Sometimes when you go back and watch a show or an episode over again, you see things you may not have noticed before or appreciate or dislike something more or less after looking at it with a new lens and point of view. I have been watching Arrow for about a year and a half now and have watched every episode of the show to date. I have re-watched a few different episodes in the past, mainly from season two which is my favorite season so far. Season one of the show may have been my least favorite, not because the show was ever really bad (Season 3 was very angst ridden, but not exactly poorly written in my opinion), but because it took so long to find it's footing. The show took some time to get into and if it were not for the addition of Felicity Smoak, John Diggle, Original Team Arrow or OTA, etc. I may have quit watching the show a long time ago. Luckily, I stayed with the show and once it got to the 14th episode it really found it's niche. With everything that these characters have been through and seen, I really feel that I should go back and look at pilot to just try and spot some things I may have not seen or noticed, things I had forgotten, old faces of people that may have died or left the show, etc. Before I begin this observation/re-watch review list I would like to forewarn that this article will contain spoilers (some possibly major) from seasons 1-4.

1. Oliver Running/Oliver’s Hair?

Now this may sound like a very random observation that I will admit I have made countless times in the past. However, at the beginning of every season, it is nice to point out that Oliver is always running in the beginning of the first episode of every season. Whether it is in suburbia, on the island, or wherever, for whatever reason, Oliver is always running and it is kind of fun to predict what next season Oliver will be chasing or running away or towards next. Also I would like to point out that Oliver’s hair and beard is so large here that, knowing that he does get off the island a few times during his “five years away,” it has to be a fake. While five years without shaving or cutting your hair could make that style semi-believable, he gets off the island a few times, is able to shave, and cuts his hair about a little over a year before he gets off the island. it is very hard to believe that this style of facial features and hairdo could have been grown in such a short time span.

2. Voice Overs?

I seriously had forgotten that there were voice-overs in the pilot as well as only about two episodes after that. After that the producers and writers got rid of them. I am kind of thankful for this, as they are a bit distracting and not really needed past maybe telling us a few details about the island (at least in the pilot). Also any use of the voice over to tell us what Oliver was thinking could have just been either shown through actions or said; it just was not necessary.

3. Hospital

I never noticed that they might actually be in a hospital in China, seeing as they found him in North China Sea. It is just something I never noticed before which makes a lot of sense as well is just one of the great things about a re-watch–noticing things you never did before.

4. X Men School/ Queen Manor

While I did notice this while watching "Deadpool" and "X-Men Day’s of Future Past," it is nice to remember that the house that is Queen manor in Arrow is also used as Dr. Xavier’s school in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It makes you think about other locations in movies and/or TV that with just a little tweaking can change into a complete different set for a completely different situation.

5. Walter and Thea

I miss Walter. I think he was a really good father figure to Thea, even though he was only in the show for season one and a few episodes in the second season. Maybe when Oliver and Felicity get married one day, he will be invited to the ceremony, as he is really Oliver and Thea’s only living relative as far as we know (not counting Thea’s connection to Malcolm Merlyn). Speaking of Thea, when we first see Thea and her reunion with her brother, it is one of the sweetest moments in the episode in my opinion. Her exclamation of how she never gave up hope that he was not dead is so heart wrenchingly beautiful. Oliver’s answer of his sister being with him the entire time makes it even more worthwhile.

6. Raisa

Raisa, the Queen's housekeeper, receives fair treatment from Oliver. Although Raisa only has a somewhat significant role in the first episode (though she could be seen in a few other episodes in season one as more of a background character), it is really nice that Oliver acts so sweet and kind toward her, especially when we know the kind of man Oliver used to be. It helps to remind the audience of how much he has grown from someone who may have before been spoiled and rude to people he may have thought to be below him, was now being so grateful and nice to the Queen’s housekeeper and a woman who he may have known since childhood (something that has been hinted towards).

