Arrow’s Comeback (?)

I’ve been watching Arrow since it started in 2012. Initially, it was the perfect show for a high school freshman who loved dramatic superhero content and cliffhanger endings.

The first season gave a promising start to a new type of action show the CW was producing. The trailers on top of the billboard advertisement in Times Square at the time ignited almost a cultural conversation within the superhero fan club that drew me even closer to the show. I was ready to stick with Oliver Queen as the Green Arrow for years, and I did, knowing that the CW often has shows that go on forever (think of Supernatural).

Seasons 1–3 have clear narrative arcs, developed characters, and mysterious enemies with ancient rituals to battle Arrow in engaging stories. The series was one of the first to depict a gritty, gloomy, and more modern version of the superhero before Netflix came into the game with its own hero shows. Unlike the MCU movies which were gaining a ton of attraction for their family-friendly superhero blockbusters, Arrow was a darker take on the genre that attempted to tackle questions about the morals and values of heroes as well as their flaws. It paved a path and provided a televisual model that appealed to superhero fans and that shows like Daredevil also mimicked, despite obvious differences.

SPOILERS AHEAD.

Cut to 2017. It’s the 6th season and the show has diverged from its golden days (I don’t know many people that still watch it). With Team Arrow splitting and a villain, Diaz, who struggles to have the same weight and power as previous antagonists, the season struggled to keep the show afloat for me. The writing lacked the same structure as the first few seasons (the main villain literally switched halfway through), the bad guy himself was relatively boring, and the dividing of the team was an unnecessary move that felt like a lazy plot element. It was rough and comparable to season 4 which many people believe is the worse season of all.

However, I think a light could be at the end of the tunnel. Season 7 is hopeful turn that could bring the show back from the dark depths of the previous season. With Oliver in jail (for a while I think), Diaz still alive and trying to take revenge on his family, and a functional team, the premiere throws us into a rushed environment that will at least keep me engaged for the time being.

Ultimately, the show is bringing back the idea of mystery. In seasons 1–3, there was always mystery of Oliver’s past, the identity of the villains, and how the midseason finales would impact our characters (he was literally stabbed and thrown off a mountain at one point). That all came to a bit of halt because we knew the villain in season 6 and finished Oliver’s 5 year backstory on the island. But, now we’re being introduced to faceless hero very similar to the Green Arrow in Star City. Also, we started cutting to the future (finally!). With his son, William, now venturing to the island where he trained and meeting Roy to look for “answers,” the show is bringing the back the component of mystery. We don’t know why Felicity sent William to the island or what his arc will be this season. Most importantly, how will this future storyline link to our present one (Arrow did a great job in season 2 of connecting the flashbacks to the present scenes) and will it be is as exciting as the main narrative? Is William going to train with Roy? Is he the “new” Green Arrow in the present storyline? Possibly. Though I think that time travel and having William wear the hood is a little cliché.

J.J. Abrams does a fantastic job at explaining the importance of mystery through his “mystery box” idea. In short, he says a story should intentionally withhold information so an audience can formulate questions and make predictions, making them more engaged. Though Abrams’ content is rooted more in sci-fi and space fantasy stories, Arrow could learn from his concept outlined in his TED Talk . Though I’ve only seen the first two episodes so far (I think its on the 4th right now), the show is giving us a taste of the mystery box unlike the last season, and I hope that this future storyline will lead to promising results.

All of these questions and new twists in Arrow peak my interest to the point where I actually want to see the show again. I think it’ll be worth the watch this time around and bring back the original reasons why Arrow jumpstarted 7 years ago as the superhero TV series. If it keeps its mystery aspect and leans on it to drive the narrative, then the show will have a good chance at reviving its acclaim that got me hooked in the first place.

Crossing my fingers…