Arrow - The Complete First Season

The CW's take on Oliver Queen's (Stephen Amell) transformation from spoiled rich boy to hero after spending five years on a (not so deserted) island proved steady after some shaky beginnings. Along with Green Arrow (who was sadly referred to as "The Hood" or simply "the vigilante") the show's First Season included putting its spin on several DC characters including Dinah Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy), Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett), Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), Shado (Celina Jade), China White (Kelly Hu), Deadshot (Michael Rowe), and the dark archer Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman).

Mixing Oliver readjusting to life in Starling City with his mother (Susanna Thompson) and sister (Willa Holland), while also unleashing a deadly form of justice on the streets with the help of his hacker pal (Emily Bett Rickards) and bodyguard (David Ramsey), the First Season also included ongoing flashbacks to his time on the island.

Highlights include the assassination attempt on Malcolm Merlyn, the arrival of the dangerous Dodger in town, a wounded Oliver thinking back on his training with Slade and later training with Shado on the island, the police suspecting Oliver might be the vigilante, Alex Kingston's appearance as Laurel's mother, and (although the neither of the episodes which introduced the characters was particularly strong) the return of Deadshot as well as the return of Ollie's psycho ex-girlfriend the Huntress (Jessica De Gouw).

The nine-disc set (4 Blu-rays, 5 DVDs) includes deleted scenes, a featurette on the making of the show featuring interviews from cast and crew, deleted scenes, a gag reel, an examination of the First Season's stunts and fight sequences, and video of the cast and creative team speaking at PaleyFest.

[Warner Home Video, Blu-ray $69.97 / DVD $59.98]