7. Oliver’s Flashback/ Sara's Actress

Oliver staring at his scars and the flashback is one of the first real honest alone moments he has with himself. I am also kind of glad they switched actresses for Sara. Not to say that this actress is a bad actress who is playing Sara in the pilot and I do see that she looks more like Laurel than Caity Lotz did (who plays Sara in the later seasons), but I really like Caity Lotz and how she plays Sara Lance. I do not know for sure that I would have liked this actress playing Sara more as I have never seen this actress in other material and have to admit I can not really judge too well when comparing old and new Sara actresses acting skills. However, I do feel that they made a right call in casting Caity Lotz to play Sara even if the acting portrayal continuity may be off because of it.

8. Tommy Merlyn

I love and miss Tommy Merlyn. He was one of my favorite characters and still is to this day. His relationship with Laurel was perfect and actually believable because unlike Oliver and Laurel, they had chemistry. I always will love when Tommy opens the door and says a cute and semi snarky (in a funny way) comment about how yachts suck, and Oliver’s face turns into a full on grin. I love Collin and while I am happy to see him in other projects I wish he had stayed around longer as he and Stephen portrayed a great friendship on and off set and he was a very fun and like-able character in my book. I also feel that Tommy had a lot of potential on "Arrow" to become more than the character we saw him grow into throughout the season.

9. Oliver's PTSD

I really wish they would dive a little deeper into Oliver’s PTSD from being on the island. While we have seen it on the show a bit, one of the biggest examples in the pilot with Oliver sleeping on the floor and then accidentally attacking his mother in the middle of the night when she goes to check on him, I would have liked to have seen it explored a bit more, or at least to see him slowly get to a place of comfort that he seemingly is in at the beginning of season four. This is not to say Felicity and being with her that summer did not help make Oliver happy, but I do not feel we saw very much development with him getting to a place of comfort with himself after his stint, as Al-Sa-Hym most likely made him have even more trauma and stress due to what he had to endure.

10. Laurel and Oliver

When Oliver and Laurel first saw each other I had that feeling that they were supposed to be together. I use the word "supposed" strongly because it is a reminder that just because two characters are supposed to be together in the source material in which your show is based on does not mean your actors portraying those characters will have the same chemistry. Katie Cassidy and Stephen Amell, at least in my opinion, did not have chemistry together. If I am going to ship a couple and like them together, I have to think they are cute together in the first or second scene we see them in together. If I do not think they could at least be cute together after they first interact, I usually cannot ship it. I did not only see no chemistry between the two, but I also always hated how one of the first things she tells this man that she “loved” is that she wishes he had rotted on that island for longer than just five years. While I understand her being upset about her sister’s death on the boat and everything, to say that to someone who just came home and barely even seems happy that he is alive just feels harsh to me. It was not like Oliver tried to kill her sister or had any intention of harming her. While it was not a great moral move on Oliver’s part to run away with Sara on the boat, she also played as equal a part in the cheating ordeal. While I understand she could not exactly get mad at Sara at the moment as she was presumed dead, it felt so wrong for Laurel to act so cold toward Oliver especially when he just came “back from the dead.” Captain Lance’s coldness toward Oliver I can attribute more to the fact that he was not Oliver’s biggest fan from the start, but Laurel’s just seemed to not be as forgivable, or something that is supposed to help make the audience want them to be together.

11. Robert Queen’s Admission on the Lifeboat

I never realized the reason why Oliver would tell villains, “You have failed this city” was because of what his father said. I thought he had just decided to say it or that it was because it was what he said in the comic books (which may or may not be true). Again, these are the things that you miss when you watch a show a first time, which Is why I enjoy re-watching shows that I love.

12. Oliver and the Zip Ties

I still have no idea how Oliver got out of the zip ties. The only way I know how to get out of zip ties involves cutting them on something, but from what I could tell when he was tied to the chair, there was nothing with which he could cut them. Maybe it’s magic or luck. I am not really sure; all I know is that I love Oliver’s fight in this scene as well as what it leads to: Oliver's parkour scenes, which are some of my favorite action sequences that we get on Arrow. I think Stephen is great at the stunts and I do hope that unlike occasionally in season 4, they do not undermine or downgrade his fighting skills, especially if it is to help prop up other characters.

13. Raisa and Oliver Scene

I had forgotten about the second Oliver and Raisa scene and I love how he admitted to wanting to be a better person than he once was. I really wish and hope that Raisa comes back in some way someday and that she and Oliver have another chat, as the talks they have in this episode are very sweet and help to show Oliver’s change and growth.

