Arrow Season 4 Mid-Season Round Table

It’s clear that Arrow Season 4 is cleaning up (in all due respect) the mess that its third season left the show with back in May. What has been the biggest improvement or addition throughout the first nine episodes?  It can be a character that has improved, the introduction of a new character, a character relationship (friendly or romantically), or just the way they have been telling their stories so far.

Andy Behbakht: Can someone explain to me why Echo Kellum hasn’t been promoted to series regular yet? I’m all about the addition of Curtis Holt as his character flows so well with the other characters and Arrow itself. Hopefully, as we get closer towards the end of Season 4, we’ll start to see some hints towards his terrific future (pun intended).

In terms of improvement, it has been a beautiful experience to see the healing in Oliver’s friendship with Laurel because that dynamic has been at a rough spot since Season 2. Since the end of that season and forward, most of the time, Oliver hasn’t always been greatest friend towards her, especially last season, but things have improved after their phenomenal progression in Season 4’s fifth episode, where Oliver got the wake-up call he needed and is now being more respectful towards Laurel and treating her like an equal. Whether they are together in a romantic relationship or not, the two of them have known each other for almost their entire lives. In addition, we can’t have a Green Arrow that is being disrespectful towards his Pretty Bird (Oliver’s nickname for Laurel in the comics) Black Canary. Whether or not there ever is a romantic focus between these two again, I’m appreciating the fact that we actually have a great Green Arrow and Black Canary that are fighting crime together, and hopefully that will just increase as we go forward.

Sean Colletti: The biggest issue with Arrow‘s third season was trying to keep too many spinning plates going at once. So, for me, the success of Season 4 so far has been the show not trying to bite off more than it can chew. There are certainly sub-plots that could still do with some trimming, but I haven’t felt overloaded in the same way I was throughout Season 4. That focus means characters can develop without it feeling rushed (Quentin Lance has been the success story where that’s concerned), and the main plot never seems lost at sea with all the other little things going on around it. Even the flashback scenes at the island haven’t been as cumbersome, and if Arrow is handling that aspect more deftly, then the whole experience becomes much more enjoyable.

Jasef Wisener: Thea and Laurel have been the biggest improvements for me this season over what’s come before. Laurel started working her way into becoming a tolerable character with her arc last season, but fully jumping into the role and the persona of Black Canary has finally made her one of the best characters on network television. Likewise, embracing a heroic side has given Thea the drive she’s needed for three years, and I’m very pleased with how much I’m enjoying seeing this team work together now.

Laura Schinner: One of the biggest improvements to Season 4, for me, is the introduction of a big bad that actually seems threatening. Ra’s just didn’t raise the stakes or instill fear the way Slade or Damien do, and Season 3 suffered because of that. The addition of Echo as Curtis has also been a lot of fun, as has seeing Speedy become a full member of Team Arrow. While I’m still constantly frustrated by Malcolm’s existence in this show, it’s almost worth it for all the sass that Thea throws at him. Last season also distinctly lacked strong Diggle storylines, which is being made up for this season as we discover more about HIVE and his brother. And finally, it’s been a huge benefit to the show to explore Oliver and Felicity in an established relationship. In a lot of ways, Felicity has made Oliver a better person as he becomes more open to other people’s opinions and other ways of doing things. Many of the frustrating aspects of last season have been resolved, and they’ve been able to move forward with much better storytelling this season.

Blaise Hopkins: I don’t feel like the season is “cleaning up the mess of Season 3” at all. This is a two-season arc that gives us the final transformation of Oliver’s character developing into an established hero. During Season 3, the character had to make a lot of extremely tough decisions that were frustrating with viewers to deal with because it’s easy for us to sit back and question his decisions. Season 4 has been a lot more fun because the show doesn’t dwell on conflict as much. The actors haven’t changed, the characters obviously matured (two-season arc), and the introduction of Darhk as a villain as brutal as Slade Wilson has made for a better balance of story.

Nick Hogan: Oliver being a lone wolf was tiresome. As much as I understand his reasons for playing the League close the vest, his lone-wolf personality grew tiresome after three years, so Season 4 very much feels like a course correct in that regard. You can still see him itching to go in alone sometimes, but it feels more like a character flaw now and not a disease. Making reparations with Diggle, giving in and being with Felicity, and letting newly un-dead team members (Sara) join up immediately feels like some serious character growth. Stephen Amell has come so far as an actor, and him getting to smile and flex those acting chops is working the show’s favor ten-fold.

Chris King: First off, I don’t think Arrow Season 3 left the show “a mess” when it ended. As Blaise points out, the story that the Arrow writers have been telling has been a two-season arc; we needed to see Oliver and Team Arrow reach their lowest point in order to regroup and transform into the heroes we see them becoming now. My favorite part of Season 4 so far has been Oliver’s shift in personality and how he has let his guard down and truly let people in again for the first time since he returned home from the island. A big part of that is his relationship with Felicity, which has opened his heart and mind to the idea that there are people in this world who can love you, help you, and see you for the person you are now and the person you have the capability of being. That’s why the love story between them, even when it became a little tedious in some moments during last season, has been one of the best parts about Arrow since its inception: Oliver’s connection with Felicity has given him the strength and faith to not fall in love and be happy but to trust in others, thereby helping him become the most complete and best version of himself. Also, the repairing of Oliver’s friendship with Diggle was superbly handled and gave both Stephen Amell and David Ramsey some great material to play.

