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My Season 1 rewatch...thoughts and analysis

posted 8 years ago by sanddragon939
46 replies | jump to latest

So, putting a lot of hope in the promises that Season 5 will reflect Season 1, AND some good old nostalgia, I've started a re-watch of Season 1.

I'm currently 6 episodes in. Here are some of my thoughts and reflections on the season, and the show back in those early days.

-Its amazing just HOW MUCH plot they managed to get into one episodes, without things feeling too crowded or rushed. The pilot itself, within a 40 minute span, introduced Oliver and all the major characters, the basic backstory, the beginnings of Oliver's vigilante crusade, the Adam Hunt plot, the List, and finally the twist about Moira. Episode 4 dealt with Diggle joining the crusade, the Hood forming an alliance with Laurel, Oliver and Laurel's relationship, Walter's investigation of Tempest through Felicity, Moira meeting (the as yet unnammed) Merlyn, the Jason Brodeur plot AND the flashbacks which gave Oliver's first meaningful development in the island arc. And so on. Episodes today may have a lot of stuff happening in them (WAY too much actually) but feel light in terms of meaningful plot advancement. Kinda ironic considering how these early episodes had a more episodic/procedural feel while later seasons supposedly had tighter 'story arcs'.

-Oliver as a solo vigilante is simply BADASS! No two ways about it. These days, we occasionally get an action sequence that really leaves us with our jaws dropping. But back in Season 1, practically every fight scene guaranteed that! A special case in point - the brief coda at the end of episode 5 where the Hood takes down an arms dealer. Its just supposed to be a small wind-up at the end of an otherwise vigilante-free episode, but that sequence felt more epic than 90% of the action sequences in Season 4.

-The one thing which jumps at me is Oliver's rich (pun intended!) civilian life. His relationships with Moira, Thea, Tommy and Laurel are well developed and fleshed out and in the first six episodes itself you really feel the depth of these connections and how things have changed between 'then' and 'now' (and of course, it only gets better as the season progresses). The toll of Oliver's dual life really strikes you when you feel that he actually has a life as Oliver Queen, distinct from his life as the Vigilante. Contrast this with the current situation where everyone he knows is a member of Team Arrow (or an ally or enemy) and he doesn't really have a distinct civilian life outside it. Here he has a best friend, a mother, a stepfather, a sister and an ex-girlfriend with whom he has a complicated relationship.

-Speaking of relationships, I call BS on the whole "Oliver and Laurel had no chemistry in Season 1". To me, their feelings for each other practically radiated off the screen. Of course, its not played in a conventionally 'romantic' way at all. There's a tragedy and sadness and feeling of loss there which makes for some really rich drama. I've always been a defender of the whole "Oliver screwed Laurel's sister and she then died" backstory. It gives Oliver a redemption arc beyond him just wanting to honor his father's wishes. Its clear that Oliver and Laurel was meant to be a slow-burn of course, and evidently, a vocal section of the fanbase either couldn't wait for things to develop or simply made their dissatisfaction with Katie Cassidy well known enough that the writers 'pivoted' away from the relationship by the end of the season and eventually from Laurel herself by Season 4. But anyone who believes that the plan wasn't for Laurel and Oliver to end up together in the end, that they didn't actually have feelings for each other throughout Season 1, is deluding themselves.

-And now onto the subject of Laurel's other relationship - with Tommy. Its a pretty well-developed relationship and I think one of the underrated aspects of this season. People tend to justify Olicity by saying its inevitable because this is a CW show and relationship drama is mandatory. Well, Laurel and Tommy were the fodder for 'CW relationship drama' in Season 1, and rather than being this element that distracted from the action and the central story-arc, it actually added to the emotional depth of the show, and served to develop both characters (Laurel in particular). And eventually it has consequences for Oliver as well and his arc. Yes, it was inevitable that the relationship would end one way or another since the plan back then was for Oliver and Laurel to eventually get together. But while it lasted, Laurel and Tommy was one of the show's best written relationships and miles ahead of the likes of Olicity.

