I had to hit the pause button on my review of the Season 4 finale of Arrow. I was in the middle of my review when the internet seemed to blow up within minutes after the finale faded to black. Did Season 4 take a step back? For some, the answer is clearly a yes. I would not say that it did but I would say that it didn’t advance the show for a next season. I feel like S4 had some excellent highs led by Neal McDonough as the seasons lead villain, Damien Darhk. In a lot of ways he was even better than previous villain Ra’s al Ghul (Nate Nable) but not quite as good as Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett). There were also some emotional lows with the death of Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) at the very top of that list. As a whole, Season 4 was not Arrow’s best. It was good but not necessarily memorable other than losing one of their own. Warning, spoilers ahead…
The buildup to the finale titled “Schism”, centered on the threat of nuclear destruction of Star City and Damien Darhk taking over with his own New World Order. With this real threat looming, you would think there would be a greater sense of urgency by Team Arrow. It’s not that they stood pat because they didn’t but there was something clearly missing. Yes there was a lot of action but not as much as you would think given the circumstances. The show suffers from too many flashbacks and not enough present day solutions.
One of the things that frustrate me and I know others feel the same way, is writer’s use of flashback as exposition to mirror what is happening in the present. It shows how Oliver (Stephen Amell) had to deal with circumstances of similar no win scenarios from the past that he now faces today. It was fine for the first two seasons and borderline acceptable in the third but after four full seasons it’s more of a hindrance than a benefit.
So much of the season finale felt more like a series finale to me. It felt very disconnected from previous finales and having the team depressingly disband after saving the day and all of Star City once again only added that those feelings. Thea (Willa Holland) leaves town after feeling some sense of guilt for using a child to counter Darhk’s devious plans. She fears she may be more like her daddy Malcolm (John Barrowman) than she cares to admit. Then there’s Diggle (David Ramsey) who for some reason decides to leave town and his family to rejoin the military. Of course I’m sure there will be some sort of new threat against Star City now that Oliver Queen has become Mayor Queen that will bring everyone back together. But instead of inspiring hope, it would seem the Green Arrow failed at doing that. Oliver’s decision to kill Darhk (although no one could ever blame him) was somewhat out of character for him now since changing his vigilante ways from season one. Again, I would not say the show regressed but I will say it didn’t advance.
Not sure what to make of Season 5 when Arrow returns in the fall. Unlike The Flash and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow for that matter, their finales gave us something to look forward to and talk about throughout the summer with anticipation. Arrow on the other hand does give us something to talk about but with less hope or anticipation.
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
**All photos courtesy of The CW
**All photos courtesy of The CW