14. John Diggle

John is one of my favorite characters in Arrow. Besides being an awesome ally to Oliver, he is funny, has an interesting back-story, and has the skills and knowledge that makes it believable that he could be on Team Arrow eventually. Also their first scene with Diggle and Oliver in the car not only shows a bit of the beginning of their friendship, but also a little bit of Oliver’s magic escapes (how he got out of that car with no harm I will never know) as well as the start of Diggle having to chase after and/or find Oliver.

15. Building Foundry Montage

I will forever love the clips we see of Oliver building the Foundry. It is so nice to look back on the first Arrow lair and remember the beginning of everything. Also watching Stephen Amell do the Salmon Ladder is always a treat, especially for the first time.

16. First Attack as Arrow

Oliver’s first attack to Adam Hunt as the Arrow was very entertaining to watch. I also love that they did not show him attacking the people at first and only showed the Arrow in the car and Hunt’s face as it helped to emphasize the violent acts that Oliver was performing outside the car by seeing the facial expressions on Adam Hunt. However, I am glad that Oliver later added a voice disguiser because if he had not then people would have been able to figure out Oliver was the vigilante in a very short amount of time.

17. Thea and Oliver scene

Thea and Oliver’s interaction in this episode at the party really helps to show not only their relationship as brother and sister, but what Thea was feeling while Oliver was “dead.” While the other interactions we had to so far in the show were nice and happy, this is the first conversation that they have together that feels very honest and nitty gritty, which I appreciate.

18. Adam Hunt Attack

I had forgotten that Oliver had knocked out Diggle to be able to fight Adam Hunt’s men in the other building. Also, again I would like state that this is an excellent fight scene. My hope for season five is that they get back to the more fast-paced fighting, as many of the fight scenes in season four between Oliver and the villains seemed very slow and had almost a slowed down tempo to them rather than action-packed and containing various moves per minute. I do not need it to be very complex but as long as it is slightly faster, I will be satisfied.

19. Tommy’s Knowledge

I feel Tommy had somewhat of an idea about Oliver being “The Hood” as he kind of hinted the coincidences of The Hood showing up at the building next door. He also may have been semi-awake at some point during their attack and very well could have seen Oliver fighting the men earlier in the show. This is just an observation on my part, but a possible one.

20. Lifeboat Scene

The scene on the lifeboat is really heartbreaking to watch as we see Oliver for the one of the first times, very vulnerable and for a moment possibly scared of his father (or at least the man he sees in front of him who is his true father). I really think Stephen’s acting in this scene was great as it was able to go from extreme tiredness to fear and despair as he sees his father take the life of the man on the lifeboat as well as his own life.

21. Tommy and Laurel

This is the scene in which I fell in love with Tommy and Laurel. As they are walking and talking about Oliver or things that have nothing to do with their relationship, I can see they have that chemistry and spark that Oliver and Laurel just don’t have. I have to give it Colin and Katie as they play off each other very well with cute banter. I feel this is also the first time we really see Laurel not only happy but actually truly in love with someone. While I do think she may have had feelings for Oliver once, any kind of feelings she had towards him have not been shown as of yet and even after any are, I still to this day think Laurel and Tommy were at their best with each other, even if Laurel did not or could not admit it.

22. Oliver sees Lian Yu

While only a few seconds long scene, I really do love seeing Oliver’s face as we get a look at Lian Yu for first time. This Island shaped Oliver into the man he is in the present and I really think it was a good way to end the episode by one of the last things we see is the Island. In a way it helps to symbolize not only the beginning of the show, but Oliver’s new beginning as well.

Closing thoughts:

There were a lot of things I never noticed with the "Arrow" pilot when I watched the show in the past. I am very glad I had the opportunity to be able to see that now as well as remember certain things I loved and hated about the beginning of this show. While I wish we had gotten more of certain characters in the pilot I am glad we had the rest of the series to explore those characters and stories. While the pilot has it’s issues, I am very glad that it helped me somewhat to want to continue the show as the show got a lot better as the season went on. I definitely recommend going back and watching a pilot of a show you love. You may remember what made you want to keep watching or even some new surprises you never noticed before.