Arrow Season 3

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

Season 3 of Arrow is infamous for being of lower quality than the previous two (I’m only discussing this season, if you want to know about the show itself, you should definitely start with the first one), due to the original lead writer moving to The Flash and characters suffering from bad changes and general lack of progression. I used to think like that the first time I watched it. Gladly, I purchased the Blu Ray and watched it again, and I have to say, the first impressions don’t do this season justice AT ALL.

This season severely benefits from binge-watching, since you’ll be less likely to forget plot points and details that you might lose if watching on TV schedule. Another thing that benefits it are repeated viewings, since you will start noticing nuances you wouldn’t have seen the first time. In fact, upon my second viewing I realized the attention to detail and subtle foreshadowing for this season is only rivaled by Arrested Development.

Season 3 of the show kicks off with the eponymous character and his team being on the receiving end of the city’s favor, but things quickly turn dark once one of their allies is murdered, which kickstarts Oliver’s confrontation with one of the most fearless and determined foes from the DC universe: Ra’s Al Ghul, and his League of Assassins, whose end goal turns the city against the Arrow. Meanwhile, Oliver’s personal life is turned complicated with the arrival of Ray Palmer, who takes posession of his company and is a rival for his love interest. Curiously, though, Palmer also holds a certain interest for costumed justice.

The season’s overaching plot is one of the most interesting yet, as Oliver is pitted against a foe who’s his superior in physical and mental strength, but also makes him question his resolve and his legacy. This is all wonderfully complemented by the acting, which is great all around. Stephen Amell has played Oliver Queen since the beginning as a man with almost lost humanity, who’s become emotionally distant and finds it hard to express his emotions, and, unfortunately, this has translated as people thinking he doesn’t have acting chops. On the contrary, every time something so powerful occurs that forces Oliver’s emotions to come out, Amell does a fantastic job. Look at the scene where he’s convinced he’s going to lose the love of his sister forever or the one where he hears his friend has died and he sells those expressions so well you will feel the pain inside you as if it all was happening to you.

While mostly all of the other characters do a good job too, major props should be offered to Matt Nable as Ra’s Al Ghul. He might be off-putting at first for fans of the source material, since he really doesn’t look much like the character he’s playing, but only one episode in and you’ll realize he IS Ra’s Al Ghul and those doubts will dissipate forever.

All in all, this season does a great job in moving the story forward and evolving the characters. Don’t let some bad opinions keep you from it. And if you saw it before and didn’t think much of it, give it a second chance. It gets better.

– MacJunegrand

+++WARNING+++ This will contain spoilers from the prior season, and hints but no major giveaways from season 3. If you have not seen the prior seasons skip past the first couple paragraphs.

Arrow is a show that keeps getting better, even with a very large ensemble cast (that has to an extent been trimmed down in some respects, but added to as well). This season picks up after the events of season 2 and the battle vs Slade Wilson and the Super Soldiers. Oliver is still reeling over the death of his mother, his sister having run off, and losing his company. There is a major death at the end of the first episode, the ramifications of which carry through the entire season and a couple different showdowns with the League of Assassins and Ra’s Al Ghul.

As with prior seasons the show is told partly in current time and partly through flashbacks showing the events of the 5 years Oliver was lost. Where the first two seasons set the flashbacks on the island this year they are mostly in Tokyo, as was teased at the end of season 2, and at various points in the first two seasons when Oliver said and/or hinted that he was not on the island the whole time. The flashbacks also allow for a couple of appearances of Tommy Merlyn during the season.

The main additions to the cast this year included Brandon Routh coming on as Ray Palmer who serves as an obstacle to Oliver in a couple respects, Matt Nable who does a great job as Ra’s , and expanded roles for Katrina Law who plays Nyssa.and John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn. It also sees shifting roles for Katie Cassidy and David Ramsey as their characters play a larger role in “Team Arrow”. There are also multiple points in the season where characters from The Flash make appearances on the show including a full on cross-over episode, since the two shows share the same “universe.”

For those who get the actual discs, the show looks and sounds great as you would expect. Unlike prior seasons if you buy the blu ray you do not have to pay for the DVDs to be included. The season is just on 4 blu ray discs. For extras there are commentary tracks on the season premiere and the mid-season finale episode. Deleted scenes on many, but not all, episodes, and then on the last disc a few behind the scenes and making of features, a gag reel, and part of the comic-con panel. A decent amount of stuff for people who like to go through the extras.

Overall I think the show really has found its footing. The acting and writing are very good, and the show is written well enough and gives all the characters enough to do that it does not get stale by the end of the season. Which is hard to do for series that get 22-23 episode runs. I think in that respect the larger ensemble cast helps. Chances are if you are reading this you know what the show is, and have an idea of how you feel about it. If you are just checking it out, you definitely need to watch the prior seasons first to know what is going on, but if you are a fan of the genre, it is definitely worth checking out.

– Mike S

I’m still only about 3/4 of the way through the season, but I have not been disappointed so far. I have faith that the end of the season will not disappoint. This season, especially has provided ample amounts of action, drama and edge of your seat suspense. I’ve never read a single Green Arrow comic to know how true to the comics the story line plays. I am not particularly a fan of DC comics in general, so I wasn’t sure when I started season 1 that I would like this show. But I’ve been caught with the dilemma of getting some sleep and watching one more episode almost every time I watch. I’m sure the comic fanboys (and girls) will say that there are inaccuracies between the comics and the show. There have been a couple things that I’m not sure if I’ve missed or if they haven’t explained (for instance where Oliver is getting his money this season) but it’s fiction… I can let it slide.

I think that overall this show is great and can be enjoyed by both the comic fandom and those who don’t follow the comics as well.

-Amy

DVD Wholesale Main Features :   

Actors: Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey, Willa Holland, Emily Bett Rickards
Producers: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, Sarah Schechter
Format: Multiple Formats, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
Language: English
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Number of discs: 5
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: September 22, 2015
Run Time: 976 minutes