Loved It? Hated It? What did you think of "The Calm?"

[DeathBySpoiler]

OK so a more detailed review from me as I procrastinate on both cooking dinner and doing homework (almost typed "cooking homework" lol). Just highlighting most of what I liked/disliked then giving a final score:

The Positives
+ Roy Harper - Colton Haynes had one of his better performances, the new costume was cool, and it was pretty awesome to see Green Arrow and Red Arrow (IMO he isn't quite to Aresneal yet) fight crime

+ Diggle and Detective Lance one-liners, also liked how they acknowledged that people would not want to live in Starling anymore

+ Sara's death - Pretty shocking that they killed her off so soon

+ Ray Palmer - Brandon Routh's performance was pretty good

+ The guy with the bazooka who blew up the "Olicity" date

The Negatives
- Most of the characters were acting out of character - Dig telling Oliver that he is right, Dig being an "Olicity" "shipper," Oliver bizarrely kissing Felicity (he wouldn't disrespect her like that)...I could go on but I don't really want to

- Oliver/Felicity - This felt so forced to pander to the "shippers", Oliver and Felicity are nothing alike, and they work much better as friends. Again I could go on but I won't.

- Sara's death - The OFFICIAL ARROW FACEBOOK PAGE spoiled it for me two days after the episode aired - I hadn't watched it yet

- Detective Lance having heart attacks - I loved the buddy-cop episode(s)? last season with him and Arrow, so Lance not going into the field anymore is a bit of a disappointment

- The script - "BTW," "From the moment I met you there was something about you," etc.

- Malcolm and Thea not appearing at all, that was the storyline I was most looking forward too (apart from Ra's al Ghul potentially appearing) after Arrow finished Season 2

- The new Count felt like a bit of a rip-off of Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow

Overall I was pretty disappointed. 4/10

[arrowSHIELDfan]

should be option for 11/10 perfect episode how you can hate it

[DeathBySpoiler]

should be option for 11/10 perfect episode how you can hate it

I didn't hate it I just did not like it that much, I felt like it didn't meet the same standard as previous episodes.

[Jovial Jay]

I thought there's a bit of foreshadowing in here. Vertigo at one point states that there must always be a 'Count' or a 'Vertigo.' Something about the mantle being passed. That dialog, plus the bits in the Season 2.5 comic with Brother Blood rising again, leads me to believe that Canary will rise again. I think most fans suspect Laurel to fill that path, but this adds some necessary 'explanation' as to why that would happen.

[Stardelphia]

Also, I can't believe they put "Olicity" in over Malcolm Merlyn - John Barrowman is my favorite thing about Arrow atm. That was the plot line I was most excited about and they didn't even show him.

YES! Thank you! I wanted to know what happened with Malcolm and Thea.

I feel like they put Olicity in front to get it out of the way. And Felicity stood her ground. Good for her. Now let's get back to the butt kicking action.

[PHOENIXZERO]

Olicity fan service, god I hate shipping. But like I said, the first episode was called "The Calm" for a reason.

[like a bird]

The episode was so rushed and badly edited, I had the feeling everything was thrown in my face and I didn't have time to appreciate anything or hate anything except Sara's death. I had to re-watch it a lot to finally appreciate and dislike some parts :

As an Olicity shipper I've been very disappointed to see their relationship at the beginning, I was thinking "Get a room !". It's so rushed, we left them shy and distant in the season finale and now they are touching all the time, flirting, talking about bed . So them getting closer is supposed to happen in the comics but it's not the same. So if it was fan service, well, writers have failed this fandom lol. I liked the date but I was so spoiled about it, it was not very fun and the kiss was OK but why did they have to turn like they were dancing ? That's not my only complain about the direction of that episode.

I don't know if the problem comes from direction or editing but the fight Oliver/Arrow should have been more epic with more time, better music. That should have been an important moment of the episode because that's the season symbolism.

I didn't like the new Count either, he was just the average villain, but the old Count was so much more !

I had a problem with the time line. From the moment Felicity wakes up I don't understand if the action is right after or the day after. It's so rushed !

I hated Sara's death.

I liked all the rest, Ray, new relationship between Roy and Oliver, the retractable bow, Diggle's baby ..

[Stardelphia]

The episode was so rushed and badly edited, I had the feeling everything was thrown in my face and I didn't have time to appreciate anything or hate anything except Sara's death. I had to re-watch it a lot to finally appreciate and dislike some parts :

As an Olicity shipper I've been very disappointed to see their relationship at the beginning, I was thinking "Get a room !". It's so rushed, we left them shy and distant in the season finale and now they are touching all the time, flirting, talking about bed . So them getting closer is supposed to happen in the comics but it's not the same. So if it was fan service, well, writers have failed this fandom lol. I liked the date but I was so spoiled about it, it was not very fun and the kiss was OK but why did they have to turn like they were dancing ? That's not my only complain about the direction of that episode.

I don't know if the problem comes from direction or editing but the fight Oliver/Arrow should have been more epic with more time, better music. That should have been an important moment of the episode because that's the season symbolism.

I didn't like the new Count either, he was just the average villain, but the old Count was so much more !

I had a problem with the time line. From the moment Felicity wakes up I don't understand if the action is right after or the day after. It's so rushed !

I hated Sara's death.

I liked all the rest, Ray, new relationship between Roy and Oliver, the retractable bow, Diggle's baby ..

Flat, rushed, yeah, it was not up to par with the last two seasons. I've never been so bored with Arrow as to get up an make a sandwich. And why bring back the Count when there are so many other villains to chose from.

I think the Olicity date was a combination of fan service and diffusing a situation the writers weren't really ready for. In that regard it would have been better writing just to leave it alone for the time being. The only thing I liked about it was how strong Felicity looked when she stood her ground.

[javeria3991]

I just saw the first episode of season three and i love it.
Flashback of Oliver days in Hong kong are getting more interesting. He is going to learn new ways to fight and for survival there since he has got no choice to escape and had to live with Maseo family.
I love the scene when Arrow didn't got effected from the drug and fought with Werner. The drug made me remember movie "Batman Begins", it was the same drug which was used by scarecrow to poison Gotham city.
Roy didn't look happy, he just wanted to keep himself busy in saving the city. And I didn't like the vision of "Star City" presented by Ray Palmer.
The mysterious reason of the comeback of kenery back in starling is yet to reveal and i am so curious to find it out and her murderer.

[Haggard01]

Ok I noticed something as a parallel between this season 3 opener and the season 1 opener. When Oliver is hugged by Moria he is stiff with not really wanting to be hugged. Lacking emotion but in this a few years later he is the one to open his arms to hug Diggle. So that's something I find interesting on out far Oliver as a character.