First Thoughts on 'Arrow' (Episodes 5-12)

As I continue to watch the first season of Arrow, I begin to realize how much of a gem it is. Its unique style makes it stand out from most shows, and with the knowledge that the producers of this made The Tomorrow People confuses me with the difference in quality. I'm past the half-way point and I feel satisfied by each episode. Arrow is a series that makes each episode count to progress the characters further and explore them more deeply than in a movie, which makes me wonder why this is the only comic book adaptation to do this. I love the dark tone of the series, as it never brings you down at all. Its not depressing, but its just not a comedy - and that works in the series' favour. Stephen Amell continues to be pitch-perfect as Oliver Queen, and the Green Arrow (this incarnation at least) is rising to become one of my favourite comic book-to-screen characters of all time, going up with Michael Keaton's Batman! He's such an interesting character, and the flashbacks to him on the island are getting more and more interesting. They don't play on the 'is he dead' aspect but on the 'how does he get out of this one' instead, which works brilliantly.
My one nit-pick with the series so far was the mini-arc with Helena. It was clichéd, boring and as soon as it started I knew how it would end. I'm glad it didn't take up too much of the series, unlike The Tomorrow People's terrible mini-arcs, but still...
I just didn't like the predictability of that arc. Then we got a sort of arc with the relationship between Thea and Moira, which was brilliantly handled, along with the Vertigo episode. Damn that Count guy was creepy. Anyway, it had a nice resolution and it made Thea feel like a real human being as opposed to a perfect specimen of a sister, which is what this series does - no character is completely without sin. The only character to not have this so far is Laurel, who seems to be the nice person of the series. I am interested to see where they go with her and Tommy, especially with Tommy's father (superbly played by John Barrowman) in the mix.
As much as the mysteries thicken, we do get answers and it feels like its actually going somewhere unlike most TV shows, which use the arc as the story for the series, instead of simply a part of the story. I like this about Arrow. In fact, I like Arrow a lot on the whole, and each twist is excellently played out, and I never guess right!
On the whole I hope Arrow stays at this great quality as it really would become one of my favourite TV shows of all time if it does.