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Overanalyzing Anime
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Taking place several months after last seasons epic finale, wherein we saw Oliver publicly confess to being the Green Arrow as well as being taken to prison, we see that everything has changed for #TeamArrow. With Oliver in prison, Felicity and William in witness protection, and the other members of the team forcibly retired from their roles as vigilantes who will protect Star City? Well, the Green Arrow, obviously. But, who is this mysterious individual who’s taken it upon them self to inherit the mantle of the Green Arrow?
The season premiere of Arrow definitely disappoint. My biggest concern going into this season was that the writers might concoct some asinine way to not only free Oliver from prison, but also clear his name as being the Green Arrow (yet again.) But, much to my relief, it seems as though the charges have stuck - with this season introducing us to an Oliver who has already spent several months in prison for the crimes he committed as the Green Arrow. While he will obviously have to escape/be released at some point during this season, it is nice to see that they did not go the route of fixing everything in the season opener. In fact, by the end of the episode Oliver has ensured that he most definitely won’t be getting out anytime soon having retaliated against Diaz’s men after the attack on his wife and son.
One thing I really enjoy about the Arrowverse is just how different all of its shows are. So far this season, I have only managed to watch “The Flash,” and the premieres for these two shows could not be any more different. When it comes to the line between campy and playful versus dark and gritty, “The Flash,” while teetering between the two every so often, has always favored the former more than the latter; however, “Arrow” has almost always remained firmly planted in the latter. This season is no different as the show has embraced the dark reality of what it means to be an outed vigilante in a corrupt prison. Furthermore, it also showed us that, despite being a hero, Oliver is still just a man - and when it came to weighing the cost of his early release with the well being of another (seemingly kind) inmate, he chose to let that inmate suffer as not to make waves with the guards. While its easy to understand Oliver’s position, it’s still interesting to see a hero act so selfishly.
While the Oliver and Felicity had plenty to do this week, I could not help but feel as though the rest of the cast felt very bland. Dinah’s stance against the vigilantes, while sensible, already has me annoyed - and I imagine my annoyance will only get worse as she and Rene continue to butt heads on the matter. Not only that but, what’s going on with Diggle and Curtis? Their presence was barely felt this episode, and I that it isn’t the start of a trend. While I, truthfully, can do without Curtis - Diggle is just as important as Oliver or Felicity and I’m going to need to see more of him in future episodes.
Speaking of the future, this time jump is an interesting deviation for the show. While it isn’t the first time the show has interjected moments from the future (specifically Laurel’s death in Season 4) it’s the first time they’ve injected it into the show in this way. It seems as though, with Oliver’s “Five Years in Hell” arc finally put to rest, the show is trying to fill that void with a new form of storytelling which will focus on the future. While this type of storytelling can lead to writers digging themselves into a hole, the amount of time between the present and this future arc gives them plenty of room to work with and I, for one, am excited to see exactly where it goes.
Other Comments
All in all, “Prisoner 4587” is a great start for the season, and I’m excited to see where it goes next.
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