Team GATV Roundtable: The Arrow Season 3 Road So Far

<<Return to Page 8

How are you enjoying the flashback storylines in Hong Kong?

DEREK: They’ve done a better job tying them in thematically, I suppose, though in usually too simplistic of ways. But there was urgency in the island stories. Even at their worst, the necessity of survival was always over Oliver’s head. In Hong Kong, he’s living in an apartment and and baiting a kid with candy to get a flashdrive. Sure, the missions Waller sends Oliver on are awful and dangerous, but even then Oliver is generally protected. I’m sure the disappearance of Tatsu and the appearance of Maseo in the present will make things more interesting, but it’s been a bit of a slog up until now.

MATT: We had a few complaints during the first season about how the flashbacks often felt so disconnected from the present day story. Flashbacks are often used in narrative to inform something about a current story. Funny enough, the Hong Kong flashbacks have felt like they inform the present story too much, having far too direct connections. The whole thing with the mind control plant was too obvious for my taste. Other than that, I know there’s a plotline to the flashbacks — Oliver being employed/used by Amanda Waller and A.R.G.U.S. to hunt down China White — but it’s felt like there isn’t one. After the strength of the past timeline in Season 2, it’s a letdown.

CRAIG: The flashbacks are probably my least favorite part of Arrow, these days. I know they are necessary to see how Oliver became who he is today, but I feel like they are a distraction rather than a continuation of what’s going on now, more times than not. I get we need to see Oliver’s past reactions to torture vs. how they are today, but I’m just not really connecting, despite some good performances from the cast in those scenes.

STEPHANIE: I’m not sold on the Hong Kong flashbacks. There have been specific moments I’ve enjoyed, like seeing Tommy again and Tatsu’s ability to fight, but otherwise, they’re almost forgettable. Part of that may have to do with them being interrupted twice already for the sake of doing Thea and Felicity flashbacks. They don’t feel as much like a regular part of the season as the flashbacks the past two years have been. Also, some of the Hong Kong storylines have been too convenient. They exist not to stand on their own but rather for the sake of the story in the present, like the meditation candle and Barry’s disapproval of Oliver torturing people.

Continue on Page 10>>

Navigate below: