Arrow - Review

Arrow

Plot summary:

After five long years of surviving on a hellish island known as Lian Yu after his father’s yacht – The Queen’s Gambit – sunk into the ocean, Oliver Queen is found and rescued by two fishermen. Soon after, Oliver returns to his home and is reunited with his mother and sister. Oliver’s return marks the beginning of a personal mission to save his city from the rich and powerful people who poison it and feed off the innocent – and with all the required names listed in a book handed down to Oliver by his father before his demise.

Review:

We get to delve deep into Oliver’s memories of his time on the island and witness all the dreadful experiences he had to go through and endure – all which changed him into someone else and forged him into a formidable weapon. And the series brilliantly displays Oliver’s transformation from the immature and reckless rich playboy to the noble and stoic, yet damaged man with a strong sense of morality. The show also focuses on Oliver’s present emotional struggles as he tries to reconnect with his family and evades from opening up about the past five years of horror he had to face. And it definitely gives you a nail-biting experience in Oliver’s journey as he takes on the position of Starling City’s hooded guardian angel armed with a bow and arrows, for which he soon receives the moniker: The Hood.

Aside from Oliver, the series introduces us to Thea(Willa Holland); Oliver’s sister; who has not been able to deal with her brother’s and father’s assumed deaths and has turned to certain reckless behaviours, Oliver’s mother;  Moira(Susanna Thompson); who seems to have some secrets and agendas of her own, John Diggle(David Ramsey); Oliver’s newly appointed bodyguard who soon learns of Oliver’s secrets and aids him in his vigilantism, and Felicity Smoak(Emily Bett Rickards); the Queen Consolidated IT department’s worker who also ends up being dragged into Oliver’s secret heroic world. And then there’s Laurel Lance(Katie Cassidy): Oliver’s ex-girlfriend who now works for  legal aid, Tommy Merlyn; Oliver’s close friend, and his father; Malcom Merlyn; who seems to have plans of his own for Starling City.

When it comes to acting, Stephen Amell does a fantastic job in his portrayal of Oliver Queen, both, the spoiled rich kid and the now more serious and mature adult. He not only brings out the determination and seriousness of his vigilante role, but also gives a compelling acting on the guilt, depression, and post-traumatic stress that his character feels after all he has endured. The rest of the cast all deliver strong acting as well. I should definitely mention Rickards for her acting as Felicity Smoak, who’s definitely an interesting character, and brings some good comedic scenes due to her nerdiness and occasionally awkward behavior, along with her witty and amusing personality.

The action is just fantastic. It’s all fast-paced and packed with some impressive stunts. And the music just makes it all the more suspenseful. And the settings that are given to the scenes are equally brilliant, both, in making the combat and the look of The Hood more dramatic, and in assisting the stealth nature of The Hood’s attacks, not to mention displaying him as a force to be reckoned with. The dialogues are well-written and the storylines are amazing. The costume evolution of The Hood is brilliant, and the costumes his sidekicks and enemies have are also pretty cool. Each episode never fails to be interesting, and each season just keeps escalating the troubles and dangers Oliver and his team has to face. This show in one of my favourites, and it’s something you definitely must watch.