DC's Arrow Season 1 (Earth-1)

**DC's Arrow Season 1** is the first season of the 2012 television series centered around the Green Arrow. It was created by Warner Bros. Television and DC Entertainment for the CW network, originally designed to be a stand-alone series its wild success eventually lead to it being the start of the popular *DC Television Universe*.

## Production

After the end of Smallville's ten season run, the CW network ordered a new pilot on a DC Comics superhero to be made. Originally, the idea of a Batman prequel called *Gotham* was being developed by Marc Guggenheim, but the idea fell apart due to creative differences with Warner Bros. Television and he walked from the project. The CW was contacted shortly after by Greg Berlanti who had a bold idea that the network instead do a show *inspired* by the comics, they do one on one of their actual DC superhero. His pitch was protested by Warner Bros. and the CW at first but eventually, they started to like the idea. With Walt Disney Co. thriving with their Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Green Lantern still being over a year away from its slated release.

Berlanti originally wanted to do the show to be about Batman, a darker and grittier version to contrast the previous series in the 1960s. Warner Bros. opposed the use of Batman, claiming it would confuse audiences when the DC Extended Universe franchise with him comes along. For that reason the idea of using the Green Arrow instead gained considerable traction. In early 2012 news broke that Stephen Amell was cast for the titular role of Oliver Queen. In addition, Willa Holland, John Barrowman, Katie Cassidy, and Colin Donnell joined shortly after. Filming began soon after and the show officially aired October 10th 2012.

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow

* Colin Donnell as Tommy Merlyn/Dark Archer

* John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn/Komodo

* Kelly Hu as Chien Na Wei/China White

* Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance

* Willa Holland as Mia Queen

* Susanna Thompson as Moira Queen

* David Ramsay as John Diggle

* Paul Blackthorne as Quentin Lance

### Supporting Cast

* Caity Lotz as Sara Lance

* Jamey Sheridan as Robert Queen

* Colin Salmon as Walter Steele

* Matt Ward as Simon Lacroix

* Darren Shahlavi as Constantine Drakon

## Episodes

### Home

The episode starts with a man in green rags and a fully grown beard frantically running across the island of *Lian Yu* until he perches himself on the top of a rock and quickly picks up a bow, shooting an arrow to a large pile of sticks a dozen yards away. They light on fire which attracts the attention of Chinese fishermen off the shores of the island, who spot the man and rescue him. Channel 52 News reports that the man's name is Oliver Queen, that he was lost at sea five years ago with his now deceased father, and was only recently rescued after having spent all of that time marooned on a small island in the South China Sea.

It then shows Oliver arrive at the docks of his hometown Starling City, where he is greeted by his sister, Mia and his mother, Moira. Mia claims that she knew he was alive this whole time and that he looks so much older now, he responds telling her likewise. Oliver then asks his mother how the company, Queen Consolidated is doing, she mentions that its complicated and they should just take him home first, he agrees that's probably for the best and after taking his seat in the Limo begins to have a Flashback after loudly hearing the door slam, which reminds him of a thunder storm that occurred five years earlier while sailing in the *Queen's Gambit* boat with his father and mistress, Sara Lance. He walks into the bedroom with her and they start trying to seduce her until the boat suddenly breaks apart due to a raging storm outside. Oliver unexpectedly finds himself stranded in the middle of the water with only floating plywood and his father & Sara nowhere in sight.

In the present, he exits the Limo with Moira and Mia, his mother commenting she didn't change a thing for five years. He goes inside and is greeted by Walter Steele, the businessman whom his mother remarried with. Walter soon informs Moira they need to go downtown soon or else they'll miss the meeting, she says that he's right but that Oliver can make himself at home with Mia until dinner. The two of them leave and they go upstairs, Mia explaining how weird it is having Walter live with them, but that once she started giving him a chance she started to kind of like him. Oliver says he understands why Moira did it, she was lonely and tried to move on. It's what Dad would've wanted. She seems confused by his indifference, but goes along with it. When he gets into his room he takes off his suit jacket and dress shirt, saying how he never realized how uncomfortable they were and Mia sees his scarred torso. She asks him what happened to the island, and what that *Tattoo* means. He snaps at her and says that Mia has to understand that he spent five years in hell, he went through things and grow in ways that turned him from the boy he was into the man he is today, that is all she needs to know. He then hears a voice say "that's hardly the juicy details Channel 52 would want to hear." He looks at the door and sees his best friend, Tommy Merlyn waiting for him. Oliver quickly gets up and hugs him, they go into the hallway and start talking about everything he missed, Tommy mentioning that he has to get Oliver drunk and laid tonight and end his half decade dry streak. Oliver says he appreciates it but that there's one person he wants to see first.

At the CNRI building, Laurel Lance is typing away at her computer before finally finishing her report. She prints it out and brings it to her father, Detective Quentin Lance who asks why she called him down from the station. Laurel says that she has the evidence to finally get Simon Lacroix behind bars, he looks over it and says the evidence is still circumstantial. She claims it's all there in the report, but Quentin tells her without anyone willing to testify there's barely a case at all. He tells she's better off focusing on on small time theft and to give up putting the serious offenders away, Starling City doesn't care about defending itself and neither should she. Laurel asks if she's drunk again and Quentin gets insulted, telling her he's heading back to work. While they both go to the stairs they see Oliver and Tommy standing there. Quentin looks enraged by them enough he simply says nothing and walks out, rudely bumping into Oliver, Laurel looks more apathetic.