Green Arrow (Arrow episode)

"Green Arrow"
Arrow episode
Episode no. Season 4
Episode 1
Directed by Thor Freudenthal
Teleplay by Marc Guggenheim & Wendy Mericle
Story by Greg Berlanti & Beth Schwartz
Produced by
Cinematography by Gordon Verheul
Editing by Thomas Wallerstein
Production code 3J5801
Original air date October 7, 2015 (2015-10-07)
Running time 41 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Episode chronology

"Green Arrow" is the 70th episode overall and fourth season premiere of the The CW series Arrow. The episode was written by showrunners Marc Guggenheim and Wendy Mericle from a story by Greg Berlanti and Beth Schwartz and directed by Thor Freudenthal. It was first broadcast in October 7, 2015 in The CW.

The episode revolves about the aftermath of last season's finale, where Oliver and Felicity left Starling City to settle in Ivy Town. Meanwhile, in the newly renamed Star City, Laurel, Thea and Diggle are now facing against a terrorist group called "Ghosts", who are led by the new antagonist Damien Darhk. Laurel and Thea then visit Ivy Town and asks Oliver and Felicity for help in battling the "Ghosts". The episode marks the first appearance by Neal McDonough as Damien Darhk when he was announced on July.[1]

The episode received positive reviews, with critics citing the better tone than the previous season and the final scene.

Plot

Flashbacks

After the events in Hong Kong, Oliver (Stephen Amell) has been in Coast City acting as a vigilante. While pursuing a thug, he is found by Amanda Waller (Cynthia Addai-Robinson). They talk for a moment in a bar and suddenly, Oliver is drugged by a drink and is subdued by A.R.G.U.S. agents. He finds himself on a plane, where he is given instructions to infiltrate a base in Lian Yu. He is thrown out of the plane and lands on the island, where he is held at gunpoint by a militant.

Present

Oliver and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) have been living in Ivy Town for a time. Meanwhile, Laurel (Katie Cassidy), Thea (Willa Holland) and Diggle (David Ramsey) have been protecting the newly named Star City (in memory of Ray Palmer). During a meeting between the police department led by Captain Lance (Paul Blackthorne) about a terrorist group dubbed "Ghosts", they're confronted by Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough), who confesses being the leader of the Ghosts and warns them to stand aside and let the city die.

Feeling overpowered, Laurel and Thea visit Oliver and Felicity for help in battling the Ghosts. Oliver, who was planning on proposing to Felicity, reluctantly agrees. Tensions begin to arise between Oliver and Diggle, who is still mad at Oliver for having kidnapping Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson). The city leadership, including the District Attorney, are being killed by the Ghosts. Captain Lance barely makes it alive after the Ghosts invade the police department.

The team follows the Ghosts to a location where they discover to their shock that Darhk has magical powers after he drains one of his soldiers' life. They fight against the Ghosts while Darhk escapes. Oliver makes one of the Ghosts reveal that the next attack will happen in the train station. With help from Captain Lance, the team is able to evacuate the station while Oliver and Diggle get to a train where Darhk is hiding. Darhk escapes and Oliver blows up the train before it hits the station.

In the hideout, Oliver reveals that Ra's told him that Darhk was the leader of an organization called H.I.V.E., reminding Diggle of a conversation he had with Floyd Lawton that H.I.V.E. contracted him to kill his brother, Andy. Meanwhile, Darhk performs a blood ritual in his hideout and is visited by an employee, who turns out to be Captain Lance. After consideration, Oliver decides to stay in Star City and he and Felicity move into the loft he shared with Thea.

Flashforward

6 months later, Oliver is standing in a cemetery by a tombstone. Barry (Grant Gustin) shows up, apologizing for missing the funeral as he was fighting Zoom. Oliver vows to kill whoever killed the person and doesn't blame himself for what happened, but instead claims that it's his responsibility to end it. Barry leaves the tombstone while Oliver stays there, grieving.

Production

Development

On July 12, 2015, Marc Guggenheim revealed that the first episode for the fourth season would be titled "Green Arrow" and was to be directed by Thor Freudenthal and written by Guggenheim and Wendy Mericle from a story by Greg Berlanti and Beth Schwartz.[2]

Reception

Viewers

The episode was watched by 2.67 million viewers with a 1.1/4 share among adults aged 18 to 49.[3] This was a 6% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was seen by 2.83 million viewers[4] and it's also a 6% decrease in viewership from the previous season premiere, which was also seen by 2.83 million viewers.[5] This means that 1.1 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 4 percent of all households watching television at that time watched it.

Critical reviews

"Green Arrow" received positive reviews from critics. Jesse Schedeen of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.5 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "It's impossible to judge a whole season based on one episode, but Arrow is showing every sign of addressing the flaws that bogged down Season 3. This episode introduced a dramatically different Oliver Queen, a compelling new villain in the form of Damien Darhk and a new status quo that looks to emphasize the light as well as the dark in Star City. Not every supporting character held up their end, but this was an all-around solid start to the new season."[6]

The A.V. Club's Alasdair Wilkins gave the episode a "B+" grade and wrote, "As the fourth season kicks off, we have reached a point where any given villain is either a metahuman or a mystical warrior, where one of Oliver Queen's best friends is the fastest man alive, where the current issues with Thea might have something to do with the lingering after-effects of, you know, her resurrection. (Unless the show has forgotten about that, which is fine. But it's possible!) Team Arrow lives in a city just renamed to the comic book-approved Star City in honor of a dead man who I'm going to go ahead and guess survived that explosion by shrinking himself, considering he's got an appointment to keep with the show's next spin-off."[7]

Andy Behbakht of TV Overmind wrote "Overall, aside from a few pacing problems at the start of the premiere, Arrow is back and it's the show that I fell in love with to begin with. I did find Oliver's public announcement to Star City as the Green Arrow a little bit wonk. Because of the way the camera was aimed at him from the new lair, you could see so easily that it was Oliver Queen. However, with shows like Arrow, you got to suspend your disbelief a little bit, and besides, 'I am the Green Arrow' is something I have been waiting to hear for four years, so how much can I really complain? Arrow, I have missed you."[8]

Jonathon Dornbush of EW stated: "'Green Arrow' has a lot of ground to cover, tracing the ways Team Arrow has changed since the climactic fallout of season 3 and sowing the seeds of that team coming back together, if not to be the same as it once was, then to be something better. The road there will be a tough one, however, and 'Green Arrow' makes no effort to hide the trials and tribulations that await, including an episode-ending tease promising devastation in the months to come."[9]

Carissa from TV Fanatic, gave a 4.0 star rating out of 5.0, stating: "The verdict is 'Green Arrow' is a definite improvement over the end of last season. So far, so good. However, I'm skeptical over the promise of a lighter tone. While the idea in theory makes sense, and we were treated to lighthearted moments during this hour, it's hard to let loose and breathe knowing in six months time someone is dying and Oliver is committing to murder. That's dark, no matter how you try to sprinkle it with pixie dust in the meantime."[10]

Noel Kirkpatrick of TV.com wrote positive about the episode, stating "I feel like I've been here before. Arrow comes out of the gate with a strong premiere, and I'm all, 'Hey. Yeah. This is exciting! This has promise! Let's see where this goes!' And then I'm dreading my Wednesday nights. Or the episode (or season arc) makes it appear as if Arrow is actually going to dig into the concept of a city's (or neighborhood's) collapse only to get right to the edge of that idea and say, 'Ooh! Look at that shiny thing over there.' And then I'm writing 250 to 400 words a week about how Arrow, despite being in part about saving a city, has failed to define its city in any meaningful way beyond it needing saving."[11]

References

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