| Series overview | |
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| Season 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 | |
The first season of Arrow premiered on October 10, 2012 on The CW and concluded on May 15, 2013. The season consisted of 23 episodes altogether.
Synopsis
Oliver Queen was a playboy billionaire who ended up in a lot of social trouble and cheated on his girlfriend, Laurel, with her sister, Sara. In 2007, Oliver was shipwrecked on an island, Lian Yu, after both Sara and Oliver's father, Robert died. Five years later, Oliver is found by Chinese fishermen and taken back to Starling City to his mother, Moira, sister, Thea and best friend, Tommy Merlyn, but has returned with a mission to save Starling City from the people destroying it - which are on a list passed down from his father before his death - in a persona called "The Hood".
Oliver teams up with his bodyguard John Diggle to help the city against the various criminals on his father's list, but, on Diggle's insistence, also fights other criminals causing trouble in the city such as the Royal Flush Gang, Cecil Adams, Dodger, etc. Oliver also has a list of recurring villains to face such as Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot. Oliver also has an encounter with a copycat archer who proves to be stronger and faster than Oliver is and knows about the list and reveals that Robert didn't compile it, putting doubts into Oliver's mind for the longest time. Meanwhile, he is hunted by Detective Quentin Lance who will stop at nothing to bring down the Hood and also hates Oliver, blaming him for Sara's death. Oliver also occasionally visits Felicity Smoak with tech related issues, though when Oliver is badly wounded, he is forced to tell her his secret and she also becomes a part of the team. Diggle also has demons of his own to face, such as learning that Deadshot killed his brother Andy and he begins a vendetta to find and kill him.
In the entire series there was flashbacks of Oliver's arrival on the island, subsequent fight for survival against the soldiers of Edward Fyers, how he is tutored to fight by former Asian commander, Yao Fei Gulong, former ASIS soldier, Slade Wilson, and Yao Fei's martial arts expert daughter, Shado. Oliver is forced to make tough decisions in his matter of life and death. In the end, he learns that Fyers, per orders of his employer, is planning to destroy all aircraft that may leave China with a large missile launcher, to destroy its economy, and to have Yao Fei take the fall. Yao Fei is killed, but Oliver, Shado, and Slade manage to stop the plan, and Oliver kills Fyers.
In addition to Oliver's mission, the series also focuses on other characters' personal issues, many of which were shaped by Oliver's presumed death, such as his best friend, Tommy, and ex-girlfriend, Laurel, now dating each other, and Thea's drug addiction, which leads her to being put on community service with Laurel. Thea eventually meets Roy Harper, a gang banger in the Glades with a history of violence, but Thea becomes instantly attracted to him and tries everything she can to get him out of crime. Roy eventually does so, but when he is saved by the Hood, he becomes obsessed with finding and learning from him. Oliver himself also has several love interests such Helena Bertinelli, who turns out to be a criminal called "Huntress," and city cop McKenna Hall. Eventually, after Tommy's father Malcolm is almost killed by Deadshot, Oliver is forced to reveal his identity to Tommy so he can save Malcolm with a blood transfusion. The exposed secret causes tensions between them and eventually they stop talking as Oliver and Laurel slowly start to amend their relationship.
Moira is also involved in a criminal conspiracy with Malcolm Merlyn, who is the copycat archer known as the "Dark Archer". Oliver pursues his mother on this, eventually learns the involvement of both of them, and sets out to learn their plan. Oliver, Dig, and Felicity learn that Malcolm is planning to destroy the Glades, with a device that can cause an Earthquake, to avenge the death of his wife 20 years previously. The names in the list were men who Malcolm bought sections of the Glades from so he could fulfill his plan and Moira was unwillingly a part of the plan to keep Malcolm from hurting the Queen family or anyone they could know. Oliver and Diggle set out to stop him while Felicity and Quentin stop the machine. Malcolm is killed, but reveals that he has a second device and the city is destroyed anyway. Tommy saves Laurel from being killed in falling debris in CNRI, but is hit himself and impaled by a rod. Tommy reconciles with Oliver before he dies and Oliver enters a state of depression as 503 other people are killed.
