Arrow: The Pilot | The Empire Blog

Arrow: The Pilot

Posted on Monday October 15, 2012, 17:09 by Stephen Carty in Small Screen

As anyone who persevered with (read: suffered through) Smallville's final years will attest, one of the highlights of its disappointing later seasons was The Green Arrow and his promotion to recurring regular status. As such, it's hardly a major surprise that The CW have chosen to use DC Comic's Emerald Archer to fill the small-screen-superhero void left by Tom Welling's Teen Of Steel. Since, however, I've found myself caught between sceptical cynicism and 'that could actually work' optimism. In the end my vacillation is actually quite appropriate, given that the pilot of Arrow (no 'Green') is solid and rather promising in some ways, but frustratingly underwhelming and unsatisfying in others.

While showrunners Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim were recently responsible (read: guilty) for penning DC's big-screen stab at Green Lantern (no wait - come back!), they've been thankfully vocal in distancing Arrow from Smallville. Wisely opting for a new, unrelated take, this isn't a spin-off (as was rumoured at one stage), but a different, noticeably darker version with Justin Hartley replaced under the green hood by Stephen Amell. Plot-wise, however, we're in familiar territory, with billionaire playboy Oliver Queen returning to Starling City (should it not be Star City?) after being marooned on a harsh island in the South China Sea for five years.

Arrow has more than a few shades of Batman Begins about it. We've got the son of an industrial family (check) coming home after a period away (check) to find the city his parents help build (check) overrun with gangster-ism (check), before deciding to use his wealth, resources and new skill-set to clean up the streets (check, check, check). The decision to employ a tone similar to Chris Nolan's Bat-verse fits with the realistic approach they're attempting (apparently, there will be no super-powers on the show). What's more, The Green Arrow is often seen as something of a Batman hand-me-down; he was only used in Smallville when they couldn't get the rights to The Caped Crusader.

The problem is that while Arrow aims for the same look and style of Nolan's Dark Knight series, it lacks the substance and patient character-building. In particular, the inception (see what I did there) of Queen's Green Arrow persona feels comically rushed, as we only see him jump a fence, lower some boxes and open a case before he's the finished crime-fighting article (the tennis ball shooting bit is cool though). Where did he get all this tech from? Doesn't it take time to put a base (the Arrow-Cave?) together? 25 minutes in, and Oliver's in full costume before he’s even had his welcome home party.

Of course it's early days, and the word on the street is that the character will slowly unfold throughout the season - which I like the sound of, a lot. If that's true, perhaps the pilot only rushed things to avoid showing its hand too early and spend years spreading material thinner and thinner. Particularly intriguing were the sporadic (and brief) flashbacks to Oliver's time on the island (flashbacks and an island; Lost fans rejoice!), which pleasingly suggests that the series will mirror Jock and Andy Diggle's acclaimed Green Arrow: Year One mini-series. This, let me tell you, is the right way to go.

In addition to the distinct Nolan flavouring and noticeable side-order of Lost, Arrow also comes with a generous garnish of Jason Bourne. Actively attempting a darker, grittier feel than Smallville, our hero here is a killer and, rather crucially, willing to snap a villain's neck in order to protect his identity (unlike, say, Batman). But while the freerunning / parkour stuff is a nice fit (Queen would have been leaping and climbing on the island), the show isn't as dark and gritty as it thinks it is. Though director David Nutter (who’s known for opening new shows and establishing their looks) handles the action well, he's still saddled with a script that is often glossy, clichéd and workmanlike, and that is a real shame.

In the lead, Stephen Amell is strong, quite literally. He's a more physically imposing figure than Justin Hartley's permanently shirtless chisel-fest on Smallville, with a face like the well-groomed lovechild of Chris O'Donnell and Paul Walker. On the down side, it already looks like he'll be getting into a will-they-won't-they romance (sigh) and a love triangle (sigh squared). Fanboys will probably get some excitement from the fact that the former love interest is Dinah "Laurel" Lance, AKA The Black Canary, but the romance with CW regular Katie Cassidy is already forgettable. Elsewhere, Paul Blackthorne offers good value as Lance’s cop father, as does the pearly-voiced Colin Salmon as Queen’s new stepfather. As for his mother, well that was interesting…

But what did you guys think? Did Arrow hit the target? Or did the blend of Smallville, Nolan, Lost and Bourne fail you? As always, put answers on a postcard - then tie that around an arrow and shoot it at us. Or you can comment below...