Smallville (Episode 4: Arrow)
by: Average Joe 1 year, 11 months, 2 weeks, 4 days, 11 hours, 26 minutes ago
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Warner Bros.
The world of Smallville is introduced to it’s newest DC character in the Green Arrow who at first appears to be nothing more than a common thief.
Tonight’s episode of Smallville was “Arrow” which I’m sure just by the name you can guess featured none other than the Emerald Archer himself, Green Arrow. Now with the appearance of Oliver Queen this season we all knew it was inevitable that his alter-ego would show up right? Well what we didn’t know was in what capacity he’d show up in.
Having just finished watching the episode I can say that I am particularly impressed with how they handled the character in the show. Smallville has had it’s share of visitors from the DC Universe in Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg, but personally I wasn’t too fond of those versions. While I wouldn’t call them bad by any means, I wouldn’t say any character was done justice. With “GA” you’ve got your basic 21st century Robin Hood. Billionaire Oliver Queen steals from the rich and gives to the poor…kinda hard to mess that one up huh? So if the character isn’t the question, then what is you might ask, well I’ll give you a hint…what’s the first thing we notice about any character that graces the pages of a comic? Their costume.
Green Arrow’s costume was done perfectly in this episode. It had a sense of style and functionality about it that is often attempted in live action adaptations of comics, but rarely successful. In addition to his look, his famous arsenal of arrows was handled nicely too. From gas arrows, to electric arrows “GA” really had his bases covered. Overall the character of Oliver Queen/Green Arrow has been done quite well during his short stint on Smallville, not bad considering Justin Hartley (Green Arrow) was originally going to play Aquaman in the unsuccessful “Mercy Reef” pilot.
The episode itself was great. Here you’ve got multiple stories all happening within a single episode. Lois hunting down the Green Arrow, Lex teaming with Lionel to test Lana’s loyalty, Chloe feeling just a little threatened by Lois’ budding journalism career, and of course Clark putting all the pieces together and doing the right thing by the end of the episode.
As far as the most enjoyable part of the episode, I would definitely have to say that comes within the last 3min of the episode. Clark returns to his loft to find Oliver Queen. After a brief discussion on right and wrong, Oliver tells Clark that while he admires the fact that he (Clark) uses his abilities to help those around him, there is a whole world of people that could use his help. He says “when you’re ready to do something about it, let me know” and some pretty intense Justice League-esque music comes in and the episode ends...definitely a nice touch for geeks who have been wanting to see more Superman references.
Aside from the season premiere this has to be my favorite episode of so far. I love the relationship between Clark/Oliver, and the fact that Clark actually helped him out because while he doesn’t agree with his methods, he knows Oliver is doing good. Lois’ venture into journalism is fun to watch, especially now that she’s gotten a taste of what pissing off the wrong person can get you (being kidnapped and beaten)….oh, and Lois calling Oliver “Olie” was a nice touch too.
The only question I have now is whether or not the writers will FINALLY give fans what they’ve been begging for since the show started, the LONG overdue presence of a young Bruce Wayne. Hey, I can hope can’t I?
BTW can I just mention that I firmly believe that Smallville’s Erica Durance (Lois Lane) has got to be THE most beautiful woman on TV, I mean seriously she is absolutely stunning to look at and she NAILS the persona of Lois.
For those who aren’t a fan of the show, you’ve got to at least tune in to see her, you won’t be sorry.
You hit the Smallville nail right on the head. Lois is looking hotter then ever and her story line trying to find out about the Green Arrow is the best one. The whole Clark/Lana/Lex thing is getting old already to me.
Oliver and Green Arrow are both stirring things up and making life interesting in Smallville.
I too like how they take the rich guy and make him the mentor to Clark to challenge him to be think larger and smarter. The last part about who really ones the necklace was a great way to show that choices are not always black and white or right and wrong, at times.
Great show on a lot of levels.