Arrow TV Show Premiere Review: The CW Puts its Best Bow Forward

A young man from a very wealthy family has a traumatic experience and takes up life as a vigilante on a never-ending quest for justice. Welcome to Gotham, Starling City; home of CW’s Arrow, or, as he is known in the pilot, “a nutbar in a green hood.” The story is set thus: young, rich playboy Oliver Queen is shipwrecked, along with his father and the younger sister of his girlfriend who don’t survive the wreck, and lives for five years on a deserted island, where he perfects some amazing gymnastic and archery skills. When he is finally rescued he returns home filled with a desire for vengeance against those who have wronged his city (it is not clear exactly how they have done this yet), and a plan for how to get back at them.

Despite the Batman parallels, including returning home to find that his ex-girlfriend has become a lawyer fighting for the little guy, Arrow actually does have a few significant differences from Gotham’s dark knight (besides being less rights restricted, I mean). For one thing, there’s a reason the Green Arrow of the comics has traditionally worn an outfit reminiscent of Robin Hood, and TV’s Oliver Queen looks like he’ll be taking on similar themes: when a corrupt businessman is robbed at arrow-point, he tells the police, “I’m not some grocer who got taken for his register. I go to the front of the line.”

Full Arrow Trailer Here: