'Arrow' Premiere Review - 1.01 Pilot

        On the series premiere of The CW's Arrow, Oliver Queen's (Stephen Amell) ship is destroyed in a storm and he survives on an island for five years; after being rescued, he returns to Starling City and is reunited with his family and his former girlfriend; and seeing the corrupt city he uses his island skills to become the vigilante that the city needs.

        Arrow is by far the best new show on The CW and is the most well-poised to become its next breakout hit ala The Vampire Diaries or Smallville. The show has a very distinct voice is very wide appealing in its takedown of the rich and corrupt. This show has the great potential to be a very terrific series. My only concern is that the drama will be too CW-fied and be more focused on looking pretty instead of the high-stakes drama and tension. It should embrace its uniqueness and let all of the characters revel in the drama and potential serialization and soapiness.
        The show is filled with many character actor who I have appreciated in various other roles over the year. Arrow is giving many of them great material and roles that really highlight what they can do well. I have been waiting for the great show that truly allows Stephen Amell and Paul Blackthorne and others to break out into the TV stardom that they deserve. Based on the pilot alone, this series has everything necessary for that to happen.
        The pilot does a great job of setting up the various dynamics and connections that Oliver Queen has to the numerous other characters. The brother-sister vibe between Amell and Willa Holland is fresh and unique. The dynamics between him and Laurel (Katie Cassidy) and Tommy (Colin Donnell) remind him of what his past life was which does a respectable job of building up his character. The juxtaposition of who he was and who he is now is just this great internal battle that came across beautifully on the screen. Plus the action sequences are extremely well-done and I hope there is not a dip in quality for succeeding episodes due to the much tighter filming schedule and budget.

So what did everyone think of the premiere? Will you tune in to Episode 2? Share your thoughts in the comments.