Have you ever done something that, in theory, seemed like a great idea but in practice was actually a horrible, horrible mistake? In your head or on paper, it appears smart -- it even appears logical. But in practice, you find that the exact opposite is true. I mean... New Coke, anyone? This applies to all aspects of life, not just marketing. It especially applies to -- as you might have gathered from the title of this post -- writing. Sometimes writers create characters who, on paper, appear to be perfectly fine. The actor or actress who portrays them may be great but there is something about the execution of the character that leaves a distinctly sour taste for viewers.
As is such in the case of one Ray Palmer this season on Arrow. I have qualms with how the show has handled (or not handled correctly) certain things over the years. There were problems in season three and a lot of those problems -- and the rage associated with them -- can be attributed to this character. Before I continue, let me just state this: I think that Arrow finally managed to construct the version of Ray Palmer that they had envisioned from the beginning of the season, but only during the final two episodes this year. I have nothing against Brandon Routh as an actor. I think he did a good job with all that he was given and he seems to be an overall decent human being.
No, my problem is the way that Ray was introduced to us, constantly forced upon us even when we resisted, and shoehorned into a season that already felt a bit fractured. Let's take some time to examine where, exactly, this character went wrong in order to understand better what could be done to prevent the same character defects and flaws in the future. As another aside: I'm not the first person to write about Ray Palmer's problematic characterization. I will point you toward Tumblr in order to read some more amazing critiques from other fabulous people. (Note: I inadvertently adopted the phrase "Problematic Palmer" from Tumblr user ah-maa-zing, so thank you for that and for your piece.)