Cast
Main cast
- Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/The Hood
- Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance
- Colin Donnell as Tommy Merlyn
- David Ramsey as John Diggle
- Willa Holland as Thea Queen
- Susanna Thompson as Moira Queen
- Paul Blackthorne as Quentin Lance
Recurring cast
- Jamey Sheridan as Robert Queen
- Colin Salmon as Walter Steele
- Annie Ilonzeh as Joanna de la Vega
- Roger Cross as Lucas Hilton
- Kelly Hu as Chien Na Wei/China White
- Byron Mann as Yao Fei Gulong
- Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak
- Christie Laing as Carly Diggle
- John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn/Dark Archer
- Sebastian Dunn as Edward Fyers
- Jessica De Gouw as Helena Bertinelli/Huntress
- Jeffrey Nordling as Frank Bertinelli
- Janina Gavankar as McKenna Hall
- Manu Bennett as Slade Wilson
- Adrian Holmes as Frank Pike
- Celina Jade as Shado
- Colton Haynes as Roy Harper
- Chin Han as Frank Chen
- Jarod Joseph as Alan Durand
- Alex Kingston as Dinah Lance
Episodes
| # | Episode name | Directed by | Story by | Teleplay by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | David Nutter | Greg Berlanti & Marc Guggenheim | Andrew Kreisberg & Marc Guggenheim | October 10, 2012 |
| After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for 5 years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. Back in Starling City, Oliver slowly reconnects with those closest to him, his devoted mother Moira, beloved sister Thea, and best friend Tommy Merlyn, but struggles with his ex-girlfriend Dinah "Laurel" Lance, who blames him for her sister's death. Oliver has brought back many new skills from his time on the island and despite the watchful eye of his new bodyguard John Diggle, Oliver manages to secretly create the persona of The Hood a green hooded vigilante archer to right the wrongs of his family and fight the ills of society. As The Hood, Oliver will atone for the past sins of his family while he searches for the personal redemption he needs. | |||||
| 2 | "Honor Thy Father" | David Barrett | Greg Berlanti & Marc Guggenheim | Andrew Kreisberg & Marc Guggenheim | October 17, 2012 |
| Oliver heads to the courthouse to get his death certificate repealed and is pleasantly surprised to run into Laurel, who is there prosecuting Martin Somers, a criminal with ties to the Chinese Triad. Oliver recognizes Martin's name from his father's book and sets his sights on taking him down. Martin orders the Chinese Triad to "take care of" Laurel so they send their top mercenary China White after her, an act that culminates in a battle between The Hood and China White. Meanwhile, Moira and Walter ask Oliver to take over the company. | |||||
| 3 | "Lone Gunmen" | Guy Bee | Greg Berlanti & Marc Guggenheim | Andrew Kreisberg & Marc Guggenheim | October 24, 2012 |
| Oliver is surprised when someone shoots and kills one of his targets. As his plan is to bring people to justice vs. outright killing them, Oliver doesn't appreciate the help and searches for the gunman. He soon learns that the man, Deadshot, is taking out businessmen who are scheduled to bid at an auction on an energy company and Walter is one of the bidders. Realizing he can't protect his family and stop Deadshot at the same time, Oliver enlists Sergeant Quentin's help, but his plan has dire consequences. Meanwhile, Laurel and Tommy get caught in an awkward situation with Oliver. | |||||
| 4 | "An Innocent Man" | Vince Misiano | Moira Kirland & Lana Cho | October 31, 2012 | |
| Oliver still hasn't figured out how to get back in Laurel's good graces, but a late night bonding session with Thea gives him the inspiration he needs. Looking into a suspicious murder case, Oliver realizes an innocent man, Peter Declan, was framed by one of the targets on his list. As The Hood, he asks Laurel to help prove Peter's innocence. Meanwhile, Walter asks one of his employees, Felicity Smoak, to look into a $2.6 million withdrawal that Moira made without his knowledge. | |||||
| 5 | "Damaged" | Michael Schultz | Wendy Mericle & Ben Sokolowski | November 7, 2012 | |
