Life turns darker for Oliver Queen as he faces Ra’s al Ghul…
I’ve commented elsewhere on how The Flash’s opening season – which was airing alongside this third year of adventures for Arrow – maintained its sense of fun, even when delving into emotional arcs. Arrow, however, this year, started to go even further towards the darker side of the DC universe – appropriate given the subject matter that the series tackles across its episodes, but it definitely took some of the pleasure out of the viewing.
That said, Arrow is still a solidly entertaining drama, with plenty going on; Matt Nable gave us a different take on the League of Assassins’ leader from the Christopher Nolan trilogy version, and Brandon Routh’s Ray Palmer added an enjoyable element to every scene he’s in. The bickering between the team sometimes did become a bit wearing though…
The extras are a mixed bag – more information about the choice of direction for the show would have been welcomed, but the pieces on the costume design and Routh as Palmer/The Atom’s first fight in particular are worth watching. Once again, we get to see a ComicCon 2014 panel, but I’d rather have had a couple more commentaries – the ones we get are good, and further insight would be welcomed. The biggest gap in the set, though, is the crossover episode with the Flash – if you’ve got both sets, then you’re fine; otherwise some character development gets lost.
Verdict: A mixed season but one with plenty of high points to offset the problems. 7/10
Paul Simpson
Arrow: The Complete Third Season is available now on Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
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