"Pilot" | |
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Arrow episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
Directed by | David Nutter |
Story by |
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Teleplay by | |
Featured music |
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Cinematography by | Glen Winter |
Editing by | Paul Karasick |
Production code | 296818 |
Original air date | October 10, 2012 |
Running time | 43 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
"Pilot" is the first episode of the television series Arrow , which premiered on The CW on October 10, 2012. It was written by series developers Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg, and directed by David Nutter. The episode introduces Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), a billionaire playboy, his mother Moira Queen (Susanna Thompson), sister Thea (Willa Holland), new bodyguard John Diggle (David Ramsey), best friend Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell), ex-girlfriend Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy), and her father Detective Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne). It follows Oliver as he returns to Starling City, after having been shipwrecked for five years, and becomes a bow-wielding, hooded vigilante who sets out to right the wrongs of his father, who died during the shipwreck, and save the city.
Filmed in Vancouver, Canada, the pilot features two timelines on display: Oliver in the present, fighting crime as a vigilante, and Oliver when he is shipwrecked five years earlier. The developers wanted to bring a realistic vision to the character, which translated into a functional costume and no superpowers being featured. The pilot became the highest rated show on The CW in three years. It received generally favorable reviews from critics, who generally cited Amell's performance as a highlight. The episode was nominated for various awards, winning three.
This section's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed.(May 2019) |
Billionaire playboy Oliver Queen is found on a remote Mandarin Pacific island of Lian Yu, having been shipwrecked for five years. Oliver is welcomed back home to Starling City by his mother Moira, stepfather Walter Steele, younger sister Thea, and best friend Tommy Merlyn. They can sense that Oliver has changed, and try to question him about his time on the island after viewing the numerous scars that have riddled his body.
As Oliver rejoins society, and Tommy attempts to update him on what has happened in the world the last five years, the two are abducted by 3 masked men. With Tommy unconscious, they interrogate Oliver about his late father, Robert, and what he may have told Oliver before he died. Oliver manages to escape and fights his captors, killing them to protect his secret. The police investigate the kidnapping, and Oliver informs Police Detective Quentin Lance, his former girlfriend Laurel's father, that a man in a green hood saved them.
In response to the kidnapping, Moira orders Oliver to take on a bodyguard, John Diggle. Meanwhile, Laurel is revealed to be a lawyer currently working to bring a civil action against Adam Hunt, a man who collected millions of dollars from people living in the Glades, a small, crime-ridden neighborhood in Starling City. When Laurel discovered that Oliver is alive, the two meet. Oliver tries to apologize to Laurel for hurting her five years ago, as he was cheating on her with her sister Sara. Laurel reminds him that his behavior not only broke her heart, but cost the life of Sara, who was on Oliver's sailboat the Queen's Gambit with him during the wreck.
Oliver quickly sneaks away from Diggle and begins building his base of operations at an abandoned Queen Industrial warehouse. As he prepares for his new alter ego as a vigilante, Oliver reviews Robert's journal, which contains a list of various names. Disguised in a green hood and leather outfit, and armed with a bow and arrows, Oliver confronts Adam Hunt and orders him to transfer $40 million into an account to be used to pay back the people of the Glades. When Hunt refuses, Oliver makes the transfer anyway before escaping as the police arrive.
Later, it is revealed that Moira ordered Oliver's abduction so she could discover if Robert had told Oliver his secrets. In flashback sequences set during the shipwreck of the Queen's Gambit, Oliver recalls Robert sacrificing himself so that there will be enough supplies for Oliver to survive, asking him to correct the mistakes of the family and one day return home to Starling to save it.
On January 12, 2012, The CW began preparing a new series centered around the character Green Arrow, developed by Andrew Kreisberg, Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim. [1] A week later, the network ordered a pilot, now titled Arrow, and brought in David Nutter to direct. [2] When developing the series, producer Marc Guggenheim expressed that the creative team wanted to "chart [their] own course, [their] own destiny", and avoid any direct connections to Smallville, which featured its own Green Arrow/Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley). They opted to cast a new actor in the role of Oliver Queen. [3] Unlike with Smallville, the pilot does not initially feature super-powered heroes and villains. Instead, the creative still took inspiration from Smallville, as one of the main themes was to "look at the humanity" of Oliver Queen, as Smallville had done with Clark Kent. The decision not to include superpowers was, in part, based on the executives' desire to take a realistic look at the characters in this universe. [4]
Amy Brenneman made a point of really befriending me before we started shooting [ Private Practice ] [...] I was really taken with how she connected with me, person to person, before we tried to connect, actor to actor. So, I made a real point to do that [with the Arrow cast] [...] I think that you can see that [we hit it off] [...] If you have to put your hand on somebody's shoulder, if you've done it before, it makes it easier to do. Sometimes it's imperceptible, but I think it's what takes things from good to great, or from 2D to 3D.
Amell interview with Collider [5]
Stephen Amell was one of the first actors to audition for the role of Oliver Queen, and Kreisberg felt that he "hit the target from the outset" and "everyone else just paled in comparison". [3] Arrow's pilot script was the first Amell auditioned for during pilot season, having received multiple scripts at the start of the year. [5] Producer Marc Guggenheim expressed that the creative team wanted to "chart [their] own course, [their] own destiny", and avoid any direct connections to Smallville , which featured its own Green Arrow/Oliver Queen who was portrayed by Justin Hartley. Instead, they opted to cast a new actor in the titular role. [3] Amell, who was already in shape from Rent-a-Goalie , did physical fitness training at Tempest Freerunning Academy out of Reseda, California. He received archery training as well, which included watching a video on how archery has been displayed inaccurately or poorly in television and film before learning the basics of shooting a bow. [3] For Amell, the appeal of portraying Queen was that he saw multiple roles tied to the same character: "There's Queen the casual playboy; Queen the wounded hero; Queen the brooding Hamlet; Queen the lover; Queen the man of action, and so on." [3]
Katie Cassidy was cast as Dinah Laurel Lance on February 15, 2012; Laurel is also the vigilante Black Canary in the comic books. [6] Cassidy said she was drawn to the show by Berlanti, Nutter, Kreisberg, and Guggenheim, whom she called smart, creative, and edgy. [7] It was announced in February 2012 that Colin Donnell was cast as Tommy Merlyn—a character whose surname is based on Green Arrow's nemesis in the comics—and David Ramsey would portray John Diggle, Oliver's bodyguard and a character not previously established through the comic books. [8] [9] Ramsey enjoyed the fact that he did not have to worry about matching the comic books. It allowed him to "just kind of take [his character], and run with it". [10] Jacqueline MacInnes Wood was cast as Sara Lance, Laurel's sister, for the pilot. However, when the character returned in the second season, Wood was replaced by Caity Lotz. [11]
Production on the pilot began in March 2012 in Vancouver, Canada. [12] The series features two distinct timelines, which requires more specific planning in the filming schedule. Filming for the island flashbacks takes place in Vancouver's Whytecliff Park area, near beachfront homes. The production team is tasked with keeping the buildings out of camera frame. [13] Additionally, producer Marc Guggenheim finds the process arduous: "Stephen [Amell] has to wear a wig, and his look has to be changed... there's a lot. It's actually incredibly ambitious to do these flashbacks every week, every single episode. Because like Andrew [Kreisberg] said, it's almost like it's its own show." [13] Hatley Castle, located in Royal Roads University was used for exterior shots for the Queen family mansion. Hatley Castle had previously been used as the Luthor ancestral home in Smallville . [14] Vancouver's Terminal City Ironworks Complex doubles as the exterior for Queen Consolidated, Inc. [15]
When it came time to design the look of the costume for Oliver Queen's vigilante persona, the studio brought in Colleen Atwood to develop a realistic approach to the suit. [16] According to Amell, it was important for the suit to be functional, and the best way that he knew for that was if he could put the costume on by himself: "If I can put it on by myself, I think that people will buy it. And that was our idea. That's our world." [4] The opening scene on Lian Yu features an easter egg of a Deathstroke mask with an arrow through it. David Nutter wanted a foreground element and Geoff Johns, who was visiting the set, suggested using the mask. This easter egg eventually led to the introduction of Billy Wintergreen in episode five and Slade Wilson in episode thirteen. [17]
Arrow's premiere episode drew 4.14 million viewers, making it The CW's most-watched telecast of any show on any night in three years, and The CW's most-watched series premiere since The Vampire Diaries in 2009. [18] In Australia, the premiere received 1.32 million viewers, making it the third most-watched broadcast on the network that night. [19] The UK broadcast was the fourth highest-rated telecast of the week, with 1.85 million viewers. [20] In Canada, the first episode got 1.32 million viewers, making it the fourth most-watched airing of the night and the twenty-third of the week. [21]
The pilot episode received generally favorable reviews upon release. Newsday 's Verne Gay commended the series' start, specifically the casting of Susanna Thompson as Moira Queen and the pilot's ability to weave in the action with "a pleasing romantic triangle, interfamily intrigue, a flawed hero and [...] a mystery." [22] David Hiltbrand, of The Philadelphia Inquirer , characterizes the pilot as a "dark, gleaming gem", but acknowledges that the show's success will be built around how well it maintains the quality of the action sequences and the mystery behind Oliver's motives. [23] NY Daily News ' David Hinckley praised the start of the series as being "lively" and "better than hard-core 'Green Arrow' fans expected"; Hinckley also pointed out that Amell does a good job of finding the proper balance for Oliver as he moves between his "old world" and "new world". [24] San Francisco Chronicle 's David Wiegand favorably compared the pilot to Smallville, stating that the series is fun and action-packed, and worth the same level of longevity that Smallville received. Weigand praised Amell's performance and his ability to convincingly portray both the spoiled billionaire and his vigilante alter-ego, and gives credit to director David Nutter and the editors for putting together an episode that built suspense and kept the action fast and believable. [25]
Robert Bianco, of USA Today , characterized the pilot as a Dark Knight version of the Green Arrow character. Bianco praised the action sequences, the emotional development with the characters, and the mystery of the plot. He contends that the biggest hurdle to Arrow's success will be the network in which it airs. [26] Variety 's Brian Lowry also said the pilot felt more like a lite version of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight saga, but believed the action could not hide the two-dimensional characters that were introduced. Lowry further commented that the series would have an "uphill climb" when it comes to mainstream appeal because of the "second-tier" nature of its primary comic book character. [27] The Hollywood Reporter 's Tim Goodman stated, if you can get past the implausibility, Arrow is entertaining and matches the type of brand The CW is creating. [28] Sarah Rodman, of the Boston Globe , also said the pilot was cartoonish, specifically commenting on Amell's "stilted narration" and the storyline feeling "silly". She further stated that pilot would please fans of the genre, and drama fans who can suspend their disbelief that an alcoholic billionaire "driven mad on a remote island for five years would now know how to hack computers". [29]
The pilot won multiple Leo Awards, including Best Cinematography in a Dramatic Series (Glen Winter), Best Production Design in a Dramatic Series (Richard Hudolin), and Best Stunt Coordination in a Dramatic Series (J.J. Makaro). [30] Glen Winter was also nominated for an award based on his work in the pilot episode by the Canadian Society of Cinematographers. [31]
Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics No. 73 on September 19, 1941, the same issue that debuted Aquaman. His real name is Oliver Jonas Queen, a wealthy businessman, owner of Queen Industries, and a well-known celebrity in Star City. He uses this position to hide the fact that he is Green Arrow. Partly inspired by Robin Hood, Green Arrow is an archer who uses his skills to fight crime in his home cities of Star City and Seattle, as well as alongside his fellow superheroes as a member of the Justice League. The world's greatest archer, as well as a competent swordsman and martial artist, Green Arrow deploys a range of trick arrows with various special functions, such as glue, explosive-tipped, grappling hook, flash grenade, tear gas, and even kryptonite arrows for use in a range of special situations.
Andrew Kreisberg is an American television writer, producer and comic book writer. He is best known as the co-creator of the television series The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow.
Green Arrow, a DC Comics superhero, has appeared in media other than comic books since 1973, including animated shows, live-action productions, and video games.
Arrow is an American superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow, a costumed crime-fighter created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, and is the first series of the Arrowverse, sharing continuity with other related television series. The series premiered in the United States on The CW on October 10, 2012, and ran for eight seasons until January 28, 2020. Arrow was primarily filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Oliver Queen, also known by his alter-ego as the Green Arrow, is a fictional character in The CW's Arrowverse franchise, first introduced in the 2012 pilot episode of the television series Arrow. The character is based on the DC Comics character of the same name, created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, and was adapted for television in 2012 by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg. Stephen Amell portrayed Oliver Queen, with Jacob Hoppenbrouwer portraying a young Oliver.
The first season of the American action television series Arrow premiered on The CW on October 10, 2012, at 8:00 pm (ET) and concluded on May 15, 2013, with a total of 23 episodes, after the network ordered a full season on October 22, 2012. The series is based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow, a costumed crime-fighter created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, and is set in the Arrowverse, sharing continuity with other Arrowverse television series. The showrunners for this season were Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg. Stephen Amell stars as Oliver Queen, with principal cast members 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, and Paul Blackthorne as Quentin Lance.
The second season of the American television series Arrow premiered on The CW on October 9, 2013, and concluded on May 14, 2014, with a total of 23 episodes. The series is based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow, a costumed crime-fighter created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, and is set in the Arrowverse, sharing continuity with other Arrowverse television series. The showrunners for this season were Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg. Stephen Amell stars as Oliver Queen, with principal cast members Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance, David Ramsey as John Diggle, Willa Holland as Thea Queen, Susanna Thompson as Moira Queen, and Paul Blackthorne as Quentin Lance returning from the previous season. They are joined by Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, Colton Haynes as Roy Harper and Manu Bennett as Slade Wilson, who were promoted to series regulars from their recurring status in the previous season.
"Green Arrow" is the premiere of the fourth season and seventieth overall episode, of the American television series Arrow, originally broadcast on The CW. Based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow, the series follows the story of billionaire vigilante Oliver Queen who returns home after five years supposedly stranded on a Pacific island, featuring flashback sequences to his time away. The series is part of the Arrowverse franchise, alongside spin-off shows The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Batwoman and other associated media. At the start of the fourth season, the character is attempting to start a new life away from vigilantism in Ivy Town, alongside girlfriend Felicity Smoak. The episode marks the first time that the vigilante persona of Oliver Queen is referred to by his comic book alias of "Green Arrow". It is also the first episode in the series to feature a flash forward sequence as well as the established flashback sequences. The episode was written by season four showrunners Marc Guggenheim and Wendy Mericle, developed from a story written by Greg Berlanti and Beth Schwartz and directed by Thor Freudenthal. It was first broadcast in the United States on October 7, 2015, on The CW.
The fifth season of the American television series Arrow premiered on The CW on October 5, 2016, and concluded on May 24, 2017, with a total of 23 episodes. The series is based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow, a costumed crime-fighter created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, and is set in the Arrowverse, sharing continuity with other Arrowverse television series. The showrunners for this season were Marc Guggenheim and Wendy Mericle. Stephen Amell stars as Oliver Queen, with principal cast members David Ramsey as John Diggle, Willa Holland as Thea Queen, Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, and Paul Blackthorne as Quentin Lance also returning from previous seasons. They are joined by Echo Kellum as Curtis Holt, who was promoted to a series regular from his recurring status in the previous season, and new cast member Josh Segarra.
"The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak" is the fifth episode of the third season, and fifty-first overall episode, of the American television series Arrow, originally broadcast on The CW. Based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow, the series follows the story of billionaire vigilante Oliver Queen, portrayed by Canadian actor Stephen Amell, who returns home after five years supposedly stranded on a Pacific island, featuring flashback sequences to his time away. The series is part of the Arrowverse franchise, alongside spin-off shows The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Batwoman and other associated media. This episode is notable as the first Arrow episode to feature flashback sequences centered entirely on a character other than Oliver Queen, focusing instead on the backstory of the character Felicity Smoak, played by Emily Bett Rickards. The episode was written by Ben Sokolowski and Brian Ford Sullivan and directed by Michael Schultz. It premiered in the United States on The CW on November 5, 2014.
John Diggle, also known by his code names Freelancer and Spartan, is a fictional character in The CW's Arrowverse franchise and Superman & Lois, first introduced in the 2012 pilot episode of the television series Arrow. The character was created for the series by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg. Diggle is portrayed by David Ramsey
"Haunted" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American television series Arrow, based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow, revolving around billionaire playboy Oliver Queen as he returns to Starling City, after having been shipwrecked for five years, and becomes a bow-wielding, hooded vigilante who sets out to fight crime and corruption. It is set in the Arrowverse, sharing continuity with the other television series of the universe. The episode was written by Brian Ford Sullivan and Oscar Balderrama, and directed by John Badham.
Felicity Megan Smoak, also known by her code name Overwatch, is a fictional character in The CW's Arrowverse franchise. The character was first introduced in 2012 in the first season of the television series Arrow, which is based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow. The series follows the story of billionaire Oliver Queen, who returns home after five years supposedly stranded on a remote Pacific island and becomes a vigilante on a quest to save his city. Felicity is based on the comic book character of the same name, created by Gerry Conway and Rafael Kayanan and was adapted for television by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg. Felicity was portrayed by Canadian actress Emily Bett Rickards between 2012 and 2020. Initially cast as a one-episode guest star in the first season of Arrow, she returned as a recurring character in the same season, and was promoted to series regular from season two. Rickards stepped away from the show at the end of season seven, but returned in a guest capacity for the finale of Arrow's eighth and final season. She has also featured in the spin-off shows The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and web series Vixen, as well as appearing in Supergirl. The character appears in the Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham video game as part of the Arrow DLC pack, and is one of the protagonists of the Arrow and The Flash tie-in novels and comics.
Dinah Laurel Lance is the name of several fictional characters in The CW's Arrowverse franchise based on the DC Comics character of the same name, created by writer-artist team of Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, and adapted by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg for Arrow in 2012. Katie Cassidy portrays the several multiverse versions of the character within the Arrowverse, all of whom are mostly referred to by their middle name, "Laurel", unlike the comics.
The eighth and final season of the American television series Arrow premiered on The CW on October 15, 2019, and concluded on January 28, 2020, with a total of ten episodes. The series is based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow, a costumed vigilante created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, and is set in the Arrowverse, sharing continuity with other Arrowverse television series and associated media. Executive producers Marc Guggenheim and Beth Schwartz returned as co-showrunners for this season.
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