+++Warning, this contains spoilers from the prior season, but no major season three spoilers+++
Season three of Arrow picks up down the line from the season 2 finale in which Slade is defeated and Malcolm Merlin is revealed to be alive and helped Thea escape from the Mirakuru-enhanced army. Oliver and Felicity attempt to date, but to throw the obvious wrench into the relationship to keep them apart as long as possible, Oliver tells her that he cannot be The Arrow and be normal at the same time. This, along with the introduction of Ray Palmer (played by Superman Returns' Brandon Routh) as both a personal and business rival for Oliver, provides a bunch of hurdles. The serial arc of the season involves a mystery about Sarah Lance (the recast Caity Lotz) who was revealed during season two to have survived the shipwreck and joined the League of Assassins. The League, and their leader Ra's al Ghul (played by Matt Noble). The season also makes heavy use of flashbacks, telling the story of Oliver's time on (and as we discover this season, off) the island before his rescue in season one. The flashback sequence also is used as a way to have Tommy Merlin (the guest starring Collin Donnell) return in one of the early episodes of the season. This season also sees the first of what would become numerous crossovers with the newly minted Arrowverse show, The Flash (which had a backdoor pilot episode during season two of Arrow). There is the official two-episode crossover that starts in an episode of The Flash and ends in the Arrow episode. And, Barry Allen/Flash (Grant Gustin) makes an appearance in the season finale to help the team out.
For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the A/V quality kind of bounced between good and great. Some scenes look extremely good in HD, and others do show some noise and grain. But honestly, unless you are a real video wonk, you will probably not notice it. There are commentary tracks on two episodes, including the midseason finale which has a huge cliffhanger at the end of it, 15-minutes of deleted scenes, a half-hour-long segment of the Comic-Con panel, and a short gag reel. So, if you like watching the extras, there is a decent amount there for you.
Overall, the season is very good. It continues to be a very dark show that has a lot of violence, some sex, and is not shy about killing off characters. The writers do a good job juggling the very large ensemble cast, giving all of the characters some depth and continuing to develop them. One of the best episodes of the season shows a younger Felicity in her college hacktivist days, and fleshing out her backstory and giving insight into how she has changed from that time to her time on Team Arrow. Emily Bett Rickards pretty much steals every scene she is in, and is one of the few characters on the show that is not dark and brooding. As much as the DC Movie Universe has been panned, the DC TV Universe gets a lot right, and provides for a lot of compelling stories, with Arrow being at the forefront. So, if you liked the first couple of seasons, then you will probably like or love this season as well.
Season three of Arrow picks up down the line from the season 2 finale in which Slade is defeated and Malcolm Merlin is revealed to be alive and helped Thea escape from the Mirakuru-enhanced army. Oliver and Felicity attempt to date, but to throw the obvious wrench into the relationship to keep them apart as long as possible, Oliver tells her that he cannot be The Arrow and be normal at the same time. This, along with the introduction of Ray Palmer (played by Superman Returns' Brandon Routh) as both a personal and business rival for Oliver, provides a bunch of hurdles. The serial arc of the season involves a mystery about Sarah Lance (the recast Caity Lotz) who was revealed during season two to have survived the shipwreck and joined the League of Assassins. The League, and their leader Ra's al Ghul (played by Matt Noble). The season also makes heavy use of flashbacks, telling the story of Oliver's time on (and as we discover this season, off) the island before his rescue in season one. The flashback sequence also is used as a way to have Tommy Merlin (the guest starring Collin Donnell) return in one of the early episodes of the season. This season also sees the first of what would become numerous crossovers with the newly minted Arrowverse show, The Flash (which had a backdoor pilot episode during season two of Arrow). There is the official two-episode crossover that starts in an episode of The Flash and ends in the Arrow episode. And, Barry Allen/Flash (Grant Gustin) makes an appearance in the season finale to help the team out.
For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the A/V quality kind of bounced between good and great. Some scenes look extremely good in HD, and others do show some noise and grain. But honestly, unless you are a real video wonk, you will probably not notice it. There are commentary tracks on two episodes, including the midseason finale which has a huge cliffhanger at the end of it, 15-minutes of deleted scenes, a half-hour-long segment of the Comic-Con panel, and a short gag reel. So, if you like watching the extras, there is a decent amount there for you.
Overall, the season is very good. It continues to be a very dark show that has a lot of violence, some sex, and is not shy about killing off characters. The writers do a good job juggling the very large ensemble cast, giving all of the characters some depth and continuing to develop them. One of the best episodes of the season shows a younger Felicity in her college hacktivist days, and fleshing out her backstory and giving insight into how she has changed from that time to her time on Team Arrow. Emily Bett Rickards pretty much steals every scene she is in, and is one of the few characters on the show that is not dark and brooding. As much as the DC Movie Universe has been panned, the DC TV Universe gets a lot right, and provides for a lot of compelling stories, with Arrow being at the forefront. So, if you liked the first couple of seasons, then you will probably like or love this season as well.
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