TV Show Review

TV Review: ARROW: Season 1, Episode 1: Pilot

Stephen Amell Arrow

Arrow Season 1 Episode 1 Pilot Review. Arrow: Season 1, Episode 1: Pilot could be the beginning of a good action TV show and a good drama series as well. The show started out better than expected, making the show seem as though it were a movie in many respects.

Arrow: Season 1, Episode 1: Pilot is not perfect but it doesn’t make the mistake The Cape made and be too glossly and fake. It does, however, have obligator backlite training sequences like in G.I. Jane, there is explanation about how one scene leads to another, Oliver Queen/Arrow (Stephen Amell) talking out loud, explaining certain kills to the audience, not explaination on how he learned hand to hand combat (that could be coming though).

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The police do not immediately debrief Oliver Queen about what happened on the ship at the hospital so that the myriad of questions are answered. On most if not all of the police procedurals I have seen, the police show up to hospital, especially for something as high-profile as this. Not on Arrow.

Where did Oliver Queen’s expert computer hacking skills come from? Did he have them before the ship went down? A lot of things in the computer world have changed in five years Queen was on that island.

The brief island scene was very good but why was the Deathstroke mask there?

One of the main strengths of the first Arrow episode was that the episode had non-linear aspects, giving the viewer important information about how he got to the island, the other survivors, et cetera.

The action seems are far above what the viewer will be expecting (Arrow producers really want this show to be a hit), helped by the presence of some martial artists the viewer may recognize from other high-profile action projects and films.

The drama is not left behind in this episode of Arrow either with Oliver Queen hiding his new true self behind his former persona. When he purns the friendship advances of his ex Dinah “Laurel” Lance (Katie Cassidy), the viewer will immediately think of Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker. Laurel’s response shows what an asset to the show she is.

John Diggle (David Ramsey)’s role, which could have been a complete throw away role as the common-place driver/bodyguard, brings smarts, bravado, and common sense to the part.

I am looking forward to future episodes of Arrow to see if it can establish itself and stay steady. Are you?

For more Arrow reviews, photos, videos, and information, visit our Arrow Page, subscribe to us by Email, follow us on Twitter or on Facebook.

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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