the Arrow Diggle at first calls him a murderer and refuses to join him but after a while, he sees the merit in Oliver’s mission. Oliver has a very violent dark side and he is not afraid to torture or kill without hesitation to get what he wants Diggle, on the other hand, is a very controlled and morally upright person with values that must be upheld. Although these two are teammates they argue all the time about what the best thing to do in a situation is, and it’s very interesting to see each of their perspectives clash. Season 2 was probably my favorite season yet because we see the revival of Slade Wilson who was originally an ally on the island to Oliver but now he is Oliver’s enemy because of a mind-controlling substance called the Mirakuru.
What makes this season so interesting is that everything that happens in it is Oliver’s fault and he has to learn to grapple with that fact. The worst thing about Slade Wilson is that he’s not just trying to kill Oliver he’s trying to make him experience as much pain as possible. Slade kills many of Oliver’s friends and even attempts to burn down his city until Oliver stops him but before that, his mother is already dead and his city is in shambles. Even after all that he has the strength not to kill Slade and keep him alive. The fight scenes are very well choreographed and look extremely real and the visual quality also took a big leap forward this season. What I love about the Arrow is that it’s not afraid to talk about the dark stuff which keeps it really realistic and also makes it more applicable to real life.
I’ve never seen more development in a character than that of Oliver Queen he transforms from a really big jerk and a spoiled brat to someone who constantly puts their life on the line to save innocent people. Even after he comes back from the island Oliver has to learn how to stick to his guiding principles and act in a morally acceptable way, although his friends are constantly there to help him this is his battle alone to fight. In conclusion, I would definitely give this show a watch it’s probably one of my favorite shows of all time and I would give it a solid 9 out of 10.