Arrow Information

Arrow is an American action-adventure television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg. It is based on the fictional superhero Green Arrow, a costumed crime-fighter who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. It premiered in North America on The CW on October 10, 2012, with international broadcasting to take place in late 2012. The series follows billionaire playboy Oliver Queen, portrayed by Stephen Amell, who, after five years of being stranded on a hostile island, returns home to fight crime and corruption as a secret vigilante whose weapon of choice is a bow and arrows. Arrow will also feature appearances by other DC Comics characters. To assist in promotion, a preview comic book was released to tie into the television series.

On October 22, 2012, Arrow was picked up by The CW for a full season. On February 11, 2013, Arrow was renewed for a second season by The CW.

Synopsis

The series follows Oliver Queen, billionaire playboy of Starling City, who spends five years stranded on an island following a shipwreck that claims the life of everyone else on board, including his father, Robert Queen, and Sara Lance, the sister of Oliver's girlfriend Laurel. Upon his return to Starling City, he is reunited with his mother, Moira, and her new husband, Walter, the former CFO of his father's company who is now the CEO. He is also greeted by his younger sister, Thea, and his best friend, Tommy Merlyn, the son of billionaire Malcolm Merlyn. Oliver also tries to reconnect with ex-girlfriend Laurel, but she blames him for the death of her sister, Sara, as Oliver and Sara were having an affair at the time of the accident.

During the day, Oliver plays the billionaire playboy; at night, he becomes a green-hooded vigilante, following through with his father's dying wishes to right the wrongs of the Queen family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory. Oliver's vigilante persona becomes the focus of Detective Quentin Lance, father to Laurel and Sara, who is determined to arrest him and who blames Oliver for his daughter's death and his wife leaving him, though he remains unaware of his real identity. Oliver is also constantly flanked by a bodyguard, John Diggle, who later joins Oliver in his fight for justice. Moira is also hiding some secrets, as she knows that the family yacht was actually sabotaged.

Cast and characters

Main cast

• Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen
• Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance
• Colin Donnell as Tommy Merlyn
• David Ramsey as John Diggle
• Willa Holland as Thea Queen
• Susanna Thompson as Moira Queen
• Paul Blackthorne as Detective Quentin Lance

Recurring cast

• Colin Salmon as Walter Steele
• Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak
• Byron Mann as Yao-Fei
• Annie Ilonzeh as Joanna De La Vega
• John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn
• Jessica De Gouw as Helena Bertinelli
• Alex Kingston as Dinah Lance
• Colton Haynes as Roy Harper
• Janina Gavankar as McKenna Hall

Production

Arrow was developed by Andrew Kreisberg, Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, while the pilot episode was directed by David Nutter, who also directed the pilot for Smallville. The series was picked up by The CW Television Network on May 11, 2012. The series is shot in Vancouver, Canada The series will introduce additional DC Comics characters throughout the season, including: Darren Shahlavi as Constantine Drakon, Michael Rowe as Deadshot, Kelly Hu as China White, Jeffrey Nordling as Frank Bertinelli, Currie Graham as King of the Royal Flush Gang, Jeffrey C. Robinson as a man wearing the Deathstroke costume, who is later revealed to not be Slade Wilson. and Andrew Dunbar as Firefly. In September 2012, Tahmoh Penikett was cast as Nick Salvati, the right hand man of Frank Bertinelli. It was announced in November that Ben Browder would guest star as Ted Gaynor, Seth Gabel was cast as a character inspired by Count Vertigo, and that Janina Gavankar would portray a Starling City vice cop named McKenna Hall. On November 30, 2012, it was announced that Manu Bennett would be playing the role of Slade Wilson, and is contracted for multiple episodes. In December 2012, actor Colton Haynes was cast in the role of Roy Harper. On February 12, 2013, it was announced that Emily Bett Rickards will be promoted to series regular status at the start of the second season. On March 13, 2013, it was reported that Colton Haynes would be joining the main cast at the start of season 2.

