Arrow Recap S1E1: Pilot

Arrow premieres tonight, and I have some mixed feelings about it. I really want to like it, Arrow is one of my favorite comic characters, and well, I’m more than a little scared that its not going to wow me. But let’s put those fears aside, grab some popcorn and dive in.

So we open up our series with a lot of barefoot running, and Oliver Queen (Amell) looking very much the part of the classic comic Green Arrow, you know if he looked kinda like a dirty hobo. He’s been stranded on the island for five years. And I must say he’s got a pretty sweet bo and some very explosive arrows for being shipwrecked on an island for so long. Was there like a regular weapons drop, or did he have like a fairy ninja? But lets buy into the hype for a minute, because it does serve a purpose, and he’s rescued from his island Purgatory, and brought home.

The Billionaire’s homecoming hits the news, and his father is officially confirmed as deceased. Poor Oliver, 20% of his hot body covered in scar tissue, and his body has more than a little wear and tear on it. His poor mother, Moira, is told he may not be the same man he once was. Anyone who’s seen Castaway could have told her that, but she’s happy to see her beautiful boy nonetheless. And she’s not the only one that’s happy to see Oliver. His sister Thea is over the moon to see her big brother.

Laurel, Ollie’s former girlfriend, pushes the boundaries in her legal aid office, fighting the good fight. She learns that Ollie is alive via the TV and she doesn’t seem pleased, maybe it was the fact her sister went down in the accident with Oliver, or maybe she’s upset that she didn’t get a phone call. Or maybe it was because he was banging her sister.  A category 2 storm rocked the yacht, and Oliver didn’t just take Laurel’s sister on a day outting, it was more of pleasure cruise.

While Oliver has been away, lots has changed. His mother remarried, Walter, one of his father’s business associates. Oliver learned Russian, and became more intuitive, and now has plenty of bad dreams. The sinking of the yacht trouble Oliver’s rest, back on the yacht, getting into Sarah’s pants was pretty much a done deal, right up until the yacht went down and Sarah with it. Oliver’s father managed to save him. Back in the present Oliver’s mother tries to awaken him, and he all but Sharukens her, throwing her to the ground before he realizes where he is. Good thing Walter was there to help bring him out of it.

Oliver keeps his little Asian box beneath his bed, the one thing he brought back from the island. What secrets is it hiding besides a book? He comes bearing gifts for his sister, as she tries to hide her little drug problem, hoping to reconnect. He leaves his sister to hang out with his old friend, Tom, who seems like he’s going to be trouble. They drive to a not so great part of town, and it has something to do with Laurel.

Laurel’s case gets reassigned to a different court, which is bad news, and Oliver is waiting for her, which by the look on her face is worse news. Banging her sister or not, the hot Oliver should never garner that sour look. Laurel did all the things that she said she would in the five years Oliver was missing, but its all small talk. Oliver has come to say sorry, and ask her not to blame her sister for what happened between them. Laurel tells him that it should have been him at the bottom of the ocean. Ouch.

When they leave that charming little meeting, some guys shoot him and Tom with tranq guns. Flashback to the life raft. His father wasn’t who he said he was, but he was determined to see his son live. In the present, one of the masked men try a little shock therapy to get answers, but they don’t get the ones they really want, and Oliver has more than a few tricks up his sleeve. And finally he gets to kick some tail, which I have to give some kudos to the stunt department, they did a great job of not over doing it. It was just the right level of awesomeness as he jumped down walls like a spidermonkey.

Back safely at home, Oliver sells the story of a guy in a green hood, as their savior. Tom can’t say anything either way since he was out of it. The detective is less than believing, but he’s dismissed quickly by Walter and Moira.

Oliver researches Adam Hunt, which is just one of the names in his little book. He’ll be busy for at least a season with the names in his book.

Moira introduces Oliver to his new bodyguard, Digg, whose there for his mother’s piece of mind. Digg seems like a good man, capable enough, former military, but his charge may be more than he can handle, as he demonstrates by disappearing from the backseat of the moving vehicle. Oliver apparently has different plans for his day, as he demolishes a building, and sets up his secret hiding place.  Which is definitely no batcave, but as Amell does the salmon ladder, much smoother than those guys on the American Ninja Competition, none of that matters. Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my face.

