Team GATV Roundtable: The Arrow Season 3 Road So Far

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What do you think of Arrow’s take on Ra’s Al Ghul?

MATT: A few choice cuts on Nable from my review of “The Climb”: “What I like about his take is that it’s different from Warner’s [on ‘Batman: The Animated Series’] and from Liam Neeson’s version of the character from Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ Trilogy.” “Here, that mysticism seems alive and well, and Nable plays him like a coiled snake resting in a bath of incense smoke. They coyly play at his true age, dropping hints that he’s far older than he would appear, and gives him an eerie calmness that no doubt comes from having seen much of the world and in the world over many years.” “Nable, in turn, has the passion and resolve of a yogi, which seems like a slight on the surface but is hardly meant to be dismissive. This is a man so practiced and focused in channeling his mind and emotions, turning that into clinically accurate physical strike, that he effective wears the serenity often associated with practicing yoga as well as he wears his adorned ceremonial robe.”

I know, a bit of a cheat. I didn’t get much of an impression of him in his first appearance, but I liked what I saw in “The Climb.” Do need to see more, though.

DEREK: It works wonders in concept, but I’m not sold on Matt Nable yet. Not that he’s bad at the role — he honestly hasn’t had much of a chance to do anything. But he doesn’t immediately have a presence, and that’s a bit troubling considering the lead-up. I dug the sword fight in “The Climb,” though, so I’m thinking we’ll just have to settle for this version of Ra’s being a really intimidating warrior rather than the larger than life being we expected.

CRAIG: I’m not feeling it yet. Matt Nable is a great actor but comes across too much like a regular guy. But who knows… maybe with more episodes I’ll be feeling him more. It could be problematic that my mental image of the perfect Ra’s would be the original Master from Doctor Who, Roger Delgado, but since he died about 40 years ago, I know he’s not available.

STEPHANIE: I feel like we haven’t seen enough of him for me to fully answer this question. The mention of his name has been more threatening than his actual appearances at this point. Although that moment in the midseason finale fight where he took Oliver’s sword from him was pretty sweet.

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