Episode Commentary: “Honor Thy Father”
What fascinates an audience is a story that involves vengeance, redemption and of course, a hero. With “Arrow” you get all of that, as well as a backstory that draws plenty of interes, due to the secrets and mysteries that lie ahead.
Oliver Queen was a rich jerk, had a father who ran a billion dollar company and almost died at sea after a massive boat accident that left him stranded on an island for five years. But the secrets that involve Oliver’s family are by far, the show’s selling point.
In the pilot, Oliver’s dad told him that their families wealth had been built on the suffering from others. Now that Oliver has survived the island, his plan is to take out the rich who follow the same notion has begun to take shape.
Although the first episode started off with a bang, filled with plenty of entertainment, great action, and a solid story line, this second episode falls flat. It comes back to earth. What was awful about this particular episode was Queen’s dialogue while dressed up as the hooded vigilante. It resembled a mix of a soft-spoken Batman and a whinny annoying Robin. It seems that the voice that goes along with the character does not work. It feels lame and cheesy.
There was also plenty of repetitiveness in the dialogue, as Oliver continues to mention he was trapped on the Island for five years, several times throughout this episode.
There is also the inconvenience that Oliver is constantly ditching his body guard- a total waste of a character. He serves no purpose in big scheme of the plot.
In “Honor Thy Father,” Oliver heads to court to get his death certificate repealed and is surprised to run into Laurel, who is there prosecuting Martin Somers, a criminal who has ties with the Triads. Somers’ character is a big wig who has friends in the district attorneys office. Bottom line- he can’t be touched, not until he runs into Queen as the hooded vigilante. Several turnoffs during this episode involve Oliver and Somers interactions as the dialogue is just excruciating to listen to.
It is as if you are watching a live action show with a script written for a kids cartoon. Also Oliver and Laurel’s on again and off again relationship gets old really fast. At first he shuts her out, then they break bread and have ice cream together, then he becomes a jerk again, not to mention his lack of making his own decisions. When he does it is like watching a immature teenager.
What makes this show grow on you however and forget the fact that is has many flaws are the secrets that come up and are yet to be uncovered.
“Arrow” Â kind of has a bit of resemblance to “Lost,” minus the crazy flash backs, flash forwards, and ridiculous mysteries. Believe it or not, it also has of touch of “Dexter” in it, minus the lame voice over that Oliver does while checking off his list of enemies he takes care of and will handle next.
Regardless, “Arrow” has plenty to work on in order to keep the audience interested. It would be nice to have some episodes that will show Oliver’s time spent on the Island though. After this episode we find out a key secret to how he becomes a vigilante and where he learned all of his fighting and acrobatic skills. Perhaps then the show will truly begin.
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