Marketing

To promote the series, DC Comics produced a 10-page preview comic for the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con, written by Kreisberg, illustrated by Omar Francia, and featuring a cover by artist Mike Grell. The comic is regarded by the production crew of the TV series as sharing the same canon as the series, with Kreisberg commenting, "[For] anyone who grabs a copy: Hold onto it and as the series progresses, you'll appreciate it more and more."

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code	U.S. viewers (million)
ProdCode = 296818	Viewers = 4.14	ShortSummary = After a shipwreck that claims the life of his father, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen is missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returns home to Starling City, his mother Moira, his younger sister Thea, and best friend Tommy welcome him home but sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island. While Oliver hides the truth about the man he has become, he tries to reconcile with his former girlfriend, Laurel, for cheating on her with her sister, who also died in the shipwreck. As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly masquerades as a hooded vigilante archer by night, attempting to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory as his late father had entrusted him to do before his death. Oliver's first personal task is to take down corrupt millionaire Adam Hunt, who has scammed millions from various people in Starling City. Laurel's father, police detective Quentin Lance, is determined to arrest the vigilante. Meanwhile, Oliver's mother is revealed to have an agenda against her son, having orchestrated a kidnapping to determine what his father told him after the shipwreck.	LineColor = 056608 }}	ProdCode = 2J7302	Viewers = 3.55	ShortSummary = Laurel brings a civil suit against millionaire Martin Somers, who is also one of Oliver's targets, for taking part in drug trades with the Chinese Triads that ultimately led to the death of a young woman's father. As the hooded vigilante, Oliver threatens Somers to make him confess to the murder as penance for all of the wrongs he has done to the city. Instead, Somers contacts the Triad, who sends their assassin, China White, to kill Laurel. Oliver saves Laurel from China; he also captures and gives an audio recording of Somers' confession to Detective Lance. Meanwhile, Oliver's mother and Walter push Oliver to take a position at the company. Oliver intentionally embarrasses the family at the opening of the company's new applied sciences division to get out of it, knowing that he cannot honor his father's request to fight for the city and be the man his mother wants him to be at the same time. A flashback to Oliver's time on the island shows him being attacked by an unknown hooded figure wielding a bow and arrow.	LineColor = 056608 }}	ProdCode = 2J7303	Viewers = 3.51	ShortSummary = Oliver tracks down another millionaire from his list, but before he can get the answers he wants the man is killed by an assassin known as Deadshot. Initially, the police suspect that the vigilante, whom they refer to as "The Hood", is responsible for the murder, but the evidence begins to prove that he did not kill anyone. Oliver decides to build a new dance club above his hideout to explain where he goes at night. While comparing the competition, Oliver finds Thea, who reveals that Laurel and Tommy had been sleeping together during Oliver's absence. Laurel becomes suspicious when Oliver does not react to the news. Meanwhile, Oliver uses the assassin's M.O. to learn his true identity, and enlists the help of Detective Lance to stop Deadshot from assassinating more of the wealthy. Oliver manages to stop Deadshot, apparently killing him in the process, but his bodyguard Diggle is shot during the assassination attempt. Oliver is forced to reveal his true identity to Diggle in order to save Diggle's life. In another flashback, it is revealed that the archer who attacked Oliver was actually trying to help him. Oliver misunderstands and escapes, but is pursued by an unknown group of armed professionals.	