Arrow has always prided itself on good story telling. While sometimes it did not pay off, most of the time it did. In Season 1 the show was able to introduce the characters and slowly started to unravel the secrets of Oliver Queen and why he decided to become The Vigilante. Season 2 then built off of Season 1 as it showed Oliver's transformation into a hero and eventually, The Arrow. **SPOILERS AHEAD** This is where the problem with Season 3 comes in as Oliver Queen went from the Arrow to Al Sah- him, to well.... **SPOILERS AHEAD**
Ever since the mid season finale, which I thought would finally get the story arc of Season 3 on track, the show decided to become very dark and unlike anything Arrow had ever tried before. I liked the idea of an Oliver with no limits as it showed the potential he had, as in Season 1. However, there was almost no time for any kind of comedic moments or light hearted material that I believe is necessary, especially when a show goes as dark as Arrow did. The show just kept adding dark moments after dark moments without any kind of big payoff.
Barry showing up in this episode showed that the show can still have light hearted material but still keep that darker vibe. Season 3 just never found balance between the dark plot points and the lighter moments.
Season 3 also took a bit of hit with the flashbacks. While it was interesting to learn that Oliver was not on the island for 5 straight years, most of the flashbacks became dry and felt almost pointless, especially in the second half of the season. I almost hope Arrow goes the Flash route and only uses flashbacks in certain episodes when it makes sense. That way the flashbacks will become more meaningful in the episodes they are in. Oliver will be rescued from Lian Yu in 2 years flashback time and it is hard to imagine there is more interesting stories to tell from the island that constitute a flashback every episode. Here's hoping I am wrong though.
That isn't to say that "My Name Is Oliver Queen" didn't have any good moments. The set ups for Season 4 such as Diggle teasing the idea of wearing a suit, Thea becoming Speedy, Ray figuring out how he will shrink and become more like the Atom and less like Iron Man, and Laruel hopefully becoming an adequate hero and patching things up with Captain Lance, were definitely interesting. The biggest surprise, and also my personal favorite part of the episode, was Oliver turning the League over to Merlyn as due to some sort of agreement between the two. This will keep the League and Merlyn relevant and hopefully will lead to a major conflict in Season 4 where Oliver finally gets revenge for Sara, Thea, and even Tommy.
I thought the fight between Oliver and Ras was a little strange. It didn't seem on par with the fights throughout the series. How did the cops know exactly where Ras and Oliver were fighting? I did like the symmetry of Oliver killing Ras in the same way that Ras attempted to kill Oliver back in "The Climb". However it seemed a little odd that Oliver was an equal match for Ras after only being able to land a single blow only half a season ago. I suppose training with the League was enough to explain it but still. Knowing what I do about Ras, it seems unlikely that he will not be making a return at some point in Arrow with the help of the Lazarus Pit. Who knows, maybe Oliver will place him in the Lian Yu prison and an alliance between Ras and Slade is formed. It seems unlikely but it seems hard to believe that HIVE will be the main villain for Season 4. I predict an outcome similar to Brother Blood where HIVE is just a smaller piece in a bigger game.
The ending felt a little off only because there were still a lot of questions left unanswered. Mostly in regards to the titular hero. How will Oliver reclaim the identity of the Arrow? What drives him and Felicity back to Starling City? Also didn't Ray sign the company over to Felicity? That seemed to just have gotten swept under the rug unless it will be a part of Season 4. We know, thanks to the Flash (specifically Wells), that Oliver at some point gets his company back and merges with Wayne Enterprises. My hope is that Oliver will finally claim the title of Green Arrow in Season 4. More importantly, I hope to see Arrow reclaim it's former glory after a surprisingly unsatisfying Season 3. Arrow has forever changed but hopefully it only gets better from here on out.
Ever since the mid season finale, which I thought would finally get the story arc of Season 3 on track, the show decided to become very dark and unlike anything Arrow had ever tried before. I liked the idea of an Oliver with no limits as it showed the potential he had, as in Season 1. However, there was almost no time for any kind of comedic moments or light hearted material that I believe is necessary, especially when a show goes as dark as Arrow did. The show just kept adding dark moments after dark moments without any kind of big payoff.
Barry showing up in this episode showed that the show can still have light hearted material but still keep that darker vibe. Season 3 just never found balance between the dark plot points and the lighter moments.
Season 3 also took a bit of hit with the flashbacks. While it was interesting to learn that Oliver was not on the island for 5 straight years, most of the flashbacks became dry and felt almost pointless, especially in the second half of the season. I almost hope Arrow goes the Flash route and only uses flashbacks in certain episodes when it makes sense. That way the flashbacks will become more meaningful in the episodes they are in. Oliver will be rescued from Lian Yu in 2 years flashback time and it is hard to imagine there is more interesting stories to tell from the island that constitute a flashback every episode. Here's hoping I am wrong though.
That isn't to say that "My Name Is Oliver Queen" didn't have any good moments. The set ups for Season 4 such as Diggle teasing the idea of wearing a suit, Thea becoming Speedy, Ray figuring out how he will shrink and become more like the Atom and less like Iron Man, and Laruel hopefully becoming an adequate hero and patching things up with Captain Lance, were definitely interesting. The biggest surprise, and also my personal favorite part of the episode, was Oliver turning the League over to Merlyn as due to some sort of agreement between the two. This will keep the League and Merlyn relevant and hopefully will lead to a major conflict in Season 4 where Oliver finally gets revenge for Sara, Thea, and even Tommy.
I thought the fight between Oliver and Ras was a little strange. It didn't seem on par with the fights throughout the series. How did the cops know exactly where Ras and Oliver were fighting? I did like the symmetry of Oliver killing Ras in the same way that Ras attempted to kill Oliver back in "The Climb". However it seemed a little odd that Oliver was an equal match for Ras after only being able to land a single blow only half a season ago. I suppose training with the League was enough to explain it but still. Knowing what I do about Ras, it seems unlikely that he will not be making a return at some point in Arrow with the help of the Lazarus Pit. Who knows, maybe Oliver will place him in the Lian Yu prison and an alliance between Ras and Slade is formed. It seems unlikely but it seems hard to believe that HIVE will be the main villain for Season 4. I predict an outcome similar to Brother Blood where HIVE is just a smaller piece in a bigger game.
The ending felt a little off only because there were still a lot of questions left unanswered. Mostly in regards to the titular hero. How will Oliver reclaim the identity of the Arrow? What drives him and Felicity back to Starling City? Also didn't Ray sign the company over to Felicity? That seemed to just have gotten swept under the rug unless it will be a part of Season 4. We know, thanks to the Flash (specifically Wells), that Oliver at some point gets his company back and merges with Wayne Enterprises. My hope is that Oliver will finally claim the title of Green Arrow in Season 4. More importantly, I hope to see Arrow reclaim it's former glory after a surprisingly unsatisfying Season 3. Arrow has forever changed but hopefully it only gets better from here on out.