-The 'villain of the week' format is often maligned, but IMO Season 1 really nailed it in a way that leaves Season 4's "Team Arrow goes up against Damian Darkh and HIVE for the upteenth time and suffer a setback" plots in the dirt. In six episodes, we've seen Oliver already go up against a wide range of antagonists - from corrupt white-collared criminals, to professional hitmen, to the Triad, to arms dealers and a family of desperate bank-robbers (with an all-out Mob war right round the corner). That's quiet a rich variety of opponents, who's activities actually impact the city in a number of ways, which are clearly defined such that you know EXACTLY how Oliver is helping make the city a better place by taking them down. When Oliver takes down the fiftieth League of Assassins member in Season 3 or 4, you honestly don't know or don't care why it matters (hint: it probably really doesn't). But when Oliver exposes a man like Jason Brodeur and ensures that Peter Declan is saved from the death penalty, you know that our hero IS making a difference in a meaningful way.

-When I first watched Season 1, I didn't think much of the flashbacks. I was only mildly interested in them at best, with a few exceptions (episode 5 stood out with 'Deathstroke' of course) up until 'The Odyssey' came along. But I've developed a newfound appreciation for them whenever I've re-watched the season. The flashbacks are pretty light on actual plot early on, but whenever they appear, they are loaded with symbolism. The parallels between past and present are actually pretty striking if you pay attention - from the literal (Oliver using the island herbs to cure his poisonining in the present and a flashback which shows Yao Fei using the herbs on him), to the symbolic (Oliver overhearing Laurel denounce the vigilante as a brutal killer followed by a flashback where he first kills a bird and is absolutely shattered by the act). Also, Yao Fei is pretty badass as the 'proto-Arrow' of sorts in the flashbacks, and for the first time, I actually felt that with his beard, he KINDA looked vaguely like a Chinese version of the classic Green Arrow from the comics! Also, Edward Fyers is MILES ahead of Baron Reiter in...well just about everything.

-And finally, a note on the fledgling 'Team Arrow', as it were. However much the show goes on these days about how it was Felicity who brought back Oliver's humanity and changed him from the brutal killer he became on the island (and there's certainly a bit of truth in that, particularly when we come to Season 2), watching these early episodes, its clear that Diggle is the one who really deserves the bulk of the credit for developing post-island Oliver's morality and approach to the crusade. To use a Batman parallel, Diggle isn't the 'Robin' or 'Nightwing' to Oliver's 'Batman'...he's the 'Alfred'; and the Alfred archetype IMO is far more significant to the character arc of the protagonist hero. I love how Diggle is Oliver's one true confidant, the guy who can truly help create the balance between Oliver Queen and the Hood, who can keep Oliver in line without totally undermining him. The Diggle-Oliver partnership is the most pivotal one in the show, and I seriously hope its done greater justice in Season 5.

Formerly sn939

[–] Whodat16 8 years ago

You made me feel like re-watching it now ! 😉

I knew our nostalgia for S1 and 2 was not just that. The show WAS better written, no doubt. I  all along your post ! 👍🏽

⚜ Lance is a Saint and could be a Red Text Club Member ⚜
⚜ http://youtu.be/PJ8ZL0wX9lo⚜

[–] kullagulla-84456 8 years ago

Dear @sanddragon, this post is so good that I won't hesitate to give it my "best post-of-the-hiatus" award! I've been rewatching season one myself (up until "The Odyssey"), and your overview expresses my own own feelings exactly. Your critique is always mild and balanced, but I get the impression that you agree with me that the current version of "Arrow" does not only deviate from the original comic book mythos (which is to be expected), but also from the show's own original premises. And as much as some folks like to claim that "Felicity saved Arrow" or "Olicity saved Arrow", this deviation from (and in some cases near-betrayal of) the story Guggenheim et all set out to tell is IMHO a more blatant sign of poor/sloppy/fan driven writing than the season three appropriation of Batman storylines, or the season four over-reliance on magic and mysticism.

