'Arrow' Pilot Episode Discussion [Spoilers]

We talk about the first episode of the new TV series based on Green Arrow.

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126 Comments

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ThexX

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Edited By ThexX

Loved the first episode.

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dernman

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Edited By dernman  Online

Yea it was really good. Was surprised they allowed killing for some reason but it works.

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mightypug78

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Edited By mightypug78

it was promising, i would suggest that they have the green arrow take up a mask like he does in the comic book to make him a little more incognito. i still wish they would fix deadshots eyepiece, looks totally lame.

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RedheadedAtrocitus

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What surprised me most was seeing Slade's mask in like the first minute of the show. I honestly thought that was going to be an easter egg for later in the episode or even later in another episode of the season. I'm loving the show so far and I'm definitely staying tuned for next week. And I get CV in HD so...awesomeness! Very close to the Year One story and I applaud Berlanti and Guggenheim for doing that. Plus, within just this episode, we have so many cameos. Slade's mask. Merlyn, Constantine Drakon. I was on the edge of my seat every moment!

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k4tzm4n

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Edited By k4tzm4n  Moderator

I thought the pilot was... alright.  Some of the dialogue/acting was cheesy/awkward and there were a few things in the plot that bugged me.  I'm reeeeeeeeeeeeally curious to see how they'll address Ollie flat-out choking out his security guard -- if they even decide to address it instead of just moving forward.  That'll be tough to talk your way out of.  Also, I know it happens all the time in shows like this, but it's pretty funny how terrible the bad guys are when it comes to aim.  The final twist didn't really grab me and I thought it was hilarious police were searching the office but somehow the blinking USB/hacking arrow right on the wall eluded them.  Worst.  Detectives.  Ever.  
 
I'm sounding like a negative nancy, so how about some positives.  The action (despite the atrocious aim) was really entertaining, as were the stunts.  The flashbacks are what interested me the most, so I'm going to stick around to see more of Ollie's training and what took place on the island (not to mention Stephen Amell did a solid job).  Plus, how could I not keep watching after Deathstroke was so blatantly teased?!  I like they're throwing in a lot of extras for comic fans -- but Drakon's treatment has me questioning how they'll handle the likes of Deadshot and others.  Guess I'll have to wait and see.  Overall, I'd probably give the pilot a 3/5.
 
PS. 
 
Drakon :(

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charlieboy

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Edited By charlieboy

I liked it. Hope Laurel becomes Black Canary soon.

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blueninjapanther

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Edited By blueninjapanther

I love the first episode. It was kinda cool. I'm starting to get a liking to this show. I can't wait for next week.

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ccraft

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Edited By ccraft

Did no one notice that he called his sister SPEEDY aka Roy Harper! Not a fan of Red Arrow, but I see a lot of similarities

between them. Great show btw. Deathstroke y u leave ur mask???

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FoxxFireArt

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Edited By FoxxFireArt

I really have no desire to see it. Partly becasue I have zero attachment to the character or CW series in general. I stopped watching SMALLVILLE maybe three or four seasons in.

I think they went more aggressive for a reason. It's to show that though this is based on a comic that it's not going to be too campy. Now, can it keep that level of violence?

I do wonder how non-comic fans reacted to this series. There is apparently stuff in this series that you appreciate as readers of DC, but what about the audience as a whole that often seems to have poor attention spans.

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Zodiak18

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Edited By Zodiak18

First T.V. show I actually went out of my way to watch in my 33 years of life, not joking. Thought it was a promising start and I'm planning to make it a weekly thing!!

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wessaari

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Edited By wessaari

@ccraft: or Mia Dearden! lol but this sounds like it should have been the plot to the suffering Green Arrow series in the New 52

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Mongoose23

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Edited By Mongoose23

The violence I felt was justified. Although a bit over the top, it had it's place. I don't think a capable person is going to watch his father kill himself because of the people he dealt with caused the collapse of his company, and not have a vendetta against them. This show is more like a revenge movie than a superhero tv show.

