Arrow Pilot

Last night, my husband and I watched the Arrow pilot on Hulu.  This show is being carried by the CW--same network that gave us Smallville.  As a big fan of Smallville (recognizing that it is not the greatest show ever or terribly if at all faithful to the source material), I was pretty excited to learn that CW was going to be taking on the Green Arrow character.  To be honest, it seems like the only network that knows how to make a successful, live-action, superhero TV show.  The primary key being to minimize the superheroness.

My general reaction to the pilot is mainly positive. The Stephen Amell seems to fit the part in a very Bruce Wayne fashion, which is completely appropriate since Green Arrow was designed to fill in for Batman on the comic book shelf.  At first I thought the actor was just awful because of how deadpan his delivery was.  Then he really opened up his box of acting tricks when he played the happy-go-lucky party boy at his homecoming bash.  I really enjoyed the juxtoposition.  I also liked the reference to so many different characters that play an important role in Green Arrow's comic book existence (e.g. Speedy, Merlyn, Black Canary).  It almost felt like the show picked up where Smallville left off in terms of character cast.  Some people have complained that there are too many character nods.  I say, if you live in a city, there's going to be a lot of people.  No need to create an entirely original cast when you're coming from such a rich source material.

I also liked a Green Arrow who is willing to kill.  For some characters, it makes total sense as to why they won't kill an enemy no matter the level of scumbaggery.  Superman vs the Elite addresses this issue thoroughly enough to satisfy me.  And Batman is practically standing on the wrong side of the line with just a fingernail still hanging onto it so killing is clearly out of the question for him.  But Green Arrow?  Finally, we have somebody who's willing to make a TV series where the protagonist is actually willing to do what it takes to get the job done.

My major complaints about the show may go away over time.  First off, there are a few "really?" moments.  When Adam Hunt is yelling, "Untraceable?!" and we cut to a very visible and very traceable arrow embedded in the wall that is freaking flashing.  Really?  Yeah.  Second, the acting from a lot of the supporting cast is a little cringe worthy.  Laurel's co-worker at the legal aid office made me wince almost every time she was on screen.  In fact, she seemed to have a negative impact on Katie Cassidy (playing Laurel) with the latter's performance going down a notch whenever they were together. Lastly, supposedly Oliver Queen has extensive injuries that never healed properly on the island.  For a guy with some pretty major damage, he sure dishes it out pretty well.  I think I would have been happier if they just talked about burns etc.  It would have made the frankly amazing shape that Stephen Amell is in a lot more believable.

My one cautionary piece of advice to myself?  Avoid reading anymore Green Arrow comics.  It's painfully obvious that the CW is going to be doing some major reworking of the Green Arrow mythos.  As long as I don't realize how extensive that reworking is, I should be fine.