| After Sergeant Quentin arrests Oliver for murder, Oliver tells Moira the only lawyer he'll allow to represent him is Laurel. Laurel takes the case which puts her at odds with her father. Oliver offers to take a polygraph in front Sergeant Quentin but things get tense when Lance asks him if anyone else was on the island with him. Oliver flashes back to when he got his second scar, courtesy of Billy Wintergreen. | |||||
| 6 | "Legacies" | John Behring | Moira Kirland & Marc Guggenheim | November 14, 2012 | |
| A gang of bank robbers, dubbed The Royal Flush Gang, hits a local bank and seriously wounds an off-duty police officer during a heist. John tells Oliver he needs to deviate from his father's list and start helping the citizens of Starling City. Meanwhile, Tommy asks Thea for relationship advice, but things get awkward when she realizes he was asking about Laurel. Moira confronts Oliver about all of his recent disappearances in the middle of family functions. | |||||
| 7 | "Muse of Fire" | David Grossman | Andrew Kreisberg | Geoff Johns & Marc Guggenheim | November 28, 2012 |
| Oliver encounters a mysterious woman, Helena Bertinelli, the daughter of mob boss Frank Bertinelli, who he can finally be himself with, but he soon comes to realize she's hiding dangerous secrets of her own. Helena is on her own personal mission of vengeance and Oliver is caught in the middle. Meanwhile, Tommy is blindsided by an unfortunate turn of events and turns to Laurel for support. | |||||
| 8 | "Vendetta" | Ken Fink | Beth Schwartz & Andrew Kreisberg | December 5, 2012 | |
| As Oliver and Helena grow closer, Oliver trains her to be his ally, complete with showing her how to use a crossbow. John disapproves of Oliver sharing his secret with Helena as he's not sure she can be trusted, but Oliver refuses to listen to his concerns. Helena's quest for revenge proves to be too strong for Oliver to handle after she kills the head of the Triad and all hell breaks loose. | |||||
| 9 | "Year's End" | John Dahl | Greg Berlanti & Marc Guggenheim | Andrew Kreisberg & Marc Guggenheim | December 12, 2012 |
| Oliver discovers that after he and his father went missing, Moira and Thea stopped celebrating Christmas. Determined to make up for lost time and restore a sense of normalcy to the Queen household, Oliver decides to throw the family a Christmas party. Meanwhile, Tommy asks Laurel to spend Christmas with him but she points out that Christmas was also her sister Sara's birthday and she needs to be with her father. Tommy suggests changing things up might be the best way for everyone to heal but Laurel isn't sure her father is ready for that. Meanwhile, John tells Oliver someone is murdering the people on his father's list with arrows, which sends Oliver off to face his toughest adversary yet. | |||||
| 10 | "Burned" | Eagle Egilsson | Moira Kirland & Ben Sokolowski | January 16, 2013 | |
| Oliver's confidence is shaken after almost being beaten by The Dark Archer and he takes a break from being The Hood. However, when Laurel calls The Hood for help investigating a firefighter's suspicious death, he reluctantly agrees but his hesitance while fighting almost costs him his life. Meanwhile, Tommy throws a benefit for the firefighters and Thea tries to lift Moira out of her depressive state. | |||||
| 11 | "Trust but Verify" | Nick Copus | Gabrielle Stanton | January 23, 2013 | |
| The next person on The Hood's list is John's commanding officer and mentor from Afghanistan, Ted Gaynor. Oliver suspects Ted is responsible for recent armoured truck robberies, but John defends Ted and takes a job at Ted's security company to keep an eye on him. Oliver decides to make a move on Ted, which puts him at odds with John. Meanwhile, Thea suspects that Moira is having an affair with Malcolm. Tommy and Laurel have an awkward dinner with Malcolm. | |||||
| 12 | "Vertigo" | Wendey Stanzler | Wendy Mericle & Ben Sokolowski | January 30, 2013 | |
