I want to talk about a show, specifically a few seasons of a show, that when I was watching it I almost audibly said “womp womp” to a handful of the characters.
Arrow, the CW Show based off the D.C. Comics character Green Arrow, is a show that I have an obsession with. I really love the tone that the first season set, it has a serious, grounded and realistic take on vigilantes. It follows Oliver Queen as “The Arrow” as he tries to stop the corrupt from flourishing and ruining his city. The story relishes in its steaks and the felt consequences that the characters face. You are on the edge of your seat watching, hoping that there is a way for Oliver Queen to get out of this situation, and the audience is constantly enthralled in his backstory about his time spent on the island of Lian Yu. Season 1 and Season 2 of Arrow are amazing. They build up a strong world with consistent characters. Sure, there are some misses, but overall the seasons really hit home.
Then, Season 4 happens. It abolishes every known steak imaginable, kills off a major character before bringing an alternate earth’s version of her, no one faces any real consequences, and the choreography is dulled down to a spin kick. There is no flashiness to be found. As much as I despise season 4, this is not even the moment where I lost all investment and just started going “womp womp” to the character’s plights just yet.
In Season 6 & 7, Oliver Queen is scouting other recruits to train. The issue with these recruits is that they are entirely new characters and completely unlikable. When Oliver takes them under his wing, he begins training them and trying to get them up to his standard. Acting as a vigilante is no small feat, and your life is constantly in danger so I want to give Oliver a pass for being a harsh teacher. In this line of illegal work a single mistake could not only get yourself killed, it can compromise your teammates and put them at risk too. So I believe that Oliver acting harshly is more justified in these circumstances given the stakes.
In one episode, the new crew and Oliver are having a go at each other about the best way to approach a case. Oliver suggests a stakeout, play it safe and cautious and to watch the targets move very closely so as to not alert them. The crew however, wants to play it aggressively and catch them at the very moment. As the target begins to leave, rather than following Oliver’s professional advice, the new crew moves in but fails at apprehending him. Then, the new crew yells at Oliver blaming HIS plan for being the reason that they failed, even though they did not follow his plan. This was my audible “womp womp” moment.
This show is trying to make me feel bad for the new guys’ plan not working and, simultaneously, they are blaming the only person left on the show that I like. Oliver has been wrong before, but this is not one of those cases. I can understand being mad at Oliver if his plan had backfired, but they did not use his plan. The crew’s rash actions are the reason they failed. Yet, they blame Oliver. Even though they went against his wishes and abandoned his plan. This is a whole different issue as a watcher.
I shall feel no pity for the group that cannot take responsibility for their own actions, while the narrative is trying to punish Oliver despite him being right, in a show that used to care about consequences. So to you, my arrow, Womp. Womp.
