Arrow

There is something about even the best shows on CW that is off-putting. It's not just that they are aimed at teenagers with the hopes that young adults will also watch. It's not just that they tend toward melodramatics, in the sense of leaning heavily on emotion. The whole TV industry is as unbalanced these days as it was in the 1950s and CW being a niche market is more of an extreme case of the same thing rather than an innovator. Going back to the word melodramatics, I want to say that a lot of what the CW does is melodrama. But that's not right. Melodrama technically deemphasizes characterization for plot, action and emotion. What we have far too much of these days is a little different. We have show after show overlooking plot and especially plot continuity for characterization, action and emotion. Let's call that emphasis on characterization, action and emotion "neo-melodrama" for lack of a better word.( Read more... )

Score for the episode as a stand alone: B+ ...good as it ever was if you like neo-melodrama.
Score in the context of the whole series for me: F ...just about enough to make me quit watching the show.