Arrow's third season is setting a new brand stage for Starling City's heroes and this premiere episode does an excellent job balancing the theme of relationships and worldbuilding. Before we chat about the writing, plot developments and performances (in a spoiler-free way, of course), the stunts deserve recognition. Season 3 kicked off with some great displays of action. Right in the beginning we get an extended shot of Arrow leaping onto a moving truck. A shot like that could have shown one shot of Oliver jumping and then cut to another shot of him making impact, but this one didn't alter and showed us the entire deal. To top that off, the hand-to-hand sequences between Arrow and Vertigo were top notch. It's a little odd seeing this villain hold his own with someone so talented in melee combat, but that's primarily countered by the swift and brutal the choreography. Plus, there's a rather cool (pun majorly intended) display of agility with Roy towards the end. Obviously these fights aren't going to give something like The Raid a run for its money in this category, but for a TV show, it's thoroughly impressive and directed well. You can really see how much they've improved over the years with the handling of action. Oh, and thankfully Oliver uses a few trick arrows! I know the dude's a skilled fighter, but it's important to remember his primary weapon should be the bow and he has plenty of neat projectiles at his disposal. He is called Green Arrow and not Fist, after all.
So, let's talk about Olicity. People who hate the potential relationship, save yourself some stress and skip to the next paragraph, okay? Alright, now that they're gone I can spill my heart. Maybe I'm just a total sap, but I was completely absorbed whenever they talked about their situation. The tension has been building for so long and it's amazing to finally see Oliver lower his guard and explain why he has feelings for her. Honestly, it's a pretty touching conversation and, without spoiling anything, I'll just say I found their last conversation to be equally powerful. At the end of the day, it's easy for us, as viewers, to weigh the pros and cons or suggest what they should or shouldn't say. However, I think this episode did a great job humanizing both of them and showing their mixed feelings on where they stand. Just like with the stunts, you can see how much the acting has improved over the years. The chemistry is there and there's some truly heartfelt bits. While the focus is obviously on their relationship, the theme of strong connections carries through to all of the other characters. Laurel continues to be concerned about her father and embrace her new relationship with Ollie, Diggle's arc is about becoming a father (and his dynamic with Ollie), and Roy... well, I guess you could say his is about gaining Oliver's trust and respect and proving he's a key part of the team. Truth be told, Roy gets the least amount of focus in the group, but he still has a few moments to impress thanks to the action scenes. I'm sure they're saving his more compelling material for when Thea eventually emerges.
Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh) is given a thoroughly enjoyable introduction. Having another intelligent, charming, and quick-witted character helps lighten the tone and that's something this should can benefit from. The dynamic between Oliver and a majority of the characters are often taking dramatic and more serious turns, so it's delightful to see Felicity and Ray interact. Also, the presentation Ray gives offers a little serving of fan service.
The Hong Kong flashbacks gave us just enough to pique our curiosity. We know who's immediately in his world and the basics of why, but with the stakes that high, I'm sure I'm not the only one left feeling very curious and anxious to see how it'll all unfold. Having a new cast of characters (Waller aside) and an all-new location definitely is a refreshing change of pace. The theme was loosely tied in here and even alluded to in the present, but the flashbacks really didn't feel like they were there to compliment the modern narrative all that much as opposed to setting up the basics for what'll follow. That's perfectly fine seeing as this is a totally new tale.
The ending is a real jaw-dropper. It seemingly comes out of nowhere and hits you like a ton of bricks. It's handled so effectively and delivers a huge dose of emotion. Personally, I'm bummed out this happened to a certain someone and feel like they deserved better, but I see all of the potential that could come from this development and no one can honestly say they saw it coming. Still, total bummer though, isn't it? At least it's one hell of a way to introduce Komodo.
My biggest gripe is Count Vertigo's "return." Peter Stormare gives an entertaining performance, but they've basically turned the character into Scarecrow. Look, this obviously serves the theme of the episode very well (Oliver struggling with who he is), but I feel like they could have gone with a different villain instead of changing how Vertigo hinders his targets. The arrow pun didn't help my impression, but that's just one line out of the entire episode. Also, the show does a tremendous job with the stunts, but Roy randomly doing a flip in the beginning feels like it's there "just because it looks cool" as opposed to "that helped him get in place faster." Seriously, someone else saw that and thought it seemed unnecessary, right? My other minor gripe is the new situation with Quentin. The "I should be out there even though I technically shouldn't" trope hopefully won't happen very often.
Personal issues with the villain aside, "The Calm" is one of Arrow's best episodes yet. Sure, if you're against Olicity this will likely be a pain to get through, but for everyone else, it's great. You can really see how much the cast has eased into these roles and how much the writing has improved since the first season. This theme could have been full of heavy-handed scenes, but they addressed the relationships well while still moving the plot forward. "The Calm" is full of absorbing conversations, brutal hand-to-hand encounters, and a ton of setup for what's to come. Yeah, I'd say Season 3's off to a very good start! Here's hoping the rest of the season is every bit as good as this premiere.