The third season of The CW’s Arrow begins this Wednesday, October 8 – something you probably had known already if you’ve been reading KSiteTV’s Arrow portal, GreenArrowTV. The big talk among the fan base concerns the “Olicity date” – as Oliver Queen and his former-IT-girl-turned-partner-in-crimefighting Felicity Smoak do go on a date – not a hoax, not an imaginary story.
Here are some not-too-spoilery teases for what you can expect:
1. The “Olicity date.” After seeing how smoothly and happily things are going for Diggle and Lyla, who are expecting a child any day now, Oliver finally faces the notion of living a life outside of the vigilante world – as Oliver, a guy with friends, a guy who also dates people that he cares about. I was actually a little worried that getting this pairing together and so soon might have been a pandering to fanservice. Fortunately, I think the writers of Arrow – and this episode in particular – predicted my concern because they have the characters talking about their past together, to remind the audience (and me) that it’s not out of nowhere. I liked that. I like that Oliver Queen is smiling for a change. No matter the outcome for Oliver and Felicity, I’m reminded of how nice it was, way back in the series’ third episode, to finally see Oliver happy. Here it’s nice, and a good counterpoint to what Oliver is doing in Hong Kong.
And, yes, there is a kiss.
2. The Hong Kong story. The show also answers the question of “why didn’t Oliver just call home when he was in Hong Kong?” Seeing Cynthia Addai-Robinson’s Amanda Waller is always a treat – but the new characters introduced in this sequence also seem to have the promise of being pretty interesting.
3. Felicity’s new job. Felicity has a cover job at what we can only assume is the Starling City equivalent of a Radio Shack, we assume for the good internet connections. She has an unexpected visitor while at work.
4. Quentin Lance overdoes it. Quentin survived what happened at the end of Season 2, but he is still going out in the field much more than he should, which could get him into trouble. This storyline also shows how Arrow has changed since the series’ first episode: It was just two years ago that Quentin Lance hated “the hood.” Now, Lance is going out of his way to help the Arrow.
5. Laurel. There’s been so much talk of the “Olicity” thing that Laurel Lance’s role in the series has been overlooked. Don’t fret, Katie Cassidy fans: She has a great scene with Oliver (mostly spoiled in the trailers) but she also has some good scenes with her father and her sister, as well. (Yep, Sara is back to kick some @$$ at just the right time: Right in front of STAR Labs a boxing arena).
6. Ray Palmer. Picture Felicity Smoak as tall rich guy and you’d probably get Ray. Ray is goofy, but not in the way that Barry Allen was, either. He’s also snarky, bantery, and a lot of fun. He’s played by former Superman Brandon Routh, he’s incredibly likable, and I think he’s going to be the total opposite of what a lot of people were expecting.
7. Oliver vs. the Arrow. The new variation of Vertigo – complete with a new Count – makes people face their worst fears. In Oliver Queen’s case, he ends up fighting the Arrow.
8. Roy suits up. Colton Haynes’ Roy Harper is now Arsenal, the Arrow’s red-suited partner in crime. Not sidekick: partner. He also goes out into the field, which is cool. Somewhere oldschool fans of Green Arrow and Speedy are smiling.
9. There is a direct tie to the Flash pilot. You don’t need to see one to appreciate the other, but if you see both, you’ll love this.
Bonus. Porcupine flatulence. “Porcupine farts” will probably trend on Twitter on Wednesday night, and you’ll have to watch the episode to find out why.
Is the premiere worth seeing? Yes. Arrow’s second season was a fantastic run, and it’s good to say that the show has not skipped a beat in going into its third year. Some great performances, fun guest stars, and a lot of character work in this episode that takes the show to a higher level than just being a show about a vigilante that shoots arrows at people. Sure, some storylines and characters haven’t shown up yet – Thea and Malcolm sit this one out – but it’s still going to be fun to see more.
Take a look at some preview images from the season premiere!
6 Comments
olicity has been built up SO well, not sure how anyone could not see it coming…definitely not out of nowhere. Anyone who pays attention to the show could tell where they were going with olicity since the beginning of S2.
As for Laurel, well, the writers and EP’s talk about what the media asks them questions about. No one has been asking Q’s about Laurel. That’s not olicity’s fault. It’s called good marketing, focus on what the media is interested in. If they were asked more about Laurel’s SL in S, they’d talk about it more.
Thank you for the Laurel scoop. Good to see that the lead female has a good amount of screentime in the episode.
I’ll also make sure to FF Olicity lol
Looking forward to seeing the Hong Kong flashbacks the most. Can’t wait til Wednesday.
Good to know about some of these things but I find it a bit insulting you didn’t put Dig in his own separate number. I know he’s in the premiere so it kinda seems like you’re ignoring him on purpose. and btw DIGGLE is his partner, Felicity is his partner, Roy is more of a student who could very well be on his way to that status but I find it disheartening you act as if Diggle and Felicity are just his sidekicks which they are not.
A few points:
– Diggle is actually the third character mentioned in this post, separate number or not.
– Whether I choose to think of characters as partners or sidekicks is irrelevant. My opinions of the show are my own, and have no bearing on what you should think. Personally speaking, Oliver Queen is the main hero of the show, and all other characters are support.
– I was trying to limit the number of “points” made, and consolidated some characters into the same numbers.
– This is *my* column and if I chose to not mention Diggle at all, that is my prerogative; much like you’d have the right to include Diggle in all 9 points. Please don’t tell me what I am and am not allowed to write.
– As for “ignoring him on purpose,” again, if I chose to, I would, but I have huge respect for David Ramsey and love the John Diggle character, so I’d never do that. However, could it be possible that maybe mentioning specific points for the character could be spoilery and I’m not setting out to ruin things? Watch the show play out. The purpose of a column like this, to me, is to get people excited and tuning in; if they know all the good stuff in advance, is there any reason to watch? But, also like your telling me what I should or should not include, the tone is offensive that you would subscribe thoughts or motivations to me that are not there.
– Sara has no specific bullet point either. Oh no! Alert the media about my anti-Caity Lotz bias! (Kidding. I have nothing against Caity either.)
I appreciate your reading, but a little respect for a fellow fan would go a long way.
Thank you for writing the 9-points Craig.
I read that you said that there are no specific points for Sara, however does anyone have any thoughts why the writers chose to off one of the best and more interesting characters on the production? I like Sarah. I keep hoping that she survived, but I do not see how. I find it suspicious that she could not jump out of the way of the arrows. She did just that many times before. Does Thea have something against Sara possibly or just that Thea fell in love with her biological father as a revenge against her family. Maybe Thea blames Oliver for everything that happened.