The only things I had a problem with were some of the more cringe worthy aspects of the acting, dialogue, "Starling" city (nitpicking), and this one stunt at the beginning that really looked weird in it's execution.

I'll probably be a viewer until this gets canceled. I don't see this staying on for that long but I think a majority of the people that watched it enjoyed it and are going to see what happens next week.

I don't like looking at a television series episode by episode, rather as a whole. Only time is going to tell whether it's good or not.

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k4tzm4n

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Edited By k4tzm4n  Moderator
@ccraft: Speedy was Mia's nickname, too ;) 
 
I'm going to assume the mask is placed there by Ollie after some kind of conflict with Slade.
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blur1528

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Edited By blur1528

The whole time I was dreaming of Tommy Merlyn's downfall :)

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Mister_Sensational

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Great review Sara and Tony, I totally agree with both of your analysis of the show. I wouldn't say this was something I was clamoring to see but since it happened to be on at a time when pretty much nothing else was on I figured I tune in. I completely agree with all the comments about the violence and was totally shocked this was on the CW but I totally loved it.

I know we don't really want to spoil anything for anybody who might not have seen it yet, but am I the only one who's face was like :-O at that ending with his mom? Again I don't want to spoil it but for those of you who watched it you should know what I'm talking about, that alone has got me more intrigued.

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dreamfall31

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Edited By dreamfall31

Damn! Forgot it was on! Glad to hear it was actually pretty good!

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darkraven52

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Edited By darkraven52

I thought it was a good first episode and will be looking forward to the next episode :)

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Barkley

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Edited By Barkley

it was pretty good..im happy...he called his sister speedy i laughed...and his mother being a bad 'guy' was a surprise

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neiliusprime

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Edited By neiliusprime

I pretty much agree with everything G-man said

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blur1528

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Edited By blur1528

Was it just me, or did that sketch that the cops had look like it was done by Mike Grell?

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KnightRise

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Edited By KnightRise

Laurel's real first name is Dinah ^.^...Dinah Laurel

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Duo_forbidden

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Edited By Duo_forbidden

I like it. I like Oliver's personality in this version.

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GamerGeek360

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Edited By GamerGeek360

I really loved the first episode! I can't wait to see more of it. Never watched Smallville just because I'm not much of a Superman fan. Didn't really know much about Green Arrow either, though so maybe I should check it out?

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TheMtVernonKid82

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Edited By TheMtVernonKid82

Very much enjoy it the cliffhanger at the end makes you you want to see this thru

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andrewbullheaded

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Edited By andrewbullheaded

@RedheadedAtrocitus:

Noticed how Oliver knew russian and everyone was surprised I think he knew slade very well could it be ?

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Cavemold

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Edited By Cavemold

I liked it and in curious how the flashbacks will play out. The mom being the villain was bit of a surprise I thought it would be her Husband. A lot of story lines to follow up on. Merlin is very interesting last name for his friend. Speed on speed ? Kinda laughed at that... Give it a 4 as well. I was entertained.

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RedheadedAtrocitus

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@andrewbullheaded: From what we've all heard there's definitely going to be Slade sometime during this show's running. As for when it will be who knows, but yeah with the Russian I'm inclined to believe he crossed paths with Slade one time or another on that island.

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BoyWander

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Edited By BoyWander

I kinda liked it. I agree with you guys. 4/5 stars. Good but not awesome. I'll watch the next one, but if it doesn't pick up by november then I'm gonna stop.

PS I like that you said it shouldn't be on at 8 because of the violence, yet where I live it comes on at 7.

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Cavemold

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Edited By Cavemold

As for adam hunt he played his role well. Typical run of the mill corrupt businessman. I didn't mind the killing because they were going after a realistic approach.

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kevin_carrera_714

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The show overall was all right but of course it could have been better. The story so far looks rather promising, and I do hope they keep moving forward with it. I liked the idea of Ollie developing his character,I mean he got stuck in an island for 5 years, realized his dad was not the man he though he was (which of course I would like for the show develop a little bit more on how Ollie's father "failed Star City"),and returned with a lot of things changed.

The show did have some Batman Begins kind of feeling, but well it kind of fits since due to the series of events that happened during the five year lapse I bet anyone would return with some sort of mental trauma, which we already know Ollie deals with eat through his actions as arrow as well. The script did have some cheesy lines, but I guess those are the thing people say when we believe some one is dead and it happens he or she is alive,so let's just forgive it these time.

Action packed episode yes, violence a little over the top but I believe that he will reduce his violent ways along the series, since he will help people in trouble and he can¿t go shooting everyone around Star City. Hope they develop a story that will keeo the audience entretained.

BTW loved the deathstroke cameo,which of course has to be developed through out the series and well developed I hope. The cliff-hanger at the end was not that surprising but anyways series just starting.

As for the characters I like how Stephen Amell portrayed Oliie as a man scarred,traumatized by the events that happened during his time at the island. It would also be amazing to see not only how Ollver develops from the current arrow to the well-known and loved Green Arrow (but I am sure that it will happen at due time), but also the events that occurred during his time at the island. Katie Cassidy as Dinah Lance, so far remembers me to a "Lana Lang" which of course I hope it develops into the comic book Black Canary, but so far is she is pretty good. Merlyn well he is a bad guy, so base on the story he might turn officially due to Ollie's behavior or new actions.It will be fun to see how this transition occurs.

To be honest it was an entertaining pilot show, and O just hope they develop it properly. Get it until a pint where it's perfect, but just know when to stop it.

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Night Thrasher

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Edited By Night Thrasher

Definitely a plus. I was pleasantly surprised by this show!

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SoulTakerX

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Edited By SoulTakerX

I pretty much agree with Tony and Sarah. It was a solid first ep. But, I hope the lines are delivered better or better lines going forward. Will there be more reviews of the later episodes to come?

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Duke_Nasty

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Edited By Duke_Nasty

It was alright. The chase scene with the Red Skull thug with the gun was laughable.

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Eyz

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Edited By Eyz

Oh, man! It already started?!

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RufusY2K

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Edited By RufusY2K

Tony and Sara, I pretty much agree with everything you said. I thought the Pilot was pretty cool. I'm not afraid to say I watched it with my 55 year old mom, and she said she could like it. So I hooked an uncharted demographic. Regarding the drug use, I was wondering if they possibly and intentionally included it to be yet another illusion to "Speedy." Wasn't he a drug addict in the comics? Coincidence? I think not. Anyways, great review, guys. Keep up the good work!!!

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soccersss

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Edited By soccersss

I truly enjoyed Arrow pilot episode. I don't think the killing right now is too out of place. Ollie has been through hell for the last 5 years and he is still fighting his inner demons. I am sure they would make him stop killing down the line. The fight scenes although a little brutal at times was exciting and executed very well. I like how all the characters in the show seem interesting so far. I wonder what they plan to do with Merlyn and Laurel/Dinah. How would Dinah transition to Black Canary happen as well as Merlyn transition to Ollie arch foe. It would be interesting to see how that happens..

All in all the show has a lot of potential and if it can build a solid plot as well as a big enough fanbase then there is reason why it can't last at least 3 seasons.

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batflasharrow96

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Edited By batflasharrow96

How do people like this? I'm baffled. The whole show is laughable. It's a living action stereotype. Every single character is uninteresting and are pretty much characters from other shows and movies with different names.

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The Mighty Monarch

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I think my favorite nod was that "Speedy" is on drugs.

Apparently Huntress is set to become a recurring character, I think they'll play up her brutality to push Ollie away from killing.