LineColor = 056608 }}	ProdCode = 2J7304	Viewers = 3.05	ShortSummary = Diggle awakens in Oliver's hideout, where Oliver offers Diggle a chance to fight at his side and help the city. Diggle turns him down, calling him a murderer. Later, while watching the news, Oliver discovers a connection between Declan, a deathrow inmate, and Jason Brodeur, one of the men on his list. In his vigilante persona, he enlists the help of Laurel to prove the man innocent before he is executed. Working together, the pair uncover the truth, but Jason Brodeur has his bodyguard stage a prison break so that he can have Laurel and the inmate killed before the truth is revealed. Oliver sneaks into the prison dressed as a guard, with a ski mask to hide his face, and saves Laurel and Declan. The bodyguard ultimately confesses to Declan's innocence. Diggle meets with Oliver and agrees to work with him so that he can both protect the city and protect Oliver from losing his humanity. Detective Lance arrests Oliver on suspicion of being the vigilante after seeing footage of him recovering his disguise from a garbage bin before the last Deadshot confrontation. Meanwhile, Walter discovers that Moira has been keeping the salvaged and sabotaged family yacht hidden in a warehouse.	LineColor = 056608 }}	ProdCode = 2J7305	Viewers = 3.75	ShortSummary = Detective Lance charges Oliver with murder, so Oliver hires Laurel to be his attorney. Given Oliver's time on the island, the district attorney offers Oliver an insanity plea with an indeterminate amount of time spent in a psychiatric facility under a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. Oliver declines, and offers to take a polygraph test for Detective Lance to prove his innocence. Although his test indicates he is telling the truth about not being the vigilante, the experience causes Oliver to have flashbacks to his time on the island. Oliver specifically remembers when he is caught by the armed professionals and tortured before being saved by the hooded archer, which he shares with Laurel. While under house arrest, Oliver maintains his bachelor playboy facade by throwing a prison themed party and reveals to Diggle his plan was to get caught so that he could convince everyone that he was not the vigilante from the start. To accomplish this, Oliver has Diggle dress as the vigilante and go after a German arms dealer who is in the city to sell automatic weapons to the city gangs. Oliver's plan works and the charges are dropped. Meanwhile, Moira meets with an unknown associate, who is tied to the list that Oliver has, regarding the vigilante attacking members of their secret organization. Walter leaves the house after confronting Moira on her deception.	LineColor = 056608 }}	ProdCode = 2J7306	Viewers = 3.83	ShortSummary = Oliver begins preparing to take on another individual from his father's list, but Diggle argues that he should expand his work and help the police take down a group of bank robbers. Oliver initially refuses, believing that it detracts from his mission to right his father's wrongs; Diggle is able to persuade Oliver in the end. Oliver uses police files and IT specialist Felicity Smoak to deduce that the robbers are actually a family unit, and that the leader Derek Reston worked for Queen Industries before Robert Queen outsourced 1500 jobs to China and the Reston family lost their home as a result. Feeling guilty, Oliver tries to persuade Derek to right his own wrongs, but when he learns that the family are going to rob another bank he chooses to stop them. During Oliver's confrontation, Derek is shot and dies. Meanwhile, Tommy throws Laurel a fundraiser to help her pro-bono law firm, CNRI, stay in business; Tommy hopes that this will show Laurel that he is serious about wanting a relationship with her. Flashbacks also reveal how Oliver first discovered the target names in his father's notebook.	LineColor = 056608 }}	ProdCode = 2J7307	Viewers = 3.74	ShortSummary = While on her way to meet Oliver, Moira is almost gunned down by a mysterious assailant who was attempting to assassinate an associate of mob boss Frank Bertinelli. Oliver attempts to infiltrate Frank's business to discover the identity of the attacker. Frank confronts China White and the Triad gang for the murders of his people. Oliver learns that the attacker is Helena Bertinelli, Frank's daughter, with whom he had just been on a date. Helena reveals that she is looking for revenge against her father, who she blames for the murder of her fiancé. Helena and Oliver are abducted by Frank's right-hand man, Nick Salvati, in connection to the deaths of other mob associates; Helena kills Nick after learning he killed her fiancé. She also deduces Oliver's identity as the vigilante after witnessing him fight her father's henchmen. In the end, Helena confesses to Oliver that she believes that they both share similar stories and that is why they feel connected to each other. Meanwhile, Tommy is cut off financially by his father, who turns out to be the unknown associate that Moira was meeting with regarding the target list. Walter returns home after being away for weeks.	