Okay. Episode 7.12 Emerald Archer may have been the best episode of the series. They need to take more creative liberties like that. Messing with the standard format and adding levity heightened every strength of the show.
Now that this topic has popped up to be noticed by me, I will respond to @WildDog post, way late. By now, he probably already knows, Flash gets worse before it gets better. For me, anyway, the show tends to go downhill, and then rise back up again, like a roller coaster ride. There are times I give the show, and a whole, 4 stars, and other times, I am so disgusted that I take three of those stars away, only to give them back again the next season.
MACJR
As for Arrow, I have nothing more to add than what has already been said, and what I have said elsewhere on these forum pages. It too has been a roller coaster ride, but more like a midnight run, rather than a daytime ride.
As for the drama and melodrama, well, it can get too soap opera at times, but unfortunately, so can I.
MACJR
@macjr and so can we all.
All TV networks cater most of their programming to appeal to a particular target audience. The CWâs target audience is women ages 18-34 which is why many of their scripted shows feature soap opera elements, a cast that usually falls in that same age range (the exception being parental/mentor characters), and strong female characters.
@Beagle Thatâs all very true, but it doesnât really explain the differential in the use of melodrama between the different CW shows. Arrow includes a significantly higher melodrama quotient.
Additionally, Arrowâs share of live same day stats skews towards male age 15-34. Which further complicates the question. Are you claiming that more melodrama is injected into the show to attract more female viewers, because the showâs audience is primarily male and the CW would prefer it be female viewers?
I didnât know that about Arrowâs stats but now that you mentioned it, itâs possible that suggestions by network executives could be one of the reasons behind the writers adding extra melodrama on Arrow. It wouldnât be the first time network execs made decisions about a show because it wasnât bringing in the networkâs intended target audience. One of the examples that comes to mind is how Paul Dini said Cartoon Network cancelled shows that werenât attracting the young demographic that buys toys.
Another possibility is that the melodrama is merely the way the writers try to humanize Oliver. He was pretty brutal back in season 1, and maybe the soap opera drama was just an attempt to make him more relatable and eventually it just became the overall tone for how they wrote the show.
Or perhaps the answer is simply that the writers are responding to the feedback from some of more vocal fans who want the soap opera styled relationships and stories. Oliver and Felicity werenât a thing until groups of fans flooded social media with Olicity ships.
Until the show writers decide to comment about it, I guess weâll never really have an answer for why Arrow is so much like a soap opera.
Oh man, Star City 2040 is the corniest thing ever. I really hope this isnât a backdoor pilot. If it is, they better cut down the posturing, or I donât know that I will be able to handle it. Iâm all full on this cheese.
Heard rumors that those flash-forwards may indeed be a backdoor pilot. I am not at all enthusiastic about a show based on the 2040 Star City.
MACJR
âDays of Our Lives for super-hero televisionâ nice lol.
I do agree though, with what everyone is saying. Arrow used to be my favorite to watch. Flash is always a bit cringey. I gave up on Legends of Tomorrow. I just couldnât take it anymore. They had me in the first two seasons, and then I just said deuces . Went back to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and never looked backâŚ
The only clever thing about Flash this season is Noras story arc with the Reverse Flash. But I hate how early they drop the bomb on this!! Let the viewer have NO CLUE please⌠Let US KEEP GUESSING. So now that the âcats out of the bagâ with Nora and Eowbard, all we have to be about is Barryâs melodramatic reaction.
I miss the ambiguity in these shows.