Arrow (CW Wednesdays 20:00)
tvrage.com/Arrow
First two seasons of this show are available on Netflix (US).
It's not the teenage soap opera that Smallville was. I PROMISE. It's a much better show than you would expect judging by the network it's on.
The series is based on the DC property Green Arrow. It's sort of a Batman rip-off - wealthy scion of an family owning a huge industrial conglomerate becomes a vigilante, has to conceal his identity, etc... Not being an avid Green Arrow reader, I can't comment on how faithfully they have translated the property to the screen, but it is very engaging.
Stephen Amell plays an excellent protagonist and the supporting cast seems to rise to the occasion, especially when playing opposite him.
One more thing: there are NO good podcasts about this show. The best one sounds like it's recorded on a phone in a china cabinet and the hosts sound like a BaldMove parody of a fan-boy-cast.
First two seasons of this show are available on Netflix (US).
It's not the teenage soap opera that Smallville was. I PROMISE. It's a much better show than you would expect judging by the network it's on.
The series is based on the DC property Green Arrow. It's sort of a Batman rip-off - wealthy scion of an family owning a huge industrial conglomerate becomes a vigilante, has to conceal his identity, etc... Not being an avid Green Arrow reader, I can't comment on how faithfully they have translated the property to the screen, but it is very engaging.
Stephen Amell plays an excellent protagonist and the supporting cast seems to rise to the occasion, especially when playing opposite him.
One more thing: there are NO good podcasts about this show. The best one sounds like it's recorded on a phone in a china cabinet and the hosts sound like a BaldMove parody of a fan-boy-cast.
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Comments
Anyway, I'm interested in watching Arrow and The Flash. I've heard good things about both. Not promising anything but maybe there would be a podcast if I ever get the chance to watch them.
Season 3 has been kind of meh. The Cupid episode is far and away the worst one of the series so far. Not one but two all-time terrible characters are introduced, and it's hard to buy the set-up. The mid season finale seemed back on track though.
I'm planning on starting the Flash when I get up to the appropriate point in Arrow. They are weaved together a bit and that is how I should do it, yes? Also, the temperature seems to read that Flash is up to par with Arrow, right?
Does anyone else watch Det. Lance and get the feeling that their first call was to Peter Gallagher? I can't shake it for some reason. (not a complaint on him or anything, he's just fine)
Season 1 I thought sucked (until the end) and season 3 is lacking the through line that made season 2 such a pleasure to watch.
The op is correct. All the Arrow podcasts out there are terrible. It's almost criminal the mediocre Gotham gets a show while the flag ship of current DC tv is ignored. Anyways I am hoping that the later half of season three can amp it up again and Jim breaks his no super hero rule. Trust me (a guy on the Internet you will never know) once you start watching season 2 you will be hooked.
Season 2 gleefully embraces its comic book roots and builds them up in an organic fashion so that once everything gets bonkers, it's absolutely believable. Same for the soap opera aspects. Superhero comic books are built on soap opera, after all. And those soap opera roots make for meaningful characters and relationships that hit you hard when things don't go so well.
I was down on Season 3 until The Flash crossover. I'm hoping that the producers were distracted by getting The Flash off the ground, and once the show returns in January, we will see all those disparate threads pulled together, and I have a feeling that the back half will be epic, perhaps even as operatic as Season 2.
I have grown fond of the Quiver podcast. They have some industry and writing experience, and they usually discuss the show more in depth than other podcasts, particularly with respect to the thematic aspects of the flashbacks and the visual nature (cinematography, camera work, editing, and color theory/palette) of storytelling. I'm always disappointed when podcasts ignore the importance of the latter when television is, after all, a visual medium. I also just listened to Green Justice for the last few podcasts, and I like them so far.
Arrow is the most fun show that I watch, but it's more than just fun. The action, choreography, and stunts are on par with feature films. The visual aesthetic is gorgeous. I am constantly amazed by what they achieve on a shoestring budget. There are fantastic, compelling female characters. The writing is not always great, but it is ambitious and the storytelling spreads across multiple timelines, so that counts for a lot. This isn't just an origin story for the Green Arrow, it's an origin story for many other heroes and villains. Some of the acting falls short, but really, it's only one actor who was miscast, and I hope that she will improve in S3. Everyone else is great. And I am deeply invested in the characters. I can't ask for more than that.
*To qualify, it's not quite as bad as it sounds. My wife was under the weather on Saturday and it was raining anyways so we had a tv marathon. The bulk of it took place there.
I have the Flash premier DVR'd and haven't gotten to it yet, and I can see where aside from McDonough the Arrow premier may have been a little flat, but I still enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to better episodes. They had a lot to set up after the finale and I don't think I was expecting the premier to be amazing. Hopefully him and Diggle will get right pretty quick and hopefully the whole "Speedy is a danger junkie" thing will play out better that I fear it might (that definitely could get really obnoxious, really fast). I just can't see how a McDonough heavy season will end up disappointing, and they seem to be totally leaning right into his wheelhouse. It also helps that I had Justified on the brain all day before watching Arrow for some reason and out of nowhere there's Quarrels being a badass. The most pleasant of surprises.
I'm pretty psyched to dive into some time travel and psychic gorillas over the weekend though. Hell yeah!