I also totally agree about the strengths of the season one "villain of the week" format, as opposed to the pointless and repetitive "Ollie shoots another arrow at Dahrk, which he immediately deflects with his magic powers" formula we got in season four. In fact, while I still remember many of Oliver's encounters with various season one villains, the supposedly epic season four Ollie/Darhk battles were so trite and unmemorable that they seem like an indifferent and boring blur. Besides, the fact that most of Oliver's season one antagonists were somehow tied to the the Undertaking gave the individual episodes a sense of coherence that was sorely lacking in many season four eps, e.g. the Cupid ep, or the Bee lady ep, which felt like pure filler.

[–] sanddragon939 8 years ago

Dear @sanddragon, this post is so good that I won't hesitate to give it my "best post-of-the-hiatus" award! I've been rewatching season one myself (up until "The Odyssey"), and your overview expresses my own own feelings exactly. Your critique is always mild and balanced, but I get the impression that you agree with me that the current version of "Arrow" does not only deviate from the original comic book mythos (which is to be expected), but also from the show's own original premises. And as much as some folks like to claim that "Felicity saved Arrow" or "Olicity saved Arrow", this deviation from (and in some cases near-betrayal of) the story Guggenheim et all set out to tell is IMHO a more blatant sign of poor/sloppy/fan driven writing than the season three appropriation of Batman storylines, or the season four over-reliance on magic and mysticism.

Thanks! Feedback like yours convinces me that my views are not just bias on my part but based in some level of objective (as objective as one's opinion about a TV show can be of course).

You're totally right that the problem with Olicity is not the "deviation from comic canon" per se. Outside of Olicity, 'Arrow' was WAY closer to the comics, at least superficially, than ever before during Season 4. And Season 4 is now widely considered the worst season of the show.

The Oliver and Laurel relationship on the show, beyond a point, has little in common with the iconic GA/BC pairing of the comics. Its its own animal. Comic-book BC was never a lawyer trying to clean up Star City. She wasn't Oliver's childhood sweetheart. She had no dead sister whom Oliver cheated on her with. Hell, she didn't even go by the name 'Laurel', really. More so than betraying 'comics canon' therefore, the show betrayed its own mythology when it basically ignored the Oliver-Laurel relationship starting with the latter half of Season 3.

I also totally agree about the strengths of the season one "villain of the week" format, as opposed to the pointless and repetitive "Ollie shoots another arrow at Dahrk, which he immediately deflects with his magic powers" formula we got in season four. In fact, while I still remember many of Oliver's encounters with various season one villains, the supposedly epic season four Ollie/Darhk battles were so trite and unmemorable that they seem like an indifferent and boring blur. Besides, the fact that most of Oliver's season one antagonists were somehow tied to the the Undertaking gave the individual episodes a sense of coherence that was sorely lacking in many season four eps, e.g. the Cupid ep, or the Bee lady ep, which felt like pure filler.

Well, we're getting more "villain of the week" episodes, along with organized crime plots, in Season 5. Clearly the writers now know what really worked on this show.