The first half of the season ended in a big way as Damien went after Oliver and Felicity after they had just gotten engaged at the very end of Arrow‘s fall finale. We have no idea what kind of state Felicity is in, and the writers are sticking to their main goal this season, which is bringing back the element of stakes and consequences. Where do you see this incident going from here?

Andy Behbakht: While Felicity is probably not dead, since it wouldn’t fit in with the “six months” aspect of this upcoming death–although she could potentially die later in the season; anyone who isn’t Oliver Queen has the potential to die, no matter how popular a character may be–I do expect to see some physically and mentally negative effects on her. I wouldn’t be surprised if her injuries were so bad that she will crippled or something along those lines. Either way, I don’t expect her to just come out of it 100% damage-free because this is a big deal. I see this event beings something that will trigger that murder-side within Oliver as that is always going to be a struggle that he has. I just hope the second half of the season doesn’t get too dar(h)k because we know how bad it went last time Arrow wanted to overplay the show’s darkness. It will be interesting to see how the characters deal with it in the winter premiere.

Sean Colletti: Admittedly, I’m a bit put-off by how heavily the season is leaning on that opening flash-forward of Oliver at the cemetery. As much rope as I’m willing to give the series, it continues to hang itself when it comes to how it uses death. Other than Tommy and Moira, death has felt meaningless on Arrow, because the stories find ways of cheating it or belittling the effect in other ways. Granted, this is just one of those things that comic books do, but a good comic book adaptation is that: an adaptation. It isn’t replicating the comic book, it is turning the comic book into a television series, and as a viewer of a television series, I want character deaths to be earned and have real gravity. I kind of just roll my eyes at this point when characters are in mortal danger, which is not a good place to be. So, not knowing anything about future episodes, I really don’t expect Felicity to be dead by the end of the season, and I do expect other episodes to introduce other possibilities for who is in that grave like it’s some kind of guessing game that relies more on shock than meaning (the writers did this with the mystery of Sara’s death, too). That said, I’m still clinging to the hope that whatever context surrounds that flash-forward, it has a permanent impact on the story and its characters.

Jasef Wisener: I haven’t been a big fan of Felicity since Season 3, and I think that the writers completely destroyed her last season. The first few episodes this season have turned her around in a big way, but I really think the best thing for the show’s story (and the Oliver/Laurel relationship that I’m dying to see) is for Felicity to go away. I actually wouldn’t mind if she lived and just jumped over to help out the Legends of Tomorrow in an Oracle-esque role, but I think we’ve gotten to the point that Felicity has done just about all the good that she can on Arrow. With that said, I think the character is too popular with fans to kill off in that way, so I believe she’ll be sticking around.

Laura Schinner: As much as they’re trying to make it look like Felicity is dead, it’s pretty obvious that she won’t be (although I do love the parallels between Oliver being ‘dead’ at midseason finale last season and Felicity being ‘dead’ this season). The show knows it would lose a very vocal and passionate part of their fanbase if it were to kill Felicity off, and I just don’t see that happening. What I do think we’ll get to see is some incredible angst, as Oliver deals with nearly losing the love of his life. In Season 3, his big struggle was not wanting to be with Felicity because he didn’t want his enemies to target her. I’m hopeful that this event won’t trigger those same thoughts in Oliver, as he has come to realize that Felicity is her own person and can make her own decisions. A big theme of the midseason finale was that Oliver is NOT the boss of Felicity and if she wants to live the life they do and be with him, then he needs to accept that. Stephen Amell has already promised that if Felicity were to ever be in danger, we’d see “confusion, desperation, utter sadness, and complete rage.” I have no doubt that Amell will deliver on all these fronts, showing us an Oliver Queen that is truly desperate for Felicity to be okay and ready to take down those who hurt her.

Blaise Hopkins: I think when we return Felicity will be left in a coma. Regardless of whether she actually dies or not, it’s going to send Oliver on a hellbent mission against Darhk. I’m a big Doctor Who fan, and in the most recent series Peter Capaldi’s Doctor loses someone close to him, which delivered one of the best episodes in the show’s history and the best he’s ever performed in the role. I’m expecting Arrow to be no different, and we will see Oliver completely unleashed with what I’m hoping will be some of Stephen Amell’s best performances.

Nick Hogan: I don’t see Felicity dying (just yet), but she is going to be damaged. Remember, Oliver has a son that he hasn’t told her about, and there would be no consequences for that if she dies this soon. But, some of her innocence will vanish. She will change. She won’t just be quirky, funny Felicity anymore, but a damaged character like…well..the rest of them. Oliver, too, will be more wary of accepting happiness as normality.  One thing that will definitely happen, though? Damien Darhk will pay.

Chris King: Regarding Felicity’s state following the attack, I would say that it’s pretty much a given that the incident will leave her traumatized in some way, and possibly with some type of mental obstacle (since Felicity’s intelligence is one of her best and most celebrated attributes) that she needs to overcome. However, whatever challenges that Felicity faces will only make her stronger as a character and provide her with even more incentive to take down Damien Darhk. And speaking of how Damien will pay, I’m very curious to see how Oliver will respond to his enemy’s latest actions. The fall finale showed us that Damien has some type of family. Could Oliver (and Arrow) really go that far and become like a villain himself by going after Damien’s wife or kid as retribution? We’ve already seen Oliver try taking down Darhk in the light of day, but the harm he’s done to Felicity may cause the Green Arrow to become the darkest version of himself.

[Photos via The CW]