Checking in on the current state of The CW's "Arrow-verse" Part 2
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| The long running series staged a creative comeback in Season 5 |
As I continue looking back at the current state of the "Arrow-verse", my focus shifts now at looking into the grand daddy of them all. The show that kicked off this whole shared universe that, coming into this season, was on the verge of losing any relevancy.
Arrow
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| Oliver Queen sporting a more traditional costume |
Of all the shows in this shared TV universe, no one was in such need of a creative miracle like "Arrow". After a great debut season that lead to the high point that was the Oliver Queen vs Slade Wilson/Deathstroke conflict that defined its second season, Arrow went on a creative funk for its next two seasons.
Season 3 of "Arrow" found the show facing an uphill battle as they had to come up with a conflict that could possibly rival or even surpass the one from Season 2. On paper they had all the right ingredients, with a focus on "identity" as the main theme of the season and tying up the story with the League of Assassins and Ra's Al Ghul. However, on execution the season fell flat. The conflict sputtered along as the show was intent on moving everything at a snail pace without any exciting developments until the final few episodes. Even then, the lead up to the finale never properly climaxed, leaving a finale that felt more like "business as usual" instead of a highlight of the show (a far cry from the finales of the first two seasons, which remain high points.)
Season 4 saw the creative team of Arrow try to make up for the mistakes of Season 3. Introducing a sleeveless suit, adding a little bit of humor, and making Oliver Queen finally embrace the name of "Green Arrow", it felt like the signal the show was ready to fully embrace its comic book heritage it had skirted with its previous year. Adding the presence of Damien Darkh (played with joyful glee by actor Neil McDonough), which was an immediately more charismatic villain than the enigmatic Ra's al Ghul, and Season 4 had all the ingredients to be a winner.
Despite all the good things working for it, Arrow Season 4 was a season hampered by the lack of any proper plotting. The added elements that initially seemed like a benefit eventually led to the impression that Season 4 didn't really have much of a story to tell. Indeed, Season 4 felt like a 13 episode story stretched to the breaking point to fit into 23 episodes. While the initial 9 episodes were excellent, the rest of the season was a mess of story stalling, incoherent subplots and unnecessary melodrama. There would be some great episodes sprinkled throughout the seasons second half, but even those would be followed by dull, weak episodes.
The show banked on a flash forward scene that teased the death of a main character in its season premiere to provide a mystery to carry the show until its homestretch. However, nothing properly built up to that moment, and when it happened, the payoff wasn't worth it. It ultimately culminated in a season finale that, by all account, was the worst episode of the series to date, which ultimately erased any goodwill Season 4 may have had. A season that could have been a return to form based on its early strengths now stands with a legacy of being Arrow's worst season to date.
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| Oliver Queen/Green Arrow in the Arrow Season 4 finale |
Coming into Season 5, it was very hard to know if the show could ever recover and become like the show it was in Seasons 1 and 2. Two continuous seasons of middling to bad quality didn't necessarily inspire confidence. Something drastic needed to happen to bring the show back to prominence, and remind people why this show was the one that spawned a shared TV universe.
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| Team Arrow getting ready to rumble |
Season 3 and 4 coincided with the show sharing space with its more fantastical siblings in "The Flash" and "Legends of Tomorrow". It was an interesting shift for a show that started out as something akin to Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy. Unfortunately, that shift didn't lead to better stories, so a different approach was needed. Going back to telling a more personal, street level story that built on the legacy of the show over the past five years gave Arrow the shot in the arm the show needed.
Simply put, there is a level of confidence to Arrow Season 5 that hasn't been seen since the peak of the Slade Wilson conflict in Season 2. Seeing the show tackle threats that make more sense for its characters adds a level of rawness and intensity the show lacked in the past two years. The fight scenes are some of the best in the series history. The drama of the show finally makes sense without wallowing on the romantic melodrama from late Season 4. Even its side characters (where there are many of them this time) actually do add a great level of diversity and comradery to the show that gives it a flavor of its own compared to the more obvious rapport of the supporting casts of "The Flash" and "Legends of Tomorrow".
Ultimately though, the biggest praise the show can get for its creative comeback this season is its story. While Seasons 3 and 4 were centered around themes of "identity" and "hope", Season 5's theme of "legacy" has been their best developed theme in a long time. A focus on legacy has allowed the show to look back full circle to how it used to be in its early seasons, and allows it to build up on that in an effective way. Comically, one could even make the case that Season 5 actually works as a proper "third season" of the show when paired with Seasons 1 and 2, which shows how effectively the show has been able to recreate that same feeling after losing its way.
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| The main villain of the season, Prometheus. |
Nothing exemplifies the success of the theme of legacy better than the main villain of the season, "Prometheus". While the idea of a villain as a dark mirror of our main hero is a little too reminiscent to what "The Flash" did in its second season, "Arrow" managed to mold this villain and make him work in the context of the season's story. Prometheus is a product of Oliver's actions as "The Hood" in Season 1, which gives shades of what made the Slade Wilson story arc successful in the first place. Seeing how the show has managed to make this villain continuously compelling and a legitimate threat to Oliver not just physically but psychologically (watch episode 17, "Kapiushon" to see what I mean) is just another in this season's list of highlights.
One final element I haven't mentioned yet worth mentioning now is the series' use of flashbacks. Initially part of the conceit of the show, telling the dual story of Oliver Queen's rise as a vigilante in both his exile and at home, it has been the one element that has been a cause of contention for the show the past couple of years. Where the flashbacks on Seasons 1 and 2 were compelling (and the one reason the Slade Wilson arc had the emotional power it had), the flashbacks then hit a bit of a rut on Seasons 3 and 4 (specially Season 4). The flashbacks of Season 5 are fresh, compelling, and tie really well with the main story this year. Also, it has Dolph Lundgren as the main villain. You can never go wrong with Dolph Lundgren.
Arrow Season 5 still has five more episodes before it finishes, with the next one airing in April 26. Even though the show's creative resurgence is the biggest thing to admire of it this year, time will tell if the show does manage to stick the landing in its final five episodes and make the full season a complete cohesive package. Even with the more uneven qualities of Seasons 3 and 4, those seasons ended up being worse in hindsight due to their underwhelming (and specially in Season 4's case, terrible) climaxes. While Season 5's overall quality is a step up from that, it will be good to approach the final episodes with cautious optimism. If it sticks the landing, "Arrow" is the show that can legitimately contest "Legends of Tomorrow" spot as the best DC show on The CW this year.
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