Midseason Report Card: Was ‘Arrow’ season 3 on target villains, characters, romances?
We have to admit that we have been looking forward to writing out our Midseason Report Card for “Arrow” season 3 for quite some time, mostly because when it comes to pure fanaticism of something that we cover on CarterMatt, this is near the top of the list. We continuously enjoy the show from start to finish, whether it be the performances, the effects, the sets, and everything in between.
The end of season 2 for the show was pretty darn awesome, so with that in mind, has season 3 equaled that so far? Both yes and no. While the final few episodes of the season were particularly excellent, there were still some things that the CW show could have done better to reach its ultimate potential. With that being said, nothing has diminished its rank as the best superhero show in TV history.
What worked – Stephen Amell first and foremost is incredible both embodying this character onscreen, and handling the responsibility of playing him off-screen. Oliver had a very good story, and the mystery of Sara Lance’s killer played out in a great way as the season went on. “The Climb” was amazing, and some other episodes such as “Draw Back Your Bow” (Cupid!), “The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak,” and “Guilty” all did a very good job of establishing our favorite characters, and giving them more to do than they had previously.
Special kudos has to be given for the way the show has picked up the Laurel Lance character from the ashes, and truly made her into one of the best characters during season 3A. She’s flawed, but in a way that is understandable, and you still want to root for. Also, an honorable mention to Brandon Routh for a worthy introduction as Ray Palmer.
What didn’t – The second half of the season was noticeably stronger than the first, when the Hong Kong story did not connect wonderfully to what was happening in Starling City. Also, it took a long time for us to have either Malcolm Merlyn or Ra’s al Ghul (awesome as they are), and the Vertigo regurgitation in the premiere did nothing for us.
Most of our other “criticisms” are mostly that they had a mixture of good and bad. The “Arrow” part of “Flash” crossover didn’t do much to further the story, and while we root hard for Oliver and Felicity, the show forgot at times this season that the joy with these two comes with the subtlety. They could cut out almost every scene of Diggle trying to get Oliver to talk about his feelings, and leave more of the dot-connecting to fans.
Overall – It’s easy to love “Arrow” still. There were some very good moments in season 3A, but we still feel like most of it was meant to really set the stage for what is coming in the new year. Let’s just hope that it meets these expectations. Midseason Grade: A-.
What did you think about the first half of “Arrow” season 3? Let us know, and head over here to see some other “Arrow” scoop! Also, you can sign up now to target some further TV news right away via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: The CW.)