| Thea is in trouble with the police after she gets caught using a drug called "Vertigo". Oliver thinks the only way to keep her out of jail is to find the dealer, a man who goes by the name of The Count. Oliver turns to McKenna Hall, a old friend and current Vice cop, for help. Meanwhile, Laurel steps in to defend Thea, and Felicity gives Oliver some disturbing news about Moira. | |||||
| 13 | "Betrayal" | Guy Bee | Lana Cho & Beth Schwartz | February 6, 2013 | |
| Cyrus Vanch, a nefarious criminal, is recently released from prison and intends to re-secure his position as leader of the underworld. His first step is to take down his biggest opponent in the city The Hood. Meanwhile, Oliver shows Moira his father's notebook and questions her about the names on the list. Thea is miserable as she starts her internship with Laurel at the legal aid office and Detective Quentin makes a deadly mistake that puts Laurel in the crosshairs of Cyrus. | |||||
| 14 | "The Odyssey" | John Behring | Greg Berlanti & Andrew Kreisberg | Andrew Kreisberg & Marc Guggenheim | February 13, 2013 |
| After Oliver is shot, he turns to a surprising person for help Felicity. John is stunned when he sees Felicity walk through the front door of the lair dragging a dying Oliver behind her, and the two team up to save Oliver's life. As Oliver hovers between life and death, he flashes back to a seminal event on the island a daring escape attempt with his new friend Slade Wilson. | |||||
| 15 | "Dodger" | Eagle Egilsson | Beth Schwartz | February 20, 2013 | |
| Felicity tells Oliver he's all work and no play, so he asks Detective McKenna on a date. A jewel thief named The Dodger hits Starling City and targets someone very close to Oliver. Meanwhile, while working with Laurel, Thea gets her purse stolen by a very fast pickpocket named Roy Harper. Moira makes a move against Malcolm. | |||||
| 16 | "Dead to Rights" | Glen Winter | Geoff Johns | February 27, 2013 | |
| Oliver and John learn that Deadshot is still alive and his next target is Malcolm. Malcolm invites Tommy to attend a benefit honoring Malcolm for his work with Starling City but Tommy refuses to attend. Oliver encourages his friend to mend his relationship with his father while he can. Meanwhile, Oliver struggles to balance his new relationship with McKenna and his duties as The Hood. | |||||
| 17 | "The Huntress Returns" | Guy Bee | Jake Coburn & Lana Cho | March 20, 2013 | |
| With his night club set to open and a new romance brewing with McKenna, Oliver is as happy as he's been since returning to Starling City. But when Oliver's ex, The Huntress, suddenly returns to town, she threatens to destroy everything and everyone he cares about. Meanwhile, Laurel and her father struggle with the return of Dinah Lance who claims she has proof Sara is still alive. Thea gets Roy Harper a job at Oliver's club, but he's not too inclined to stop his life of crime. Oliver and Tommy are thrilled they were able to get Steve Aoki to play at the opening of their new nightclub, Verdant. | |||||
| 18 | "Salvation" | Nick Copus | Drew Z. Greenberg & Wendy Mericle | March 27, 2013 | |
| A angry resident of The Glades who calls himself The Savior embarks on a kidnapping and killing spree to punish those he believes have wronged the residents of his neighborhood. To make things worse, he broadcasts these murders online and claims he was inspired by Arrow's vigilantism. Oliver is horrified by this statement and vows to stop The Savior, but his manhunt in intensified after Thea comes to him in tears and tells him Roy has been kidnapped. Laurel is surprised when her father starts to believe her mother's claim that Sara is still alive. Meanwhile, Malcolm tells Moira to find the person responsible for his attempted murder. | |||||
| 19 | "Unfinished Business" | Michael Offer | Bryan Q. Miller & Lindsey Allen | April 3, 2013 | |
