After eight seasons, the curtain
finally falls on Arrow. I was underwhelmed and unsure of some of the
choices the narrative opted for in the end, but overall, the finale
satisfied. I guess that simply reflects what I feel about this show as a whole.
I didn’t like everything about it, but I am satisfied with the series
overall.
Arrow was a TV show that I wasn’t always enthusiastic about. While the early seasons put it in my annual picks for best TV shows a few times, the middle seasons didn’t always work for me. Nevertheless, I was able to follow its entire
run closely. As far as I can remember, I
got to see all of its 170 episodes.
I didn’t immediately watch it when
it first came out. It was only when I confirmed
that The Flash, when it debuted, was a worthwhile show to watch that I also decided to watch Arrow. I knew
that The Flash spun off from Arrow, and I reckoned that, if the former
was worthwhile, then the latter must be as well. Moreover, I recognized that a shared universe
was being developed, and that was something worth investing on early as a fan.
And indeed, from the get go, it
seemed like Arrow was always looking
for as many opportunities as it could to bring as much of DC Comics mythology
into this live-action small screen universe.
In just those opening seasons, it established in this universe many DC
characters who aren’t necessarily directly tied up to core Green Arrow lore, such as the Huntress, the League of Assassins, Ra’s
al Ghul, Deathstroke, Amanda Waller, Suicide Squad, Barry Allen (who would end
up becoming the Flash and getting his own show), Ray Palmer a.k.a. the Atom,
and tons more. Moreover, its depictions
of obscure (e.g. Felicity Smoak) and original (e.g. John Diggle, Thea Queen) characters
turned out being as noteworthy as those easily recognizable comics-based characters.
Being the first of what would
eventually be several live-action DC superhero shows in The CW, Arrow laid a solid groundwork for this shared
TV universe, and thus, it got to be named after it – the “Arrowverse” (I personally
wish it was named “DCW Universe”, though).
In the process, it significantly contributed to defining superhero live-action
TV for the post-Smallville era.
Essentially, Arrow is to the Arrowverse as Iron
Man is to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Both had set the tone for their respective franchises/shared universes to
be the dominant superhero brand in their respective media. Moreover, their eponymous characters – whose
comic book counterparts were merely B-list characters at best when they started
out – became the respective faces of those brands, and the in-story de-facto
leaders of their respective superhero communities.
However, Arrow was special, not only because it pioneered a successful superhero
shared universe on TV, but because, as a show per se, it did have a couple of
striking aspects. The flashbacks (which
became flashforwards in latter seasons) are clever storytelling gimmicks (even
though the latter flashback storylines had mixed results). The fight scenes have some of the most
jaw-dropping and kickass choreography I’ve seen in modern TV (especially before Marvel and Netflix
released Daredevil). And the salmon ladder pull-ups, which became
an iconic part of the show, are quite awesome.
Most importantly, Arrow somewhat served the purpose of scratching
our itch for a live-action Batman
series in the 21st century. Potentially
speaking, the most exciting live-action DC TV series would have been a legit, gritty
live-action Batman TV series. That’s something we would probably never have
at this time, for it seems like the powers that be want a live-action Batman to
be exclusive in the big screen. Thus, Arrow was – and currently, still is – the
closest thing to a “legit, gritty live-action Batman TV series” we’d ever get.
After all, Green Arrow originally functioned in the comics as a Batman
analogue that happens to work with bow and arrows. And Arrow
nailed this quintessential characterization.
In the end, I won’t necessarily
miss Arrow. Ending it after eight seasons was the right call. In that way, it avoided reaching a point
where it had to run on fumes to muster a pathetic conclusion. Instead, it got to go out on its own terms and
while it was still on top.
Also, the Arrowverse is still
ongoing. And thus, its legacy continues.
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