When I first heard that a new series about the Emerald Archer was going to hit TV soon, I couldn’t have been more ecstatic. After 10 years of Smallville, I really thought it was going to be a while before we get to see another DC superhero on TV. But we didn’t have to wait that long. And even more wonderful was that it was going to be about Green Arrow…Yea, I’m a sucker for archery.
The first season actually made the blood run through my veins in excitement. It had everything. The right amount of action, love, twists and turns to make for an epic series. And the second season was even more awesome. Oliver Queen’s transition from a dark character to a hero and saviour was moving and touching. You could feel the commitment Stephen Amell put into the Character from the way he acted. Kudos to the scriptwriters also because the handshake between Oliver Queen and Slade Wilson (Deathstroke) still rings in my ears every day.
From season 3 however, everything changed. Sara died… Thea changed drastically, Olicity began and then, later on, Laurel Lance finally assumed the role of the fabled Black Canary.
To fans, the Laurel Dinah Lance/Black Canary played by Katie Cassidy will go down in history as the most awful portrayal of a female superhero ever. Not that it had anything to do with Katie Cassidy… the main problem came from the people behind the scenes.
The unconvincing growth of Laurel Lance into Black Canary
Ra’s Al Ghul is one of the greatest martial artists in the DC Universe. And he has technically only been bested in Hand-to-hand combat by Batman. Even at the end of Arrow Season 3, Green Arrow had to fake surrender to get the better of Ra’s – the leader of the League of Assassins.
Now, explain how it’s possible that Laurel Lance who got trained by a “boxer” all of a sudden started going toe-to-toe with members of the League of Assassins… people in ninja costumes who literally spend their every waking moment either training, carrying out missions or killing/assassinating people. And the fact that Laurel had the most minimal training at that time (self-defence classes and boxing).
I mean, look at the team, John Diggle had trained with Oliver for years, Roy/Arsenal had also trained with Oliver, and Malcolm Merlin trained Thea. So it was only expected that they all put up something of a fight with the league’s members… but how was Laurel be able to?
The growth from Laurel to Black Canary was unnecessarily rushed which was part of the things that made fans grow tired of her quickly and ultimately resulted in her death in the show.
The misuse and lack of support for side characters
Next is the unnecessary “disuse” of supporting characters in Green Arrow’s quest to clean up Star City. It started with John Diggle constantly being in a van, and then the show elevated by bringing Roy in. Fans were glad to see the famous protégé finally wear the red hood, but he ended up being nothing more than an annoyance out in the field. He either always got dispossessed/disarmed too easily, or got knocked out. Mind you, this is the same Roy that went toe-to-toe against a handful of Mirakuru soldiers in season 2 without getting as much as a scratch.
Thea had quality screen time as the second Arsenal, so big ups to the scriptwriters for that. Season 4 was overall a very awesome season. Thank you, Neal McDonough, for your portrayal of Damien Darhk.
Season 5, however, has plunged the show back on the track to “filth city”. Introducing characters like Wild Dog, Ragman, Mr Terrific, and Artemis (though she ended up being a spy for Prometheus) only to make them suffer even worse than Roy Harper did on the field.
They all get beaten/knocked out easily and are basically useless… all in a bid to make Green Arrow the “saviour” and solidify his status as the main character – which he is and we don’t need the constant reminder.
The return of Laurel Lance as Black Siren – albeit a one-episode return – was the worst showing of Green Arrow’s sidekicks ever. None of them could land a hit on her… A woman who could do nothing else but scream! Ragman got knocked out by Prometheus… with one single punch. RAGMAN, a hero that can sense evil and withstand a nuclear bomb got knocked out BY A PUNCH.
It’s no wonder the ratings of the show dropped and fans got tired of seeing the same thing happening every time.
P.S – Enough with the blanks. It’s too much. They make every fight scene involving guns look more like a fireworks show than an exchange of gunfire. And how can Green Arrow battle that many people constantly and not take any damage whatsoever? Even Batman, who has mastered every form of violent combat known to man, takes damage in his fights.
