'arrow' pilot thoughts
Oct. 24th, 2012 11:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
svgurlLate to the party, but I finally watched the pilot of Arrow [1 down, two to go after tonight's episode airs] on Hulu and btw, if anyone hasn't seen it and is interested, it's available to everyone, not just paid members, and here are my thoughts. I think most of you know how much I love JH's Ollie on Smallville and did since Day 1, but I tried my best to keep my bias out of it, and accept it as a new show. It helps that it was an origins story and you can't really compare the two portrayals at all, since Amell's Ollie and JH's Ollie are at different stages in life.
I had mixed feelings on some parts of the Pilot. At times like this, I really wish I read the comics so I could have more info on Ollie to go off of and accurately judge this portrayal, but then again, I bet I'll just end up having to take this show as an alternate universe if I had, much like Smallville is to the people who have read the Superman comics, since there are so many factors in this show that aren't present in the comics and plenty that has been changed already.
First of all, the cast is very attractive, from Ollie to Dinah to Tommy. CW sure knows how to cast them! LOL I don't understand why we have a brunette Ollie though, and why Ollie was blonde in the flashback scenes and not in the regular ones. For some reason, I don't think Amell would be a good blonde either. I know JH's Ollie has brown eyes vs the green in comics, which Amell seems to have, but still- Ollie's supposed to be a blonde. And him having dark hair is just another thing that reminds me of Bruce in this episode.
Because really, Starling City seems too much like Gotham, especially in Batman Begins. Also, Starling City? Really? What was wrong with Star City? And don't get me started on how they're calling Dinah 'Laurel'. They used her full name in her last scene but why can't they just call her Dinah? Dinah Lance sounds so much nicer than Laurel Lance. Moving on with the comparisons, then there's how Ollie's drifting into using the playboy persona as a show and then going in and intimidating people in a costume. Though unlike Bruce, Ollie seems okay with killing, and that threw me at first but I'm assuming it's because of what he suffered during those 5 years on the island had to due with the ease in which he is able to kill others. After all, I bet there it was kill or be killed, right?
Amell is doing well with what he's given. His take on Oliver and Ollie's return to society after what he's been through is realistic. I like how he was so happy to see his sister, and his friendship with Tommy, who definitely saw something when he was supposedly knocked out, which should make for an interesting dynamic in the future. Hopefully the friendship doesn't go away since Tommy is interested/has a thing going with Dinah [I refuse to call her Laurel], because I hate when shows do that, whether it is two guys being interested in one girl or two girls being interested in one guy. Since it's the CW though, I know I can expect some sort of love triangle in the future, as well, Ollie/Dinah is kind of inevitable, even their chemistry doesn't stand out to me just yet.
Overall, if you take away all the comparisons, the pilot was pretty solid. It gave you enough background, but at the same time, doesn't overwhelm you with it. You see what he was like before [shallow, spoiled playboy] and what he is now and while you don't know what happened on the island completely, you still have enough info to realize that it must be huge, considering the shift in personality. It leaves you with a taste and makes you want more, and whatever I have said, I'm still willing to see the second episode and see where they take it. Since the show has been given an entire season, at least there's time for it to grow and for me to to get used to everything, and make a better judgement. I am very sad that his mother seems to be a villain and would do that to her own husband and son. Such a shame.
I don't have an opinion on Dinah yet. Physically, she's a bit younger than I imagined, but otherwise fitting. I wonder whether we'll see her as Black Canary and hope we do. It'll be nice to have a live action version of Dinah/BC that I like, since she's clearly such a badass in the comics.
I'm probably forgetting something but I don't think I have anything to add at the moment, and I have rambled on long enough.
Feel free to share your thoughts! I know a bunch of you have posted your thoughts on this episode a while ago so if you'd like to link me to them, please do. :D
I had mixed feelings on some parts of the Pilot. At times like this, I really wish I read the comics so I could have more info on Ollie to go off of and accurately judge this portrayal, but then again, I bet I'll just end up having to take this show as an alternate universe if I had, much like Smallville is to the people who have read the Superman comics, since there are so many factors in this show that aren't present in the comics and plenty that has been changed already.
First of all, the cast is very attractive, from Ollie to Dinah to Tommy. CW sure knows how to cast them! LOL I don't understand why we have a brunette Ollie though, and why Ollie was blonde in the flashback scenes and not in the regular ones. For some reason, I don't think Amell would be a good blonde either. I know JH's Ollie has brown eyes vs the green in comics, which Amell seems to have, but still- Ollie's supposed to be a blonde. And him having dark hair is just another thing that reminds me of Bruce in this episode.
Because really, Starling City seems too much like Gotham, especially in Batman Begins. Also, Starling City? Really? What was wrong with Star City? And don't get me started on how they're calling Dinah 'Laurel'. They used her full name in her last scene but why can't they just call her Dinah? Dinah Lance sounds so much nicer than Laurel Lance. Moving on with the comparisons, then there's how Ollie's drifting into using the playboy persona as a show and then going in and intimidating people in a costume. Though unlike Bruce, Ollie seems okay with killing, and that threw me at first but I'm assuming it's because of what he suffered during those 5 years on the island had to due with the ease in which he is able to kill others. After all, I bet there it was kill or be killed, right?
Amell is doing well with what he's given. His take on Oliver and Ollie's return to society after what he's been through is realistic. I like how he was so happy to see his sister, and his friendship with Tommy, who definitely saw something when he was supposedly knocked out, which should make for an interesting dynamic in the future. Hopefully the friendship doesn't go away since Tommy is interested/has a thing going with Dinah [I refuse to call her Laurel], because I hate when shows do that, whether it is two guys being interested in one girl or two girls being interested in one guy. Since it's the CW though, I know I can expect some sort of love triangle in the future, as well, Ollie/Dinah is kind of inevitable, even their chemistry doesn't stand out to me just yet.
Overall, if you take away all the comparisons, the pilot was pretty solid. It gave you enough background, but at the same time, doesn't overwhelm you with it. You see what he was like before [shallow, spoiled playboy] and what he is now and while you don't know what happened on the island completely, you still have enough info to realize that it must be huge, considering the shift in personality. It leaves you with a taste and makes you want more, and whatever I have said, I'm still willing to see the second episode and see where they take it. Since the show has been given an entire season, at least there's time for it to grow and for me to to get used to everything, and make a better judgement. I am very sad that his mother seems to be a villain and would do that to her own husband and son. Such a shame.
I don't have an opinion on Dinah yet. Physically, she's a bit younger than I imagined, but otherwise fitting. I wonder whether we'll see her as Black Canary and hope we do. It'll be nice to have a live action version of Dinah/BC that I like, since she's clearly such a badass in the comics.
I'm probably forgetting something but I don't think I have anything to add at the moment, and I have rambled on long enough.
Feel free to share your thoughts! I know a bunch of you have posted your thoughts on this episode a while ago so if you'd like to link me to them, please do. :D