| When a young woman meets a violent death after partying at Verdant, Detective Quentin and his partner, Detective Lucas inform Oliver and Tommy that she was on the drug Vertigo. Oliver immediately pays a visit to the mental institution where The Count is locked up, but finds he is in no condition to deal drugs. However, when The Count escapes and Starling City is flooded with even more Vertigo-related violence, Oliver and John make it their mission to track him down. After Detective Quentin uncovers incriminating evidence against him, Tommy goes to great lengths to clear his name, and the fallout from his actions leads Tommy down a new, unexpected path. In a flashback to the island, Oliver recalls the lessons he learned from Slade and Shado. | |||||
| 20 | "Home Invasion" | Ken Fink | Ben Sokolowski & Beth Schwartz | April 24, 2013 | |
| Deadshot returns to Starling City after taking down a U.S. Ambassador and six others overseas. By keeping tabs on A.R.G.U.S.'s manhunt for the assassin, Oliver, John, and Felicity, learn that a sting operation is underway to capture Deadshot alive. John is determined to see his brother’s killer dead, with or without Oliver's help. Meanwhile, Laurel takes drastic steps to protect a young witness, exacerbating friction between Tommy and Oliver. Later, Roy Harper unconventionally pursues all leads to find his new hero, but runs afoul of Detective Quentin. Back on the island, Oliver recalls how Shado helped him incrementally gain confidence with a bow and hit the target for the first time. | |||||
| 21 | "The Undertaking" | Michael Schultz | Jake Coburn & Lana Cho | May 1, 2013 | |
| Finding it difficult to mend fences with Tommy and John, Oliver instead focuses on crossing another name off the list. While digging through a crooked accountant’s laptop, Felicity discovers a transaction that could help Oliver find Walter. To reconfirm the lead, Oliver gambles that Felicity can be counted on in the field for the first time. In a flashback, Malcolm reveals to Robert Queen and Frank Chen painful details surrounding his wife’s murder, and how that shaped his plans for the Glades. Meanwhile, Tommy stuns Laurel with the truth. | |||||
| 22 | "Darkness on the Edge of Town" | John Behring | Drew Z. Greenberg & Wendy Mericle | May 8, 2013 | |
| With the Undertaking days away, Malcolm dons his Dark Archer costume and black hood to conclude business with seismologist Dr. Brion Markov and his team. Oliver and Moira entertain a number of surprise and mostly unwelcome visitors. Hooded confrontations at home and the Merlyn Global Group reveal dark secrets. Meanwhile, Roy and Thea are still looking out for The Hood. Laurel makes a decision after Tommy's revelation. In a flashback to the island, Oliver, Slade, and Shado, struggle to prevent Edward from shooting a Ferris Air jet out of the sky. | |||||
| 23 | "Sacrifice" | David Barrett | Greg Berlanti | Marc Guggenheim & Andrew Kreisberg | May 15, 2013 |
| Oliver and John race to stop Malcolm Merlyn from unleashing his vengeance on The Glades. However, they run into a roadblock after Detective Quentin picks up Felicity for questioning. Tommy and Oliver’s already tumultuous relationship takes a turn for the worse after Oliver makes a confession about Laurel. After hearing of the danger in The Glades, Thea races to find Roy, inadvertently putting herself directly in the line of fire for Malcolm’s devious plan. On the island, Oliver, Slade, and Shado, are locked in a life-or-death struggle against Edward as his missiles lock on a full Ferris Air jetliner. | |||||
Home media release
- Main article: Arrow: The Complete First Season
A boxset of the first season, titled Arrow: The Complete First Season, was released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 9, 2013.[1] It contains additional features, including making-of featurettes, deleted scenes, gag reel, and highlights from the Paley Fest 2012.
Gallery
Promotional images
References
| Arrow season 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Pilot" • "Honor Thy Father" • "Lone Gunmen" • "An Innocent Man" • "Damaged" • "Legacies" • "Muse of Fire" • "Vendetta" • "Year's End" • "Burned" • "Trust but Verify" • "Vertigo" • "Betrayal" • "The Odyssey" • "Dodger" • "Dead to Rights" • "The Huntress Returns" • "Salvation" • "Unfinished Business" • "Home Invasion" • "The Undertaking" • "Darkness on the Edge of Town" • "Sacrifice" | ||||