Somehow his little Asian box is here, I’m guessing its like a Rocky Montage with full time lapse, and inside the box just happens to be that sweet Archery Bo we saw in the beginning. Oliver releases some tennis balls, and shows off his archery skills.

Back to Adam Hunt, he’s general all around bad guy, stealing from the poor, and killing anyone that gets in his way. Laurel is on his warpath for not taking the hint to leave him alone. Arrow takes out Adam’s guards, and rather than killing the guy, you know because that would be too easy, he instead demands a transfer of funds. He can either give them to him, or he can take them.

Adam talks to the same detective who spoke with Oliver. He doesn’t believe Adam anymore than he did Oliver. And if this guy is really the caliber of bad guy of the series I’m a little sad. Adam is just a high level douchebag, but no real threat to Arrow.

Digg prepares to take Oliver to his party, but he’s learned his lesson and rides next to Mr. Queen this time instead. The party is full of pretty ladies, all very happy to see Oliver, and he plays up the role of Billionaire playboy, whose party just happens to be across the street from Hunt’s office. Digg keeps a close eye on Oliver, and Tom tries to get Oliver one step closer to getting laid, but Oliver is more worried about his drug taking sister, Thea. Thea’s life wasn’t easy when Oliver died, her mother had Walter but she had no one and as she rages out him, he swipes her drugs.

Laurel shows up at Oliver’s party, and she apologizes for her earlier harsh words. She asks if her sister suffered, and Oliver lies to her and says no. Laurel melts a little and offers him a friendly ear, a shoulder to cry on. But Oliver breaks her heart a little as he tells her that seeing the good in him never made him better and that he’ll only hurt her worse next time. He tries to get away to his appointment with Hunt, but Digg catches him. Digg is the one person who sees through him, and Oliver is forced to take matters into his own hands.

Hunt prepares for his appointment by locking down his office. And Arrow makes his body guards look like a joke as he takes them all down easily, except one who puts up enough of a fight for hunt to get away and the police to be notified of his presence. The cops almost have him, but he gets away, and slides towards the party. The detective, and swat team go to shut down Queen’s homecoming party, but Tom and Oliver himself step in with some quick talking to keep the party going. Man, that boy can change fast! The detective turns out to be Laurel and Sarah’s father, which if that was said earlier, I completely missed, but is a good reason why the guy would have a huge chip on his shoulder where Oliver is concerned. And Tommy finally puts two and two together, seems like someone knows just how much the island changed Oliver, and Oliver suggests he just be glad he’s alive, but not in a menacing way.

Hunt goes through the clean up and is less than pleased to learn that his money is missing. Arrow warned him he was getting it one way or another, guess he wasn’t paying attention to that fact, or the fact that there’s a huge green arrow sticking out of his wall likely transmitting his data. He worries over how 40 million disappeared without a trace, and Oliver transfers the money to a large group of people to make amends for his father’s sins, or the scandal his father uncovered.

Back in the lifeboat, his father sacrificed himself, and killed the other remaining survivor on their raft to ensure Oliver’s survival.

Laurel advises her client that if $50,000 dollars magically appeared in their account that it might be best not to speak about it. Looks like a lot of clients from the case against Hunt are having a very good day. And Laurel comes face to face with a cute friend, but its not the she was hoping for, or hell the one I was hoping for, but rather the obvious one. Tom and Laurel have been hooking up, but he’s a little more invested than she is, which is gonna be a huge problem later in the season. Anyone else see the disaster coming? But Tom takes it in stride, as Arrow watches over them. Laurel is no longer the only person fighting for the city, she just doesn’t know it yet.

And the episode ends with Moira being behind the masked men who tried to torture information out of Oliver, interesting. So what did you guys think of the first episode of Arrow? Did it live up to your expectations? Or does it even matter with a hot leading man like Amell? It was better than I expected, but I’m not sold on it just yet.