Arrow: The Calm

don't have 'the talk'

(spoilers for s03e01)

What's Arrow? A vigilante by the name of Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) who downs a green hood and who originally goes by Green Arrow in the comics, except the popular show has dropped the word green. After two successful seasons, the third has finally begun and with that loads of stress/anxiety/angst with it. Oh joy. I'm going to be a human wrecking ball of emotions...

Let me also explain 'shipping'. Have you heard of the term? It's in the Oxford Dictionary so it's a reality to be faced with. When a person says 'I ship-," it doesn't mean they're about to send a package to Hong Kong, but that they want a relationship to happen. The ship isn't exactly something one finds in real life however, but in tv-shows/books. In Arrow for example there are various ones to be found, but the most prominent, the most vexing - Olicity. I hate when I've been given something and people proceed to rip it out of my hands. It's like waking up from a shopping spree in your dreams and finding that you did not get that vintage Chanel bag with dalmatian spots (dreams man, weird).

Anyway we've been teased these many months post-series 2 about the possibility of there being something more to Oliver's declaration to Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards). The declaration that saved them all, as it was intertwined with the mission at hand (literally). Everyone speculated of course that there might be some actual weight to it, and Oliver being regarded by Felicity as a terrible liar, wasn't just playing for Slade's cameras.

We were right.

It's five months later. Oliver is broke and living where he works as the Arrow. Felicity has taken up a job in a IT shop. Digg (David Ramsey) is having a baby with his ex-wife/girlfriend while Roy (Colton Haynes) is a part of Team Arrow, and he's successfully coping. There's almost no more criminals in Starling City, but some are still staying strong, brewing a new form of Vertigo. And of course there's Laurel (Katie Cassidy) and her dad, the latter still trying to be a cop, despite him really being chained to an office. There's a lot of stories going on, but all of them work, especially the introduction of Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh). I was really surprised there, wondering how that was going to pan out, and they are right - he and Felicity do have a really good rapport. Not in the way that fans are dreading at the moment, but certainly one that might threaten the already crumbling ship of Oliver and Felicity.

When Oliver finally asks her out on a date he reveals that he wasn't always on the island, and that he was in Hong Kong for some time. He learned something there, something deeply connected to what this season is going to be about I suspect. Can he be Oliver and the Arrow? Basically - can Oliver be happy? That's the real question. He's suffered a lot and barely powered through without the support of his friends. And now he's doing the classic pushing away love interest. I know this might surprise people, but I like that. Not the trope itself, but the fact that they're probably going to be building towards something happening - maybe. We might not have something solid this season, except angst that I always hoped Laurel and Oliver would produce. The former however doesn't really suit our vigilante, too much personal history, too much pain, and frankly, Laurel and Tommy were a delight together (I still miss Tommy).

There's a lot of questions that season two brought up - Malcom Reynolds for example or Thea? Oliver's little sister is most likely learning to fight, or that's what the teaser trailer showed earlier at Comic Con. I'm suspecting since we already know who the season villain is going to be - those two will be helping some way or the other. I do look forward to how that turns out to be, since for a season opener I've got to say that the villain played by Peter Stormare was fabulous. You don't usually get a villain like that so soon. They've really upped their game and are intent on making us freak out as much as possible.

Everything about this episode was wonderful - Oliver admitting his feelings for Felicity, Ray Palmer swooping in to grab Queen Consolidated, Oliver's self-examination and Diggle's own future as a part of the team questioned. Starling City feeling safer yet not, and the mystery that continues about Oliver in Hong Kong. This show. It takes itself seriously, the dialogue doesn't feel contrived. Of course there are brief moments were the acting isn't top-bar, but I have a suspicion that might be due to editing. Yes, I'm picking on editing. All in all I am super excited, since the very end of the episode was enough to confirm that this isn't going to be an easy season for Team Arrow whatsoever, despite some very sweet moments. I predict pain, destruction and enough heartache to make all of us cry.

9/10