Team GATV Roundtable: The Arrow Season 3 Road So Far

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What do you think of Season 3’s new additions?

CRAIG: For starters, I am really glad John Barrowman is a series regular now, and his scenes with Willa Holland, especially, are great. My only complaint there is just the hope that he appears more in the second half of the season.

I don’t feel we have really gotten to “know” Tatsu though the one episode where she got more to do was fun. The most interesting thing with Maseo, for me, so far, is seeing him in present day.

And as I mentioned before, I really like Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer, even though some of what he does is a bit creepy/stalkery with contacting Felicity the way he does. Brandon got a bum deal with Superman Returns, I feel… he’s a nice guy who gives a project his all, and I really don’t think he had the chance to really fly. At least now, he’ll get another chance to be a superhero, and I hope it means we see more of him in the future, either on Arrow or in some sort of series of his own.

I’d also like to see more of J.R. Ramirez as Ted Grant/Wildcat… including a costume.

STEPHANIE: I have thoroughly enjoyed the addition of Ray Palmer. Brandon Routh has brought a different type of charisma to the series, and I love his light spirit. Even when he’s stalking Felicity around, he’s a lovable guy.

At the moment, I am ambivalent about Maseo and Tatsu. Neither has shown much range, so it’s hard to really grasp their characters.

MATT: I’ve been a fan of fellow Libra Brandon Routh since the Superman casting, but I can admit that he’s been in some stinker projects over the last ten years. He and Sam Huntington were good and game in ‘Dylan Dog: Dead of Night,’ but the film around them was awful. I also can’t get back the time spent watching a film called ‘Table for Three’. When he gets a good role in a strong project, he shines, a la ‘Chuck’ and ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’. Ray Palmer is a good role and he brings a terrific dynamic to the series. His arc is a bit familiar on purpose, mirroring Oliver’s and Laurel’s paths to becoming a hero, but his personality makes the defining difference. He’s just a lighter presence, and it works well in contrast with Oliver and the rest of the show.

I’ve liked the idea and promise of Ted Grant, and his story in “Guilty” was a good one. The execution has been only slightly above average, though, and I hope to see more from Grant and J.R. Ramirez as the season goes on. I gave a fair bit of assessment for Matt Nable’s Ra’s al Ghul in the review for “The Climb.” We need to see more from him, but I like his sketch of Ra’s so far. Then, there’s Maseo and Tatsu, who haven’t particularly moved my needle much so far.

DEREK: I love Brandon Routh as Ray. I totally agree with the complaints of his stalker tendencies, intentional or not, and I’m hoping the show addresses it. But kudos to Routh for playing up that charm so well that we almost forget about how creepy Ray can be. He’s making the most out of some oftentimes awkward material. Excited to see how they play his hero storyline.

I don’t love Ted Grant much, even though J.R. Ramirez isn’t particularly bad in the role or anything. It just seems like Grant is written to be a much older role, and would play better if we had someone at least middle-aged. I don’t get the sense that he’s this jaded, retired vigilante or a boxing champion. He’s actually too much of a normal young (and absurdly CW-attractive) guy, and there isn’t a lot of weight in the way he’s been presented.

I’m pretty bored with Maseo, and disappointed that Tatsu isn’t a bigger part of the story so far. She seems like she could be more interesting if given a bigger role to play. Considering her comic book roots, I assume that will happen later, though.

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