TV: I love Arrow, but I think its women could be treated a lot better

I'm a late comer to Arrow, which is good because it means I got to binge-watch the first two series in time to begin the third as it aired its mid-season finale. That should clue you in to the fact that I love Arrow, which I feel needs stating before I move on to my next confession - I also am really annoyed by Arrow a lot, because it's got a HUGE woman problem.

"What?" I hear you cry. Yes, Arrow has many fantastic women. Laurel, for all that she's really grating, is a successful lawyer who in the first series stands up for the little guy, and who continues to fight for the greater good after moving jobs. Felicity is super clever, and could wipe the floor with all the men on the show, whose combined brain power doesn't rival hers. Moira, even though she does some awful things, is both a strong mother and a strong, savvy businesswoman. Sara is of course a killer and a hero. And there are more examples where those come from.

But that's what makes Arrow's woman problem even more frustrating, the fact that it gives with one hand and taketh away with the other (and that it's sister programme The Flash actually has brilliantly drawn female characters). Perhaps it's because I binge-watched that Arrow's woman problem was so evident to me. Here are just a few of the ways in which I think Arrow sometimes fails its female characters, and its female viewers.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR SEASONS ONE THROUGH THREE OF ARROW

Feminism and The 100 - part two

I've already dealt with leadership in The 100, which I think clearly shows the show's feminist credentials, but there's plenty more going on, and we'll start with something that often defines women in television...

Motherhood

Mothers are vulnerable, right? They're either too busy being emotional wrecks because of their children, or sacrificing themselves for their kids, or childbirth is making them physically weak, right? Wrong. The 100's depiction of motherhood (and parenthood) is that it is something completely normal, with the mothers on the programme actually stronger than many of their male counterparts. Motherhood is rarely used as the main defining characteristic of any of the women in The 100, but it is a large and important part of the show, in a positive way.

Feminism and The 100 - part one

The 100 - a teen drama full of gorgeous people, carefully crafted settings, a lot of drama, and a good dash of romance? Well, yes. But somewhere along the way, as I watched season one of The 100, I realised it's also something more.

Somehow, The 100 went from being a piece of dystopian fun (I use the word fun loosely) to being a teen show that totally rocks it on gender equality and its presentation of females. Not only does The 100 present women as powerful, it also presents them as equal, and that, my friends, is what feminism is all about.

Feminism is often misunderstood, with people thinking that it's about women wanting to supersede men, to somehow be better than them, and for men to be under their command. But it's not, or at least not for me, and I think not for The 100. Feminism is about equality, about men and women being treated the same, offered the same opportunities, and criticised in the same way.

Season two of The 100 is about to hit our screens, so here's a quick look at how this seemingly popcorn show is one of the most gender balanced, feminist programmes currently on television (in my opinion), which is all down to the writers, directors and so on. Warning, I'm not a scholar of feminism, so these are just my opinions. And another warning, spoilers for season one ahead...