Formerly sn939

[–] ninthcentury 8 years ago

I REALLY enjoyed reading your post, and I agree with kulla and whodat 100%.

~~~~~
Because supporting your thesis is tough, but throwing adjectives is easy.

[–] Apple4 8 years ago

Great review and analysis. Season one and the pilot will always remain as my favourites. Could you imagine how great a show it would have been if they made it more about Oliver and Laurel, with Diggle his best mate like Alfred. It certainly would have been a more balanced show and at least give him something to do, and the focus on street crime continuing. For me Diggle was guiding The Hood while Laurel was guiding Oliver - as he wanted to be better for her.

[–] David12222 8 years ago

I agree. I just want the writers to ditch felicity like right now!

[–] AustraPol 8 years ago

Nope, ditch the writers instead.

This isn't a mud hole... It's an operating table. And I am the surgeon

[–] David12222 8 years ago

Another good option.

[–] canaryalive 8 years ago

Season one was great! I agree! But you know what else was great about the show then - the writers, the directors and the producers. It was clear they were professionals and that they had plan and a solid story, and put a lot of effort into making great show. They understood the characters and the dialog was good. The whole team put a lot of effort in the action scenes also. Everything in the story was interconnected. All the character had their roles and they were good in it.

But as the show progressed the creative team(I think changed) does not know what to do with the show and with the characters anymore. That's why they produced this mess in which characters change roles and step into each others shoes.
Suddenly Oliver Queen can't kill and should be light hero who give speeches and needs his team, because he is lame in the fight.
The civilians suddenly are professional street fighters and even better than the Arrow.
The bad guy that destroyed half of the city in s1 now is a family and an ally which drugs then once in a while and kills some Lance family member but hey all is forgiven.
The police works openly with the vigilantes, and Oliver is quick in telling anyone his secret identity.
The team Arrow from s1 (Diggle and Felicity) are not supporters and friends to the Arrow as before, but are there to create the drama and remind him he is still too broken.
The story lines which were supposed to be about GA are given to the other characters so they can be equally important.
The flashbacks are there just to remind us that Oliver completely lost hi mind and forgotten important information that could have saved a lot of trouble.

My point is, season one was great because it was created by obviously professional people with talent. I have no idea who works on the show now, but everything is low quality, from the dialog, to the plot, to the camera work, to the montage and the directing of the action.

I think that all the ideas from s4 could have worked, even the magic element if it was done from professional writers and they put more effort in the production and effects. Some scenes look so poor and childish, but with more effects and good camera work they could have looked way better.
That is why for example season 3 even with the ridiculous stories at times looks way better than season 4, because the production was still good.

[–] EmperorOfLatveria 8 years ago

This orchestrates my thoughts on the show for a very long time. But also you missed another thing about the show I miss from back then, perhaps you could have added.

It seemed Oliver outside of the hood was much more real... His family, Maura, him trying to be Oliver Queen/ also trying not to be, not taking his place in the company, etc.

I really wanted him to become the Oliver Queen from the comics, the business mogul. Who also was a vigilante as an alter-ego. It never happened.

They seemed to try to finally be going back there this last season, but even this sort of feels half assed.

And I agree; if they simply would have been willing to stick with it from a story standpoint, like from the comics - it would have been much more fulfilling.

Instead, this show devolved into a show about ships. Olicity is the worse offender (and lack of chem early - only to be retconned to make it more believable later); but the ship wars themselves became toxic.

The writers went out of their way to try to please everyone. This itself has destroyed the show.

*beep*, this could have been great. If they simply had more faith in the characters as they were when they started off with them. While yes, change is a good thing for real character development - forcing it is never, ever a good thing. And no, this isn't just a rant against Oliver and felicity (but they DO deserve that). Even Laurel S2 deserves it, Thea deserves it, heck, I think just about everyone but Merlin (sort of), Diggle and Tommy should be called out on their huge out of character moments that drove their story arcs all throughout the show. Just drives me insane. But at least, for this problem alone - that seemed to be dialed quite a bit back this season... But for all the other problems it has... That doesn't bring it any redemption at all in my eyes. S1 really was great.

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[–] MichaelScoffield 8 years ago

