Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Why I'm So Excited for Season Three of "Arrow"

I admit I didn't start watching "Arrow" when it first aired on the CW a couple of years back.

At the time, I had just finished watching the ten year run of "Smallville" which had it's own version of Oliver Queen/Green Arrow.

So, I figured this was an unnecessary reboot, especially when there are so many other great DC characters.

Then, the news of a "Flash" series hit.

I was very excited to see "Flash", but realized it was a spin off of "Arrow".

So, I figured I should get caught up on the last two seasons.

When my Arrow-A-Thon began I was excited to see Geoff Johns as part of the show.

He's been an amazing addition to some of the most iconic characters in DC especially his work on Green Lantern from 2004 to 2013.

I also enjoyed the immediate Easter Eggs available to comic book fans, like the introduction of Slade Wilson (Deathstroke) and Floyd Lawton (Deadshot).

The only problem I had was in the first season, Ollie killed a lot of people and didn't seem to have any remorse about it.

I have always taken issue with super heroes who take lives so easily.

In the comics, Superheroes don't kill.

That's what makes them "Super".

Then something happened between seasons one and two: the Arrow grew a conscience.

Oliver spent the entire season grappling with the decision not to kill, and it was an amazing story arc.

I also enjoyed new characters like  Black Canary, Roy Harper (Speedy/Arsenal) and the Suicide Squad.

There was even a wonderful tease of Harley Quinn being held in an A.R.G.U.S. cell.

A.R.G.U.S., by the way, was first created in the comics by Geoff Johns.

The only criticism I still have of "Arrow" is its fear of showing anything unnatural.

In season 2, when we are finally introduced to someone with Superpowers, Black Canary, she didn't use her ultra sonic scream.

Instead she used some sort of device that produced the deafening sound.

Sometimes the need to push uber realism and avoid the fantastical elements of comic books can get annoying.

"Smallville" and "The Dark Knight Trilogy" were especially guilty of this.

Comics books have people that fly, morph into various animals and breathe under water.

There's no reason not to do the same in television shows or movies based on comic books.

Just as "Flash" appears to be exploring more of the super humans on earth, I would love to see the same with "Arrow".

So, do you watch "Arrow"? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments...

No comments: