Arrow Review: A Man in a Green Hood

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There's a new revenge seeker in town, but this one's a little more superhero than super-psycho. In the Arrow pilot we meet Oliver Queen, the son of billionaire Robert Queen, both presumed to have been killed in a shipwreck five years ago.

The clincher is this: Oliver survived and a lot happened to him while he sat on a deserted island in the Pacific for those five years. What did he learn while he was there? A couple of people are going to great lengths to find out. 

Arrow Premiere Pic

Everyone in Starling City knew Oliver as a debaucherous playboy, which is pretty on point considering he was sleeping with his girlfriend's sister on the boat right before it sank. She unfortunately did not survive, and her sister Laurel expresses her feelings pretty lucidly to Oliver later on in the episode. For lines from the pilot, refer to our Arrow quotes section.

Oliver has to keep up this pretense of only caring about partying if he wants to succeed at his mission in bringing justice to Starling City. Nobody can know what his father told him before he died. Oliver returned with a small book full of names of people who have wronged his beloved city. He also returned with a body full of scar tissue, insane ninja-like fighting skills, an exemplary skill with a bow and arrow... and the sickest abs I've ever seen. Do you think Stephen Amell ever tires of hearing that?

Anyway, his first victim up is Adam Hunt, a scumbag millionaire. His ex-girlfriend, Laurel, is also trying to take down Hunt through her job at legal aid. Which one do you think got the job done quicker? If your bet was on the vigilante, you'd be correct. Somehow, Oliver manages to kick major butt and return to his welcome home party just in time to keep his cover and down some tequila shots to Avicii.

As much as he longs to tell Laurel how he feels about her, he knows he has to keep her at arms length to protect her. Besides, Laurel's bed hasn't exactly been empty while Oliver was away. His player best friend Tommy Merlyn, who has the best lines on the show, has had a few dalliances with Laurel. My favorite Merlyn quote of the episode was when he was trying to get Oliver laid after approximately 1,839 days.

Tommy: By my rough estimate, you have no had sex in 1839 days, as your wingman I highly recommend Carmen Golden.
Oliver: Which one is she?
Tommy: The one that looks like the chick from Twilight.
Oliver: What's Twilight?
Tommy: You're so better off not knowing. | permalink

Yes, Oliver, you are probably better off not knowing about Twilight! Just make sure you catch up on The Vampire Diaries and True Blood, okay? 

It's not going to be an easy road for Oliver as he has to protect his sister Thea, played by the gorgeous Willa Holland, who has fallen in with a bit of a bad crowd. Oliver, unknowingly, has another obstacle in his own mother, who it turns out has hired thugs to find out what he learned on the island. He also has Detective Lance, Laurel and Sarah's father, who has it out for Oliver while simultaneous trying to search for the "guy in the green hood" who has been rescuing and attacking people all over town.

I think Arrow has a lot of promise. Admittedly, I have not read the comics and I'm not a fan of typical superhero shows, but I am a huge Batman fan and there are similarities between these two. Neither one has a magical superpower, everything they do is through experience and skill. This show has it all, interesting characters, mystery, love, drama and a bit of comedy.

It seems like CW has found it's next big hit. Now, what do you all think? Grade the Arrow premiere now:

Pilot Review

Editor Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 4.6 / 5.0 (242 Votes)
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Arrow Season 1 Episode 1 Quotes

Thea: I missed you so much.
Oliver: You were with me the whole time.

To live I had to make myself more than what I was, to forge myself into a weapon. I am returning not the boy who was shipwrecked, but the man who will bring justice to those who have poisoned my city. My name is Oliver Queen.

Oliver