Thank you! I was planning to make a very similar post. You've expressed my thoughts perfectly. The show was orders of magnitude better than it is today. It felt real and it made sense. Now, none of it feels real nor makes sense.

I would also add that the first season had a sort of tension and intrigue that kept you on the edge of your seat. Each episode had a good story that was not always easy how it ends. I've recently re-watched the episode when Tommy finds out that Oliver is The Hood and I couldn't believe how tense I was watching. I really cared about the story and its outcome.

Also noticeable is that in the first season Felicity's role was kept at a minimum and that's when she was at her best. What I personally miss the most is the life Oliver had outside of being the Arrow. He had a family, a business, dates. It was great. Even the special effects and overall quality of the show was miles better than it is today. I date anyone that defends season four to re-watch season one and see how the show has fallen.

[–] sanddragon939 8 years ago

Lost momentum for a bit on my re-watch, but I covered the Helena Bertinelli two-parter and the 'Year's End' midseason finale.

If the plan for Season 5, as Mericle claims, is to delve deeper into the underworld and do more Mob stories like the Bertinelli two-parters, then I do indeed have high hopes for the season. These episodes were 'Arrow's first real two-parters and Helena's story, and the doomed Oliver-Helena 'love' story, was excellently crafted, albeit a tad rushed perhaps. This was the first time we actually got to see Oliver in love, and enter into a relationship. Sure, the ghost of Oliver and Laurel had made its presence felt since Day 1 but we now actually got to see post-island Oliver for the first time really opening himself up to a woman who was truly a darker reflection of him, and trying to get her into the relative light. For the first time, we actually got to see what makes Oliver a 'hero', given that he is technically a criminal and a murderer at that...we got a glimpse of that moral compass which would continue to develop over the season, and indeed, the series.

In a way, Helena was the ideal relationship for Oliver to have at this point in his life. Who else would a psychologically damaged billionaire playboy-turned killing machine leading a double life be able to share his life with but a Mafia princess with murderous daddy issues? Yet the relationship was also ideal because of what was different between the two - and these differences continue to spiral until, by the time we see Helena and Oliver confront each other in late Season 2, Oliver's firmly the hero and Helena, the villain. Helena-Oliver IMO was also a prototype for the relatively more 'successful' Sara-Oliver relationship in Season 2, looking back.

The rest of the characters and relationships continue to evolve perfectly. Thea becomes less the annoying brat and more like someone who's relationship with Oliver we'd like to see develop. Moira remains phenomenal, especially in her interactions with Malcolm Merlyn, revealing a strength beneath the cowering frame. Walter Steele is great and I really wish we'd had more of him on the show...sadly this nine episode run was the most he'd ever appear continuously on the show. Felicity is starting to shape up as a great supporting character who is slowly getting enmeshed deeper and deeper in the world of the vigilante and the conspiracy that ails Starling City. And the central set of relationships of course are those between Oliver, Tommy and Laurel. The scene at the restaurant with this trio, and Helena, as well the trio meeting at the Queen Christmas party particularly stand. There's a history between the three of them that cannot be denied and continues to hang over them and affect their relationships in the present...a history that we sadly started to lose in the latter half of Season 3.

The one character I haven't mentioned so far is Diggle, who continues to shape up as Oliver's rock. As badass as Diggle may have been in the field in later seasons, I think I much prefer his Season 1 avatar 'Alfred'-like avatar as someone who is both Oliver's friend and mentor.

Formerly sn939

[–] Blue-and-Gold 8 years ago

I haven't read your entire post yet but what I've read, you bring up some great points! I'll comment later with all the things I agree with you on.

I think the execs have mentioned the season 5 villain will be a call back to season 1, have you noticed anything that might foreshadow that on your re-watch?

[–] sanddragon939 8 years ago

Not yet. It doesn't necessarily have to be someone we SAW in Season 1 though. Could just be something that happened off-screen during Season 1.

Formerly sn939

[–] Jay_Ryder 8 years ago

Love your review/analysis. I usually don't bother with reviews but I read your WHOLE analysis and it's spot on! I agree with everything you wrote.

But you didn't include one of my favorite things from season 1.... The humor. It's one of the reasons why I gave it a perfect 10 back then. I mean for a show that's supposed to be dark & gritty... Had some great humor. Great action scenes + good humor + good villains... It had a good balance.

Some examples of the humor (which I REALLY miss)

