Arrow makes it debuts on The CW at 8p tonight and you want to be like a Bullseye and catch this show.
Five years ago Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) didn’t have a care in the world, he was a Playboy Billionaire enjoying the lifestyle. Then one fateful boat trip with his father and his then girlfriend’s sister Sarah, a storm will enter their path and change his life forever. Sarah and his father did not survive, and he will spend the next five years on an island in the Pacific presumed to be dead by all that know him. We don’t know what happened him to him on the island, but it had a profuse impact on his life.
When he finally comes home things have changed around him, but the biggest change is him. Now he has a secret identity and he is getting revenge on the people who wronged his family. He is acting a vigilante who wants to return Starling City to its former glory.
During the day he is the son that his mom Moira (Susanna Thompson) is happy to have big back, the big brother that Thea (Willa Holland) knew never died, the best friend to Tommy (Colin Donnell) and the ex-boyfriend to Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy). At night he is the Arrow and none of them know that…for now!
Earlier this week I was a press event at DC Comics (can I say that was one of the coolest experiences I ever have had) for the show and Stephen Amell, Executive Producers Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg, and DC Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns, and they let us know what we can expect from this grounded show that puts the super in superhero.
First off why did they go with this DC Comic character over all of the others. After Green Arrow Executive Producer Greg Berlanti wondered which DC Comics characters would translate to television. They went Green Arrow because he is really “grounded”. Then they added it also made sense because the Green Arrow was on Smallville.
Johns let us know that Arrow is two stories in one. “There is the flashback story which at the end of the pilot you see Oliver reaching the island. In episode 2 picks up with him stepping foot on the island for the first time…Ideally the last flashback, in the last episode of the series will be Oliver seeing the boat that rescued him in the pilot.” These flashbacks will also correspond to the present day story.
Amell wanted to add something on the flashbacks, “Based on the hair and makeup though, I’m pretty sure by the end of it, I will wish I would’ve been bitten by a spider.”
Arrow is different than most other superheroes because he is not afraid to kill someone, so Kreisberg explained that by saying, “Oliver doesn’t set out to kill people. But if it has to happen, then it has to happen.” He will have a partner in The Huntress and she will be a darker version of him, who he thinks will be able to save.
A big difference between the comic book and the television one is that Oliver has a sister and his mother his alive. They were added to “populate” his world.
Johns wants you to look out for Easter Eggs tonight. “There are a lot of seeds that were planted in the pilot that won’t grow into a fruition until year 5 in some cases. there were a lot of decisions that we had to make, down to the various tattoos on Oliver’s body and what’s inscribed on that hose that he gives Thea.” Those answers will come at some point, but when has not been determined.
The Royal Flush Gang will make their debut in episode 6. This is an episode that they are very proud of.
Episode 9 airs December 12th and you should mark your calendars for the midseason finale. Heck why not just mark your calendars to watch this show every Wednesday at 8p because it one of the most addictive new shows of the season. Addictive because it is well done show that comic book and non-comic fans can enjoy equally as much.
And on that note DC Comics is introducing a digital comic for the show Arrow today. A new edition will be released every Wednesday. The digital comic will tie in with the show’s stories and fill in important gaps in that television narrative. The show’s writing staff will be contributing to it. These digital comics are a must read for fans of the show because it will give you greater insight into Arrow. On November 28th a print issue of the series will be released and sold for a reasonable price.
