Superheroes have had a tough time on television recently. “Heroes” dissolved into an incoherent mess, “Smallville” battled diminishing returns, and the less said about “The Cape,” the better. With just a few episodes, however, the CW’s new “Arrow” manages to establish itself as a decent, if unexceptional, show.
Oliver Queen, millionaire playboy and Starling City’s favored son, has survived for five years on a desolate island before his rescue. Forced to watch his father and lover die in a violent shipwreck, the man who returns to civilization is not the boy who left. He’s picked up some new things: commitment to justice, catlike agility and deadly proficiency with a bow and arrow. Armed with a list of names and a new vigilante identity, Queen is going to bring down the criminals ruling his city, even if that means killing them. “Arrow” owes a huge debt to Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins,” both in structure and aesthetic. Besides the obvious story similarities – a rich playboy turned vigilante, dead parent, grim demeanor – the show apes the industrial cinematography and pounding score of Nolan’s trilogy. It also cribs enough specific detail to make clear just on whose cape tail “Arrow” is riding. Structurally, copying Nolan is a smart choice. Unlike “Smallville,” Queen is costumed and established by the middle of the first episode, and periodic flashbacks to his time stranded helpfully sketch in back-story. A schizophrenic streak lurks under the gritty veneer, however. Half of the premiere sets up the soap-style love triangles and dramas within the supporting cast, positioning pretty people close to each other and watching what happens. Queen’s best friend and ex-girlfriend, Tommy Merlyn and Dinah Lance, both feel like characters who’ve wandered into the wrong show. But there’s a hidden upside to this, and it lies in Stephen Amell’s performance as Queen. With cold eyes and a flat affect, Amell conveys a character who broke and remade himself into something terrifying. Watching Queen try to pass as his former self is unsettling, and there are times when the veneer cracks to reveal the predator underneath. The mixture of elements adds a touch of menace to an otherwise cliche setup; the rest of the cast may be distracted by romantic pursuits, but Queen is playing a much deadlier game. Unfortunately, the writing in “Arrow” is hit or miss. Ignoring the classic rule of “show, don’t tell,” the first episode bulges with tedious exposition and dialogue. Characters declaim their motivations to each other in ways no real person has ever done, and it lends a jarring note to what is otherwise an effectively structured and paced show. For the most part, “Arrow” has much to recommend it. It offers up the requisite tights and fights from which its fellow shows have shied away and sets itself apart by jumping into the action immediately. It’s not an original superhero show by any means, but it’s competent, and these days that’s a rare thing indeed.
