Arrow: Season 3

[Kaeb]

Anything is better than Smallville.

 

[Johnnysaurus Rex]

I want that written on Brandon's grave.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

Smallville was good if you accept that it's never ever ever going to get better, despite how easily it could be.

Set your expectations low and it's enjoyable, for the most part.

 

[Kaeb]

With television, I've always steered away from making that kind of commitment. I might come back every once in awhile and give a series a few more chances, but that depends on a whole variety of elements that are entrenched, ongoing, evolved, devolved, added or even removed from that series.

Smallville was largely 90210 with Wink Wink Comic Book Crap a lot of the time. The acting was painful, a lot of the writing was laughable to the point of being actually entertaining and at other times just downright baffling or boring and it had some of the worst special effects I'd ever seen in a television show, and given that it was running at the time, alongside shows like Stargate or even Star Trek which were semi-competent, it was weird. It's the kind of show that just doesn't appeal to me at all. I'd compare it to The Walking Dead in that respect. I just don't think it's worth my time or the investment.

I think Arrow initially didn't know what it wanted to be, it just had inspirations and vague aspirations from a business standpoint, until now, where I think the people behind the show have actually started to think to themselves, "Wait, should we actually make this more engaging?", rather than just churning out episodes of Gotham 90210?

 

[Johnnysaurus Rex]

Smallville was good if you accept that it's never ever ever going to get better, despite how easily it could be.

Set your expectations low and it's enjoyable, for the most part.

"It's good if you accept how bad it is." ?

 

[Brandon Rhea]

Yeah. That's how I always approached it. Everything Kaeb said about Smallville is correct. But what I did, especially in the later seasons when the writing really turned to shit (though I must say, season 9 is pretty good even by normal standards), is just accept it was never going to get better even though it so. easily. could have. I knew it was mediocre but was able to enjoy it in spite of that.

It goes back to that whole quality vs. enjoyment thing we've all talked about before.

 

[Kaeb]

bac loves the prequels = confirmed

 

[Brandon Rhea]

I don't like them but my attitude towards them has softened.

 

[Kaeb]

bac is getting old = confirmed

 

[Ser Yorick]

On the second episode. Damn is his sister an annoying little selfish bitch.

 

[Kaeb]

She's just a poorly written character, there's no duality to her, nothing that makes her interesting because all she does is moan about her circumstances and piss the other characters off. She's like that one chick from Stargate Universe whose name I've already forgotten.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

She's just a poorly written character, there's no duality to her, nothing that makes her interesting because all she does is moan about her circumstances and piss the other characters off. She's like that one chick from Stargate Universe whose name I've already forgotten.

Chloe, I think.

 

[Kaeb]

Her entire plotline went from ''I'm sad because I feel useless and my Dad just died'' to ''I'm sad because I feel useless and now I have some sort of weird terrible plot device/alien infection that makes everyone hate me''. And the writers just kept defending her saying, ''She's the normal person among all of the geniuses and fighters'', until they used that nonsensical infection to turn her into a genius fighter. And don't forget the terrible forced romance they subjected viewers to.

Terrible writing.

 

[Liam]

Her entire plotline went from ''I'm sad because I feel useless and my Dad just died''

Sounds very familiar.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

I think, through Thea, the writers were trying to show the toll that being the Arrow would have on Oliver and his relationships, but it came across as Thea being selfish. Which unfortunately lasted for like half the season before changes were finally made.

 

[Kaeb]

She needs to either effect the plot or be effected by the plot in more interesting ways.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

She ends up doing that more, culminating at the end of season 2 when she goes off with Malcolm.

Some people are also theorizing that she's the one who killed the Canary.

 

[Ser Gregor]

I hate this show at times, and really, really enjoy it at other times. Probably has something to do with my love of the green arrow. I think I'm near the end of Season 2... I've either already watched it and can't remember, in which case that doesn't say very much for the show, or I just stopped watching it.

Regardless, I knew Sara was going to be killed off eventually. It was painfully obvious from the minute she was included as Canary that her entire point as a character would be to be the 'tragic reason' Laurel becomes Black Canary. I'm not surprised at all they ham-fisted her death like that.

All in all, I tend to agree with Kaeb. It's not there yet, Thea is a royal bitch, and the writing is incredibly rigid. The one character I find myself interested in is Diggle, actually. Half-decent actor, but his side-story with Deadshot was one of the more engaging stories of the second season.

The one thing I have to say they do a pretty good job of is inserting DC Easter Eggs throughout the seasons.

 

[Johnnysaurus Rex]

Diggle is always right.

 

[Ser Yorick]

I think, through Thea, the writers were trying to show the toll that being the Arrow would have on Oliver and his relationships, but it came across as Thea being selfish. Which unfortunately lasted for like half the season before changes were finally made.

I couldn't believe it when she COMPLAINS to him about him being gone for five years. Was it his ****ing fault or something? And you just saw all his scars and you have the audacity to imply you had it bad!?