Jessie Robertson reviews the season six premiere episode of Arrow…
Who Survived the Explosion on Lian Yu?
Surprise! Everyone! (except William’s mom, which, you know, story)
Arrow opens up and without us really noticing, picks up right where it left off, with all characters pretty much continuing where they were before the whole island blew up and the stakes got crazy big and it seemed like the end to something. Maybe it was. We’ll see. After last year’s comeback season, Arrow holds strong with the same type of grounded storylines that helped carry it back from the dead. Instead of a fiancée wavering on wanting her almost-husband back from an interdimensional portal called the Speed Force, Oliver is dealing with a son he’s never known who looks at him like a monster, at the very least, the man who caused his mother, the only parent he’s ever known, to be dead. This is real gripping stuff, even if William’s pointing and Oliver’s dialogue leading up to it is done very hokey.
So, yeah nothing changed, but with a subtle touch, ‘Fallout’ starts anew, in all in really quick ways; Oliver and Felicity look to be thinking about trying to make it work again, this time with William in the picture, but not immediately. John is suffering from some PTSD from the exploding island he just escaped from; Rene looks to be getting a second chance to get his daughter back, and Quentin, long-suffering Quentin, his scenes tonight dealing with other Laurel were strong, swoll, beefy, Crossfit strong. And Laurel is the new John Locke essentially; playing a character that looks like the one we knew but is completely different. While I’m not sure how I feel about SCPD and the Arrow-Cave both essentially being half destroyed in episode 1, this show pushes it and proves that while slow burning story is still top priority, they still like to blow s*** up and move at breakneck speed.
9/10- Arrow retains its street cred and keeps last year’s new team plots moving forward
Other Notes:
– Those T-spheres are going to be this team’s saving grace this year, watch
– Oliver has made some new arrows in his summer break and they are freakin amazing; speaking of new, Dinah’s new costume is quite sharp
– Thea; in a coma, which preserves her part-time status from last year but she is sorely missed when not in a speaking role, which also adds to Quentin’s dilemma; liked seeing Dinah step into that role
– Nice Flash backpack William; I see what you did there.
Jessie Robertson
