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"Mandy Gelling-Potharst gives "Arrow - Season 1" a 7."
Written by Mandy Gelling-Potharst on 8 July 2013.
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Arrow - Season 1
Personally, I’m a big fan of superheroes like Iron Man, The X-Men, Superman and Spider-Man. I used to read those comics all the time. But Green Arrow, from the DC stable, was never really one of my favorites. Possibly because I loved Robin Hood, on which Green Arrow has been based. But when I heard about the 'Arrow' TV series on CW, it did pique my interest. Armed with the knowledge I had from the comics, which was next to nothing, I started watching. Next thing I knew, I couldn’t stop. A great show with beautiful scenery, excellent special effects, good music and computer images, and nice dialogue. It’s one of those series that doesn’t pretend to be high quality, but is just there to entertain.
"Destiny leaves its mark."
That’s the tag line for the first season. Playboy Oliver Queen, son and heir of the Queen empire, is shipwrecked and arrives on a supposedly deserted island. After having spent five years there, he returns to civilization as a changed man. But no one can know. He promised his father, who didn’t survive the shipwreck, that he would rid Starling City of everyone who has poisoned the city. He received a little book with the names of those people from his father. Armed with bow and arrow, and a green hood, he frees the city of corruption, drug trafficking, murder, and fraud. For this, he has to maintain his former playboy status in order to conceal his true identity. This proves to be troublesome right from the start when he has to lose his bodyguard Diggle (David Ramsey, 'Outlaw'). Diggle isn’t one to be dismissed easily and that sometimes results in pretty humorous situations.
When Olivier starts his quest for those who have failed the city, he slowly uncovers the truth about his mother Moira (Susanna Thompson, 'Kings' and 'Once and Again') and big businessmen who live and work in Starling City. His biggest adversary turns out to be “The Undertaking”, led by Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman, 'Torchwood'), that wants to take revenge on The Glades, a slum in Starling City. We never fully discover what his revenge entails until the very last episode which ends in a cliffhanger.
In his quest, Oliver receives the help (sometimes unwanted) of the unruly Detective Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne, '24' and 'ER'). Lance is also the Laurel's father (Katie Cassidy, 'Gossip Girl' and 'Melrose Place') who is Oliver’s ex-girlfriend. And there’s the help of the awesome computer nerd Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards, 'Soldiers of the Apocalypse') who always gets the viewer to smile with her semi-politically incorrect comments. Diggle also helps Oliver in his fight against “The Undertaking”. His clever sister, Thea (Willa Holland, 'The OC'), causes some problems with her rebellious adolescent behavior, which eventually ends up on the Arrow’s path. Due to the good use of flashbacks, the viewer gets to find out what happened on the island bit by bit.
All this makes Arrow a surprising and pleasant series to watch. At home, we’re already looking forward to season two.
7 points for season one!
"Destiny leaves its mark."
That’s the tag line for the first season. Playboy Oliver Queen, son and heir of the Queen empire, is shipwrecked and arrives on a supposedly deserted island. After having spent five years there, he returns to civilization as a changed man. But no one can know. He promised his father, who didn’t survive the shipwreck, that he would rid Starling City of everyone who has poisoned the city. He received a little book with the names of those people from his father. Armed with bow and arrow, and a green hood, he frees the city of corruption, drug trafficking, murder, and fraud. For this, he has to maintain his former playboy status in order to conceal his true identity. This proves to be troublesome right from the start when he has to lose his bodyguard Diggle (David Ramsey, 'Outlaw'). Diggle isn’t one to be dismissed easily and that sometimes results in pretty humorous situations.
When Olivier starts his quest for those who have failed the city, he slowly uncovers the truth about his mother Moira (Susanna Thompson, 'Kings' and 'Once and Again') and big businessmen who live and work in Starling City. His biggest adversary turns out to be “The Undertaking”, led by Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman, 'Torchwood'), that wants to take revenge on The Glades, a slum in Starling City. We never fully discover what his revenge entails until the very last episode which ends in a cliffhanger.
In his quest, Oliver receives the help (sometimes unwanted) of the unruly Detective Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne, '24' and 'ER'). Lance is also the Laurel's father (Katie Cassidy, 'Gossip Girl' and 'Melrose Place') who is Oliver’s ex-girlfriend. And there’s the help of the awesome computer nerd Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards, 'Soldiers of the Apocalypse') who always gets the viewer to smile with her semi-politically incorrect comments. Diggle also helps Oliver in his fight against “The Undertaking”. His clever sister, Thea (Willa Holland, 'The OC'), causes some problems with her rebellious adolescent behavior, which eventually ends up on the Arrow’s path. Due to the good use of flashbacks, the viewer gets to find out what happened on the island bit by bit.
All this makes Arrow a surprising and pleasant series to watch. At home, we’re already looking forward to season two.
7 points for season one!
About author, Mandy Gelling-Potharst
Mandy (1966) has been writing reviews, news and columns since 2013. In the meantime, writing and contributing ideas for MijnSerie has become a major hobby that she does not want to stop for the time being. She also made a weekly radio column on Roulette FM between 2016 and 2018 for the program Ochtend Oostrom with Peter Oostrom. From January 2019, the two started working together again by creating a MySeries Podcast once a month. And since September 2018 she is content manager. From March 1, 2020 she will be editor-in-chief of MijnSerie. The genre of series she watches is now so extensive that she can't say which genre, besides horror/thriller and everything about Sherlock Holmes, she likes best. All genres have something that appeals to her. She is always open to good tips about series that she does not yet have on her watch or wish list
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