A Look at the Pilot Episode
Arrow premieres next Wednesday at 8/7c on The CW with a Pilot episode that will hopefully capture our imaginations and keep us hooked, which you think would be a walk in the park for a superhero series, but is actually a monumental challenge these days, considering the over-saturation of the genre, especially in film. Viewers are way more critical with their heroes these days. If the first episode is an origin story with flaws, holes, or half-baked ideas, it will fail the impress the 18-34 year old viewers that The CW so highly covets. Even bad acting and writing is susceptible to young viewers, especially if show-runners are trying to give us a new action hero.
We don't know much without seeing the show, but here are some key notes that might interest you:
- The cast is almost entirely "unknowns", which is always a gamble. On one had, they could suck at acting and the show will be cancelled. On the other, they could turn out to be good actors, which for me makes a more enjoyable series. I think big names can distract from a story, especially something with a lot of fantasy or superhero elements. At least the cast of Arrow is sexy!
- One exception to the above is the casting of Scottish-American actor John Barrowman, who you may know as Captain Jack Harkness from the "Dr. Who" and "Torchwood" series. According to Entertainment Weekly, producers have only revealed that Barrowman will play a “well-dressed man” who is “as mysterious as he is wealthy … he is an acquaintance of the Queen family and a prominent figure in Starling City.” EW's theory is that he will be philanthropist Stanley Dover Sr. from the Green Arrow mythology.
- Stephen Amell, the Canadian actor who plays the titular character "Arrow" (Oliver Queen), is absolutely jacked. The ladies are already drooling.
- If you liked the pilot for Smallville, chances are you're going to like this pilot, as they were both directed by David Nutter.
Last, but not least, here is one man's review of the pilot episode, courtesy of IGN.