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chalkshark

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Edited By chalkshark

I didn't like the narration... but then, I never do. I think it speaks to the weakness of the writer, and the actor, that elements of the story need spelling out, rather than have dialogue between characters, or the actor's performance, relay that information. I did like the physicality evidenced in the program, though I question an archer throwing his bow at opponents. He's Green Arrow, not Captain America. It suffers from the same youth marketing you see in a lot of CW shows, but that was to be expected. Overall, I found it very watchable, and, by far, more entertaining than the current Green Arrow comic.

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Green ankh

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Edited By Green ankh

Meh

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mijen68

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Edited By mijen68

I've never been a green arrow fan but with little to nothing comics related on TV I thought I'd give it a shot.Good fight scenes, I even enjoyed the archery. Were there computers on the island? How is he up to date on technology to have an arrow link to the bad guy's bank account? And could some writer please make the female love interest something other than a crusader fighting for the little people? I'm looking forward to Slade and the Huntress. Overall I thought the show was ok, pretty predictable but just interesting enough that I'm going to give it three weeks. If I'm not hooked by the fourth episode I'll stop watching.

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TheBlueAngel93

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Edited By TheBlueAngel93

I loved the first episode!!! ^_^

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DDangelico

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Edited By DDangelico

I thought the pilot was okay. A lot of the dialogue was forced and cheesy. But those are usual pilot episode issues...

So at BaltimoreCon Dan Didio slyly asked Jeff Lemire at the DC Panel if he liked Green Arrow as a character. Lemire kind of shrugged it off and didn't answer. THEN last night Lemire was retweeting a bunch of stuff about the show ARROW.

Is there even the smallest chance that Lemire could be taking over writing duties of Green Arrow--or am I just letting myself dream away?

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Kesho_Ronin

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Edited By Kesho_Ronin

hopefully it will not be crap like Smallvile eventually became

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Crackdown

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Edited By Crackdown

@mijen68 said:

I've never been a green arrow fan but with little to nothing comics related on TV I thought I'd give it a shot.Good fight scenes, I even enjoyed the archery. Were there computers on the island? How is he up to date on technology to have an arrow link to the bad guy's bank account? And could some writer please make the female love interest something other than a crusader fighting for the little people? I'm looking forward to Slade and the Huntress. Overall I thought the show was ok, pretty predictable but just interesting enough that I'm going to give it three weeks. If I'm not hooked by the fourth episode I'll stop watching.

Tech like that has been around for quite a while.

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haydenclaireheroes

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Here were my thoughts on the pilot:

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Nightwing4

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Edited By Nightwing4

@mightypug78 said:

it was promising, i would suggest that they have the green arrow take up a mask like he does in the comic book to make him a little more incognito. i still wish they would fix deadshots eyepiece, looks totally lame.

Yeah it's a bit awkward looking without the rest of DS's mask/suit I agree.

I think we'll see some suit adjustments later on perhaps. It's pretty common in this type of show/movie

"I need a new suit." "Yes, 3 buttons is a little 90's Mr. Wayne"

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672253

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Edited By 672253

I thought it was pretty good start, though one thing that bugged me was Dinah going by Laurel... It's just, I dunno, weird..? Probably because I'm more a Black Canary fan than Green Arrow.

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churrific

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Edited By churrific

It might be a nitpick, but I thought the arrow actor was incredibly soft spoken in his serious/brooding moments. Kind of off putting for me, and as such, he sucks as the narrator. Lol he seems like a good parkour guy though.

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Lurkero

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Edited By Lurkero

The main thing I learned from this pilot is that a automatic guns have very low standards. Even when people were aiming directly at Arrow he managed to not get hit. Yet his arrows are 100% accurate.

I also realized that hospital bills will definitely be adding up up Arrow is going to be dishing out all those puncture wounds. It doesn't show specifically if the villains are being killed by the arrows, but that's some serious damage.

He also seems to have a whole lot of arrows in one quiver. Is he just going to be leaving arrows all over the place?

(Keep in mind that these are all fun nitpicks of comic reality)