LineColor = 056608 }}	ProdCode = 2J7308	Viewers = 3.35	ShortSummary = Oliver decides to teach Helena that there is justice outside of revenge after witnessing her try to kill the head of the Triad. Diggle expresses his disapproval, believing that Helena cannot be trusted. Oliver shows Helena that they can bring down her father's business by taking out key players and delivering them to the police. Helena starts to buy in to the idea, but after an impromptu dinner with Oliver, Tommy, and Laurel leads to an awkward moment, Helena abandons Oliver's approach, believing he was manipulating her. Helena goes after the Triad, killing their leader. As a result, China White and her men go after Frank Bertinelli, believing him to be responsible, but Oliver gets there in time to stop them. Oliver also stops Helena from killing her father, but she refuses to forgive him for allowing the police to arrest Frank and threatens to reveal his identity if he tries to come after her in the future. Meanwhile, Tommy finally admits to Oliver that his father cut him off financially, and asks for a job working at the club that Oliver is attempting to build. Walter also learns more about the secret organization that Moira is a part of.	LineColor = 056608 }}	ProdCode = 2J7309	Viewers = 3.11	ShortSummary = Adam Hunt is killed by a mysterious archer; Detective Lance deduces that a copycat is at work, but his superior publicly blames the hooded vigilante. Oliver plans a Christmas party at the mansion to bring back the spirit of the holidays to his family, to which Tommy invites Laurel. A flashback shows Yao Fei's capture of Edward Fyers, who tells Oliver that the island was a prison for dangerous criminals and that his unit was tasked to exterminate the prisoners, including Yao Fei. Yao Fei is captured by Fyers's men while leading Oliver to a possible escape from the island. In the present, Oliver saves some hostages from the mysterious archer, and the two archers are injured after fighting. The mysterious archer gets away but is revealed to be Malcolm Merlyn, Tommy's father. Walter is kidnapped by one of Malcolm's associates to ensure that Moira will not interfere with Malcolm's organization's plans for the city. While recovering in the hospital, Oliver swears to take down the man he believes is behind the archer.	LineColor = 056608 }}	ProdCode = 2J7310	Viewers = 3.06	ShortSummary = Six weeks after his fight with the mysterious archer, Oliver avoids any activities as his vigilante alter-ego, despite insistence from Diggle that the city needs him. When a firefighter is killed in the line of duty, Laurel suspects that he was murdered and steals the phone the vigilante gave her father in order to contact him for help. Tracking down the suspect, Oliver is bested during the confrontation, but discovers that the murderer is a firefighter. Oliver confesses to Diggle that he has lost his edge, as he now has people he worries about losing should anything happen to him, something he did not have to fear when he first returned from the island. Diggle challenges Oliver that having people to live for is more of an edge than having no one. Oliver learns that the murderer is Garfield Lynns, a firefighter thought to have died in a massive fire several years prior, but who survived with severe burns over his entire body. Garfield shows up at a charity gala for the firefighters intent on getting revenge against the fire chief for not sending backup in the night of his injury. Although Oliver saves the chief, Garfield commits suicide by burning himself. Detective Lance discovers Laurel's deception and plants a listening device on the phone to monitor her communications with the vigilante.	LineColor = 056608 }}	ProdCode = 2J7311	Viewers = 3.14	ShortSummary = After an armored truck is robbed, and the drivers killed, Oliver believes that one of the thieves is ex-marine Ted Gaynor, an individual from his target list. Diggle dismisses Oliver's assumption, as Gaynor was Diggle's commanding officer during his first tour of duty in Afghanistan and saved Diggle's life. Oliver goes after Gaynor regardless and steals encrypted data, but Diggle intercedes and prevents Oliver from getting any information directly from Gaynor. The data is revealed to be plans for robbing armored trucks, to which Oliver uses to track and stop the thieves during their next heist. Oliver informs Diggle that Gaynor was not at the heist, but someone from his security firm was. While investigating, Diggle learns that Gaynor was the mastermind behind the robberies, and is forced to join Gaynor's team to recoup the money they lost on the previously failed heist. Diggle backs out of helping Gaynor, who attempts to kill Diggle in retaliation. Oliver arrives in time and kills Gaynor before he can succeed. Afterward, Oliver apologizes for not trusting Diggle more, citing his time of the island when his trust was violated by Yao Fei, who is revealed to have been working with Fyers all along. Meanwhile, believing her mother is cheating on Walter, Thea ingests a new drug, "Vertigo", and crashes her car while speeding. She is subsequently arrested by the police for driving while under the influence.	