by OL » Thu Apr 28, 2016 1:32 pm
Finished three seasons of Arrow and the first season of The Flash in a short matter of weeks.
It's funny how averse I was to them initially; originally, I always thought these shows would be too cheesy for me, and the fact that they aired on the CW (a channel known mainly for casts that are too young and pretty to be taken seriously) didn't help things. Plus, I've just never been a fan of any live-action superhero shows that have cropped up over the years. So there was a lot going against Arrow and The Flash before I started watching.
But then, shockingly... they actually turned out to be good. I think it might have been Kenny a while back who said that they aren't so bad once you kind of get in the right mindset for them, and that's absolutely true. They are indeed cheesy, as any live-action show about costumed vigilantes will be, but it accepts that inherent cheesiness and does great things with it. They understand their own silliness, but at the same time don't generally play it for laughs. It's an odd thing to balance, but they pull it off.
Ultimately, they actually manage to create this little comicbook-esque universe that feels surprisingly big and detailed, now stretching across at least three shows (although I have yet to see the third one, as it's still in its first season on tv, so I didn't have Netflix access to it). It could almost double as a legitimate DC Comics Elseworld universe. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman don't exist here, but Green Arrow and The Flash do, as well as a ridiculous plethora of other characters I never thought I'd see in live-action, like The Atom, Firestorm, Black Canary, and Wildcat (that last one is a bit underwhelming in the show, but it's still a cool reference anyway).
There are things I could complain about; I'm really not a fan of the actress they got to play The Huntress, for example, nor do I particularly like the actor they got for Ra's al Ghul (though the actual portrayal of Ra's and his cult is pretty good anyway). And to be fair, the portrayal of Green Arrow (sorry, it's just "Arrow" in the show) is far more brooding and grim than I ever remember him being in the comics; he's basically Batman with a bow and arrow here, while I always seem to remember him being a bit more wise-cracking in the comics, like a mix of Spider-Man and Robin Hood.
But it's all neither here nor there. The more important thing to consider is that the showrunners actually managed to adapt so much of this comicbook content into live-action and actually keep it likable, engaging, and fun.
And not only that, but, while keeping them firmly rooted in the same universe, they've also allowed the two shows to have their own identities; Arrow is, as I said, a bit more serious and grim, while The Flash is more lighthearted and fun. And yet, when the two cross over with each other, it never feels mismatched or wrong.
All in all, I'd genuinely call this a kind of minor achievement in television. I don't think I've ever seen this kind of universe being put together across multiple, concurrent shows at the same time like this. It's pretty cool, gotta say.
I'm excited to see Legends of Tomorrow (the third show in their little universe) now. Any further excuse to see more of Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer/The Atom is good enough for me. It's funny to think he was once cast as Superman... it seems like such a weird choice now, yet the guy is absolutely perfect for The Atom.