After a five-month hiatus, the CW's Arrow opened its third season with an explosive first episode, rather misleadingly entitled "The Calm." Following the series premieres of Fox's Gotham and CW's The Flash as the latest of DC Comics' ventures onto the small screen, the veteran Arrow treated returning fans to an opener in which...kind of a lot happened. With crime in Starling City at a record low thanks to the off-screen efforts of Team Arrow after the widespread destruction of the Season 2 finale, Oliver and Co. are faced with the daunting prospect of living actual lives outside of the lair. (Well, less so for Oliver himself, who is actually living in the lair.) A long-awaited romance blossoms...and falls apart. A baby is born and admired by all...just before a fan favorite dies in the ugliest of ways. A new rival shows up to challenge Oliver's place in Starling City, and the Arrow faces a fresh foe with a familiar name. There's kissing and crying, bromance and romance, catastrophes and casualties, parkour and pyrotechnics superior to what one might expect of a CW program. Overall, "The Calm" was an intense premiere that featured something for everybody. Unfortunately, by featuring something for everybody, the episode was overloaded with events that could have carried separate installments all on their own. Nevertheless, "The Calm" was more good than bad. So, here are the five best things about the Arrow Season 3 premiere...and the three worst.
Fiction buff and writer. If it's on Netflix, it's probably in my queue. I've bought DVDs for the special features and usually claim that the book is better than the movie or show (and can provide examples). I've never met a TV show that I won't marathon. Follow on Twitter @lah9891 .
