10 Ways Arrow Would Be Different If It Were On Netflix
6. Active Female Characters
The idea of a “strong, powerful woman,” is a great character template in theory but Arrow and Daredevil are prime examples on how differently it can be interpreted.
On The CW, they simply have characters tell us over and over again how capable someone like Felicity is. We’re told she’s got all of these great features but we rarely actually see them. And then a character like Thea, who actually has actually experienced significant character development, is relegated to the sidelines and given very little to do. It's an infuriating situation that means the show can't find a proper balance for its female leads.
On Netflix, we’re simply shown that these females are three-dimensional. Jessica, Claire Temple, and Karen Page all proactively do things and their actions give us insight into who they are. We don’t need to be told their values because we see them repeatedly over the course of the season.
The ‘show, don’t tell’ rule seems especially true here and the issue of properly using female characters speaks to Netflix’s larger ability to characterize through actions instead of force-feeding audiences character traits.