Oliver: That's not how I typically get my information.
Felicity: How do you typically do it?
Oliver: I find the person, and then I put the fear of God into them. But we can try it your way.

Thea: Do you have a police radio in your pocket?
Roy: No, I'm just happy to see you.

Slade: [after Oliver laughs] What?
Oliver: I'm trapped on an island and my only friend is named Wilson.

Felicity: [to Oliver] You look like something the cat dragged in. Not that there are cats in this building. Well, once a cat did get in, but a guard tazed it. It smelled like fur and static in here for a week.

Diggle: What would you have done if you were wrong and I decided to make a call to Detective Lance.
Oliver: I would have put an arrow in you.
Diggle: Ha! No really, really. You really would have done that? Really?

"Some would say I'm The Reverse"

[–] sanddragon939 8 years ago

Been a while, but I've finally made my way past the midseason finale...today, I'll be covering episodes 10 to 14.

Before I get to anything else, I have to say that on this viewing, I have a slightly higher opinion of 1x10 ('Burned') than I did before. I've always felt that until 'Left Behind' in Season 3, we never really had a good midseason premiere for 'Arrow'. And while my opinion on the majority of 'Burned' stays the same (Firefly was misused as a totally throw away character, the plot is on the whole pretty weak), I must say I did appreciate the psychological depth it gave Oliver. After nine episodes of seeing Oliver Queen, the relentless killing machine, it was interesting to see, for the first time, a more 'human' and vulnerable Oliver who doubts his capabilities and maybe finds the prospect of a normal civilian life a tad too tempting. Later in the show, we get plenty of instances of Oliver in this frame of mind (some good, some bad), but this was the first and pretty interesting in its own right.

Once we get to episode 11, things do get interesting again, plot-wise. The Blackhawks episode was the first time we got to see Diggle in the wrong, in a sense, something else which has become all too common on the show now (especially heading into Season 5) but was a new thing back then. We realize that Diggle's nobility, and his ability to see the best in people, can be a strength and a weakness. Diggle's moment of weakness becomes particularly interesting in the context of subsequent episodes where its Oliver who wants to believe the best of his mother, despite all evidence to the contrary, and its Diggle who tries to get him to stay focused on the mission.

Episodes 12-13 are a turning point for the show, since for the first time, Oliver and Diggle start to get directly involved in the 'myth arc', so to speak, for this season. The way its woven in, unobtrusively, amidst two episodes that are, on the outset, standard 'villain of the week' stories, is an exemplar in storytelling. Indeed, the myth arc actually contributes to the villain of the week story - with Thea's disenchantment with Moira due to clandestine meetings with Merlyn leading to her driving under the influence of Vertigo, which segues into Oliver's crusade against the Count. We get a 'villain of the week' story, a bit of the 'myth arc' and some much-needed character development for Thea - all at once!

Speaking of characters, Thea of course is now set down the path which leads her to become the far stronger and more evolved character she is today. If Thea begins Season 5 as the de-facto Mayor of Star City, its all because once upon a time, in the middle of Season 1, the writers had her OD on Vertigo, crash her car, nearly face prison, and for the first time in her life, introspect and grow up.

Laurel and Tommy get quiet a bit of development as well. The dinner scene with Laurel, Tommy and Malcolm was a treat to watch. We finally get some backstory on Malcolm and Tommy and the first hint about his motives for 'the Undertaking' (which we, of course, still don't know about beyond the most cryptic hints). In general, the interplay between all the characters, and how it advances all the characters involved, is something I think is particularly missing from the show today. Case in point - Oliver visits Laurel, asking her to ask for Lance's help in getting the heat of Thea. This leads to Laurel being able to get into a position to serve as a mentor to Thea, but also to a conversation between Laurel and Lance that touches upon how Sara's death continues to haunt him and which helps humanize him and help him get over what happened to his daughter a bit, by helping someone like her. The history between all these characters really matters and shapes their actions in the present, while setting the stage for their possible futures.

Onto 'The Odyssey' now. Well, I've written a lot of 'The Odyssey' in the past so I won't go further into how much of a 'game-changer' the episode was, both for the present-day and the flashback narrative. Suffice to say, this is the episode where 'Arrow' became the show we now imagine when we hear the name.

So I'd say the stretch just after the midseason finale, in retrospect, was a real period of transition for 'Arrow' as it went from being a largely procedural show with a few soap and romantic elements, to a conspiracy thriller/action show with a deeper exploration of the characters.

Formerly sn939