LineColor = 056608 }}	ProdCode = 2J7312	Viewers = 2.97	ShortSummary = At her arraignment, Thea attempts to enter into a plea bargain with the district attorney, but determined to set an example for the Vertigo drug dealers, the judge dismisses the plea and orders the charges brought to trial. In an attempt to help Thea, Oliver begins working on tracking down the supplier; he eventually discovers that the supplier goes by "The Count", and he arranges a meeting through his contacts with the Russian mob. The meeting is broken up by the police, and the Count injects Oliver with a concentrated dose of Vertigo when the latter attempts to follow him. While overdosing, Oliver has flashbacks to the island, and Yao Fei pretending to kill him in front of Fyers so that he can help Oliver to escape captivity. Diggle takes Oliver back to his hideout and uses medicinal herbs Oliver brought back with him from the island to fight the drug overdose. Afterward, Oliver has the drug analyzed and uses the ingredients to track the location of the Count. As the vigilante, Oliver is able to confront the Count and inject him with his own drug just as the police arrive as well. Laurel persuades her father to pull some strings and get Thea 2 years of probation and 500 hours of community service, which she begins serving at Laurel's legal office. Additionally, Felicity shows Oliver the list of names that Walter discovered, and informs him that they came from his mother.	LineColor = 056608 }}	ProdCode = 2J7313	Viewers = 2.96	ShortSummary = Oliver confronts his mother about the list of names, but she denies any knowledge. Diggle does not trust Moira and decides to look into her daily activities. Oliver has flashbacks to his time on the island, where he met Slade Wilson, an Australian Intelligence operative who came to the island to free Yao Fei. Laurel enlists the help of the vigilante when criminal Cyrus Vanch is released from prison on a technicality. Oliver acquires evidence that could put Vanch back behind bars, but Vanch discovers what the vigilante is up to and kidnaps Laurel in an attempt to kill the vigilante and take leadership over the city's gangs. Detective Lance and the vigilante team up to save Laurel, as Lance realizes that Vanch has contacts on the police force and that was how he learned of Laurel working with the vigilante. The pair save Laurel, with Oliver stopping Lance from killing Vanch as revenge for kidnapping Laurel. In order to protect Laurel, Oliver decides that she can no longer have contact with the vigilante. Diggle presents evidence to Oliver that his mother is connected to the group he is hunting, and that she also knew that his father's yacht was sabotaged and kept it to herself. In response, Oliver decides to interrogate his mother again, but this time as the vigilante.	LineColor = 056608 }}	ProdCode = 2J7314	Viewers = 3.29	ShortSummary = While confronting his mother, Oliver lets his guard down and Moira manages to grab a gun and shoot him. Seeking out Felicity for help, Oliver exposes his secret and asks Felicity to take him to his hideout. With Diggle's help, the bullet is removed and Oliver is stabilized. While unconscious, Oliver has a flashback to his time on the island. Slade Wilson begins training Oliver for an assault on a supply aircraft, which Slade intends to use to escape the island. He also informs Oliver that the man who tortured him was Slade's partner, Billy Wintergreen. He betrayed Slade and joined Fyers. After successfully infiltrating the airstrip, Slade reveals plans to send in an airstrike to wipe out all of Fyers's operation. Oliver heads out to find Yao Fei and save him from the airstrike, but he is recaptured by Fyers. Before he can be executed, Slade arrives, rescuing Oliver and killing his old partner. Although they missed the supply aircraft, Slade and Oliver decide to continue to work together to stop Fyers and get off the island. It is also revealed that Yao Fei changed sides for the safety of his daughter, Shado, who is held captive by Fyers. Back in the present, Felicity agrees to join Oliver and Diggle, but only until they find Walter. Diggle agrees to back off from pursuing Moira following Oliver's demands, but he is still skeptical of his mother's connection to his father's list of names.	