TV REVIEW: Arrow S01E02

Early on in the second episode of Arrow, we find Queen in court. It is through the wonder of flash backs we are starting to learn more about what has happened to Queen during the 5 years on the island. It is here where he learns about the people who he has scribed into his notebook, the people who he needs to bring to justice. The people who have ‘failed this city’. Queen leaves the court ‘brought back from the dead, legally speaking’.

We learnt last week about the ‘hit list’ as it were which we expect to feature in most episodes going forward and this week’s lucky fella is one Martin Summers. It’s relatively unclear (well to me anyway) what this scumbag has done wrong exactly but we are right behind Batman, sorry, Arrow in his vengeance nonetheless.

Last week we had some great action sequences but this week the fun stuff has taken a bit of a back seat to building the story up. Relationships play a key role in this show. Queen’s family have got an interesting dynamic going on. His Mother is very mysterious and is definitely hiding some big family secrets which we will no doubt explore as we continue through the first Season and Queen’s sister is also an intriguing character; probably demonstrating the most depth of any character apart from our hero.

Another interesting relationship is that of Queen, his ex-girlfriend who is a high-flying lawyer in the city and her Father, a high-ranking police detective, hot to find Arrow and not too keen on Queen either. This triangle is one to watch as there is definitely something bubbling under the surface which will heat up as sure as you can say Robin Hood.

The closing scenes of this episode were the most interesting to me. Flashing back to the island, we see Queen burying his Father. Unexpectedly and quite graphically, he is pierced by and arrow which penetrates his whole body, entering at the back and exiting below the front right shoulder. A pretty damn severe wound to pick up on your first day on a mysterious island with no hospital within Parkour distance. As the episode draws to a close, we see that the wicked archer is indeed a hooded figure in green. A Green Arrow! What does this mean? Does Queen join a sect or group to become an Arrow? This is very interesting and I’m looking forward to seeing how this pans out.

I think anyone reading may pick up that I have mixed feelings about Arrow. It is undeniably sexy and polished. The thing is, I’m not sure I am really into all that, televisually anyway. I must hold my hands up and say I prefer a more gritty Show. I am, for sure, going to give Arrow the benefit of the doubt, and like all good TV Shows, it might just need a few weeks to hit its stride. Oh, and for those of you who read last week’s Pilot review, my wife still likes it more than me!