CW's Green Arrow TV Show

Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) is the son of Robert and Moira Queen, that owns the huge technology company Queen Consolidated. Five years ago he went on a vacation with his father and the sister (Sara Lance) of his girlfriend (Dinah Laurel Lance) on their private Yacht. While on vacation, their yacht is sunk due to a storm at sea with Sara Lance presumably dead and Robert and Oliver Queen as the only survivors.

Drifting on a raft boat of the ship they eventually land up stranded on an island following the shipwreck. After 5 years stranded on the island, Oliver Queen is eventually rescued. Sporting a long beard, a bow and a green hooded outfit he is brought back to his hometown of Starling City but as a completely different person.

Before being stranded on the island, Oliver Queen was impetuous, spoiled rich kid who did whatever he wanted without a care in the world. After the experience of being stranded on the island and enduring many torture and many other hardships, having become an expert archer, and hand to hand combat expert.

The first season deals with Oliver Queen's return to Starling City, reconnecting with friends and family, many of whom have either changed a lot or openly hate or resent Oliver Queen. It also shows him starting out as a hero or vigilante with no reservations about killing criminals. Often having problems with the police and others who don't understand anything about him.

There are also frequent flashbacks to what he went through on the island, finding out that it isn't as deserted as many thought. It also shows him meeting allies and enemies alike on the island. It also shows him being trained and taught archery and martial arts by those living on the island (Yao Fei and Slade Wilson as well as Shado).

The second season deals more with the vigilante changing his ways, and him turning more into a hero. Changing his rule about killing he doesn't kill at all and now goes by the name of "Arrow". In second season he has gained more allies and isn't alone. A lot of DC heroes and villains are introduced over time, either as cameos or supporting characters in the series.

I will try to keep this hubpage spoiler free but for those not too familiar with the show, but to introduce and discuss some supporting characters and villains will reveal some of the plot line of the show.

When Oliver Queen first starts out he all by himself, he develops and constructs an underground base beneath his club he opens in the Glades called "Verdant". As he meets and makes new allies eventually its not just the vigilante/the hood, or Arrow but a team of heroes and allies alike called "Team Arrow".

The first person to join his team is John "Dig" Diggle. John Diggle is a former soldier who after returning from Afghanistan starts doing private bodyguard work. He starts off as a bodyguard to Oliver Queen who eventually finds out his secret throughout the series and joins "Team Arrow".

The next person to join Team Arrow is Felicity Smoak. Starting out by working in Queen Consolidated as IT support, who starts to help Oliver Queen from time to time. Eventually she finds out who Oliver Queen really is. She is the main contact between the Starling City Police and the Arrow. She also helps set up the database and computers in the Team Arrow base.

Over time, Black Canary (who marries Oliver Queen in the comic books) and Roy Harper (Arsenal/Red Arrow/Speedy) are introduced as well. Black Canary and Roy Harper become a big part of Team Arrow, even more so in Season 2.

In season 2 Barry Allen (the flash) is also introduced as well. Although it only shows him helping out the Arrow and the process of him becoming the flash which leaves him in a coma. There are also appearances by characters that are going to show up in the Flash spinoff as well.

For more information on Roy Harper, check out this comic series which stars Roy Harper, Starfire and Jason Todd here: http://jheldt.hubpages.com/hub/Red-Hood-and-the-Outlaws-Part-of-DCs-New-52

The first main villain whose true identity isn't unveiled until later in Season 1 is the Dark Archer. In the comics the Dark Archer is a constant nemesis to the Green Arrow and has been trained by the Ra's Al Ghul's League of Assassins. He is an expert archer as well an expert martial artist.

Slade Wilson also known as "Deathstroke" starts out as an antihero but as events unfold in the show his role evolves over time and into something much more sinister.

The Count (also known as Count Vertigo), is a psychotic, sadistic drug dealer and criminal who deals the drug Vertigo to the inhabitants of Starling City. The drug vertigo is a fictional drug that can cause users to lose their equilibrium and essentially give them "vertigo" in the medical sense. The Count is based off the DC Comics villain Count Vertigo who has the power to disorient and give people vertigo with his powers.

Deadshot is introduced in season 1 with a connection to John Diggle's past. He is a world-renowned assassin and marksman who laces his bullets with Curare toxin. He uses sniper rifles, pistols and wrist mounted guns. After every kill he makes he tattoos it on his body as a record of all the kills he has made.

Brother Blood is introduced in the second season, with connections to a few other villains. He is an important character in the second season as he is not only trying to destory the city but build it up better than before. He often wears a mask and is trying to create an army of super soldier's with the "mirakuru" super soldier serum.

There are many more villains as well as anti-heroes as well in Arrow, there are many appearances of DC villains or even mentioning of them (Ra's Al Ghul is mentioned a few times in particular as well). It's best to check out the show as you never know who might show up.

Arrow has some of the best stunts and fight choreography that I have seen. Although I don't practice as often as I used to I have trained in several martial arts. I am glad to see a lot of the martial arts I have studied, used in some way or another in Arrow.

I have done a little training in parkour as well, which is used quite often (as well as free running) in the show as well. Stephen Amell went through rigorous training in martial arts, parkour and archery to prepare for the role as the Arrow. He even changed his diet similar to a Paleo diet as well, which when filming he adheres to rather strictly.

Escrima is often used in the series (filipino martial art using stick, knife, sword and improvised weapon combat), Oliver Queen is taught escrima by Slade Wilson on the island, as well as when he does solo training or with Diggle or other Team Arrow members. He also practices Wing Chun as well, with him training on the Wing Chun dummy he has in the Team Arrow headquarters.

Oliver Queen did an awesome solo demonstration of a flowing sinawali (pattern/form of movements in the filipino martial arts) on a set of steel bars/poles stuck in the ground in an early episode at the Team Arrow headquarters. He has also combined single stick escrima with wing chun when training on the wing chun dummy as well.

There has also been some Bruce Lee/Jeet Kune Do philosophies mentioned by Oliver Queen, most notably in an early episode of him training Diggle in escrima he mentions "to vary the tempo when fighting" to get and edge in a fight.

He often combines wing chun, escrima and other martial arts as well (when training as well), I have seen some brazilian jijitsu moves as well as various other martial arts. He also shows that he is quite proficient with a staff in combat as well.

Another unique aspect of his bow is that he uses it more than just for shooting arrows, but as an extension of his body and as an improvised weapon. Often holding the bow and hitting someone with it, tripping them or even using it for grappling/sweeps as well.

In a late episode of Season 1 there is an epic fight scene between him and 10-20 combatants and has some nods to the movie "The Raid: Redemption" in the fight scene.