Green Arrow
As part of this Superhero class, we were asked to follow a superhero in the multimedia genre via video game, television show, or movie. I chose to follow the CW television show Arrow for a variety of reasons.
For my initial reaction to the show, please see my Response Blog, entry entitle Arrow, which I posted on 1/28/15.
*Warning! If you have not watched Arrow this season (#3) then read no further. Spoilers!*
3/19/15
Having watched part of Seasons 1 and 2 and all but the finale of Season 3, I have begun to notice trends in the show. First, there seems to be no gender bias in this show. While the women in the show, namely Oliver Queen's mother Moira, and sister Thea, and his ex-girlfriend Laurel Lance, were assumed to be needing taken care of and defended, especially by Oliver, aka the Green Arrow, it does not take long for audiences to see that this is not true. As the seasons ran their course fans learn that Moira was in league with Malcolm Merlin and other nefarious bad guys that Oliver is trying to take down. Laurel has a strong fighting spirit and battles bad guys using the law. Thea is the only one of the three that seems helpless. When Season 3 starts, however, Thea has grown tougher. She has lost both her parents and, while innocent in knowledge about her father, Malcom, and Oliver, she is being trained to fight by Malcolm.
As the season has progressed Thea has come into her own. When the threat of Ra's al Ghul turns into a kill-or-be-killed situation for Thea, Oliver, and Malcolm, Oliver is forced to share two of his deepest secrets with his little sister. Learning that he was the Green Arrow came as a small shock for Thea but she was quick to understand why he kept that secret. Instead of being mad as Oliver expected, Thea embraced her brother and thanked him for letting her into his world. Oliver still saw Thea as this sheltered and innocent young girl, as most older siblings and even parents will do about the young generation. However, since training with Malcolm, Thea has become a very strong woman. She is not as helpless as Oliver believed (the audience has watched her progress so there was little surprise about her reaction to Oliver's news). But nothing prepared her for the news about who killed Sarah Lance, Laurel's sister. That secret was forced out of Oliver and he spared no expense. If Thea had any innocence left, it quickly disappeared by learning that her father made her the fall-guy. As this Season draws to a close, the audience has seen the darkness in Thea growing. But, they have also seen that she is not as soulless as her father. While she may have sold Malcolm out to Ra's because she was angry at Malcom, Thea does regret it right away (just as Oliver said she would. Who knows his little sister?).
Not only had Thea grown as a character but Oliver is facing the ultimate choice. With one episode left, Oliver has been asked to become that which he hates most- the new Ra's al Ghul. Should Oliver take Ra's up on this offer, he would no longer be the vigilante trying to save his city. He would cross over and become the monster. While Oliver may think that becoming Ra's will solve all his problems and that, somehow he can be better than the current Ra's, the fact remains that this man, this leader of the League of Assassins, is not the good guy. He can never be. He must be cold and heartless. Any weakness will be questioned and must be dealt with swiftly. He is a killer. Oliver is no longer a killer. But is he willing to sacrifice his soul in order to save his friends, his sister, and his city? I think so. Which is the dumbest move he can make.
Check back next week for the conclusions drawn after being able to watch the finale.
As for how this show fits into the superhero genre, there are many instances where this can be seen. Not only is there a masked man who must hide his identity from the world, but Starling City is depicted like Gotham. Shadowed streets, dark tones, and corruption running ramped in the streets, Oliver's home is the perfect setting for a superhero. Not only is the setting fitting, but Oliver himself is the classic vigilante. He is fighting for the greater good but must break the law along the way. He was not opposed to killing before the Undertaking. And he has a special weapon that only he can truly wield (this gets a little tricky when Roy Harper comes into the picture, also using a bow and arrow). For more on the bow and arrow specifics, see my blog post on my initial reactions to the show.
I did notice an interesting change in the title of the show, however. In Season 1, the titles are a grey/bluish color and the arrow head behind the word 'arrow' is flat. Season 2's title are similar in color but now the arrowhead has a curve to it. Season 3's titles change even more. The arrowhead becomes complex and markings can be seen on it. Not only is this a reflection of the complexity of the show growing but of the characters, especially Oliver, growing and changing. As the old cliche' goes: there is more than meets the eye.
For my initial reaction to the show, please see my Response Blog, entry entitle Arrow, which I posted on 1/28/15.
*Warning! If you have not watched Arrow this season (#3) then read no further. Spoilers!*
3/19/15
Having watched part of Seasons 1 and 2 and all but the finale of Season 3, I have begun to notice trends in the show. First, there seems to be no gender bias in this show. While the women in the show, namely Oliver Queen's mother Moira, and sister Thea, and his ex-girlfriend Laurel Lance, were assumed to be needing taken care of and defended, especially by Oliver, aka the Green Arrow, it does not take long for audiences to see that this is not true. As the seasons ran their course fans learn that Moira was in league with Malcolm Merlin and other nefarious bad guys that Oliver is trying to take down. Laurel has a strong fighting spirit and battles bad guys using the law. Thea is the only one of the three that seems helpless. When Season 3 starts, however, Thea has grown tougher. She has lost both her parents and, while innocent in knowledge about her father, Malcom, and Oliver, she is being trained to fight by Malcolm.
As the season has progressed Thea has come into her own. When the threat of Ra's al Ghul turns into a kill-or-be-killed situation for Thea, Oliver, and Malcolm, Oliver is forced to share two of his deepest secrets with his little sister. Learning that he was the Green Arrow came as a small shock for Thea but she was quick to understand why he kept that secret. Instead of being mad as Oliver expected, Thea embraced her brother and thanked him for letting her into his world. Oliver still saw Thea as this sheltered and innocent young girl, as most older siblings and even parents will do about the young generation. However, since training with Malcolm, Thea has become a very strong woman. She is not as helpless as Oliver believed (the audience has watched her progress so there was little surprise about her reaction to Oliver's news). But nothing prepared her for the news about who killed Sarah Lance, Laurel's sister. That secret was forced out of Oliver and he spared no expense. If Thea had any innocence left, it quickly disappeared by learning that her father made her the fall-guy. As this Season draws to a close, the audience has seen the darkness in Thea growing. But, they have also seen that she is not as soulless as her father. While she may have sold Malcolm out to Ra's because she was angry at Malcom, Thea does regret it right away (just as Oliver said she would. Who knows his little sister?).
Not only had Thea grown as a character but Oliver is facing the ultimate choice. With one episode left, Oliver has been asked to become that which he hates most- the new Ra's al Ghul. Should Oliver take Ra's up on this offer, he would no longer be the vigilante trying to save his city. He would cross over and become the monster. While Oliver may think that becoming Ra's will solve all his problems and that, somehow he can be better than the current Ra's, the fact remains that this man, this leader of the League of Assassins, is not the good guy. He can never be. He must be cold and heartless. Any weakness will be questioned and must be dealt with swiftly. He is a killer. Oliver is no longer a killer. But is he willing to sacrifice his soul in order to save his friends, his sister, and his city? I think so. Which is the dumbest move he can make.
Check back next week for the conclusions drawn after being able to watch the finale.
As for how this show fits into the superhero genre, there are many instances where this can be seen. Not only is there a masked man who must hide his identity from the world, but Starling City is depicted like Gotham. Shadowed streets, dark tones, and corruption running ramped in the streets, Oliver's home is the perfect setting for a superhero. Not only is the setting fitting, but Oliver himself is the classic vigilante. He is fighting for the greater good but must break the law along the way. He was not opposed to killing before the Undertaking. And he has a special weapon that only he can truly wield (this gets a little tricky when Roy Harper comes into the picture, also using a bow and arrow). For more on the bow and arrow specifics, see my blog post on my initial reactions to the show.
I did notice an interesting change in the title of the show, however. In Season 1, the titles are a grey/bluish color and the arrow head behind the word 'arrow' is flat. Season 2's title are similar in color but now the arrowhead has a curve to it. Season 3's titles change even more. The arrowhead becomes complex and markings can be seen on it. Not only is this a reflection of the complexity of the show growing but of the characters, especially Oliver, growing and changing. As the old cliche' goes: there is more than meets the eye.
An interesting single-episode occurrence also happens when Malcolm is shown as the Black Arrow and the titles turn, you guessed it- black! And then there was the episode revolving around Cupid, who was in love with the Green Arrow. This episode had the arrow in the title changed to a red, heart shaped arrow. Very fitting for each special character.
The end of each episode showed a preview of the next. When the credits and preview were done this is what would appear:
At the mid-season cliffhanger (Episode 9), Oliver is seen having been mortally stabbed by Ra's. He falls over a cliff and the episode ends. The title changes after this. In the ambiguous time, for both characters and the audience, when it is not known if Oliver is dead or alive, the titles have transformed. Instead of the green, a symbol of our hero, the title turns white. With the loss of Oliver the question becomes: can his team continue without him or does the fight end with Oliver's death?
Not only does the color of the title change but the setting, being in an urban street, fire the ground itself, and dark, ruined buildings in the background, sets up the fight for the Glades. It represents the disruption, corruption, and potential future of Starling City.
Finally, Oliver returns to Starling City and sees a civil war for the Glades occurring; he appears as the Green Arrow and gives a speech, apologizing for leaving and promising that the city will be protected. The end of this episode once again has green titles. The hero has returned.
For commentary on this analysis, see the Forum below. Click on 'News' and you will see the 'Arrow' topic.