Arrow
Season 5, Episode 1: “Legacy”
Original Air Date: October 5th, 2016
Grade: B+
Spoilers through Arrow season 5, episode 1: “Legacy”
SO, THE ARROW PREMIERE. LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT FOR A MINUTE.
Don’t tell me that I’m the only one who was impressed, especially after the flop of Season 4?
The camera work. The fight choreography. The witty lines. The pilot parallels. The flashbacks. The show was not put together after Season 4, and the premiere of Season 5 was the needle and thread that would make the show whole again.
The premiere, “Legacy,” truly showed the essence of what Arrow really was about. (Oliver kicking ass, obviously.) As Arrow slowly drifted into magic, Felicity, and drama, the episode tonight brought it back to Stone Age Oliver, the one who liked to break people’s necks and spoke Russian. Also, he could break zip ties, and “no one could know his secret.” Was I the only one who caught that? Think about it: Arrow, Season 1 Episode 1. The scene from tonight’s episode was completely in tribute to the pilot, where the same exact situation played out with almost the same lines. The brains behind Arrow are, not at all subtly, bringing it back to how the show was in the beginning.
“Legacy” gave me EMOTIONS. Some of the highlights were: Laurel whispering into Oliver’s ear the moment before she died; Diggle and Oliver’s phone call; Oliver’s speech about the Black Canary; Felicity’s boyfriend (What?); and Quentin’s mental state in the episode. Everything just made me feel so much for the characters. My heart was melted.
I love the idea of a Felicity/Oliver duo. Felicity, whether they were dating or broken up, would always be Oliver’s partner. She’s the one to keep him in check, which I think is crucial for Arrow and his character. Even after the events of last season’s finale, Oliver still expected the team to come back together again, and he took on the position of Green Arrow with the hope that it would be temporary. It was Felicity who snapped him out of that mindset, forcing him to develop his image as mayor. As an added bonus, it was nice to see their onscreen chemistry throughout the episode.
I do have to give kudos to the crew members behind the scenes of Arrow. The camera work was exceptional. (Did you see those angles and artistic shots?) The fight choreography knocked everything out of the park, as per usual. I can always count on Arrow for the awesome fight scenes.
That being said, the episode was all sorts of disorganized, which is what happens when the writers try to put too much information into a forty-five minute time slot. It was unclear what actually happened to Curtis after his altercation in the alley. It was too unrealistic that Oliver changed everyone’s view of him as a mayor with only a speech. Who’s the guy in the hockey mask at the beginning of the episode? (Casey Jones?) There was another archer again at the end? (Still reminiscent of season one.) Who was Wild Dog? There has been an ongoing problem of Arrow since season one and it’s that oftentimes the plot is much too rushed, which we saw on full display in “Legacy.” Although I must admit, season five seems to be much more organized than the previous season.
Even though the premiere had some bumps, I’m extremely excited for the season that awaits us. I truly can’t wait to see what happens in the flashbacks in Russia, what happens with the new team Oliver and Felicity have assembled, and the supposed return of Laurel Lance. (Wendy Mericle, executive producer, confirmed that the character of Laurel Lance would return in season five.)
I know many fans are skeptical about Arrow’s fifth season, but keep an open mind. Much like Oliver’s new path, I think season five could be Arrow’s redemption arc.
Arrow airs Wednesdays on The CW at 9pm EST.