LineColor = 056608 }}	ProdCode = 2J7315	Viewers = 3.15	ShortSummary = Oliver learns of a jewel thief named "Dodger", who uses hostages tagged with bomb collars to steal for him, who has come to Starling City. Felicity suggests that Oliver bug the phone of Detective McKenna Hall, an old friend of Oliver's, to gain information on the Dodger. She also convinces Oliver to ask Detective Hall out on a date so that he can have some down time. The date prompts flashbacks to the island, and Oliver recalling a time where he came upon another individual who was beaten and tied up, but refuses to help for fear that it is a trap set by Fyers. Through the wire tap, Oliver is able to determine the Dodger's next location, but is stunned by a bomb thrown by the thief, who subsequently gets away. To draw out the Dodger, Oliver donates antique jewels to a local auction. It works, but Felicity is caught tracking the thief, who places a bomb collar on her as insurance in his getaway. Oliver manages to stop the Dodger and deactivate the collar. Meanwhile, Moira attempts to make a deal with China White to have Malcolm killed, so that she can leave the secret organization and get Walter back.	LineColor = 056608 }}	ProdCode = 2J7316	Viewers = 3.17	ShortSummary = Oliver stops a hired gunman called Guillermo Barrera who comes to Starling City, but must enlist Felicity to decipher the assassin's phone and determine who the target was. China White hires Deadshot, who is revealed to have survived Oliver's shot with an arrow, to take out Malcolm Merlyn after the previous gunman was stopped by the vigilante. Meanwhile, Malcolm asks Tommy to attend an award ceremony where Malcolm will be receiving a humanitarian award; after much reluctance, Tommy is pursuaded to attend by Oliver. At the last moment, Oliver discovers that Malcolm is the target and races to the event to save him. Although he is almost caught by Detective McKenna, Oliver manages to get Malcolm away from China White's men. While in an office, Malcolm is shot with one of Deadshot's poison tipped bullets, and Oliver is forced to reveal his identity to Tommy in order to secure his trust so that he can save Malcolm's life. Afterward, Malcolm informs Moira that he believes someone from the organization attempted to kill him and entrusts her to identify the culprit. Elsewhere, Laurel is confronted by her mother, who reveals that her sister, Sarah, might be alive. During a flashback, Oliver is shown repairing a damaged radio from Slade's downed aircraft, which Slade uses to tune into the radio communications of Fyers and his men.	LineColor = 056608 }} </ref>	DirectedBy = Guy Bee	WrittenBy = Jake Coburn & Lana Cho	OriginalAirDate =	ProdCode = 2J7317	Viewers =	ShortSummary =	LineColor = 056608 }} </ref>	DirectedBy = Nick Copus	WrittenBy = Drew Z. Greenberg & Wendy Mericle	OriginalAirDate =	ProdCode = 2J7318	Viewers =	ShortSummary =	LineColor = 056608 }} </ref>	DirectedBy = Michael Offer	WrittenBy = Bryan Q. Miller & Lindsey Allen	OriginalAirDate =	ProdCode = 2J7319	Viewers =	ShortSummary =	LineColor = 056608 }} </ref>	DirectedBy = Ken Fink	WrittenBy = Ben Sokolowski & Beth Schwartz	OriginalAirDate =	ProdCode = 2J7320	Viewers =	ShortSummary =	LineColor = 056608 }}	ProdCode =	Viewers =	ShortSummary =	LineColor = 056608 }}	ProdCode=	Viewers=	ShortSummary=	LineColor=056608 }}	ProdCode=	Viewers=	ShortSummary =	LineColor=056608 }}

Critical reception

Arrow received favorable reviews, with a Metacritic score of 73 out of 100, based on reviews from 25 critics. Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times called the series an interesting setup with a quality look, describing Amell as "a poster boy (no doubt literally) for the Katniss Everdeen set." Brian Lowry at Variety was less favorable, describing the series as a handsome but stiff surrogate for Batman that could benefit from sharper execution.

Broadcasting

Arrow premiered on The CW network October 10, 2012, during the 2012"13 television season, and airs on Wednesdays at 8:00 pm Eastern/7:00 pm Central. The series was also released on CTV in Canada on the same day. Arrow premiered in South Africa on October 19, 2012, and internationally on October 22, 2012, through the British, and Irish markets. It will premiere in Australia on the Nine Network in April 2013.