TV Review: Arrow – The Complete Third Season
2 min read
In third season of The CW’s most-watched comic book hero, Oliver Queen returns as Starling City’s masked vigilante, the Arrow. Following the events of Slade’s (Manu Bennett) violent terror, the city returns to normal with Oliver (Stephen Amell) and his crew saving the day. This season’s next battle: the arrival of the leader of the League of Assassins, Ra’s al Ghul (Matt Nable). After a significant death, Ra’s continues his reign of destruction through the city as Oliver struggles between his life and giving into the darkness.
What sets this season apart from the previous seasons is the turbulent atmosphere of the entire story development; from incoherent storylines to failed character development. An unfortunate part of this season’s Arrow was the downward progression of Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards). A character that was introduced and known for her lightheartedness and awkward, witty performance, as well as her electrically adorable chemistry with Oliver, Felicity spends most of the season in emotional smoke (no pun intended). This may or may not have to do with her love interest status, however, this label has severely impeded her character progression. Gone is the previous season’s bubbly, blundering but endearing IT whiz, replaced with worried, quasi-girlfriend. Yes, she’s the other half of the sweetly coined “Olicity” but the show unfortunately sacrifices her own adventures for that of her love interest.
Another disappointing portion of the third season of Arrow stems from the overly publicised introduction of famed villain, Ra’s al Ghul. Set to rival last season’s Slade, Ra’s fails to live up to his renowned reputation. Whilst his introduction was darkly antagonistic, Ra’s intentions were never fully developed and only served to build Oliver’s potential, not at all fulfilling his super villain status.
Thankfully, Laurel (Katie Cassidy) and Thea (Willa Holland) are much likeable characters this time around, constantly evolving to reach their potential as the Black Canary and Speedy, respectively. Though this season failed Oliver and Felicity, it served to develop Team Arrow and showcased the unity and power of team that protects Starling City.
However, the finale episode creates a delightful and fandom-exciting finish to the season and hopefully sets a quicker and more exciting tone for the next season to come.
